He retreated to the very entrance.
"Who is there?" he asked, with a choked voice.
But at that moment something struck him a powerful blow on his chest, so terrible that the old man fell through the door upon his back and swooned. He did not even groan.
Silence followed, after which there could be seen a dark form, stealthily issuing from the tower and making off toward the stable which was situated on the left side of the courtyard near the arsenal. Diedrich's big bulldog followed that figure silently. The other dog also ran after him and disappeared in the shadow of the wall, but shortly appeared again with its head to the ground, scenting as it were the trail of the other dog. In this manner the dog approached the prostrate and lifeless body of Zygfried, which it smelled carefully, then crouched near the head of the prostrate man and began to howl.
The howling continued for a long while, filling the air of that sombre night with a new kind of dolefulness and horror. Finally the small door concealed in the middle of the gate creaked and a guard armed with a halberd appeared in the courtyard.
"Death upon that dog," he said, "I'll teach you to howl during the night."
And he aimed the sharp end of the halberd so as to hit the animal with it, but at that moment he observed something lying near the little open door of the bastion.
"Lord Jesus! what is that?..."
He bent his head so as to look in the face of the prostrate man, and began to shout: "Help! Help! Help!"
Then he rushed to the gate and pulled with all his strength at the bell-rope.
END OF PART FIFTH.