ads. 'That is the man,' I heard them say, 'and no
other;' and I came as near as possible to listen who or what it could
be, and what should I hear"--

"Well, and what did you hear?"

"They said--whispering as low as possible, that nobody might hear
them--that the French Emperor would not cease devastating the land
with fire and sword, until they delivered him up as a ransom"--

"Well?"

"Until they gave him, as a ransom, a man weighing five
hundredweight"--

"And what do they want with him?" gasped Vendel.

"And therefore they are determined to weigh you to-morrow; and if you
strike the weight, they will immediately hand you over to the Emperor
of the French! All this they whispered very low; but I heard them,
master, for all that."

"But what does he want with me, Hanzli? do you not know what he
wants?"

"Oh, it will kill you, master, to hear it! Nothing more nor less
than"--

"Than what?"

"Than to preserve you in spirits for his museum!"

"All ye saints!" roared Vendel, leaping up on his bed; "preserve me in
spirits of wine like the four-legged hen, or the double-tailed
lizard!"

"Just so, master, and alive too!"

"But it shall not be!" roared Vendel. "They shall not preserve me in
spirits; I have no desire for such an honour--none at all! Come, help
me up. Where are my slippers? Holy prophet Jonas! no wish for it
whatever! Reach me my jacket and my cap. St. Florian and Habakkuk!
help me to dress. My cloak, my cloak, Hanzli--St. Cecilia! my cloak!
Let us run, my lad, run"--

"But whither?"

This was the question.

"Where? out of the window, of course. Take the hatchet and knock out
the cross beams--that's it! never mind breaking the glass! Now, raise
me up, Hanzli; let us run!"

And the next moment there was a terrible crash outside the window,
occasioned by the descent of Vendel, which luckily the noise of the
revellers within prevented them from hearing.

"But where shall we go now?"

This was the next question, for Vendel-gazda's legs were not exactly
fashioned to run away with him. What was to be done?

At last Hanzli bethought him of a large wheel-barrow, which lay under
a shed close by; and bringing it out, he placed his master in it, and
wheeled him down a by-road which led behind the village; while the
gigantic effort of this superhuman undertaking bent his back into a C,
and caused his eyes to start almost out of their sockets.

His master tried to encourage him as well as he c