The herdsman now took a deliberate survey of Ekkehard. He was a hale and hardy man; who in the days of his youth, could threw a stone of a hundred weight above twenty paces, without losing an inch of his ground. His tanned face and his bare sinewy arms, were signs of his not yet having lost much of his strength.
"So you are going to be our new mountain-brother?" said he, good-naturedly extending his hand. "Well, that's right!"
"Ekkehard was a little embarrassed at the strangeness of the apparition.
"I intended to pay a visit to Brother Gottshalk," said he.
"Zounds! there you are too late," said the herdsman. "He lost his life last autumn. 'Twas a grievous affair. Look there!"--pointing to a wall of rocks in the depth below--"on yonder slope he went to gather dry leaves; I was there myself to help him. Suddenly, he started up, as if he had been bitten by a snake, and pointing over at the Hohenkasten, he cried: 'holy Anastasia, thou art made whole again, and standest on both feet, and beckonest to me with both thy arms!' ... and down he jumped, as if there had been no abyss between the rock he stood on and the Hohenkasten. With a 'kyrie eleison!' he went down into the frightful depth.--May God be merciful to his soul! It was only this spring that we found the body, wedged in between the rocks; and the vultures had carried off one arm and one leg, nobody knows whereto."
"Don't frighten him!" said the maiden, giving her father a nudge.
"You can remain here notwithstanding that, all the same," continued he, "You shall get all that we gave to Gottshalk; milk and cheese, and three goats which may graze wherever they like. And if that won't satisfy you, you can ask for more, for we are no niggards and misers up here. In return, you will preach us a sermon each Sunday, and pronounce a blessing over meadows and pasture-grounds, so that storms and avalanches will cause no harm. Further, you have to ring the bell, to announce the hours."
Ekkehard cast a doubtful look into the spacious cavern. It was a delicious feeling for him, to know that there were human beings close at hand: but he could not make out whence they came.
"Are your pasture-lands in the depths of the mountains?" asked he with a smile.
"He does not know where the Ebenalp is!" exclaimed the young girl compassionately. "I will show it you."