No sooner had he made this gesture than a will-o'-the-wisp that had been flying round them came and attached itself to his finger, and the more Ulenspiegel tried to shake it off the firmer the little wisp held on. Nele tried to free Ulenspiegel, but now she also had a little wisp firm on the tip of her finger, and neither would it let her go. Ulenspiegel began to flick at the wisp with his free hand, saying: "Answer me now, are you the soul of a Beggarman or of a Spaniard? If you are a Beggarman's you may go to Paradise, but if a Spaniard's, return to the hell whence you came." Nele said to him: "Do not abuse the souls of the dead, even though they be the souls of murderers!" Then, making the little will-o'-the-wisp to dance at the end of her finger: "Wisp," she said, "gentle wisp, come tell me what news do you bring from the land of souls? What rule do they live by down there? Do they eat and drink, having no mouths? For you have none, my sweet! Or wait they, perhaps, till they come to blessed Paradise ere taking upon themselves a human form?" "Why waste time in talking to a peevish little flame that has no ears to hear with, no mouth wherewith to answer?" said Ulenspiegel. But paying no attention to him, Nele went on: "Wisp of mine, answer me now by dancing. For I am going to question you thrice. Once in the name of God, once in the name of Our Lady, and once in the name of the Elemental Spirits who are the messengers between God and men." And this she did, and three times did the elf dance in answer. Then Nele said to Ulenspiegel: "Take off your clothes, and I will do the same. See, here is the silver box which holds the balm of vision." "Be it as you wish," answered Ulenspiegel. When they had undressed and anointed themselves with the balm of vision, they lay down naked as they were beside one another on the grass. The sea-gulls screamed; the thunder growled and rumbled, and in the darkness the lightning flashed. Between two clouds the moon scarcely showed her crescent's golden horns; and the will-o'-the-wisps departed from Nele and Ulenspiegel to go off dancing with their comrades in the fields. Suddenly a great giant hand took hold of Nele and her lover, and threw them high in air as though they had been a child's playthings. Then the giant caught them again, rolled them one on the other and kneaded them between his hands, and after that he threw them into a pool of water that lay between the hills, and last of all he dragged them out again full of water and water-weeds. And the giant began to sing in a voice so loud that all the sea-gulls of the islands awakened in terror: With eyes that squint they would discern, These silly, wandering insect-mortals, The sacred symbols none may learn, Safe guarded now within our portals Read then, flea, the mystery high, Read then, louse, the secret vast, Which to earth and air and sky By seven nails is anchored fast!