V.
Of the Ghostly Chase beheld by the Earl of Surrey and the Duke of Richmond in Windsor Forest.
On that same night, and just as the castle clock was on the stroke oftwelve, the Earl of Surrey and the Duke of Richmond issued from theupper gate, and took their way towards Herne's Oak. The moon was shiningbrightly, and its beams silvered the foliage of the noble trees withwhich the park was studded. The youthful friends soon reached theblasted tree; but nothing was to be seen near it, and all looked sotranquil, so free from malignant influence, that the Duke of Richmondcould not help laughing at his companion, telling him that the supposedvision must have been the offspring of his over-excited fancy. Angry atbeing thus doubted, the earl walked off, and plunged into the haunteddell. The duke followed, but though they paused for some time beneaththe gnarled oak-tree, the spirit did not appear.
"And thus ends the adventure of Herne the Hunter!" laughed the duke,as they emerged from the brake. "By my halidom, Surrey, I am grievouslydisappointed. You must have mistaken some large stag, caught by itsantlers in the branches of the oak-tree, for the demon."
"I have told you precisely what occurred," replied Surrey angrily. "Ha!there he is--look! look!"
And he pointed to a weird figure, mounted on a steed as weird-looking asitself, galloping through the trees with extraordinary swiftness, at alittle distance from them. This ghostly rider wore the antlered helmetdescribed by Surrey, and seemed to be habited in a garb of deer-skins.Before him flew a large owl, and a couple of great black dogs ran besidehim. Staring in speechless wonder at the sight, the two youths watchedthe mysterious being scour a glade brightly illumined by the moon,until, reaching the pales marking the confines of the Home Park, heleaped them and disappeared.
"What think you of that?" cried Surrey, as soon as he had recovered fromhis surprise, glancing triumphantly at the duke. "Was that the offspringof my fancy?"
"It was a marvellous sight, truly!" exclaimed Richmond. "Would we hadour steeds to follow him."
"We can follow him on foot," replied the earl--"he is evidently goneinto the forest."
And they set off at a quick pace in the direction taken by the ghostlyrider. Clambering the park pales, they crossed the road leading toOld Windsor, and entered that part of the forest which, in more recenttimes, has been enclosed and allotted to the grounds of Frogmore.Tracking a long vista, they came to a thick dell, overgrown withlarge oaks, at the bottom of which lay a small pool. Fleeter than hiscompanion, and therefore somewhat in advance of him, the Earl of Surrey,as he approached this dell, perceived the spectral huntsman and his dogsstanding at the edge of the water. The earl instantly shouted to him,and the horseman turning his head, shook his hand menacingly, while thehounds glared fiercely at the intruder, and displayed their fangs, butdid not bark. As Surrey, however, despite this caution, continued toadvance, the huntsman took a strangely shaped horn that hung by hisside, and placing it to his lips, flames and thick smoke presentlyissued from it, and before the vapour had cleared off, he and his dogshad disappeared.. The witnesses of this marvellous spectacle crossedthemselves reverently, and descended to the brink of the pool; but thenumerous footprints of deer, that came there to drink, prevented themfrom distinguishing any marks of the steed of the ghostly hunter.
"Shall we return, Surrey?" asked the duke.
"No," replied the earl. "I am persuaded we shall see the mysterioushuntsman again. You can return, if you think proper. I will go on."
"Nay, I will not leave you," rejoined Richmond.
And they set off again at the same quick pace as before. Mounting a hillcovered with noble beeches and elms, a magnificent view of the castleburst upon them, towering over the groves they had tracked, and lookingalmost like the work of enchantment. Charmed with the view, the youngmen continued to contemplate it for some time. They then struck off onthe right, and ascended still higher, until they came to a beautifulgrove of beeches cresting the hill where the equestrian statue of Georgethe Third is now placed. Skirting this grove, they disturbed a herd ofdeer, which started up, and darted into the valley below.
At the foot of two fine beech-trees lay another small pool, and Surreyalmost expected to see the spectral huntsman beside it.
From this spot they could discern the whole of the valley beyond, andthey scanned it in the hope of perceiving the object of their search.Though not comparable to the view on the nearer side, the prospect wasnevertheless exceedingly beautiful. Long vistas and glades stretched outbefore them, while in the far distance might be seen glittering in themoonbeams the lake or mere which in later days has received the name ofVirginia Water.
While they were gazing at this scene, a figure habited like a keeper ofthe forest suddenly emerged from the trees at the lower end of one ofthe glades. Persuaded that this person had some mysterious connectionwith the ghostly huntsman, the earl determined to follow him, andhastily mentioning his suspicions and design to Richmond, he hurrieddown the hill. But before he accomplished the descent, the keeper wasgone.
At length, however, on looking about, they perceived him mounting therising ground on the left, and immediately started after him, takingcare to keep out of sight. The policy of this course was soon apparent.Supposing himself no longer pursued, the keeper relaxed his pace, andthe others got nearer to him.
In this way both parties went on, the keeper still hurrying forward,every now and then turning his head to see whether any one was on histrack, until he came to a road cut through the trees that brought him tothe edge of a descent leading to the lake. Just at this moment acloud passed over the moon, burying all in comparative obscurity.The watchers, however, could perceive the keeper approach an ancientbeech-tree of enormous growth, and strike it thrice with the shorthunting-spear which he held in his grasp.
The signal remaining unanswered, he quitted the tree, and shaped hiscourse along the side of a hill on the right. Keeping under theshelter of the thicket on the top of the same hill, Surrey and Richmondfollowed, and saw him direct his steps towards another beech-tree ofalmost double the girth of that he had just visited. Arrived at thismighty tree, he struck it with his spear, while a large owl, seated ona leafless branch, began to hoot; a bat circled the tree; and two largesnakes, glistening in the moonlight, glided from its roots. As the treewas stricken for the third time, the same weird figure that the watchershad seen ride along the Home Park burst from its riften trunk, andaddressed its summoner in tones apparently menacing and imperious, butwhose import was lost upon the listeners. The curiosity of the beholderswas roused to the highest pitch, but an undefinable awe prevented themfrom rushing forward.
Suddenly the demon hunter waved a pike with which he was armed, anduttered a peculiar cry, resembling the hooting of an owl. At this sound,and as if by magic, a couple of steeds, accompanied by the two hounds,started from the brake. In an instant the demon huntsman vaulted uponthe hack of the horse nearest to him, and the keeper almost as quicklymounted the other. The pair then galloped off through the glen, the owlflying before them, and the hounds coursing by their side.
The two friends gazed at each other, for some time, in speechlesswonder. Taking heart, they then descended to the haunted tree, but couldperceive no traces of the strange being by whom it had been recentlytenanted. After a while they retraced their course towards the castle,hoping they might once more encounter the wild huntsman. Nor were theydisappointed. As they crossed a glen, a noble stag darted by. Close atits heels came the two black hounds, and after them the riders hurryingforward at a furious pace, their steeds appearing to breathe forth flameand smoke.
In an instant the huntsmen and hounds were gone, and the trampling ofthe horses died away in the distance. Soon afterwards a low sound, likethe winding of a horn, broke upon the ear, and the listeners had nodoubt that the buck was brought down. They hurried in the directionof the sound, but though the view was wholly unobstructed for aconsiderable distance, they could see nothing either of horsemen,hounds, or deer.
Windsor Castle Page 5