The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-03-23

noar 1,llow,s wits were disordered; still ne
bad .,.ffieient confidence in him 20 eniruss
h,m viii, the much valued relics. Bachohner,
With his charge journeyed forth. He cast
,nauy lingering look al his humble but COM
Sorable cottage, fully impressed with con-
yi,riou that he should not return.
Tine ,rusty Bachofner was passing through
,.eclnded mart of that almost interminable
60, when he found himself assaulted by
r,e;,n who. before he could defend himself,
wh;nned q small sword or siileuo through his
r;hs Though he received q dreadful, and, as
/, proved, a mortal wound, II did not bring
him Immediately TO the ground. The wound
was deep, but so narrow that at FIRST only
small quantity OF blood escaped Rudolph
was at the assailanl's throat before he could
regain the use Of his weapon. The woodman
had sufficient strength and presence Of mind
10 draw an axe from his girdle, with which he
Glove the scull of his rufiian antagonist. leav-
ing the weapon sticking in the splintered he'll
met. The assassin was the Baron Bach
offner attempted to walk. but before he had
proceeded many PAGES fell the blood now
oozed fast from the wound, and with it flowed
the tide Of life Fearing that the monster who
stabbed him might have an acc0mplice in vii
lany. and well aware that the life Of wood
man had not been the primary motive TO the
attack, he threw his burden into assure of
the rock, and slightly covered il with loose
stones and sods - then swooned and died.
Ii would seem thtt the Baron by some un-
ascertained means had come to knowledge
of the removal of the sword, shield, and ar
NOR; and knowing how highly they were
priced by their present possessor, had resolv-
ed, at the hazard Of his life, to obtain them;
not that he regarded their intrinsic value---not
in the spirit of avarice had he coveted the
masses of embossed gold which adoroed
them; but to crafty the fiendish hate which
he cherished towards the person Of his rival.
That hate was the last but fiercest spark of a
deeply-rooied animosity, which had subsisted
between the rival families from time imme-
mortal
Many were the surmises and speculations
respecting the fate of the woodman and the
Baron. The bodies of the combatants were
not discovered until some time after the fatal
rencontre. When found, they were within
few yards of each other, just as they had
fallen. The avenging Ratchet was still wedg-
ed in the assassin's helmet, and the right
hand of Bachoffner still grasped the second
weapon which in his death struggle he had
drawn from his girdle. Near to the woodman
was stretched the faithful Rudolph. As the
bodies were not m,lated by the beasts and
birds Of prey it was inferred that they mad
been watched over by the dog, which appear
ed to be but recently dead
Bachoffner, as promised by the phantom
fores'ers was permitted, after death, to wan
der invisible through the forest by night, Eav-
ing died leaving
-"a deed undone,
wished for object to be won"
But his person was to become visible, and
his wanderings were 10 cease, whenever he
could meet with some person to whom he
could reveal the treasure, in defence Of which
he lost his life. His nocturnal perambula-
tons were confined to very small portion of
the forest, and that remote and nnfrequented
part. From the number Of bears, wolves, and
bears that infested it, it was deemed unsafe
during night; consequently more than four
score years elapsed before he was met by any
human being.
At length. however, while taking his Gus
tomary nocturnal perambulation, he was sud-
denly confronted by tall handsome cavalier,
a benighied hunter, who had lost his way.
The spectre gazcd inquisitively as if he
knew him. The stranger was no other than
Eustace Hernandorff, grandson Of Herman
Hernandorff and the lady of Lindenhausen,
and the last Of his race. Well might they
mutually start; Bachofner distinctly saw
what would have appeared to have been his
veritable master, had he not known that time
had bent with decrepitude, or borne away to
their tombs, all his contemporaries. Well
might Hernandorff be utterly COMPOUNDED on
beholding, at the solemn and solitary hour of
midnight, in that almost llntrodden wild, the
swarthy visage of Bachoffner, he could not
be mistaken in its identity. The oblique
glance, the Ratchet and pipe, the panier belt,
the boots and mi,tens, the slouched hat the
black whiskers commingling with the pendant
locks, the axe on his shoulder, and the re-
doubtable one-eyed companion of his travels
following at his heels-all confirmed the
truth The moon shone brightly full on the
face of the phantom Bachoilner, whose every
feature was plainly discernible. Well might
Eustace be astonished to find the painting of
the woodman and his dog, which had hung
IN the nails OF The castle nearly century, re-
allzed by moonlight in the forest for in an in
slant he recognized Bachon'ner and Rudolph
the stout woOdsman whose arm had struck
down the last hereditary foe of the Herman
dorf, and who had shed his blood in defence
of the proudest trophies of that illustrous
house, and his dog the only witness of his
fate! How truly had the Inner depicted tha,
hideous aspect-how faithfully the shaggy
companion! Bachoffner bcckoned Eustace
followed to the very spotthat had become noted
as the death-site of the Baron. There the
spectre pointed towards the earth, seemingly
to intimate that something lay concealed be-
meath the turf. Eustace turned over the sod,
and discovered the long-lost trophies; the
sword-blade was eaten through with rust but
the gold and brass had resisted decay With