"A simple, credulous fellow, a true peasant of the Schwarzwald, untouched by the outer world," he told himself. "He should be useful to us." Then, passing to him the wicker-covered bottle, he said:-- "Good Rhine wine from Bacharach, Hans. Taste it!" "Ach, from Bacharach on the Rhine, Comes the finest sort of wine," exclaimed the stranger in the rude dialect of the Black Forest, and his round eyes sparkled as he clutched the bottle, raised it to his lips, and drank half a pint without stopping to take breath. "’Tis a long time since I tasted such rich and luscious wine, gentlemen," said the peasant, handing back the bottle. "Pray be seated and rest awhile," urged his companions, and nothing loath to keep such excellent company, Hans, if such was really his name, sat down by the fire. "Pray, what brings you to the lonely Schwarzwald, gentlemen? Have you come to hunt for the wild boar, or to fish the mountain streams?" he asked, "for I can show you where the biggest fish are to be found, and where the wild pig rears her litters." "Butterflies and birds, especially birds," replied Keane, pointing to his nets, and his neat little boxes for packing specimens. "Birds? Ach, there is one bird which sometimes flies in these parts which you will never catch," said the peasant, speaking in lowered tones, as though half-frightened by his own words. "Ha! What bird is that?" asked the others. "Hist!" exclaimed Hans, raising his forefinger, and looking guardedly around. "It is the phantom-bird!" "The phantom-bird?" echoed the two airmen, who could scarcely believe their eyes and ears, as they earnestly regarded this solemn, frightened, half-childish man, who had evidently seen the very thing they had come so far to find, but who believed it to be something supernatural. The two Englishmen glanced at each other. Had they really found someone who could enlighten them about this mysterious aeroplane, for he could certainly be referring to nothing else? And at that moment Keane blessed his lucky star, which had led him to choose these wild forest regions for their jumping-off ground. Still, they must not appear too curious, lest they should betray the reason of their presence here. Keane shook his head as, with an apparently incredulous laugh, and a sympathetic motion of the hand, he would banish all tales of ghostly visitants to the realm of limbo. This only had the effect of egging on the speaker to tell his tale, however. "Ach, Himmel!" he exclaimed. "Es war geistlich!" "Did you see it, then?" "Ya, das hab ich!" returned the other. "Was it in the day or the night-time when you saw it?" asked Sharpe. "It was night, about this time, and there was but a half-moon above the tree tops." "Were you very much frightened, Hans?"