ands of those horrid
Frenchmen several different times. Did you see the blown-up tower,
Hans?"

"Of course I did. Half of it, you know, fell into the moat during
one of the sieges, but linden-trees have grown about it, and it makes
a shady nook in which to rest one's self."

"You did not go inside of the castle, did you, Hans?" asked Gretchen.

"No. It looked so big and gloomy, I stayed outside in the pretty
gardens. I climbed over some of the moss-grown stairs, though, and I
kept discovering something I hadn't seen before. Here and there were
old fountains and marble statues, all gray with age."

"They say that under the castle are great, dark dungeons," said
Bertha, shivering at the thought.

"What would a castle be without dungeons?" replied her brother. "Of
course there are dungeons. And there are also hidden, underground
passages through which the people inside could escape in times of war
and siege."

"Oh, Hans! did you see the Heidelberg Tun?" asked Gretchen.

Now, the Heidelberg Tun is the largest wine-cask in, the whole world.
People say that it holds forty-nine thousand gallons. Just think of
it! But it has not been filled for more than a hundred years.

"No, I didn't see it," replied Hans. "It is down in the cellar, and
I didn't want to go there without father. I heard some of the
visitors telling about the marks of the Frenchmen's hatchets on its
sides. One of the times they captured the castle, they tried to
break open the tun. They thought it was full of wine. But they did
not succeed in hacking through its tough sides."

"Good! Good!" cried his sisters. They had little love for France
and her people.

That evening, after Hans had finished telling the girls about his
visit, their father told them the legend of Count Frederick, a brave
and daring man who once lived in Heidelberg Castle.

Count Frederick was so brave and successful that he was called
"Frederick the Victorious."

Once upon a time he was attacked by the knights and bishops of the
Rhine, who had banded together against him. When he found what great
numbers of soldiers were attacking his castle, Count Frederick was
not frightened in the least. He armed his men with sharp daggers,
and marched boldly out against his foes.

They attacked the horses first of all. The daggers made short work,
and the knights were soon brought to the ground. Their armour was so
heavy that it was an easy matter then to make them pri