424 Readings in European History " I '11 send you my messenger, whom you must follow ; hold yourself ready. Good-bye, I'm going; the landlord here is as little to me as I to him. Mother, good-bye." So he rode back whence he came, and told his comrade his sister's wish ; and the comrade kissed his hand for joy, and made a bow to the wind that blew from Gotelind's way. Many the widows and orphans who were robbed of their own when the hero Lammerschling and his bride Gotelind sat on the bridal seat. Busily did the retainers, on wagon and on horseback, carry stolen food and drink into Lammer- schling's house. But when Gotelind came, the bridegroom went to meet her, and received her : " Welcome, Lady Gote- lind." " God save you, Sir Lammerschling." Thus did they greet each other in friendly fashion ; and an old man, wise in words, stood up and placed the two in a ring, and asked three times both the man and the maiden, " Will you take each other in marriage ; if so, say yes." Then he gave them to each other. All sang the bride-song, and the bride- groom {rod on the bride's foot. Then the wedding feast was made ready. But strange it was : the food vanished before the men as if a wind blew it from the table ; they ate without end whatever the steward brought on from the kitchen, and there was not enough left of it for the dog to gnaw the bones. They say that when anybody eats ravenously like that his end is nigh. The bride, Gotelind, began to be frightened, and she moaned : "Ah me ! some trouble is nearing us, my heart is so heavy ! Woe is me that I have left father and mother ; who grasps at too much gets little ; this greediness leads to the pit of hell." They sat yet awhile after the feast, and already the musi- cians had received their gift from bride and bridegroom, when the judge was seen coming with five men. It was a short fight ; with five the judge was victorious over ten, for a real thief, no matter how bold, even though he can beat a whole army, is helpless against the hangman. The robbers hid in the oven and under the bench ; whoever had not taken to his legs betimes, the hangman's man now hauled
