Page:Weird Tales volume 38 number 03 CAN.djvu/62

 not to go out of the house again at least until he returned, and with final assurances he left.

T THE cathedral Dr. Planquette and Hynek were waiting. An ugly bruise disfigured Hynek's jaw.

"Our comrade became entangled with the dancers," said Dr. Planquette. "But be seems lo be all right. I found him unconscious on the street."

"I am sure the mania was not affecting me," said Hynek, "But one of them must have struck me a solid blow."

Sensing that Hynek had not recognized his assailant, Christian affected surprise.

"We must waste no time," said Dr. Planquette, after inquiring of Christian's relatives, "Dresden is a long way."

"But first," said Christian, "let me tell you about the strange figure I saw shortly after we became separated," and he described the black-faced horseman. "He was surely a demon—and I would judge one that has something to do with the plague."

Dr. Planquette was excited. "You have seen Zcerneboh!" he exclaimed. "Yes, Christian—I saw him too. A frightening creature, is he not? A demon indeed! More than that." The old doctor stroked his coarsely matted beard as if contemplating a decision. "Yes, I think I should tell you now of what I saw near Dresden last winter.

"On the wild banks of the Elbe north of the city," he began, "is an ancient grotto. As you know, this city is of Slavic origin. Now there was a tribe of the Wends called the Obotritians, and they, like the rest of the Wends were in constant battle with the Teutons. These early Wends had a religion of their own, and they worshipped gods that only they knew. One of the Obotrittan gods was invested with great evil power. It might be supposed that the gods died with the Obotritians when they were beaten and killed in a great battle with Albert the Bear. But I am not sure. Unknowingly I happened to be near this grotto in my search for certain rare insects valuable to medicine, and which I had learned were to be found in this vicinity.

"Several thick bushes separated me from the unexpected voices that startled me. Peering through the leaves I saw three men emerge from a foliage-hidden gap among the caves. Two of them were ordinary men, so far as I could see, but the third was covered from head to feet in black garments. They addressed this character as Zcerneboh, but the sounds he made in reply were unintelligible to me, at least.

"One of the men said: 'Zcerneboh, O mighy [sic] and ancient one, god and friend of our tribes of old and we their survivors, to you we turn now for revenge against these Teutons who have tried so mercilessly to destroy us. The gods of our brother tribes have failed. But you, Zcerneboh, with your potent evil will curse the Teutons with a plague from which they shall never recover. Go forth again, commit more as you have done, and as before we shall await your return and reward you.'

"Zcerneboh uttered queer sounds in reply, and turned. Then I saw that horrible face which Christian has just described. I went to several of the priests in Dresden, but they were inclined to take little stock of what I told them. They knew vaguely of the grotto, and said they might send someone to investigate, but I doubted that they would.

"So it is that grotto outside of Dresden that we must seek to await the return