Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE DEMONS' HUNT. A LEGEND OF THE BLACK FOREST. In a dark vale of Germany There is a silent cave, Where the gray cliffs rise T'ward the lofty skies, And tow'ring pine trees wave. Out from the mouth of this wild spot, Soft murmuring o'er the stones, With scarce egress Through deep recess, A streamlet softly moans. Down in that drear and lonely glen, Down in that darksome dell, On all holy nights Would fell demon sprites Their hellish stories tell. There in that dank and yawning den, Their rites wood-demons hold, And howling amain Over victims slain, Gloating o'er deeds untold. And in the awful darkling night, Demons in council meet,— All shouting till day Their direful lay— " Seek we of man to eat". Their meat is flesh from infants torn, Their drink is purple blood; And their fiendish routs, And their yelling shouts, Loud echo through the wood. But under the lowering heavens, Mingled with shrieks, is heard The maddening hue Of that demon crew— " Death to the damning herd". Sudden they hear a rustling noise, And see a maiden fair, Who wand'ring astray On that fatal day, Gazed on that fiendish lair. They quick, with one accord, pursue— Each seizing a firebrand; But with footsteps light, She in timid flight Escapes the yelling band. Their shouts are heard, she screams aloud— Away like the wind she flies; Till she falls at length, In her failing strength, And lays her down, and dies. The Demons, from her snowy breast, Her spirit quickly tear; And flinging it out, With a hallooing shout, They hunt her through the air. Their yells are heard, her shrieks arise, As in her winged flight She tries to evade That hellish crusade, And flies before their might. Th...