all the people could hear her, and Klaus also: "O, if he would but serve these officers and this hangman as Samson did the Philistines, and burst his bands!" Then the story he had heard at school of Samson occurred to Klaus, and he thought-"Thou mayst at least try whether such is God's will." He gathered himself up, strung his nerves, and cried angrily "Thorough," when the iron chains burst as though they had been reeds. He then attacked the officers and the hangman and all the people, knocking them down right and left with his powerful fists: but the mob huzzaed and shouted, "Thorough, Klaus!" Klaus ran like a stag over the fields into the wood, and though they pursued him with horse and foot they could not overtake him.

When Klaus had reached the wood where there were no open paths, he ran no longer, but proceeded cautiously and quietly, while he heard his pursuers raging around him. He had already broken a good tough knotty branch from an oak, and prepared it, saying to himself—“ Let them only come, ten or twenty of them, I care not, if God is not against me.' They shouted, and bustled, and wandered about the wood, with horses and dogs, but none lighted upon him, and he went on his way till night came on: he then sought shelter with a charcoal-burner. The next day he proceeded again, till he came upon the plain that lies between the Weser and the Elbe and the sea, and he thought to himself -“Here I must be more careful, or I may be surrounded." Therefore he withdrew into by-ways, through woods and morasses, harbouring chiefly with lonely people, with herdsmen, charcoal-burners, and millers, in the wood. At length, with the dawning of the fifth day, he for the first time in his life descried the sea, and, astonished at the power and splendour of the sight, he fell upon his face and prayed, and thanked God for the help hitherto afforded. But he did not yet know what the sea was to make of him.

Klaus had arrived at the Elbe, not far from where it falls into the sea, and where it is very broad, and proceeded along the strand to a ship which he saw lying in the distance. It was then low water, and the beach very flat. He, however, knew nothing of ebb and flood, for what do people know of the sea who have always lived in the mountains and woods? He therefore wandered for some hours by the stream, lost in thought, and perceived not the rise of the river. But the flood came in, and rose so rapidly, that in a short time he was surrounded with water which ascended as high as his middle. He then called as loud as he could to the ship, which was now not far off, and supported himself on a long pole, which he seized as it floated towards him. But the ship which he desired to reach lay off full twenty feet from the shore. Klaus therefore took his pole, sprang up, and jumped suddenly down into the ship. The sailors, who were below in the cabin, were affrighted at the noise made by his feet, and ran upon deck, for it had sounded to them as

if the ship had been struck by a thunderbolt. They were much surprised at seeing a large and stately man standing there, and inquired whether he came as friend or foe, as heathen or Christian. When he had assured them that he was both a friend and a Christian, they all shook him heartily by the hand, soon brought him a great cup of mead, and bade him drink; he drank, and each of them drank in turn after him, and this was the sign of peace and brotherhood.

There were at least fifty men in the ship, strong large-limbed fellows, of wild and rough looks. Klaus had never seen such in his country, and might have easily taken them for robbers and infidels, if the sign of the cross had not been cut on the mast, and the flag fashioned also in that shape. They were certainly Christians, but they were not the less robbers. This they avowed quite unreservedly, after he had told them a part of his history, and in what a Samson-like manner he had escaped the gallows. They had at first looked on him suspiciously, as if they did not trust him, but their wild countenances became ever more friendly the farther he proceeded with his tale. When he had ended, one of them, who seemed the chief, and was indeed their captain, stepped towards him, shook him by the hand, embraced him, and said, "Welcome, Klaus! such are the men we want; henceforth thou shalt be our brother for life and death, and share honour and booty with us." The captain then told him that they were Friesland men from the islands and coasts, and lived mostly on the prey afforded by the sea and the heathen lands, but Christians they suffered to pass unmolested. When Klaus was assured of this, he agreed to their proposal, and consented to join them, although he thought they seemed rather a bad set.

They continued at anchor full ten days on the bank of the river, because the wind blew from the west. Klaus quickly learnt how to handle the tackling, the rudder, and the sails, for he was active and willing. He was also now armed after the pirate fashion, though they did not call themselves pirates, but mariners or sea-kings, and Klaus soon stood fully equipped as a sea-king. He wore, when fully armed, a chain hauberk, an iron helmet, and a round shield with bosses, and bore in his right hand a sharp battle-axe, with a short broad sword on his left side. Spears or javelins to throw, and poles to strike or push with, lay around, that every one might use as they best could when attacked by an enemy. They had also quantities of powerful steel bows and arrows, and these Klaus knew how to manage well, for he had often gone hunting with his father during the last few years.

On the tenth day the storm from the west had blown over, and there arose a fresh breeze from the south-east; then they hoisted the sails and let the ship run out to the blue sea, and stiered toward the isles of the Pagans. There was many a hot fight at sea and on the coasts; many a Pagan ship was boarded, and the men were slain like mad dogs,

or taken prisoners, and they returned home rich with gold and silver, and sold the booty and the prisoners. Klaus had already acquired a name upon the sea, for when the combat began, he cried "Thorough" with so powerful a voice, that the enemy immediately lost courage, while that of his friends increased, so that they almost always obtained an easy victory; and it came to pass that the best seamen left their ships and entered themselves with the captain of the "Thorough," for thus the seamen had named their ship, so that within six months of the time that Klaus had jumped on board, instead of fifty combatants there were upwards of five hundred, and he grew in honour, power, and riches, as is not to be described.

It cannot be said that this wild and variable life particularly pleased Klaus, but he made himself content. The freshness of the sea and the bold spirit that roared and blew around it, suited his youth well, and active courageous deeds invigorated his body and soul; while to fight and subdue the Pagans he thought no sin, particularly as they, like wicked and blood-thirsty robbers, fell upon and plundered the isles and coasts of the Christians, carrying away the men, and selling them as slaves in distant exile, attacking and destroying also every Christian ship, wherever they were the strongest. Against such he thought he was fighting in a good cause. Before long, also, Klaus became himself the captain of the "Thorough."

In the second year of his sea-faring they had sailed from the west, high towards the north, and on the fortieth day of their voyage, after undergoing many a hard struggle with storm and foe, landed upon a little Pagan island, inhabited by a few hundred people, who dwelt in miserable huts, and, it seemed, lived upon the sea-birds and fish. When they landed, these people approached them peaceably, and as friends, bringing broiled fish in dishes, and proffered them the mead-can, but not a single one bore any weapon. The captain, however, directed the attack to be sounded, and ordered his crew, with roaring laughter, to hew down the men, and do what they would with the women. They prepared themselves, but the poor people fled with loud outcries to their huts. As the crew were now about to fall on them, in obedience to their captain, Klaus sprung suddenly before them, flourished his battle-axe, and cried "Halt!" At the same time he uncovered his head to the captain, and begged and implored that he would not load himself with such heavy guilt, nor order such an unholy and unchristian-like deed against unarmed men and women, for though they were Pagans, and knew nothing of the living God and the Saviour, nor of redemption, they were yet worse heathens who would execute such an act. The captain, however, would not listen to him, became furious, and ordered the others to take and bind Klaus as a mutineer. Klaus rested himself upon his battle-axe, looked angrily around him, and said, "Who dares?" and

they stood, but not one ventured. The captain ordered them a second time, when there arose a murmur among the crew, and some stepped forward as if they would lay hands upon Klaus. But he was now inspired by his anger and his strength, and sprang with his uplifted axe to the captain, who interposed his sword in vain; Klaus split his skull in two, crying, "Thou art paid, and hast thy deserved reward; let him who is a Christian come to me." More than the half went over to him, but the remainder were enraged at the slaughter of their captain, and seized their weapons as though they would revenge his death. Klaus again cried "Thorough," and they stood as if struck by lightning. Then he exhorted them to peace with the others, and explained that the captain's orders were inhuman and unchristian; that Christians should be patient, mild, and compassionate, and not stain their hands with innocent blood, even if it were heathen blood; for God was the father and creator, even of Pagans. And the tears ran down the rough cheeks of the iron men as they listened to these words, and they said, “The captain has fallen through God and by thee," and cried unanimously, “Klaus, thou shalt be our captain." He consented, and became chief of more than two hundred men.

It soon appeared that they had acted wisely. Klaus had never approved of, nor participated in, the wild and rude life which had hitherto prevailed among them, though he had been forced to endure it in the others, but such an act of cruelty had as yet never taken place, as that which the captain had commanded against the poor unarmed creatures on the Pagan island. When he became captain himself, he instituted a just, strict, and Christian discipline, and expelled without compunction every one from the ship who would not conform to it. His first law was, that every one who slew an unarmed man with a weapon, or offered injury to a woman, should be hung at the yard-arm without mercy. But he continued to make war against the Pagans, cleared the sea of their piratical ships, and delivered many Christians from confinement; he also, in many places, till now Pagan, planted the holy cross as the salvation of the world, and by his justice and mildness led many Pagans to become Christians. His name at length grew so celebrated, that the bravest men associated themselves with him, and acted under him, so that in the second year of his captainship he had already upwards of twenty ships and five thousand men. His probity and piety were great, his valour fearful, and his strength irresistible: against the stroke of his axe, or the thrust of his spear, no smith could make shield or hauberk impenetrable.

In the fourth year of his sea-life, and in the second of his captainship, he had undertaken a voyage to Iceland, but was driven back by a powerful north wind, and cast away on the eastern coast of a great peninsula called Jutland. This peninsula was at that time half Pagan and

half Christian, and it had chanced a few months previous, that the heathen king had fought with and slain the Christian king, and overrun the whole land, and he soon won also the castle of the Christian king, and his wife and daughter who were in it. The king's daughter, his captive, was the most beautiful princess to be found far and wide. The Pagan king thought to compel this princess to become his wife, and thus secure the kingdom to himself, as though he had conquered it by right. He thought in his proud presumption, "She will do and be as other women, and rejoice that the greatest of men will take her as a spouse, and her husband be the king of all the land." She, however, acted and thought quite differently, refused him steadfastly, and as he would not be repulsed, and at length haughtily threatened her, she reviled him as a wild barbarian and a Pagan blood-hound. This enraged him so, that all his ardent flames suddenly cooled, and he swore that for this contempt she should die a cruel and torturing death. He ordered, therefore, a great pile to be erected in the open fields, not far from the castle where the princess was imprisoned, on which she should be burnt like a common criminal.

Now it happened, through God's providence, who will not suffer the wicked always to have their will, that Klaus, with most of his fleet, was driven on shore on the morning when the execution of the unhappy princess was to take place. The crowd of people, who raved and lamented around the castle, and on the strand, and in the fields round about the spot, together with the glance and clang of weapons, and the sound of drums and trumpets, excited his attention, and he inquired of one of the bystanders, who happened to be a Christian, as to the cause of the lamentation and tumult of the people, and the number of soldiers; the Christian related everything to him, and how the princess would be led out in half an hour, to be burnt miserably upon the pile, and that she was not to be saved from the Pagan rage, because the Pagan king had more than ten thousand men with him, who would conduct her to the fiery death. And the man began to weep bitterly when he had concluded his mournful tale.

But Klaus, when he had heard all this from him, moved by compassion and anger, became fiery red, and said, "God and my good sword forbid that the princess shall die!" and he shouted "Thorough," so that the shore re-echoed and answered him. His warriors understood the cry, and in a moment assembled around him, full three thousand in number. He cried to them, "Up, comrades, quick, for the God of the Christians; we will deliver the princess and the Christians from this despicable Pagan. If they are ten thousand, it is your custom for each of you to consider yourself a match for five men. God looks at the heart, and not at the number." They fought hard with each other, but Klaus and "Thorough" were too powerful for the Pagans, and when