The Young Captives / A Narrative of the Shipwreck and Suffering of John and William Doyley

ine and fir tree bowed its lofty head beneath the stroke of axe and saw, to fall at last crashing to earth. The wood-cutters from the mines vied wi

in readiness, and driving them off with all speed towards the town. The wind blew sharp and cool, yet no one complained of the cold; on the contrary, the large drops that tell of hon

ger journeyman; 'whereas the fact is, there isn't a sign to be seen of them anywhere. There do

ing than to have plenty of wood brought in. It is as needful for the town as bread-indeed it is almost more needful. If it is not all wanted for palisad

is enjoying his bread and bacon. Only see, too, what a fat bottle of beer he has got standing by him! Step ac

a sigh: 'I am glad enough to be out of his sight. If I went to hi

spoke they saw the man leave his table, the stump of a fallen tree, and go across to a little gir

here stealing wood.' He boxed the child's ears soundly, tore her

much on account of the blows she had

nrad. 'It's our Dollie. Poor ch

e town servant, his angry face showing pretty plainly what was coming. As soon as he reached the offender, his hand unclenched to grasp Jüchziger by the col

an carpenter, all his rage came back at a bound, and he in his turn began to play the part of the offended person. He poured out a torrent of abuse on the journeyman, at the same time trying to collar the young man and pay him out in kind. By way of making up for the journeyman's superior strength, Jüchziger brought his o

uld a child like that carry away? Does not the whole forest belong to us Freibergers, and shall not our own children pick up a basketful of st

chziger saw that if he meant to save his skin it would be prudent

this order too, which he did with a very bad grace. Dollie's tears dried up with wonderful quickness when she saw the

tly the moment when he may safely spring upon it, so did the town servant promise himself to take a terrible revenge on the journeyman. As soon as the day's

s been confined to their day's work in the forest. Such buildings without the walls as had escaped in General Bannier's attack were now doomed to destruction. Thus it came about that the retur

of humbler appearance-had already been stripped of windows, doors, roof

fate was overtaking his wife's inheritance. For a moment the sight he now saw almost paralyzed him; then recove

to be done; and when Jüchziger laid his hand on one and another of them, with the idea of hindering them by force, he soon found himself repulsed in no very gentle fashion. While he stood in front of his l

e she owned this house, and now that there's no getting out of the bargain they are tearing my nest to pieces before my very eyes. Come, my dear neighbour, let us

himself and of the town council; and quite right too, although I suffer a serious loss by it. "Private rights must always giv

elf. 'If Herr Jonas Sch?nleben were only at the head of affairs, he would be certain to listen to me. The cowardly blockheads! There is not a single Swedish plum

tion of her little property. 'Father will make her pay dearly for all this th

ahead, that he might have time to tell his mother about the destruction of her house, a

when it became known that Leipzig and Pleissenburg had fallen into their hands on November 28, and that Silberstadt was their next destination. It was a fortunate circumstance that armies in those days could not move so quickly as they can now. Thanks to this fact, Freiberg had time to make all due preparation for the enemy's reception. John George II., 'the father of his people,' was not remiss in caring for the mou

he workshop of the carpenter's widow, as it re-echoed once again to the din of tools wielded by the two journeymen and the apprentice. One day-it was the 4th of December in the memorable year 1642-the hollow roll of drums was heard coming down the street, and the senior journeyman, la

nzed face with its look of stedfastness and assured courage, the open iron helmet on the head, the breastplate covered by a military coat reaching to the knees and allowing the body free play from the hips, the halberd grasped in the strong right hand, and the shield in the left, bearing the Saxon coat-of-arms,-as these various points were noted and remarked on, each moment brought fre

man had taken off his blue apron, and held it rolled up in his left hand, while his right grasped the carpenter's square, exactly as the soldiers held their halberds. His whole bearing was changed; he had become positively warlike; his eyes flashed, and his fee

be exactly like'- His sentence was left unfinished, for at this moment he heard his mistress

the town, seeking shelter behind the city walls for their household goods, their wives, children, and cattle. Long trains of waggons and droves of animals, accompanied by men, and beasts of burden bearing heavy loads, were making their way towards the gates of Freiberg; and the city authorities thought themselves bound in honour not to repulse the

, and the brawny hand of a burly countryman knocked so vigorously on the window itself that the glass shivered under the blow. 'Can't you

f finding comfortable quarters there. Farther down the street was a heavily-loaded waggon with two powerful brown horses. In the waggon, almost buried among beds and other household gear, sat a woman with a baby in her arms. Four cows, in char

ht put their various possessions under cover. Willing hands were soon at work unloading and stowing away the goods, and before long the m

starve now, even if the Swedes do come. God grant they may neither

aid Hillner boldly. 'God gave us strong ar

all Germ