"A certain Englishman named Rigges, travelling by post, arrived at the
torrent of Dornbirn a short time before noon, and while waiting there
for the arrival of some peasants to accompany his carriage through
the stream, was joined by a foot-traveller, by whom he was speedily
recognized. Whatever the nature of the relations previously subsisting
between them,--and it may be presumed they were not of the most
amiable,--no sooner had they exchanged glances than they engaged in
deadly conflict. Rigges was well armed; the stranger had no weapon
whatever, but was a man of surpassing strength, for he tore the door
of the carriage from its hinges, and dragged Rigges out upon the road
before the other could offer any resistance. The postilion, who had gone
to summon the peasants, was speedily recalled by the report of firearms;
three shots were fired in rapid succession, and when he reached the spot
it was to see two men struggling violently in the torrent, the stranger
dragging Rigges with all his might towards the middle of the stream, and
the other screaming wildly for succor. The conflict was a terrible one,
for the foot-traveller seemed determined on self-destruction, if he
could only involve the other in his own fate. At last Rigges' strength
gave way, and the other threw himself upon him, and they both went down
beneath the water.

"The stranger emerged in an instant, but one of the peasants on the bank
struck him a violent blow with his ash pole, and he fell back into the
stream. Meanwhile the others had rescued Rigges, who lay panting, but
unconscious, on the ground. They were yet ministering to his recovery,
when they heard a wild shout of derisive triumph, and now saw that the
other, though carried away by the torrent, had gained a small shingly
bank in the middle of the Rhine, and was waving his hat in mockery of
them. They were too much occupied with the care of the wounded man,
however, to bestow more attention on him. One of Rigges' arms was badly
fractured, and his jaw also broken, while he complained still more
of the pain of some internal injuries; so severe, indeed, were his
sufferings, that he had to be carried on a litter to Feldkirch. His
first care on arriving was to denounce the assailant, whose name he
gave as Harpar, declaring him to be a most notorious member of a 'Rouge'
society, and one whose capture was an object of European interest. In
fact, Rigges went so far as to pretend that he had himself peri