a sign from Hildebrand, the men descended. When they
arrived at the bottom, they found that the circular space was divided
in the middle by a stone wall. The semicircle into which they had
entered was empty.

And now King Teja measured ten spans on the wall to the centre, and
pressing his hand upon a stone, a small door opened inwards. Hildebrand
entered with his torch, and kindled two others which were fixed upon
the wall.

The observers started back dazzled, and covered their eyes with their
hands. When they again looked up, they recognised--at once guessing the
secret--the whole rich treasure of Dietrich of Berne.

There lay, partly heaped up symmetrically, partly thrown in disorder
one upon another, weapons, vessels, and ornaments of all kinds. Strong
Etruscan steel-caps of ancient times, brought by the commerce of the
Goths as far as the Baltic, or to the Pruth and Dniester, and now
brought back to the south by the migration of the nations, probably
near to the very spot where they had been fashioned. Near these lay
flat wooden head-pieces, over which was stretched the skin of the seal,
or the jaws of the ice-bear; pointed Celtic helmets; high-crested helms
from Rome or Byzantium; neck-rings of bronze and iron, of silver and
gold. Shields--from the clumsy wooden shield, as tall as a man, which
was set up like a wall to hide the archer, to the small round and
ornamented horseman's shield of the Parthians, studded with pearls and
precious stones. Ancient ring-mail of crushing weight, and light-padded
clothing of purple-coloured linen, besides scimitars, swords and
daggers, of stone, bronze, and steel. Axes and clubs of all kinds--from
those rudely made from the bones of the mammoth and tied to the antler
of a stag with bast, to the Frankish _franciska_, and the small
perforated and gilded axe with which the Roman circus-riders used to
split an apple while at full gallop. Spears, lances, and darts of all
sorts--from the roughly carved tusk of the narwal, to the ebony shaft,
inlaid with gold, of the Asdingian Vandal Kings in Carthage, and the
massive golden arrows of these princes, with steel points a foot long,
and the shafts decorated with the purple feathers of the flamingo.
War-mantles--made of the fur of the black fox, the skin of the
Numidian lion, and the costliest purple of Sidon. Shoes--from
the long shovel-shaped snowshoes of the Skrito Fins, to the golden
sandals of Byzantium. Doublets of Frisian wool, a