112 



BELICS OF POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 



assassin — Eric of Heinnichsliolie, — that is — myself, was cast upon 

 the Ship of the Dead, and rescued by providential incidents. My 

 son was with me, and we escaped from Labrador together : — the 

 Aurora perished with all her freight and all her crew ; though I, 

 her commander, was exposed to the hazard of a boat without rig- 

 ging, and returned in safety." Without changing his aspect or 

 his attitude, the pretended female fixed a ghastly eye upon the im- 

 postor, and replied — " If thou hadst been Eric, thou wouldst have 

 known Sturm, the sailor, who threw his captain into the sea, and 

 saw his body follow him even to the Ship of the Dead. And this 

 boy well remembers that ship and that body, which have haunted 

 us, sleeping and waking, till this day. If thou wast Eric, thou 

 wouldst have remembered the coat-sleeve of the king, whose 

 blood was shed in Eric's presence, when he who is now called 

 Baron of Hermanwald was the engineer Megret. I have kept 

 it as a holy relic, as an evidence of my truth, and as a means of 

 obtaining justice. I killed my enemy, but his son shall have res- 

 titution." 



And this singular man, whose wild yet noble spirit had borne 

 him through every species of desolate danger and abject disguise, 

 repeated this testimony to the AuHc tribunal of justice. To res- 

 cue Hendrig's inheritance from an usurping impostor, he avowed 

 the murder which would have subjected him to death itself, had 

 not his judges pardoned his guilt to the father in consideration of 

 his generous love for the son. And that son repaid the benefi- 

 cence of his young commander by sharing his restored estates 

 with him ; while Sturm spent his remaining life in deep repen- 

 tance and visionary musings on the Ship of the Dead. 



