Alfaleith.org

In the Prince's courtyard and in the village the harvest wagons rattled; the Chieftain's men forgot in the pressure of work their warrior pride, and helped the hinds; the reapers bound the last sheaves for the great god of the people, and brought a garland of ears of corn, dancing in measure, to the Prince's hall. The barefooted village children swarmed like thrushes about the thicket, collecting berries and nuts in long cornets made of wood shavings. Every one was eager to bring home the fruit which the goddess of the fields bestowed upon the dwellers of the plains. Ingo, by the side of the master of the house, watched the peaceful work, which he had formerly only beheld from the back of his high warhorse. He heard with annoyance his host vexing himself like a peasant about the wolves that had killed one of his young bullocks, but he more often smiled gladly, when he saw Irmgard among the maidens at their work, to whom she was giving orders. The hearts of Ingo and the noble maiden beat with joy when, in the presence of others, in the house and in the field, they exchanged greetings and sometimes a few words. For strict was the rule of the house; the men lived separately, and Ingo feared, since he had taken the oath of guest, to wound the peace of the house by too bold approaches. Almost all gave him friendly looks; only the eyes of the Princess became clouded when she beheld him. She was vexed by the proud feeling that he had, contrary to her advice, conquered one of her kinsfolk in the warlike games, and that her wish to consider him as a foreign traveler had been frustrated by the minstrel. And there was another thing which was annoying to her. She had chosen Theodulf, her blood-relation, to be the husband of her daughter; Answald and her folk had already been in treaty concerning it some years before. Now she observed suspiciously her daughter and the guest.

One day there came a traveling juggler, with his chest, into the field; he played in front of the Prince's courtyard on the bagpipe, till the people of the village came running up; the men also and servants of the Prince came out of the gate of the courtyard. When the circle was closed, the man began in vulgar language his account --- that he concealed in his chest a Roman hero, and if the warriors and beautiful ladies wished to show him their favor, he was ready to exhibit him. He tapped on the chest; the cover rose, and a small hideous monster, with a face like a man's, and a Roman helmet over his ears, raised his head up, and made faces. Many drew back, but the more courageous laughed at the wonder. The man opened the chest, and an ape sprang out, dressed in a coat of mail like a Roman warrior. He moved his lank legs about on the grass, turned a somersault in the air, and danced. At first the country people were alarmed, then there arose loud laughter and cries of approbation, so that Hildebrand ran into the arbor, and exclaimed to the Princess: "A juggler is dancing before the gate of the Court, with a small wild man, whom they call an ape." Thereupon the Prince, with Ingo and the ladies, went out and amused themselves with the frolicsome jumps of the ape. At last the ape took his helmet off, and ran round the circle, while the man cried out:

"Bestow, ye heroes, on my Roman warrior what you have of Roman coin in your purses, small and great; the nobler the hero, the larger will be the bit of money. Let those who have none place sausages and eggs in the chest."

Then the people laughed, and many put their hands to their belts; others brought from the house what would serve for traveling fare for the man. The stranger went up also to the Prince, and he and Theodulf took Roman copper out of their pockets, and Frida heard Theodulf say to the juggler, pointing to Ingo: "The great Hero there will bestow upon thee most bountifully." When the man with his ape approached the Hero Ingo, Frida was anxious to see whether the stranger and his chamberlain Wolf, in the jerkin of the Princess, would be able to find anything that they could give; and in order to save them from shame she quickly pulled off a small silver bell which the Prince's daughter had given her as a neck ornament, and, springing forward, she said:

<< Previous Page | Back | Next Page >>