CHAPTER XLIX.

The Island of Lyø - Capture of King Valdemar by his treacherous vassal - Kirstine Munk and her children - Horns of WedellsborgMarksmen of Middelfart - Snoghøi in Jutland-Brahe, the King of Funen-Island of Thorø, and Balder's stone - Ellen Marsvin married again; turns cattle-dealer - Her game of cards with the king-Island of Langeland and the giant Rud-Sir Otto Krump's defence of Tranekjær.

ISLAND OF LYØ.

August 10th.-WE had imagined a steamer to Assens, but find it goes alternate days, and to-day we must sleep on the opposite coast, at Aarøsund, in Jutland. We pass by the island of Thorseng, terribly in the way; it blocks up the beautiful Svendborg fiorde, while it adds but little to the view. Coasting by St. George's wood and village, a very archipelago of small islets, Skaarø, and half a dozen other Øs, make their appearance. They are all flat and uninteresting, and the banks of Funen itself nothing to speak of. At last we enter a fiorde, and the little town of Faaborg lies before us, distinguished from her sisters by her praiseworthy attempt at a quay, and avenues planted along its side. Faaborg might become a watering-place, and prosper, if it only would have lodging-houses by the water-side. We unload some pedestrian students, pipe in mouth and valise in hand— I should not like to walk through Funen, or indeed Denmark, much too flat and dusty-and then proceed. Steam past Bear Island; and now, after turning the

Knollen Point, another green islet appears in view— islet celebrated in Denmark's early history. A sad celebrity too it bears; for from the event which there occurred dates the downfall of her country's greatness. In the ballad of 'Dronning Leonora,' King Valdemar exclaims

"Full well we recollect the hunting of Lyø.**

It was on the eve of the 7th of May, in the year 1223, that Valdemar the Victorious, and his elected son Valdemar the younger, reposed after a hard day's hunting, not far from a fountain which still bears the name of Kongens Kilde. Soundly they slept in their tents, little imagining the danger by which they were menaced. Suddenly, in the dead of the night, they are attacked and seized by the armed bands of their vassal Count Henry of Schwerin, and carried prisoners to the fortress of Lenzen, in Altmark, where they remained for three years. In vain the pope threatened, in vain other sovereigns solicited their liberation. Valdemar at last obtained his liberty by having first surrendered his conquests, and renounced all future claim to their possession. Old Hvidtfelt thus quaintly describes the unfortunate event :

"They sat in the tower in irons and strong chains for three years, at which every man, both princes and people, were greatly surprised that so insignificant a

* The High House-det høie huus-so often spoken of in the island of Lyø, and which is now part of the priest's gaard, is of later date than Valdemar, for he slept in the open air.

When Count Henry of Schwerin went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he confided the countess to the charge of his sovereign-Queen Berengaria was dead—and it was to revenge the seduction of his wife by the king that Count Henry undertook the expedition. The Princes Erik and Abel remained as hostages for seven years.

count could imprison so powerful a king and his son without a blow being struck in their behalf, or the spilling of blood."

Well might the world be astonished that the pusillanimous Danes did not rise as one man, and lay waste with fire and sword the country of Schwerin. The excuse they assigned was, that their sovereign would have been removed to some more distant fortress, and his liberation rendered more difficult to procure. But Henry of Schwerin was but a petty count, and had the Danes acted with proper pluck they might easily have invested his dominions. It is more probable that the øprorious nobility of those days were glad to be free from the control of a sovereign who, while he had added to the national glory of their country, ruled them with a rod of iron, and repressed with a firm hand their unlawful enterprises.

We steam past the little island, which still retains its "réputation giboyeuse"-hares and partridges abound there; it is now the property of Baron Holstein. Leaving Assens to the right, we enter the little harbour of Aarøsund. "You will have to sleep at Haderslev," said a passenger; "no possible inn at Aarøsund." But my faith in Jutland kros is strong; and we found one, where, had we had leisure and time at our disposal, we would willingly have lingered some days—a long one-storied house, built near the fiorde side: sittingrooms opening on the sward, with garden and large timber-trees, seats underneath, and bathing-cabins not far removed. There is no doubt we are again in Jutland: the air is pure, bracing, and fragrant-quite different from the soft, mild atmosphere of the islands. A brother traveller, affected with what he called "the

falling-sickness"-epileptic fits-was suddenly attacked towards early dawn, causing great consternation in our quiet kro, otherwise we should have slept like princes, for our linen was of the finest texture, white as the driven snow, smelling strong of iris and lavender; our beds were covered with couvrepieds of old embroidered silks— wreaths of jasmine on a sea-green ground-drawn in our honour from the hidden recesses of an ancient carved wardrobe some three centuries old or upwards.

WEDELLSBORG.

August 11th.-The steamer would wait for us one small half-hour, did we wish it; but the mail arrives in time, and we are ready on board. We disembark at Assens, and wander about the town while horses are preparing. Nothing remarkable in Assens; she is busy restoring her fine old church, and does it well. A little wool trade too she possesses of her own: beyond this ask nothing-one small Danish town is own twin sister to another.

We drive on to Wedellsborg-Grefskab, or county, of Count Wedell-another of those Danish paradises by the water-side, imbedded in woods. The house is of no architectural pretensions, but most comfortable to live in. Among the numerous portraits is one of Christina Munk, with her three eldest daughters *small girls. First Anna, betrothed to Count Rantzau, who was drowned before his marriage in the moat of

Elizabeth Augusta, wife of Hans Lindenov- a fourth daughter of Christina Munk-was the ancestress of the Wedell family, and mother of the bad Baroness of the "windy waste near Aalborg. She gambled away all her possessions, and, after great poverty, lived on a small pension given by Christian V.

Rosenborg, and she died of grief.

Sophia Elizabeth,

a child of great beauty, who married Count Christian Penz. A woman of spirit, a great flirt too, she was—so much so as to scandalise her royal father, who writes word how "Sophia Elizabeth is to be reprimanded on account of her flighty behaviour with Christian Penz," just too when he was so busy about her grandmother, good Queen Sophia's funeral. She secondly married Holger Wind, who at the time of Ulfeld's disgrace deserted her so in her anger she returned his portrait with the eyes" clawed out," just to show him how she would have served him had he been within her reach. Lastly Eleanor. The three little girls are dressed exactly like their mamma, in buckramed farthingales, scarlet red, and starched ruffs, gold powdered hair. Prince Valdemar, just out of bed in his little shirt, and a small dog, complete the group. Corfitz and Eleanor Ulfeld in their early days, before trouble and sorrow had thinned their locks and wrinkled their youth and beauty. The Wedell family descend from a granddaughter of Christian IV., and in the family chapel of the church of Wedellsborg you may see this king's portrait suspended to the walls, dead on his "lit de parade,” somewhat like a chandelier, in a scarlet pelisse fastened together with bows, his legs swathed up in fine linen or muslin with a bow at the end.

It was near Wedellsborg that two of those splendid Scandinavian horns were discovered; one, the finest specimen, is here preserved, and hangs in the dressingroom of Count Wedell; the other was forwarded to the Museum at Copenhagen. And now, after taking leave, we proceed on our journey, and, before arriving at Middelfart, stop to visit the far-famed manor of Hindsgavl,