登陆注册
15739100000042

第42章

"Early in the morning of the 9th of April General Hiller will march from Salzburg to the Lower Inn valley, and General yon Chasteler from Carinthia to the Puster valley. On the 11th or 12th of April the former will arrive at Innsbruck, and the latter at Brixen. The Archduke John orders that the Muhlbach pass be occupied by peasants from the Puster valley, and the Kuntersweg by mounted men. They are to allow all forces of the enemy marching from Botzen to Brixen to pass, and will cut off all communications only so soon as they discover that the Bavarian civilians and soldiers are trying to escape from Brixen to Botzen. Not a man must be allowed to pass then."While Andreas Hofer was dictating his "open order" with a firm and thoughtful air, the peasants stood dumfounded with admiration, staring at him with a feeling of awe, and delighted with his sagacity and understanding. That Hofer cast from time to time a searching glance at Hormayr's letter did not disturb the admiration they felt for their chosen leader, and they were silent and stared at him long after he was through.

"So," said Andreas when the writing was finished, "now Martin Teimer and I will affix our names to this open order; Ennemoser will then copy it half a dozen times, and six of you will carry the copies to the other leaders who are already waiting for them, and who will give the signal to their friends in the lower valley. You, George Lanthaler, will carry the order to Joseph Speckbacher at Kufstein;you, Joseph Gufler, will take it to the farmer at the Schildhof;you, George Steinhauferle, will go to Anthony Wallner, the Aichberger at Windisch-Matrey. Quick, quick, my friends, we have no time to lose; you must walk night and day; you cannot rest on the road, for we must strike the blow with lightning speed, and it must be done at the same time all over the country.""And I will likewise set out again to spread the news throughout the country," said Martin Teimer. "For two weeks past I have been in all parts of the Tyrol, and have worked everywhere for our cause, and know now that we may count upon all our countrymen. They are waiting for the signal, and we must give it to them. Here, take this package; it contains a large number of those little paper balls upon which are written the words ''Tis time!' Each of you can take a handful of them and give them to your wives and children, that they may carry them to the neighbors and distribute them everywhere.

Speckbacher and Wallner, too, have packages of such paper balls, and so soon as our faithful messengers bring them our `open order,' they will likewise send around their wives and children through the neighborhood; and everywhere the cry will be, ''Tis time!' We must expel the Bavarians! I will go now, for I must concentrate my men in order to prevent the Bavarians from crossing the bridge of Laditch.

Farewell, then, and God grant that we may all meet again before long as free and happy men at our good city of Innspruck!""We must go too," exclaimed the Tyrolese when Martin Teimer had left the house as quickly as he had entered it. "We must go into the mountains and inform our friends that it is time.""But go through the kitchen, my dear messengers," said Andreas Hofer; "there is a bag of flour for each of you; take it on your back, and on passing during your march a rivulet or a mountain torrent, throw some of the flour into it; and wherever you find dry brushwood on the road, pile it up and kindle it, that the bale-fires may proclaim to the country, ''Tis time!"Half an hour afterward the large bar-room was deserted, and profound silence reigned in the inn Zum Sand. The servants and children of the Sandwirth had gone to bed; only he himself and his faithful wife, Anna Gertrude, were yet up. Both had retired into the small sitting-room adjoining the barroom. Andreas Hofer was walking up and down there silently and thoughtfully, his hands folded on his back;Gertrude sat in the leather-covered arm-chair at the stove, and looked at her husband. Every thing was still around them; only the slow, regular ticking of the clock broke the profound silence, and outside was to be heard the wild roaring of the Passeyr, which hurled its furious foaming waters not far from the inn over pebbles and fragments of rocks.

Finally, after a long pause, Andreas stood still in front of his wife, and gazed at her with a long, searching, and tender look.

Gertrude, as if lifted up by this glance, rose, encircled his neck quickly with her arms, and looked with an expression of terror and anxiety into his face.

"Andy," she exclaimed, mournfully, "my own, dearest Andy, I am afraid harm will befall you!""That is what I expect," he said, sighing, "and I am sorry for you, my dearest wife. I was just speaking with God and my conscience, and asking them so fervently if it was not wrong in me not to think above all things of my dear wife and my beloved children, and if Iought not to live and die only for them. For I tell you, and I know, what I am going to do is dangerous, and may easily cost my life. Ido not blind my eyes to it; I may lose my life in either of two ways. A bullet may strike me in battle; or, if my life should be spared in the struggle, and if we should be defeated, the Bavarians would treat me as a traitor; and then a bullet would strike me also, for they would shoot me.""Oh, Jesus Maria! my Andy," cried Gertrude, taking Hofer's head in her hands, as if to protect it from the murderous bullets.

同类推荐
  • 洞真太上神虎玉经

    洞真太上神虎玉经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 童子礼

    童子礼

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

    THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 太平经钞

    太平经钞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 佛说七佛经

    佛说七佛经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 都市阴帅

    都市阴帅

    黑白无常因任务原因离开地府,这里的工作交给了一个大学刚毕业的人,看他如何来回阴阳之间,抓鬼,泡妹,中国龙组一起任务!
  • 农门商女:夫郎乖乖上榻来

    农门商女:夫郎乖乖上榻来

    看出戏,撞破头,姐穿了。梦相遇,不坑爹,坑阎王。可是为毛姐娶夫了,不是嫁人啦,这女尊时代真心伤不起。(本文一生一世一双人)
  • 一念定天

    一念定天

    太古四武神,居然屈于一个少年,赵子龙——韩信——关羽——吕布居然都被一个少年获得了,上古之人死后,灵魂居于星辰,树木,墓穴,得上古之人魂魄传承者称为圣体修者,感悟道得道修炼的称为道体修者,自古两家力量平衡,不相上下……
  • 时光挥挥,生亦老

    时光挥挥,生亦老

    金钰的生活充满了挫折,深爱却不能在一起的人放在心里就好。马糖爱着金钰,可惜缘分不够,总是错过,但是看到金钰幸福,也就无憾了。
  • 紫狱魂殿

    紫狱魂殿

    “在下携白富美女神,自东土天朝穿越而来,欲往异界拯救苍生……所以,一句话,老子是穿越者,牛X不解释!”“若是这天下负了你,那我,便为你覆了这天下!”“呵呵……到头来,欠了她最多的,竟是我自己。”且看自现代穿越而来的林潇,如何在异界混的风生水起;身披七凤战衣,脚踏五爪龙祖,手握九龙战枪,傲视这天下苍生!
  • 死神之幻境斩月

    死神之幻境斩月

    他,因九天玄雷而死.遇上创世之神,而得3个愿望。请看他穿越死神以后成为那草莓酱的故事。不会11的,11不保证。女主暂定:露琪亚,井上织姬,妮露.
  • 甜宠呆萌:殿下放开我

    甜宠呆萌:殿下放开我

    她是一个富裕的人,衣着却很穷酸。她路见不平,拔刀相助,上得厅堂,下得厨房,打得过小三,斗的过流氓!偶然一次,她救了一个少年,多年以后,她早已忘记这件事,而少年却深深记得曾经救过他的那个女孩。她进入圣沐贵族学院,成为学院的一员,学员们大多对她不屑一顾,甚至鄙夷。笑话!一个人是不能用衣着来衡量的,难道他们不知道吗?她相信她会让他们心服口服!
  • 君临武道

    君临武道

    这是一个浩瀚无垠的世界,这是一个万族并存的世界,这里有神秘莫测的葬区禁地,亦有俯视众生的诸仙群帝,有教化苍生的圣人出没,亦有神祗陨落的无奈叹息,这个世界是弱肉强食的世界,这个世界是强者为尊的世界。大能者能够翻手为云、覆手为雨,而普通人只能化为蝼蚁任人摆布,这!就!是!莽苍世界!!!
  • 二十几岁男人的秘密

    二十几岁男人的秘密

    本书内容包括:“创业的秘密:让自己拥有老板的雄心和雇员的姿态”、“成功本质的秘密:要读懂成功的内涵”、“成就未来的秘密:让自信成为一种习惯”等10个部分。
  • 央之念期

    央之念期

    钟子期,钟子墨是一对从小长大的兄弟。私生子钟子期因杀人罪判刑,钟家为了掩盖真相将其送往精神病院。两年后子墨心梗猝死,钟家派“林如是”接回子期,“林如是”是钟家司机的女儿。在子墨遗留的日记中他认识了一个女人——仓央,但在接触过程中,子期发现现实中的仓央和日记中的仓央完全不一样。仓央应该是个琴师,但现实中的仓央却是个聋子.....