th a smile. "I am right glad that thy
heart was softened, and that thou art willing at last to cease from war
and violence."

"Nay," cried the Baron, roughly, "I said nothing of ceasing from war. By
heaven, no! I will have revenge!" And he clashed his iron foot upon the
floor and clinched his fists and ground his teeth together. "Listen,"
said he, "and I will tell thee how my troubles happened. A fortnight ago
I rode out upon an expedition against a caravan of fat burghers in the
valley of Gruenhoffen. They outnumbered us many to one, but city swine
such as they are not of the stuff to stand against our kind for a long
time. Nevertheless, while the men-at-arms who guarded the caravan were
staying us with pike and cross-bow from behind a tree which they had
felled in front of a high bridge the others had driven the pack-horses
off, so that by the time we had forced the bridge they were a league
or more away. We pushed after them as hard as we were able, but when we
came up with them we found that they had been joined by Baron Frederick
of Trutz-Drachen, to whom for three years and more the burghers of
Gruenstadt have been paying a tribute for his protection against others.
Then again they made a stand, and this time the Baron Frederick himself
was with them. But though the dogs fought well, we were forcing them
back, and might have got the better of them, had not my horse stumbled
upon a sloping stone, and so fell and rolled over upon me. While I lay
there with my horse upon me, Baron Frederick ran me down with his lance,
and gave me that foul wound that came so near to slaying me--and did
slay my dear wife. Nevertheless, my men were able to bring me out from
that press and away, and we had bitten the Trutz-Drachen dogs so deep
that they were too sore to follow us, and so let us go our way in peace.
But when those fools of mine brought me to my castle they bore me lying
upon a litter to my wife's chamber. There she beheld me, and, thinking
me dead, swooned a death-swoon, so that she only lived long enough to
bless her new-born babe and name it Otto, for you, her father's brother.
But, by heavens! I will have revenge, root and branch, upon that vile
tribe, the Roderburgs of Trutz-Drachen. Their great-grandsire built that
castle in scorn of Baron Casper in the old days; their grandsire slew my
father's grandsire; Baron Nicholas slew two of our kindred; and now this
Baron Frederick gives me that foul wound and kills my dear