"All about the sacking and pillaging, then—"
"Well, a few of the Jews' houses were attacked; but to no good; for Father Joachim and the Sandwirth made our fellows refund everything they had thought lawful spoil—"
"Ha, ha!"
"Oh, come, it was no joking matter. I think a Christian might fleece a Jew, without much harm done. However, others thought differently; and 'tis a certain fact, mother, that one of our fellows, who had carried off the heavy iron door of a Jew's strong room before the stir was made by the Sandwirth, and got clear of the city with it, walked fourteen hours, that is to say all last night, with that great heavy iron door on his back, thinking it mighty clever to get it safe to his cottage."
"What did he mean to do with it?"
"I doubt if he knows, any more than I do. However, he had been at home an hour or so, and was telling his wife, who had just been confined, all about the day's work, with great glee; when—in walks the priest. 'What have we here?' says he, stumbling over the iron door. As soon as ever he heard how it was come by,—'Now you go,' says the priest, 'and carry that door all the way back again. The commandment says, Thou shalt not steal, without saying of Jew or Christian; take it back this minute! It will be a suitable penance; for believe me, my son, thou hast sinned.' So the poor fellow heaved it up again, though his back was half broken already, and trudged away with it, as meek as a lamb; and when I met him, he was half way to Innsbruck."
"He'll come back with a lightened heart, as well as lightened shoulders, Franz."
"What know I?" said Franz with indifference. "After such a hard day's fight as we'd had, I think we might have had a few pickings. And there were the simple fellows that had never been in Innsbruck before, rambling in great parties about the streets, staring and making their remarks about everything, and crowding into the cathedral to see the emperor Max's great monument with those grim iron giants of dead kings to guard it—and women and girls pouring out of the old part of the city, to give us cakes, and cream-cheeses, and wine, and bread, and beer—whatever came first to hand, and laughing and chattering, and praising us, and saying what a glorious day!"
"Well, it was a glorious day," said the old woman reflectively.
"So much, done so quickly!" continued Franz. "Why, mother! the town was ours by eleven o'clock! How surprised some of the men looked when they heard the clocks strike!—They had just then discovered and laid hold of the Imperial Eagle on the emperor Max's tomb; and, after tying a lot of red ribands round its neck and legs, they set it up aloft and carried it through the streets, shouting and singing, and saying they'd always be true to it. Meantime, another lot of fellows had come upon the pictures of our Franzel[A] and Hannes,[B] and had hauled them down and were carrying them about, too, triumphing and making merry and crying they would shed their last drop of blood for them!"