At the same moment his horse leaped upward with all four feet at once, tossed its clever head convulsively, and sank on its knees.
Half blinded by the dazzling light he saw, and bewildered by the sulphurous vapour he noticed, Heinz nevertheless retained his presence of mind, and had sprung from the saddle ere the quivering steed fell on its side.

Several of the guard at the gate quickly hastened to his assistance, examined the horse with him, and found the noble animal already dead.

The lightning had darted along the iron mail on its forehead and the steel bit, and struck the ground without injuring Heinz himself.

The soldiers and a Dominican monk who had sought shelter from the rain in the guardhouse extolled this as a great miracle.

The people who had crowded to the spot were also seized with pious awe, and followed the knight to whom Heaven had so distinctly showed its favour.
Heinz himself only felt that something extraordinary had happened.