s that seemed minutes--for minutes that seemed hours the poor
wretch spun, his elbows out, his knees up, his tongue out, his face
wrinkled into tortured shapes, and his toes pointed upward so sharply
that they almost touched his shins. Then suddenly the toes turned
downward and the knees relapsed. The corpse hung limp, and the crowd
sighed miserably, to the last man, woman and child, turning its back on
what to them must have symbolized German rule.

They left the corpse hanging there. It was to be there until evening,
some one said, for an example to frequenters of the market-place. The
crowd trailed away, none glancing back. The pattering of feet ceased.
The market-place across the square resumed its hum and activity. Then
a native orderly came down the steps and touched me on the elbow. I
struggled to my feet and limped after him up the steps.

Practically at the mercy of the doctor, I made up my mind to be civil
to him whether that suited me or not. I rather expected he would come
to meet me, perhaps help me to chair, and I wondered how, in my
ignorance of German, I should contrive to answer his questions.

But I need not have worried. I did not even see him. He had left by
the back door, and the orderly washed the wound and changed my
bandages. That was all. There was no charge for the bandages, and the
orderly was gentle now that his master's back was turned.

"Didn't he leave word when he would see me?" I asked.

"Habandh!" he answered--meaning, "He did not--there is not--there is
nothing doing!"

CHAPTER EIGHT

IPSOS CUSTODES

We were an ignorant people. Out of a gloom we came
Hungering, striving, feasting--vanishing into the same.
Came to us your foreloopers, told us the gloom was bad,
Spoke of the Light that might be--simply it could be had--
Knowledge and wealth and freedom, plenty and peace and play,
And at all the price of obedience. "Listen and learn and obey,"
We were told, "and the gloom shall be lifted. Ignorance surely
is shame."
We listened to your foreloopersy till presently Cadis* came.

We were an ignorant people. Our law was "an eye for an eye,"
And he who wronged should right the wrong, and he who stole should die--
Bad law the Cadis told us, based on the fall of man;
And they set us to building law-courts on the Pangermanic plan--
Courts where the gloom of ages should be pierced, said they, with Light
And scientific theory displa