k, his
features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.
"Water!" he stretched his arms to Hans, and cried feebly, "Water! I am
dying."

"I have none," replied Hans; "thou hast had thy share of life." He
strode over the prostrate body, and darted on. And a flash of blue
lightning rose out of the East, shaped like a sword; it shook thrice
over the whole heaven, and left it dark with one heavy, impenetrable
shade. The sun was setting; it plunged towards the horizon like a
red-hot ball.

The roar of the Golden River rose on Hans' ear. He stood at the brink of
the chasm through which it ran. Its waves were filled with the red glory
of the sunset: they shook their crests like tongues of fire, and flashes
of bloody light gleamed along their foam. Their sound came mightier and
mightier on his senses; his brain grew giddy with the prolonged thunder.
Shuddering he drew the flask from his girdle, and hurled it into the
centre of the torrent. As he did so, an icy chill shot through his
limbs: he staggered, shrieked, and fell. The waters closed over his cry.
And the moaning of the river rose wildly into the night, as it gushed
over

THE BLACK STONE.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER IV.

HOW MR. SCHWARTZ SET OFF ON AN EXPEDITION TO THE GOLDEN RIVER, AND HOW
HE PROSPERED THEREIN.

[Illustration]

Poor little Gluck waited very anxiously alone in the house, for Hans'
return. Finding he did not come back, he was terribly frightened, and
went and told Schwartz in the prison, all that had happened. Then
Schwartz was very much pleased, and said that Hans must certainly have
been turned into a black stone, and he should have all the gold to
himself. But Gluck was very sorry, and cried all night. When he got up
in the morning, there was no bread in the house, nor any money; so Gluck
went, and hired himself to another goldsmith, and he worked so hard, and
so neatly, and so long every day, that he soon got money enough
together, to pay his brother's fine, and he went, and gave it all to
Schwartz, and Schwartz got out of prison. Then Schwartz was quite
pleased, and said he should have some of the gold of the river. But
Gluck only begged he would go and see what had become of Hans.

Now when Schwartz had heard that Hans had stolen the holy water, he
thought to himself that such a proceeding might not be considered
altogether correct by the King of the Golden River, and determined to
manage matters better. So he took