The King of the Golden River/Chapter IV
HOW MR. SCHWARTZ SET OFF ON AN EXPEDITION
TO THE GOLDEN RIVER, AND HOW HE PROSPERED
THEREIN
Poor little Gluck waited very anxiously, alone in the house,
for Hans's return. Finding he did not come back, he was terribly
frightened and went and told Schwartz in the prison all that had
happened. Then Schwartz was very much pleased and said that Hans
must certainly have been turned into a black stone and he should
have all the gold to himself. But Gluck was very sorry and cried
all night. When he got up in the morning there was no bread in the
house, nor any money; so Gluck went and hired himself to another
goldsmith, and he worked so hard and so neatly and so long every day
that he soon got money enough together to pay his brother's fine,
and he went and gave it all to Schwartz, and Schwartz got out of
prison. Then Schwartz was quite pleased and said he should have
some of the gold of the river. But Gluck only begged he would go
and see what had become of Hans.
Now when Schwartz had heard that Hans had stolen the holy
water, he thought to himself that such a proceeding might not be
considered altogether correct by the King of the Golden River, and
determined to manage matters better. So he took some more of
Gluck's money and went to a bad priest, who gave him some holy water
very readily for it. Then Schwartz was sure it was all quite right.
So Schwartz got up early in the morning before the sun rose, and
took some bread and wine in a basket, and put his holy water in a
flask, and set off for the mountains. Like his brother he was much
surprised at the sight of the glacier and had great difficulty in
crossing it, even after leaving his basket behind him. The day was
cloudless but not bright; there was a heavy purple haze hanging over
the sky, and the hills looked lowering and gloomy. And as Schwartz
climbed the steep rock path the thirst came upon him, as it had upon
his brother, until he lifted his flask to his lips to drink. Then
he saw the fair child lying near him on the rocks, and it cried to
him and moaned for water. "Water, indeed," said Schwartz; "I
haven't half enough for myself," and passed on. And as he went he
thought the sunbeams grew more dim, and he saw a low bank of black
cloud rising out of the west; and when he had climbed for another
hour, the thirst overcame him again and he would have drunk. Then
he saw the old man lying before him on the path, and heard him cry
out for water. "Water, indeed," said Schwartz; "I haven't half
enough for myself," and on he went. Then again the light seemed to
fade from before his eyes, and he looked up, and, behold, a mist, of
the color of blood, had come over the sun; and the bank of black
cloud had risen very high, and its edges were tossing and tumbling
like the waves of the angry sea. And they cast long shadows which
flickered over Schwartz's path.
Then Schwartz climbed for another hour, and again his thirst
returned; and as he lifted his flask to his lips he thought he saw
his brother Hans lying exhausted on the path before him, and as he
gazed the figure stretched its arms to him and cried for water.
"Ha, ha!" laughed Schwartz, "are you there? Remember the prison
bars, my boy. Water, indeed! do you suppose I carried it all the
way up here for you?" And he strode over the figure; yet, as he
passed, he thought he saw a strange expression of mockery about its
lips. And when he had gone a few yards farther, he looked back; but
the figure was not there.
And a sudden horror came over Schwartz, he knew not why; but
the thirst for gold prevailed over his fear, and he rushed on. And
the bank of black cloud rose to the zenith, and out of it came
bursts of spiry lightning, and waves of darkness seemed to heave and
float, between their flashes, over the whole heavens. And the sky
where the sun was setting was all level and like a lake of blood;
and a strong wind came out of that sky, tearing its crimson clouds
into fragments and scattering them far into the darkness. And when
Schwartz stood by the brink of the Golden River, its waves were
black like thunder clouds, but their foam was like fire; and the
roar of the waters below and the thunder above met as he cast the
flask into the stream. And as he did so the lightning glared in his
eyes, and the earth gave way beneath him, and the waters closed over
his cry. And the moaning of the river rose wildly into the night as
it gushed over the
TWO BLACK STONES