All at once most of the men sprang up and bent forward as listening, each man by gesture silencing his fellows; then was Wulf mazed to note the look of that gathering. The two bowmen stood staring straight before them, making no motion toward their weapons until Conradt and another took them up and put them in the fellows’ hands, when the boy saw that those archers were stone-blind. More than that, the man who helped Conradt fix their bows had but a short stump of a left forearm. This stump he thrust through the arm-strap of a shield which he snatched from the ground, and drawing his sword, hurried across the glade, the archers following, holding by his jerkin. While all this was going forward the two watchers became aware of the sound of a bell through the trees. It was plain that this was the sound which had roused the men. These still remained within the glade, but pressed forward toward the opening, ready to sally out upon whoever might pass. “This be far from the road for merchants,” Wulf thought. “Mayhap some caravan has lost its way. That bell would be on the leading animal, which looks, an I’m not a blunderer, as ’twere likely to be too large a company for our Conradt’s sorry crew.” Then he and Elise exchanged looks, for the sound was plainly coming toward the glade, as though the animal bearing the bell were traversing some woodland path. The monstrous group before them also noted this, and Conradt, plucking the blind archers by their sleeves, led them back a little space, nearer to where Wulf and Elise were hidden. Here he stationed them, and setting their bows at aim toward a slight opening among the bushes on the other side, he went back to the walnut-tree. “He fancies the travelers, if there be any, will come in at yon place,” said Wulf to himself; “but ’tis my belief that ’tis naught, after all, but an estrayed bell-heifer wandering through the woods.” Then a man’s voice sounded above the noise of the bell. They could not make out its utterance, but something in the hoarse, droning cry chilled the listeners’ hearts. The men within the glade looked at one another in awe. “Mother of heaven! What may it be?” Elise whispered with white lips to Wulf. He shook his head, not knowing, when in the opening at the yonder side of the glade a figure showed—a tall, gaunt figure of a man, indeed, but looking rather like some wild thing of the forest. He was clad for the most part in the skins of beasts with the hair left on, and about his loins was knotted a rope from which hung the iron bell whose clangor had held their attention so long. “’Tis Bell-Hutten,” whispered Wulf to Elise. “I might have guessed as much, but in truth ne’er saw I him before.”