The Amber Witch | Page 5

the Lord, who had now fed their little
children, would find means to fill their own bellies, and that they must
not be weary of trusting in him.
This comfort did not, however, last long; for after we had rested within
and around the cavern for about two hours, the bells in the village
began to ring so dolefully that it went nigh to break all our hearts, the
more as loud firing was heard between-whiles; _item_, the cries of men
and the barking of dogs resounded, so that we could easily guess that
the enemy was in the village. I had enough to do to keep the women
quiet, that they might not by their senseless lamentations betray our
hiding-place to the cruel enemy; and more still when it began to smell
smoky, and presently the bright flames gleamed through the trees. I

therefore sent old Paasch up to the top of the hill, that he might look
around and see how matters stood, but told him to take good care that
they did not see him from the village, seeing that the twilight had but
just begun.
This he promised, and soon returned with the news that about twenty
horsemen had galloped out of the village towards the Damerow, but
that half the village was in flames. _Item_, he told us that by a
wonderful dispensation of God a great number of birds had appeared in
the juniper-bushes and elsewhere, and that if we could catch them they
would be excellent food for us. I therefore climbed up the hill myself,
and having found everything as he had said, and also perceived that the
fire had, by the help of God's mercy, abated in the village; _item_, that
my cottage was left standing, far beyond my merits and deserts; I came
down again and comforted the people, saying, "The Lord hath given us
a sign, and he will feed us, as he fed the people of Israel in the
wilderness; for he has sent us a fine flight of fieldfares across the barren
sea, so that they whirr out of every bush as ye come near it. Who will
now run down into the village, and cut off the mane and tail of my dead
cow which lies out behind on the common?" (for there was no
horsehair in all the village, seeing that the enemy had long since carried
off or stabbed all the horses). But no one would go, for fear was
stronger even than hunger, till my old Ilse spoke, and said, "I will go,
for I fear nothing, when I walk in the ways of God; only give me a
good stick." When old Paasch had lent her his staff, she began to sing,
"God the Father be with us," and was soon out of sight among the
bushes. Meanwhile I exhorted the people to set to work directly, and to
cut little wands for springes, and to gather berries while the moon still
shone; there were a great quantity of mountain-ash and elder-bushes all
about the mountain. I myself and my daughter Mary stayed to guard the
little children, because it was not safe there from wolves. We therefore
made a blazing fire, sat ourselves around it, and heard the little folks
say the Ten Commandments, when there was a rustling and crackling
behind us, and my daughter jumped up and ran into the cavern, crying,
"_Proh dolor hostis_!" But it was only some of the able-bodied men
who had stayed behind in the village, and who now came to bring us
word how things stood there. I therefore called to her directly,
"_Emergas amici_" whereupon she came skipping joyously out, and sat

down again by the fire, and forthwith my warden Hinrich Seden related
all that had happened, and how his life had only been saved by means
of his wife Lizzie Kolken; but that Jurgen Flatow, Chim Burse, Claus
Peer, and Chim Seideritz were killed, and the last named of them left
lying on the church steps. The wicked incendiaries had burned down
twelve sheds, and it was not their fault that the whole village was not
destroyed, but only in consequence of the wind not being in the quarter
that suited their purpose. Meanwhile they tolled the bells in mockery
and scorn, to see whether any one would come and quench the fire; and
that when he and the three other young fellows came forward they fired
off their muskets at them, but, by God's help, none of them were hit.
Hereupon his three comrades jumped over the paling and escaped; but
him they caught, and had already taken aim at him with their firelocks,
when his wife Lizzie Kolken came out of the church with another troop
and beckoned to them