Suddenly there arose a noise like thunder behind the Finlanders, or rather as of the clashing of many iron shields; and a joyful chorus of voices was heard, answering the last stanza of the ballad, which Sir Otto had just now begun. In a few moments he beheld the golden vulture’s wings of Sir Arinbiorn, rising over the wood. Soon after he beheld the sea-monarch himself, with his great shield, gleaming like a full moon, and the whole band of gigantic Normans, clad in their heavy brazen cuirasses. Anon a shower of javelins was hurled forth against the pagan hordes, who broke asunder, and fled howling in all directions. “Now is the time!” cried the troops from the plain beneath; “cut them down, Swedes!” And “cut them down, grant no quarter!” was repeated by Sir Otto’s band, who forgot all their weariness and wounds, and ran furiously with their drawn swords, up hill and down hill, after their flying enemies. CHAPTER XV. How Sir Otto was terrified by his double-goer. Evening had now settled in deep shades in the valleys, the wind howled more wildly, and the clouds hung low on the heath, when Sir Otto stood alone in a dark thicket of the forest. Thus far he had been led on by the chase of his enemies; but now there was visible neither friend nor foe, and the wearied victor sank down to rest on the withered leaves with which the ground was thickly strewn. After a short time he again raised himself and looked round, though without observing any known object by which he might guide himself on his way homewards. Hereupon he ascended a rising ground that lay before him, in hopes that from its summit he might see farther; but there the woods were even thicker than below; and, instead of seeing over the beech-woods the light of the evening sky, he began to perceive the dark pointed tops of a forest of pine-trees, stretching, as if threatening, and in wrath, their pointed foliage towards him. The fir-trees were indeed wedged together like an impenetrable wall before him. “Through such a thicket,” said the knight to himself, “scarce even a bird could find its way;” and at the same moment it occurred to his remembrance, that these words were not his own, but that he only repeated what he had sometime heard from another. He began to reflect thereon, but was interrupted by the loud howling of a wolf; the voice sounded more like that of melancholy lamentation than anger; and when he approached nearer, he perceived, directly on the border where the pine-trees joined to the beech-wood, a mound of turf like a grave, whereon was stretched a white she-wolf, who was uttering those horrid cries. Observing him, however, she started up, prepared to attack him, raised herself on her hinder-legs, and grinned horribly. Otto lifted his javelin to defend himself, when, lo! there came down hill, from another direction, an old man dressed in long garments, with a great cross instead of a staff in his