indeed a most damnable small sum for it, nor can even I myself inform you where it is possible to meet a coin of less value.

But, listen and obey me. On the other side of this mountain there resides a prince who is a sad dissolute young fellow. When he comes to the chase on the morrow, I will first with draw him from his attendants, and then cause a frightful monster to fall upon him. Wait thou here till midnight, and then proceed, just as the moon rises above that jagged rock, towards that gloomy defile to the left, but neither hurry nor loiter in thy pace, so wilt thou arrive at the spot precisely as the monster has seized the prince in his frightful paws. Attack it, but courageously; it must yield to thee; and drive it down the steep cliff into the sea. Then, as a recompense for having delivered him, demand of the prince that he cause two half hellers to be coined for thee; let me have them, in order that, with one, I may become the purchaser of thy bottle-devil."

So spoke the grisly horseman, and then, without waiting for any reply, rode off slowly into the wood.

"But where am I to find thee when I have obtained the half hellers ?" cried out Richard.

"At the black fountain; of which each old crone hereabouts will be able to inform thee ;" and then with solemn but wide outstretching pace did the horrible steed bear away its no less terrific rider.

He who has already lost nearly every thing, ventures not much by any further risk Richard, therefore, determined, as his situation was so desperate, to follow the councils of the grisly

spectre.

Night closed in, and the rising moon shortly after appeared above the craggy tops of the rocks which had been marked out to him. The pale wanderer then raised himself tremblingly, and entered the dark defile. All seemed there cheerless and gloomy; seldom was a pale moon-beam able to penetrate above

the lofty precipices; a dark oppressive vapour too, as if exhaled from graves, seemed to fill the narrow pass; in other respects there was nothing particularly terrible in its appearance. Richard felt himself by no means disposed to linger in the gloomy valley, yet adhering to the strict injunction laid upon him by the mysterious horseman, he did not venture to quicken his pace, resolutely determined not to snap short at once the only slender thread that stiil attached him to light and hope.

After the lapse of several hours, some red streaks of dawn cast a glimmering light across his path; a reviving breeze played upon his forehead. But, just as he was about to emerge from the deep valley, and to enjoy the forest scenery, and the azure waters of the sea, that lay expanded at no great distance before him, he was disturbed by a piercing cry of distress. On looking around, he perceived a horrible animal attacking a youth in a magnificent hunting dress, who had fallen on the ground. Richard's first impulse was to rush instantly to the stranger's rescue; yet his courage failed him as soon as he clearly discerned the monster, and saw that it resembled a huge grisly baboon, with a stag's antlers on its forehead: and, notwithstanding the cries of the wretched man for succour, he was about to turn back. But suddenly calling to mind all the horseman had said, and inspired by the dread of his eternal doom, he ran and attacked the monster of an ape with a knotty club, just as it had seized the unfortunate hunter in its paws to fling him up into the air, and then catch him upon his branching horns as he descended to the ground. At the approach of Richard, however, it let fall its prey, and began to flee with a hideous, terrifying cry; he pursuing it all the while, till, leaping from a precipice into the sea, it turned its frightful visage upon him, and then disappeared beneath the waves.

Flushed with success, the youth now returned triumphantly to the hunter

whom he had just rescued, and who, as he expected it would be, announced himself as the prince of that territory. After extolling the bravery of his deliverer, he requested that he would boldly demand whatever boon he should think fit.

"What!" exclaimed Richard, in a transport of joyous hope," and are you serious? and will you pledge me your princely word that you will grant what I shall demand of you ?"

Again the prince confirmed his promise, assuring him, in the most solemn manner, that he would gladly comply with whatever he should request.

"Then I supplicate you for the love of God, to order that some half-hellers be immediately struck for me, even though it be only two." Whilst the prince was regarding his strange petitioner with fixed astonishment, some of his train came up, and, on hearing the adventure, and the singular boon that had been craved, one of them recognized, in the person of the suitor, the poor crazed Half-heller.

The prince began thereupon to laugh, whilst Richard, clasping his knees, conjured him in the most moving manner, protesting that, unless he obtained the half-hellers, his soul was doomed to everlasting perdition.

To this the prince replied, while he still continued to laugh," Rise up, my friend, I have pledged my princely word, and if you persist in demanding them, I will engage to supply thee with half-hellers to thy very heart's content. But, if a still lesser coin will suit your purpose, I can accommodate thee without the aid of my mint-master, for the neighbouring provinces all maintain that my hellers are so light that three of them are requisite to pass for a single ordinary one."

"Were that, indeed, the case-" said Richard. "Thou art, indeed, the first," returned the prince," that has ever doubted it. Should they, however, upon trial, prove not suitable for your purpose, 1 here promise to order

some less valuable to be coined for your especial use-provided, however, that it be possible so to do."

Having said this, he gave orders that Richard should forthwith receive a whole bag full of hellers. The latter instantly set off at a furious rate towards the adjoining province, where he became more delighted than he had been with any occurrence for a long time past, at finding, at the very first inn, that the people were exceedingly unwilling to exchange one heller in return for three which he offered them, by way of experiment.

He now enquired his way towards the Black Fountain, when some children who were present ran away, shrieking with affright; and the host informed him, not without shuddering himself, that it was a place frequented by demons and evil spirits, but hardly ever visited by mortal being. He knew perfectly well, however, that the entrance to it was at no very great distance, through. a cavern, at the mouth of which stood two decayed cypress trees, so that Richard could not mistake finding it; yet, God forbid, that he, or any other Christian person, should ever seek it!'

At hearing this account, Richard was again greatly disturbed, but let the event be what it would he must make the attempt, and therefore set out to discover it. Even at a distance the cavern had a most dismal and terrifying appearance: it seemed as if the two cypresses had died with horror at the ghastly hollow, which, as he approached it, displayed just above its mouth, a singular stone. It seemed to be entirely covered with grim countenances, some of which bore a resemblance to the hideous baboonmonster on the sea-shore. Yet, on looking fearlessly and attentively, one might perceive that it was merely the rugged stone. Not without trembling did Richard pass beneath these horrible visages. The "Bottle-Imp" now became so heavy in his pocket, that it seemed as if it wished to prevent his advancing further. This circumstance

inspired him with courage to proceed : "for," thought he, "it behoves me to do that which this creature wishes I should not do." On penetrating farther into the cavern, the darkness became so great, that he could no longer discern any terrifying shapes. He now proceeded, with the utmost caution, groping his way with a stick lest he should fall into some abyss, yet found nothing but a soft, mossy turf; and had he not heard at times, a strange groaning noise, his fears would have ceased altogether. At length, he reached the outlet of the cavern. He now found himself in a dreary hollow, quite inclosed by steep hills. On one side, he perceived the large sable steed of the mysterious customer for his phial, which was standing motionless as a brazen statue. Opposite to him was a spring gushing from the rock, and in this, the grim horseman was washing both his face and hands. But the horrid stream was of an inky hue, with which it stained whatever it touched; for when the gigantic figure turned round towards Richard, the latter perceived that his visage was become like that of a Moor, and thereby formed a terrific contrast to his blood-red gar

ments.

"Shudder not," cried the hideous being, "this is only one of the ceremonies which I am obliged to perform in honour of the devil. Each Friday am I bound to wash myself thus, in scorn of him whom ye call your God. I am also compelled to stain my garment afresh with my own blood-it is this which gives it a hue of so much deadly lustre :-besides a number of still more horrible ceremonies which I am obliged to undergo. I have, moreover, formed so strong a compact with the powers of darkness both for body and soul, that it is now utterly impossible for me to obtain redemption on any terms. And what do you imagine are the terms on which I have sold myself? for a hundred thousand pieces yearly. Thus seeing how desThus seeing how desperate is my own condition, still I am

willing to serve thee, by purchasing the imp thou carriest in thy phial, and thus to frustrate the end of all his long servitude; besides the rescuing thee from the powers of hell, will so enrage them, that, reckless of ought else, I'll do it. Then how will their impotent curses peal through the vaults of deepest hell; ha ha ha!" So saying, he began to laugh in the most frightful manner, that the very rocks re-echoed, and the sable steed, which had hitherto stood motionless, seemed to shrink with terror at the awful sound.

"Now then, friend," added he, after a while," hast thou brought me any half-hellers?"

Upon Richard's shewing him his purse, he took three of the pieces and gave him a heller in exchange; one of which he directly paid back again, as the purchase money for the bottle-devil, that now lay crouched up melancholy at the bottom of the phial, so that he felt quite heavy. At perceiving this, the unknown purchaser laughed again most violently, and exclaimed, "Nothing can avail thee, fiend: all resistance is in vain. In token, therefore, of thy obedience, let me have instantly as much gold as my strong steed can bear.' And no sooner had he uttered the command, than the enormous beast stood panting beneath the golden load. Then the blood-red horseman having mounted on its back, it began to crawl up the perpendicular sides of the rock, just as a fly does up a wall;-and disappeared for ever.

:

Richard stood for some minutes fixed to the spot in a stupor of astonishment and joy but the air of that Stygian recess seemed troublous and heavy, while a hollow voice issuing from the dusky waves of the Black Fountain, exclaimed :-"Now then are all our labours frustrated, for he who while doomed to destruction could attempt the rescue of another may even yet be saved himself." Struck with horror at the sounds, although exulting at their import, Richard rushed again through

He now felt assured that he was delivered of his evil fiend for ever, and looked once more on the face of nature with feelings that had long been strangers to his bosom. Throwing himself upon the grass, he gazed in an extacy of delight on the pure, tranquil, sunny sky, while a warm gush of tears expressed that rapture and that gratitude for which he could find no words. The young merchant now became light and gay as an innocent boy, yet without any thing resembling his former levity. Without boasting, as he might well have done, how he had contrived to outwit

henceforth to the service of heaven, and soon found himself thriving in far greater prosperity, from the efforts of honest industry, than he had even enjoyed by means of the fatal talisman. And, whenever he used afterwards to relate to his awe-struck grand-children the adventures of his early days, after uttering a pious orison for the soul of his deliverer, he would add, by way of moral to his tale, "Lust not, my dear children, after ill-gotten and ill-to-be used mammon, for it is the "BottleImp," that serves us to our own destruction."

Popular Tales and Romances of Northern Nations.