Afterwards, however, he ordered speedy preparations to be made for their departure; so that, on the morning of the second day, a palfrey, with a packhorse, the war-steed of Sir Heerdegen, and four squires, were ready in the castle court. Sir Hugh came down the wide staircase with the brother and sister, humming all the way an old song, remembered from the days of his youth. He embraced them ere they mounted, then forced them to ride away; and thereafter went with the minstrel Walter to the rampart, seated himself silently on the grass, and gazed at the travellers as they proceeded always farther and farther along the plains, now bright with the dews and ruddy sun-gleams of the morning. Thereupon the minstrel called to mind how he had before sat there with Bertha in the same place, when the young Sir Otto was spurring his light-brown charger across the meadow; and, without reflection, led on by natural associations, he began once more the first verses of the song which he had chaunted on that occasion. The words were as follows:-- “A weak old man am I, No longer dare I roam!” Then the venerable knight, in great wrath, seized hold of him by the arm, and shook him heartily. In a thundering voice too, like the roaring of a lion, he called out,--“Would’st thou mock me, then? I shall hurl thee down from the rampart into the valley beneath, unless thou confessest that the old grey-haired warrior hath yet strength in his limbs and courage in his heart!” The minstrel was with these words dragged to the very edge of the rampart; but, without changing colour or countenance, he looked the knight firmly in the face, saying,--“If it be your pleasure to attack an old man, who is no warrior, but a minstrel, and at the same time your guest, do so in God’s name. That is your affair, not mine, and the whole adventure may soon be ended!” Thereupon Sir Hugh trembled vehemently, and let him go. “For Heaven’s sake forgive me!” said he; “you know that evil spirits have formerly exercised their power over me in this life; and now, when my solitary penance was begun, methought that a strange man had come hither to sing ballads, mocking me in the impotence of mine old age. It was the strange man that I wished to fling over the rampart.” “That was forsooth a proper mode of proving your penitence,” said the minstrel. Sir Hugh was for some moments silent and ashamed;--at length he said,--“I know not, Master Walter, if I can invite you any more to join me over a goblet of wine in the castle.” “Wherefore should you not?” answered the old poet; “we minstrels were indeed unworthy of protection and patronage, if we knew not how to bear with the varying humours of irritable and yet noble minds.” Thereupon he followed his venerable host into the fortress. CHAPTER XIII. How the Lady Bertha was received in the Druda’s castle.