Chapter XII: Part 12

It is well[1] known that if one of a troop of lions is killed, the others take the hint[2], and leave that part of the country. So[3] the next time the herds were attacked, I went with the people, in order to encourage them to rid themselves of the annoyance by destroying[4] one of the marauders. We found the lions on a small hill about a quarter of a mile in length[5], which was covered with trees. A circle of men was formed round it, and they gradually closed up[6], ascending pretty near to each other. Being down below on the plain with a native schoolmaster, named Mebalwe, a most excellent man (S. 53, N. 9), I saw one of the lions sitting (S. 78, N. 14, _B_) on a _piece of_ rock within the now-closed circle _of men_. Mebalwe fired at him before I could[7], and the ball struck the rock on which the animal was sitting. He bit at the spot struck, as a dog does at a stick or stone thrown at him; then leaping away[8], broke through the opening circle, and escaped unhurt. The men were afraid to attack him on account of their belief in [+an+] witchcraft. When the circle was re-formed, we saw two other lions in it; but were afraid[9] to fire lest we should strike the men, and they allowed the beasts to burst through also. If (App. § 36) the Bakatta had acted according to the custom of the country, they would have speared the lions in their attempt to get out. Seeing we could not get[10] them to kill one of the lions, we bent our footsteps[11] towards the village; in going round the end of the hill, however, I saw one of the beasts sitting on a _piece of_ rock as before, but this time he had a little bush in front. Being about thirty yards[12] off, I took a good aim at his body through the bush, and fired both barrels into it. The men then called out: “He is shot! he is shot!” Others cried: “He has been shot by another man, too; let us go to him!” I did not see any one else shoot at him, but I saw the lion’s tail[13] erected in anger behind the bush, and turning to the people, said: “Stop a little till I load[14] again.”

[1] = generally.

[2] +es sich zur Warnung dienen lassen.+

[3] So, +Als nun+; the next time, +wiederum+, which place after the subject.

[4] +durch Vertilgung+, which place, with ‘one — marauders’, immediately after the reflective pronoun ‘+sich+’.

[5] Use the attributive construction.

[6] and — up, +welche sich allmählich enger an einander anschlossen+; ascending = and ascended (+den Berg hinauf´steigen+).

[7] +ehe ich es thun konnte.+

[8] = and when, hereupon, he sprang away, he, etc.

[9] = but ventured not; lest, +aus Furcht, daß+; render ‘should’ by the Imperf. Subj. of +mögen+.

[10] +dahin bringen.+

[11] we went (+schreiten+).

[12] = steps; distances are generally measured by _steps_ in Germany.

[13] a lion’s _tail_, +Schweif+, m.; in, +aus+.

[14] = have loaded.

_Section 216._

AN ADVENTURE WITH A LION.

II.

When (S. 27, N. 7) in the act[1] of ramming down the bullets, I heard a shout. Starting, and looking half round, I saw the lion just in the act of springing[2] upon me. I was upon a little height; he caught my shoulder as he sprang[3], and we both came to the ground below together. Growling (S. 55, N. 1, +während+) horribly close to my ear, he shook me as a terrier dog does a rat. The shock produced a stupor similar to that which seems to be felt by a mouse after the first shake of the cat. It caused a sort of dreaminess, in which there was[4] no sense of pain nor feeling of terror, though I was quite conscious of all that was happening. It was like what[5] patients, particularly under the influence of chloroform, describe, who see all the operation, but do not feel the knife. This singular condition was not the result of any mental process. The shake annihilated fear, and allowed no sense of horror[6] in looking round at the beast. This peculiar state is probably produced in all animals killed by the carnivora[7]; and, if so[8], is a merciful provision by our benevolent creator for lessening the pain of death (S. 76, N. 22, _B_, 1). Turning round to relieve myself of the weight, as he had one paw on the back of my head[9], I saw his eyes directed to Mebalwe, who was trying to shoot him at a distance of ten or fifteen yards. His gun, a flint one[10], missed fire in both barrels; the lion immediately left me, and attacking Mebalwe, bit[11] his thigh. Another man, whose life I had saved before, after he had been tossed[12] by a buffalo, attempted to spear the lion while he was biting Mebalwe. He left Mebalwe, and caught this man by the shoulder; but, at that moment, the bullets he had received took effect[13], and he fell down dead. The whole was the work of a few moments, and must have been his paroxysm of dying rage. In order to take out the charm from him, the Bakatta on the following day made a huge bonfire over his carcass, which was declared to be that of the largest lion they had ever seen. Besides crunching the bone into splinters, he left[14] eleven teeth wounds on the upper part of my arm.—DR. LIVINGSTONE.

[1] ‘to be in the act of doing anything’, here +bei etwas beschäftigt sein+. Read S. 87, N. 6, which rule applies in this case likewise.

[2] ‘in the act of springing’, here = about (+im Begriff+) to spring.

[3] as he sprang, +im Sprunge+, with which commence the clause.

[4] in — was = which possessed.

[5] = I found myself in that state (+Zustand+, m.), which.

[6] +und flößte mir keinen Schrecken ein.+

[7] here +reißende Tiere+.

[8] = and if this is the case, it is, etc.

[9] on — head, +auf meinem Hinterkopfe+.

[10] His — one, +Seine Flinte+; to miss fire, +versagen+.

[11] and — bit = attacked M., and bit, etc.

[12] +in die Luft schleudern.+

[13] to take effect, +zu wirken anfangen+.

[14] +zurück´lassen.+

_Section 217._

THE BURNING OF MOSCOW. (Comp. S. 156, N. 1.)

I.

On the 14th _of_ September, 1812, while the rear-guard of the Russians were in the act (S. 216, N. 1) of evacuating Moscow, Napoleon reached the hill called the Mount of Salvation[1], because _it is_ there _where_ the natives kneel and cross themselves at first sight of the Holy City.

Moscow seemed as lordly and striking[2] as ever, with the steeples of its thirty churches, and its copper domes glittering in the sun; its palaces of Eastern architecture mingled with trees, and surrounded with gardens[3]; and its Kremlin[4], a huge triangular mass of towers,[5] something between a palace and a castle, which rose like a citadel out of the general[6] mass of groves and buildings. But not a chimney sent up smoke[7], not a man appeared on the battlements, or at the gates. Napoleon gazed[8] every moment expecting to see a train of bearded boyards arriving to (S. 19, N. 7) fling themselves at his feet, and place their wealth at his disposal. His first exclamation was: “Behold at last that celebrated city!” His next: “It was full[9] time!” His army, less regardful of the past or the future[10], fixed their eyes on the goal of their wishes, and a shout of “Moscow! Moscow!” passed from rank to rank.

Bonaparte, as if unwilling to encounter the sight of the empty streets, stopped immediately on entering the first suburb. His troops were quartered in the desolate city. During the first few hours after their arrival[11], an obscure rumour, which could not be traced[12], but one of those which are sometimes found to get abroad before the approach of some awful certainty[13], announced that the city would be endangered by fire in the course of the night[14].

[1] Nom. +der seligmachende Berg+.

[2] = majestic.

[3] +seinen im orientalischen Stile erbauten, mit Bäumen und Gärten umgebenen Palästen.+

[4] +Kreml+, m.

[5] +einem ungeheuren, dreieckigen, mit vielen Türmen verzierten Gebäude+; something — castle, +welches zwischen einem Palaste und einem Schlosse die Mitte hielt+; which = and.

[6] = great; groves, +Baumgruppen+.

[7] = smoked; not a man = nobody.

[8] +blickte ... darauf hin.+

[9] = high.

[10] less — future, Liter. = which troubled itself (+sich bekümmern+) only about (+um+) the present (+Gegenwart+, f.).

[11] Here follows the predicate ‘announced’.

[12] = the origin of which could not be traced (+ausfindig machen+). See S. 4, N. 4 (+man+).

[13] = event.

[14] = that the town during the night would be exposed to a great conflagration.

_Section 218._

THE BURNING OF MOSCOW.

II.

The report seemed to arise from[1] those evident circumstances which rendered the event probable, but no one took any notice of it, until[2] at midnight, _when_ the soldiers were startled from their quarters by the report that the town was in flames (App. § 28). The memorable conflagration began amongst[3] the coachmakers’ warehouses and workshops in the Bazaar, _which was_ the richest district of the city. It was imputed to accident, and the progress of the flames was subdued by the exertions of the French soldiers. Napoleon, who had been roused by the tumult, hurried to the spot[4]; and when the alarm seemed at an end[5], he retired, not to his former quarters in the suburbs, but to the Kremlin, the hereditary palace of the only sovereign whom he had ever treated as an equal[6], and over whom his successful arms had now attained such an apparently[7] immense superiority. Yet he did not suffer himself to be dazzled by the advantages he had attained, but availed himself of the light of the blazing Bazaar, to write to the Emperor proposals of peace with his own hand[8]. They were despatched by a Russian officer of rank, who had been disabled by indisposition from following the army. But no answer was ever returned[9].

Next day the flames had disappeared, and the French officers luxuriously[10] employed themselves (S. 87, N. 6) in selecting out of the deserted palaces of Moscow, that which best pleased the fancy of each for his residence. At night the flames again arose in the north and west quarters of the city. As the greater part of the houses were built of wood, the conflagration spread with the most dreadful rapidity.

[1] = to have arisen from (+entstehen+ (+aus+), conjugated with +sein+).

[2] Supply ‘at last’ here and omit the comma and the conj. ‘when’. To be startled from one’s quarters, +von seinem Nachtlager aufgeschreckt werden+.

[3] = in; warehouse, +Magazin+, n.

[4] +herbei´eilen+.

[5] = and when the danger seemed to be over.

[6] +wie seinesgleichen.+

[7] apparently, +wie es schien+, which place after the adv. ‘now’.

[8] Say ‘to write to the Emperor with his own hands (+eigenhändig+, adj. used attributively) a letter, in which he offered him proposals of peace (S. 76, N. 22, _B_).

[9] = The same (to agree with ‘proposals of peace’) remained however unanswered.

[10] +prachtliebend+, which use as adj. before ‘French officers’.

_Section 219._

THE BURNING OF MOSCOW.

III.

This was at first imputed to the blazing brands [= pieces of wood] and sparkles which were carried by the wind; but at length it was observed, that, as often as the wind changed[1],—and it changed three times in that terrible night,—new flames broke always forth in that direction, where[2] the existing gale was calculated to direct them on[3] the Kremlin. These horrors were[4] increased by the chance[5] of explosion. There was, though as yet unknown to the French, a magazine of powder in the Kremlin; besides that, a park of artillery, with its ammunition, was drawn up[6] under the Emperor’s window. Morning (S. 3, N. 2) came, and with it a dreadful scene. During the whole night, the metropolis had glared[7] with a thick and suffocating atmosphere, of almost palpable smoke. The flames defied the efforts of the French soldiery, and it is said that the fountains of the city had been rendered inaccessible, the water-pipes cut, and the fire-engines destroyed or carried off.

Then came the reports of fire-balls having been found burning in deserted houses; of men and women, that, like demons, had been seen openly spreading the flames, and who were said to be[8] furnished with combustibles for rendering their dreadful work more secure. Several wretches against[9] whom such acts had been charged, were seized (S. 2, N. 1) upon, and, probably without much inquiry, _were_ shot on the spot. While it was almost impossible to keep the roof of the Kremlin free of the burning brands which the wind showered down[10], Napoleon watched from the windows the course of the fire which devoured his fair conquest, and the exclamation burst from him[11]: “These are indeed Scythians!”

[1] as — changed, +bei jedem Windeswechsel+; it = the wind.

[2] where = which through (+durch+); to calculate, +berechnen+ (+auf+); read S. 87, N. 6.

[3] = to.

[4] Insert here the adv. +noch+.

[5] = possibility; of, +von+, followed by the plural.

[6] put up, +auf´stellen+.

[7] = had been filled.

[8] The Emperor is said to be dead, +der Kaiser soll tot sein+.

[9] against — charged = who were (+waren+) accused (+beschuldigen+) of such a deed.

[10] = which were carried away by (S. 106, N. 23) the wind in great number (+Menge+, f.).

[11] = and he exclaimed involuntarily (+unwillkürlich+).

_Section 220._

THE BURNING OF MOSCOW.

IV.

The equinoctial gales rose higher and higher[1] upon the third night, and extended the flames, with which there was no longer any human power of contending[2]. At the dead[3] hour of midnight, the Kremlin itself was found to be on fire. A soldier of the Russian police, charged with being incendiary[4], was turned over[5] to the summary[6] vengeance of the Imperial Guard. Bonaparte was then, at length, persuaded, by the entreaties of all around him, to relinquish his quarters in the Kremlin, to which, as the visible mark of his conquest, he had seemed to cling with the tenacity of a lion holding a fragment of his prey. He encountered both difficulty and danger in retiring from the palace, and, before he could gain the city gate, he had to traverse with his suite streets arched with fire[7], and in which the very air they breathed was suffocating. At length he gained the open country, and took up his abode in a palace of the Czar’s called Petrowsky, about a French league from the city. As he looked back on the fire, which, under the influence of the autumnal wind, swelled and surged round the Kremlin, like an infernal ocean around a sable Pandemonium[8], he could not suppress the ominous expression: “This bodes us great misfortune!”

The fire continued to triumph unopposed, and consumed in a few days what it had cost centuries to raise. “Palaces and temples,” says a Russian author, “monuments of art, and miracles of luxury, the remains of ages which had passed away, and those which had been the creation of yesterday; the tombs of ancestors, and the nursery-cradles[9] of the present generation, were indiscriminately destroyed. Nothing was left of Moscow save the remembrance of the city, and the deep resolution to avenge its fall.”

The fire raged till the 19th of September with unabated violence, and then began to slacken for want of fuel. It is said four-fifths of this great city were laid in ruins.—SIR WALTER SCOTT.

[1] +immer stärker werden+; upon = during, with which commence the period.

[2] there was no longer ... of contending = could no longer contend.

[3] = quiet.

[4] This man is charged with being incendiary, +man beschuldigt diesen Mann der Brandstiftung+.

[5] +überge´ben+, with Dat.

[6] here = immediate, +sofortig+, adj.

[7] +über denen von beiden Seiten ein Feuermeer emporschlug.+

[8] +um ein schwarzes Pandämonium (ein Dämonentempel+, +das Reich des Satans).+

[9] +die Geburtsstätten+, N. Pl.

_Section 221._

CHRISTMAS IN GERMANY.

I.

Frankfort-on-the-Maine, Jan. 2, 1845.

We have lately[1] witnessed the most beautiful and interesting of all German festivals—Christmas—which is celebrated in a style truly characteristic of the[2] people. About the commencement of December, the Christmarkt, or fair, was opened in the Römerberg[3], and has continued to the present time. The booths, decorated with green boughs, were filled with toys of various kinds, among which, during the first days, the figure of St. Nicholas was conspicuous. There were[4] bunches of wax candles to illuminate[5] the Christmas tree, gingerbread with printed mottoes in poetry[6], beautiful little earthenware, basket-work, and a wilderness[7] _of_ playthings. The sixth of December, being Nicholas day[14], the booths were lighted up, and the square was filled with boys, running from one stand to another, all shouting and talking together in the most joyous confusion[8]. Nurses were going around, carrying the smaller children in their arms, and parents bought presents decorated with sprigs of pine and carried them away.

Many of the tables had _bundles of_ rods with gilded bands, which were to be used that evening by the persons who represented St. Nicholas. In the family with whom we reside, one of our German friends dressed himself[9] very grotesquely with a mask, fur robe, and long tapering cap. He came in with a _bunch of_ rods, a sack, and a broom for[10] sceptre. After we all had received our share of the beating, he threw the contents of his bag on the table, and while we were scrambling for the nuts and apples, gave us many smart raps over the fingers. In many families the children are made to say[11]: “I thank you[12], Herr Nicholas,” and the rods are hung up in the room until Christmas, to keep them in good behaviour[13]. This[14] was only a forerunner of the “Christkindchen’s” coming. The Nicholas is the punishing spirit, and the “Christkindchen” the rewarding one.

[1] +kürzlich.+

[2] Render ‘of the’ by the Dat. of the def. art., and use the attributive construction for ‘truly — people’.

[3] +auf dem Römerberge+, a large square (+Platz+, m.) in the City.

[4] +Es waren dort.+

[5] +zur Erleuchtung.+

[6] = verses.

[7] = great number, +Menge+, f.

[8] = excitement.

[9] +sich verkleiden.+

[10] +als.+

[11] +läßt man die Kinder sagen.+

[12] +Euch.+

[13] +um die Kleinen daran zu erinnern, sich gut zu betragen.+

[14] +Der St.+ (S. 103, N. 33) +Nicolaustag+; forerunner, +Vorfeier+, f.

_Section 222._

CHRISTMAS IN GERMANY.

II.

When this time was over, we all began preparing secretly our presents for Christmas. Every day there was[1] a consultation about the things which should be obtained[2]. It was so arranged that we should interchange presents, but nobody must[3] know beforehand what he would receive. What pleasure there was in all these secret purchases and preparations! Scarcely anything was thought or spoken of but Christmas, and every day the consultations became more numerous and secret. The trees were bought some time before-hand, but as we Americans were to witness the festival for the first time, we were not allowed to see them prepared, in order that the effect might be as great as possible. The market in the Römerberg _Square_ grew constantly larger and more brilliant. Every night it was illuminated with lamps and thronged with people. Quite a forest sprang up in the street before our door. The old stone house opposite, with the traces of so many centuries on its dark face, seemed to stand in the midst of a garden. It was a pleasure to go out every evening and see the children rushing to and fro, shouting and selecting toys from the booths and talking all the time of the Christmas that was so near (S. 48, N. 6). The poor people went with[4] their little presents hid under their cloaks, lest their children might see them; every heart was glad, and every countenance wore a smile of secret pleasure.

Finally, the day before Christmas arrived. The streets were so full, I[5] could scarcely make my way through[6], and the sale of trees went on[7] more rapidly than ever. These were[8] usually branches of pine or fir, set upright[9] in a little miniature garden of moss. When the lamps were lighted at night, our street had the appearance of an illuminated garden. We were prohibited from entering the rooms upstairs in which the grand ceremony was to take place, being obliged[10] to take our seats in those arranged for the guests, and to await with impatience the hour when the “Christkindchen” should call us.

[1] +statt´finden.+

[2] = procured, +an´schaffen+.

[3] = but that nobody should.

[4] went with = had.

[5] = that I.

[6] to make one’s way through, +sich einen Weg durch die Menge bahnen+.

[7] +vonstatten gehen.+

[8] +bestehen (aus).+

[9] +welche ... hineingestellt waren.+

[10] = and were obliged.

_Section 223._

CHRISTMAS IN GERMANY.

III.

Several relatives of the family came (S. 104, N. 19), and, what was more agreeable, they brought with them five or six children. I was anxious to see how they would view the ceremony[1]. Finally, in the midst of an interesting conversation, we heard the bell ringing at the head of[2] the stairs. We all started up, and made for[3] the door. I ran up the steps with the children at my heels, and at the top met[4] a blaze of dazzling light, coming from the open door. In each room stood a great table, on which presents were arranged, amid flowers and wreaths. From[5] the centre rose the beautiful Christmas tree, covered with wax tapers to the very top, which made the room nearly as light as day[6], while every bough was hung with sweetmeats and gilded nuts. The children ran shouting around the table, hunting[7] their presents, while the older persons had theirs pointed out to them. I had a little library of German authors _as my share_; and many of the others received quite valuable gifts.

But how beautiful was the heartfelt joy that shone on every countenance! As each one discovered his presents, he embraced the givers, and it was a scene of unmingled joy[8]. It is a glorious feast, this Christmas time! What a chorus from happy hearts went up on that evening to Heaven! Full of poetry and feeling, and glad associations, it is here anticipated with delight, and leaves a pleasant memory behind it. We may laugh at such simple festivals at home, and prefer to shake ourselves loose from every shackle[9] that bears the rust of the past, but we should certainly be happier if some of these beautiful old customs were better honoured. They renew the bond of feeling[10] between families and friends, and strengthen their kindly sympathy; even life-long associates require occasions of this kind to freshen the tie that binds them together.—BAYARD TAYLOR, “VIEWS AFOOT.”

[1] +wie sie sich bei dem Feste benehmen würden.+

[2] at the head of, +oben auf+.

[3] = ran towards.

[4] = found.

[5] = In; rose = stood.

[6] as — day, +tageshell+; ‘to make’, here +erleuchten+.

[7] = and searched for (+nach+).

[8] = +empfangen.+

[9] Use this noun in the pl., +Fesseln+; bears = bear.

[10] = love; to — together, +um das sie verbindende Band fester zu schürzen+.

_Section 224._

NEW-YEAR’S EVE (S. 152, N. 1) IN GERMANY.

New-Year’s Eve is also favoured with a peculiar celebration[1] in Germany. Everybody remains up and makes himself merry until midnight. The Christmas trees are again lighted, and while the tapers are burning out, the family play for[2] articles which they have purchased and hung on the boughs. It is so arranged that each one shall win as much as he gives, and the change[3] of articles creates much amusement. One of the ladies rejoiced in the possession of a red silk handkerchief and a cake of soap, while a cup and saucer and a pair of scissors fell to my lot. As midnight drew near, the noise became louder in the streets, and companies of people, some of them[4] singing in chorus, passed by on their way to the Zeil[5]. Finally, it struck a quarter to twelve, the windows were opened, and every one waited anxiously for the clock to strike twelve. At the first sound, such a cry arose as one may imagine when thirty or forty thousand persons all set their lungs going[6] at once. Everybody in the house, in the street, over the whole city, shouted: “Prost Neujahr[7]!”

In families, all the members embrace each other, with wishes of happiness for the new year. Then the windows are thrown open, and they cry to their neighbours or those passing by.

After we had exchanged congratulations, three of us set out for the Zeil. The streets were full of people, shouting to one another and to those standing at the open windows. We failed not to cry: “Prost Neujahr!” wherever we saw a damsel at the window, and the words came back to us more musically than we sent them. Along the Zeil the spectacle was most singular. The great wide street was filled with companies of men, marching up and down, while from the mass rang up one deafening, unending shout, that seemed to pierce the black sky above. The whole scene looked stranger and wilder in the flickering light of the swinging lamps[8], and I could not help thinking it must resemble a night in Paris, during the French Revolution.—BAYARD TAYLOR, “VIEWS AFOOT.”

[1] is — celebration = is celebrated in (+auf+) _a_ peculiar way.

[2] +um.+

[3] +Tausch+ or +Austausch+, m.

[4] = of whom some were.

[5] +die Zeil+ is one of the principal streets in Frankfort a/M.

[6] to set going, +in Bewegung setzen+.

[7] Properly: +Prosit Neujahr!+ A happy New-Year to you!

[8] Before the introduction of gas, the lamps hung in the middle of the street on ropes which were attached to the houses on both sides of the street.

_Section 225._

THE TWO ROBBERS.

I.

WE OFTEN CONDEMN IN OTHERS WHAT WE PRACTISE OURSELVES.

(Alexander the Great in his tent. A man with a fierce countenance, chained and fettered, brought before him.)

ALEXANDER.—What, art thou the Thracian robber, of whose exploits I have heard so much?

ROBBER.—I am a Thracian, and a soldier.

ALEXANDER.—A soldier?—a thief, a plunderer, an assassin! the pest of the country! I could honour thy courage, but I must detest and punish thy crimes.

ROBBER.—What have I done of which you can complain[1]?

ALEXANDER.—Hast thou not set at defiance my authority, violated the public peace, and passed thy life[2] in injuring the persons[3] and properties of thy fellow-subjects[4]?

ROBBER.—Alexander! I am your captive. I must hear what you please to say, and endure what you please to inflict. But my soul is unconquered; and if I reply at all[5] to your reproaches, I will reply like a free man.

ALEXANDER.—Speak freely. Far be it from me to take[6] the advantage of my power, to silence those with whom I deign to converse!

ROBBER.—I must then answer your question by another. How have you passed your life?

ALEXANDER.—Like a hero. Ask Fame[7], and she will tell you. Among the brave, I have been the bravest; among sovereigns, the noblest; among conquerors, the mightiest.

[1] +sich über etwas beklagen.+ Use the 2nd person Plural when the robber addresses Alexander.

[2] +und dein Leben damit zugebracht.+

[3] = the personal safety.

[4] +deiner Nebenmenschen.+

[5] +überhaupt.+

[6] = to use.

[7] ‘Fame,’ here +Fama+, +die Göttin des Ruhmes+. FAME, or FAMA, was a poetical deity, represented as having wings and blowing a trumpet. A temple was dedicated to her by the Romans.

_Section 226._

THE TWO ROBBERS.

II.

ROBBER.—And does not Fame speak of me too? Was there (S. 82, N. 7) ever a bolder captain of a more valiant band? Was there ever—but I scorn to boast. You yourself know that I have not been easily subdued.

ALEXANDER.—Still, what are you but a robber, a base, dishonest robber?

ROBBER.—And what is a conqueror? Have not you, too, gone about the earth[1] like an evil genius, blasting[2] the fair fruits of peace and industry, plundering, ravaging, killing[3] without law, without justice, merely to gratify an insatiable lust for dominion? All that I have done to a single district with _a_ hundred followers, you have done to whole nations with a hundred thousand. If I have stripped individuals[4], you (S. 27, N. 8) have ruined kings and princes. If I have burned a few hamlets, you have desolated the most flourishing kingdoms and cities of the earth. What is then the difference[5], but that, as you were born a king, and I a private man[6], you have been able to become a mightier robber than I?

ALEXANDER.—But if I have taken like a king, I have given like a king. If I have subverted empires, I have founded greater. I have cherished[7] arts, commerce, and philosophy.

ROBBER.—I, too, have freely given to the poor, what I took from the rich. I have established order and discipline among the most ferocious of mankind[8], and have stretched out my protecting arm over the oppressed. I know, indeed, little of the philosophy you talk of; but I believe neither you nor I will ever atone to the world for the mischiefs we have done.

ALEXANDER.—Leave me!—Take off his chains, and use him well. Are we, then, so much like?—Alexander and a Robber?—Let me reflect[9].—DR. AIKIN.

[1] ‘to go about the earth’ here +über die Erde her´ziehen+, conjugated with +sein+.

[2] = to (+um ... zu+) blast, +vernichten+.

[3] = Have you not plundered, ravaged and killed.

[4] = robbed common citizens.

[5] +Besteht denn zwischen uns beiden ein anderer Unterschied als der, daß+; followed by ‘you have — than I’, according to S. 211, N. 9.

[6] = common citizen.

[7] here = protected.

[8] = of all men.

[9] +Ich will darüber nachdenken.+

_Section 227._

A TOUCHING SCENE AT SEA.

I.

Two weeks ago[1] on board an English steamer, a little ragged boy, aged nine years, was discovered on the fourth day of the voyage _out_ from Liverpool to New York, and carried before the first mate, whose duty it was to deal with such cases. When questioned as to his object in being stowed away[2], and who brought him on board, the boy, who had a beautiful sunny face, and eyes that looked like the very mirrors of truth, replied that his stepfather did it, because he could not afford[3] to keep him, nor to pay his passage _out_ to Halifax, where he had an aunt who[4] was well off, and to whose house he was going. The mate did not believe the story, in spite of the winning face and truthful[5] accents of the boy. He had seen too much of stow-aways[6] to be easily deceived by them, he said; and it was his firm conviction that the boy had been brought on board and provided with food by the sailors. The little fellow was very roughly handled in consequence. Day by day he was questioned and re-questioned, but always with the same result. He did not know a sailor on board, and his father alone had secreted him, and given him the food which he ate. At[7] last the mate, wearied by the boy’s persistence in the same story, and perhaps a little anxious to inculpate the sailors, seized him one day by the collar, and dragging him to the fore[8], told him that (S. 211, N. 9) unless he would tell the truth in ten minutes from that time, he would hang him from the yard-arm.

[1] +Vor vierzehn Tagen+, after which place predicate and subject [one discovered], since, as a rule, only _one_ part of the adjuncts to the predicate should be placed before it.

[2] as — away = +warum er aufs Schiff geschmuggelt sei+ (App. §§ 28 and 30).

[3] I cannot afford to keep you, +meine Mittel gestatten mir nicht, dich zu ernähren+.

[4] The relative clause ‘who — off’ may be avoided by using the adjective ‘+wohlhabend+’ before ‘aunt’.

[5] here +glaubwürdig+; accents, +Sprache+.

[6] ‘the stow-away’ may perhaps be rendered by +der Eingeschmuggelte+.

[7] It will easily be seen that, on account of the length of this period and of the many dependent clauses contained therein, it requires an altogether different form of construction in German. The author will, however, refrain from indicating the form to be used, the student being by this time expected to have attained sufficient skill and practice for dealing with such cases.

[8] +aufs Vorderteil des Schiffes+.

_Section 228._

A TOUCHING SCENE AT SEA.

II.

He then made him sit down under it on the deck. All around him were the passengers and sailors of the watch, and in front of him stood the inexorable mate, with his chronometer in his hand, and the other officers of the ship by his side. It was the finest sight, said our informant[1], that he ever beheld—to see the pale, proud, sorrowful face of that noble boy, his head erect, his beautiful eyes bright through the tears that suffused them. When eight minutes had fled[2], the mate told him he had but two minutes to live, and advised him to speak the truth and save his life; but he replied with the utmost simplicity and sincerity by asking (S. 111, N. 6) the mate if he might pray. The mate said nothing, but nodded his head, turned as pale as a ghost[3], and shook _with trembling_ like a reed with[4] the wind. And there, all eyes turned on him, the brave and noble little fellow, this poor waif, whom society owned not, and whose own stepfather could not care for him—there he knelt, with clasped hands, and eyes turned up to heaven, while he repeated[5] audibly the Lord’s Prayer, and prayed the Lord Jesus to take him to heaven. There then occurred (S. 104, N. 19) a scene as at Pentecost. Sobs broke[6] from the strong hard hearts, as the mate sprang forward to the boy, and kissed and blessed him, and told him how sincerely he believed his story, and how glad he was that he had been willing enough to face death[7] and to sacrifice his life for the truth of his word.—REV. E. DAVIES.

[1] Place ‘said — informant (here +Gewährsmann+, m.)’ after ‘that — beheld’.

[2] = were over.

[3] as — ghost, +geisterbleich+.

[4] = in.

[5] = said; audibly = aloud.

[6] +Ein Schluchzen entrang sich+, followed by the Dat.

[7] to face death, +dem Tode ins Antlitz schauen+, or +dem Tode trotz´bieten+.

_Section 229._

AN ORATION ON THE POWER OF HABIT.

I.

I will now speak of a habit which I believe[1] is, more than any other, debasing, degrading, and embruting to man[2], both[3] physically, intellectually, and morally. I am not going to give you an address[4] _full_ of my favourite theme [temperance], but I must speak of it[5]. I must speak of it before this assembly, for I shall never see you again till we meet on that day when we shall see things as they are[6]. Let me then speak of one habit which, in its power, and[7] influence, and[8] fascination, seems to rear its head like a Goliath or Saul above all its kindred agencies of demoralization; I allude to[9] the habit of using intoxicating liquors as a beverage, until that habit becomes a fascination[10]. You will allow me to give[11] my opinions upon these points freely. I consider drunkenness not merely to be a moral evil, but also a physical evil, and[12] it depends a great deal more upon the temperament, _and_ the constitution, and disposition of the young man, whether if he falls into the drinking usages of society, it becomes a habit or not, than it does upon his strength of mind or firmness of purpose[13].

Take a young man, and he shall be full of fire[14] and poetry. He shall be[15] of a nervous temperament and generous heart; fond of society, and open and manly in everything he does. Every one loves him. That is the man most liable to become intemperate.

[1] = as I believe.

[2] is ... to man, +auf den Menschen wirkt+.

[3] ‘both’, +hier und zwar+.

[4] to give an address to a person, +einem eine Rede halten+; of, +über+.

[5] +ich muß dasselbe aber wenigstens berühren+ (allude to).

[6] Render ‘for — are’ Liter. = for we shall see one another only (S. 109, N. 5) on that day, when (+wo+) we shall see (+schauen+) the things in their true form (+Gestalt+, f.).

[7] = in its.

[8] = and its.

[9] = I mean; of using — beverage = of drinking intoxicating liquors.

[10] until — fascination, +bis diese Gewohnheit einen zauberhaften Reiz auf den Menschen ausübt+.

[11] = express.

[12] Say ‘and when a young man once follows the general habit of taking intoxicating liquors, it depends, etc.’

[13] his — purpose, +seine Geistes- oder Willenskraft+.

[14] = who is full of (+voller+) fire.

[15] The student will do well to omit the words ‘He shall be’ and join this period to the preceding one.

_Section 230._

AN ORATION ON THE POWER OF HABIT.

II.

He enters[1] into the outer circle of the whirlpool, and throws care to the winds[2]. There he thinks to stay, but he gets nearer and nearer to the fatal gulf, until he is swept into the vortex before he dreamed of danger. This thing, habit[3], comes gradually. Many a man who has acquired[4] a habit of drinking, but does not exactly proceed to excess[5], is rescued simply by possessing certain physical qualities which his poor unfortunate friend had not. You say: “I am not so foolish as to become a drunkard!” So He thought once. You say: “I can leave it off[6] when I like,” as if He at first had not had (App. § 33) the power to leave it off when he liked. You say: “I have too sound an intellect to become a drunkard,” as if He were born without an intellect. You say: “I have too much pride in myself, too much self-respect,” as if He were not once as proud as you. _The way_ men acquire this habit, _is_ by looking on those[7] who proceed to excess as naturally inferior to themselves. The difference between you and the drunkard is just this, that you could leave off[8] the habit, but won’t; he would[9] with all his heart and soul, but cannot. I tell you, young men[10], that while the power of a bad habit is stripping you of nerve [pl.], _and_ (S. 10, N. 9) energy, and freshness of feeling[11], it does not destroy your responsibility. You are accountable to God for every power, _and_ talent, and influence with which you have been endowed.

[1] = approaches.

[2] to throw care to the winds, +sich keine Sorgen machen+.

[3] = What one calls habit.

[4] to acquire a habit, +in eine Gewohnheit verfallen+.

[5] +der dieselbe jedoch eigentlich nicht übertreibt.+

[6] to leave off, +aufhören+.

[7] = by considering (+halten+) those; to proceed to excess, +sich dem Übermaß ergeben+; as — themselves = as (+für+) _being_ worse than themselves.

[8] here +aufgeben+.

[9] = and that he would give it up.

[10] Commence the period with ‘Young men’.

[11] +Gefühlsfrische+, f.

_Section 231._

AN ORATION ON THE POWER OF HABIT.

III.

If you say: “Should I find the practice by experience to be injurious, I will give it up,” surely that is not common sense[1]. You might as well say: “I will put my hand into the nest of the rattlesnake, and when I find out that he has stuck his fangs into me[2], I will draw it out and get cured.”

I remember riding from[3] Buffalo to the Niagara Falls, and said to a gentleman: “What river is that, Sir?” “That,” he said, “is Niagara River[4].” “Well, it is a beautiful stream,” said I, “bright, and fair, and glossy; how far off are the rapids[5]?” “Only a mile or two,” was the reply. “Is it possible that (S. 66, N. 15) only a mile or two from us we shall find the water in the turbulence which it must show _when_ near the falls?” “You will find it so, Sir.” And so I did find it; and that first sight of the Niagara I shall never forget. Now, launch your boat on that Niagara river; it is bright, smooth, beautiful, and glossy. There is a ripple at the bow[6], and the silvery wake[7] you leave behind adds to your enjoyment. Down the stream you glide; oars, sails, and helm are in proper trim, and you set out[8] on your pleasure excursion[9]. Suddenly some one cries out from the bank: “Young men, ahoy[10]!” “What is it[11]!”—“The rapids are below you[12]!”—“Ha, ha! we have heard of the rapids, but we are not so foolish as to get there[13]. If we go [= If it goes] too fast, then up with the helm[14], then set the mast in the socket[15], hoist the sail, and speed to land[16]. Then on[17], boys; don’t be alarmed—there’s no danger!”

[1] = reasonable.

[2] stuck — me = bitten me.

[3] riding from = that I during a journey from; change ‘and said to’ into ‘asked’.

[4] Use the def. art.

[5] +die Stromschnellen.+

[6] +Das Wasser kräuselt sich am Bug des Bootes.+

[7] +Kielwasser+, n.

[8] ‘to set out on’, here +an´treten+, v. tr.

[9] +Vergnügungstour.+

[10] +Ohoi!+ of which pronounce every vowel separately and slowly in the German way.

[11] +Was giebts.+

[12] are below you, +sind dort unten nicht weit von euch!+

[13] as — there, +so weit zu fahren+.

[14] +dann schnell das Steuerruder hinein.+

[15] +dann richten wir den Mast auf.+

[16] +und eilen ans Land!+

[17] +Daher nur immer vorwärts.+

_Section 232._

AN ORATION ON THE POWER OF HABIT.

IV.

“Young men, ahoy, _there_!”—“What is it?”—“The rapids are below you!”—“Ha, ha! we will laugh and quaff; all things delight us. What care we for the future? No man ever saw it. ‘Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof[1].’ We will enjoy life while we may[2]; we will catch pleasure as it flies. This is enjoyment; time enough[3] to steer out of danger when we are driving swiftly with the current.”—“Young men, ahoy!”—“What is it?”—“Beware! Beware! The rapids are below you!”—Now you see water foaming[4] all around you.—See how fast you pass that point!—Up with the helm!—Now turn[5]!—Pull hard[6]—quick!—quick!—pull for your lives!—pull till[7] the blood starts from the nostrils, and the veins stand like whipcord upon the brow! Set the mast in the socket! hoist the sail! Ah, ah!—it is too late! Shrieking, cursing, howling, blaspheming, over you go[8]!—Thousands go over the rapids of Intemperance[9] every year, through the power of evil habit, crying out all the while[10]: “When I find out that it is injuring me, I will give it up!” The power of evil habit, I repeat, is fascinating[11], is deceptive; and man may go on arguing and coming to conclusions while on the way down to destruction[12].—J. B. GOUGH.

[1] +Es ist genug, daß ein jeglicher Tag seine eigene Plage habe!+

[2] +so lange wir es noch können.+

[3] +es bleibt uns noch Zeit genug.+

[4] +schäumendes Wasser.+

[5] ‘to turn’, here +um´kehren+.

[6] Pull, +Rudert+; ‘hard’, here +aus Leibeskräften.+

[7] Supply the pron. +euch+ here; starts = streams; from the nostrils, +aus der Nase+.

[8] +stürzt ihr in den Abgrund hinunter!+

[9] +Trunksucht+, f., seems to be the right expression here, although the dictionaries translate the word by +Unmäßigkeit+, f., and +Völlerei+, f.

[10] +und rufen immer.+

[11] here +bestrickend+; is = and.

[12] and — destruction = and often we are still occupied with arguing a matter (+eine Sache gründlich zu erörtern+) in order to come (+gelangen+) to a definite conclusion, when we are (+sich befinden+) already on the way to destruction (+Verderben+, n.).

_Section 233._

A CURIOUS STORY[1].

I.

We heard a curious story at Tristan[2] about two Germans who had settled nearly two years before on Inaccessible Island[3]. Once a year, about the month _of_ December, the Tristan men go[4] to the two outlying islands to pick up the few seals which are still to be found there. On two of these occasions they had seen the Germans, and within a few months smoke had risen from the island, which they attributed[5] to their having fired (S. 161, N. 21) some of the brushwood; but as they had seen or heard nothing of them since, they thought the probability was that they had perished. Captain Nares[6] wished to visit the other islands, and to ascertain the fate of the two men was an additional object in doing so[7].

Next morning we were close under Inaccessible Island, the second in size of the little group of three. The ship was surrounded by multitudes of penguins[8], and as few of us had any previous personal acquaintance with this eccentric form of life[9], we followed their movements with great interest. The penguin as a rule swims under water, rising now and then and resting on the surface, like one of the ordinary water-birds, but more frequently with its body entirely covered, and only lifting its head from time to time to breathe.

The structure of Inaccessible Island is very much the same as Tristan, only the pre-eminent feature[10] of the latter, the snowy cone, is wanting. A wall of volcanic rocks, about the same height as the cliff at Tristan, and which one is inclined to believe to have been at one time continuous with it, entirely surrounds Inaccessible Island, falling for the most part sheer[11] into the sea, and it seems that it slopes sufficiently to allow a tolerably easy ascent to the plateau on the top at one point only.

[1] This story is taken from Mr. W. J. J. Spry’s most interesting account of ‘The Cruise of the Challenger’. The Tristan d’Acunha group of islands (+die Erfrischungsinseln+), so named from the Portuguese navigator who discovered it early in the 16th century, lies in mid-ocean, about 1300 miles south of St. Helena and 1500 miles west of the Cape of Good Hope, nearly on a line between the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn; it is thus probably the most isolated and remote of all the abodes of men. The group consists of the larger Island of Tristan and two smaller islands—Inaccessible Island, about 18 miles south-west from Tristan, and Nightingale Island, twenty miles south of the main island. Tristan only is permanently inhabited, the other two are visited from time to time by sealers. In the year 1829 Tristan was inhabited by 27 families; in 1836 it possessed a population of 42; in 1852 the population had risen to 85, and in 1867 this number was only exceeded by one.

[2] +Auf der Insel Tristan+, which place at the head of the period; about, +über+, with Acc.

[3] The author finds that the best German maps use the English name of ‘Inaccessible Island’ unaltered. This is also the case with ‘Nightingale Island’.

[4] +fahren+; =‘to go’, when used in the sense of ‘travelling, riding (in a carriage), driving, sailing, etc.’, is mostly rendered by +reisen+ (generally used for greater distances) or by +fahren+. When used in the sense of ‘riding on horseback,’ it is rendered by +reiten+.=

[5] = which they attributed to the circumstance.

[6] Captain Nares was the commander of ‘The Challenger’ at that time.

[7] and — so = and as he was anxious (+begierig+) to ascertain (+erforschen+) the fate of the two men, the voyage [there, +dahin+] was at once determined upon.

[8] +der Pinguin+, pl. e.

[9] with — life, +mit dieser eigentümlichen Vogelart+.

[10] = the characteristic peculiarity.

[11] = straight.

_Section 234._

A CURIOUS STORY.

II.

There is a shallow bay in which the ship anchored in fifteen fathoms on the east side of the island; and there, as in Tristan, a narrow belt of low ground, extending for about a mile along the shore, is interposed between the cliff and the sea. A pretty waterfall tossed itself down, about the middle of the bay, over the cliff from the plateau above. A little way down it was nearly lost in spray, like the Staubbach of Schaffhausen, and collected itself again into a rivulet[1], where it regained the rock at the lower level. A hut built of stones and clay, and roofed with spars and thatch, lay in a little hollow[2] near the waterfall, and the two Germans, in excellent health and spirits, but enraptured at the sight of the ship and longing for a passage anywhere out of the island, were[3] down on the beach, waiting for the first boat. Their story is a curious one[4], and as Captain Nares agreed[5] to take them to the Cape, we had ample time to get an account of their adventures, and to supplement from their experience such crude notions of the nature of the place as we could gather during our short stay[6].

Frederick and Gustav Stoltenhoff are sons of a dyer in Aix-la-Chapelle (+Aachen+). Frederick, the elder, was employed in a merchant’s office in Aix-la-Chapelle at the time of the Franco-German war (1870). He was called on to serve in the German army, where he attained the rank of a lieutenant, and took part in the siege of Metz and Thionville. At the end of the campaign he was discharged, and returned home to find his old situation filled up.

[1] +gestaltete sich jedoch wieder zu einem kleinen Bache.+

[2] +Vertiefung+, f.

[3] = stood. Consult S. 5, N. 2.

[4] = very (+höchst+) curious.

[5] = granted them their request.

[6] Let the student endeavour to construe this passage by means of the attributive construction, which will prove excellent practice.

_Section 235._

A CURIOUS STORY.

III.

In the meantime, his younger brother, Gustav, who was a sailor and had already made several trips, had joined[1] on the 1st of August, 1870, at Greenock, as an ordinary seaman, the English ship “Beacon Light,” bound for Rangoon. On the way out[2], the cargo, which consisted of coal, caught fire[3] when they were from[4] six to seven hundred miles north-west of Tristan d’Acunha, and for (S. 166, N. 10) three days all hands[5] were doing their utmost to extinguish the fire. On the third day, the hatches, which had been battened down, to exclude the air, blew up[6], the main hatch carrying overboard[7] the second mate who had been standing on it at the time of the explosion. The boats had been provisioned beforehand, ready to leave the ship. Two of the crew were drowned through one of the boats being swamped[8], and the survivors, to the number of sixteen, were stowed in the long-boat. Up to this time the ship had been nearing Tristan with a fair wind at the rate of[9] six knots an hour[10], so that they had now only about three hundred miles to go. They abandoned the ship on Friday; on Saturday afternoon they sighted Tristan, and on the following day a boat came off to their assistance and towed them ashore.

The shipwrecked crew remained for eighteen days at Tristan d’Acunha, during which time they were treated with all kindness and hospitality. They were relieved by the ill-fated “Northfleet,” bound for Aden with coal, and Gustav Stoltenhoff found his way back to Aix-la-Chapelle.

[1] to join a ship, +sich einem Schiffe verheuern+.

[2] = On the voyage thither (+dorthin+).

[3] to catch fire, +in Brand geraten+.

[4] = about, +ungefähr+.

[5] ‘all hands’, here = all sailors, +die ganze Mannschaft+, +alle Matrosen+, +alle Schiffsleute+.

[6] +in die Luft sprengen+; the hatches, +die Luken+; the main hatch, +die große Luke+.

[7] = and the main hatch carried overboard (+über Bord schleudern+).

[8] = through the sinking of one of the boats.

[9] ‘=at the rate of=’, referring to the rapidity of motion, is rendered by ‘+=mit einer Schnelligkeit von=+’, but when referring to price, is generally rendered by ‘+=zum Preise von=+’.

[10] =an hour=, +=in der Stunde=+, +=per Stunde=+, or +=die Stunde=+. He receives 20 marks a week, +er erhält 20 Mark die Woche+ (or +wöchentlich+).

_Section 236._

A CURIOUS STORY.

IV.

During his stay at Tristan he heard that a large number of seals were to be had among the islands[1], and he seems to have been greatly pleased with the Tristaners and to have formed a project of returning there. When he got home, his brother had just got back from the war and was unemployed; he infected him with his notion[2], and the two agreed[3] to join in a venture to Tristan to see what they could (App. § 33) make[4] by seal-hunting and barter.