The warm spring sun is shining on a valley watered by more than one winding river, and with green pastures dotted with cows and sheep peacefully feeding. It is closed in by hills green to their summits, with only a few patches of snow in their hollows. Behind these soar craggy and fearful rocks, above which wheel one or two vultures, and high overhead the kingly eagle; who perhaps discerns some human quarry in the depths below. Dead bodies must certainly be lying here and there in the gorges; for now and then carrion crows, sated with their impure repast, rise slowly on their flapping wings, and fly heavily away. In the sunniest and prettiest part of the valley is a little village of some dozen whitewashed huts, that look clean and comfortable at a distance. The village is surely deserted! not a creature seems in it except an old purblind woman, sitting outside her door on a stone; and she is straining her cracked voice in vain efforts to make herself heard. "Hannes!--Lenora!--Franz!" cries she, quite in a rage: and then pausing, as if spent,--"Why doesn't somebody answer? They've all gone away and left me, I do believe! Here's a condition to be in! Suppose now my clothes had caught fire, or the French were to come, or a wolf, or an evil spirit--precious help I should have! This is the way we old folks are treated, as soon as ever we can't slave for other people any longer. Hallo! some of you! Am I to split my throat? You'll come home and find me dead some of these days. Dear me! they won't mind; it's no use spending my breath. The village is asleep or dead, I think; I can hear a crow caw a mile off!" When the peevish old woman became quite quiet, she heard a footstep slowly approaching her; and presently a man lounged up to her. "Why, Franz, that must be you!" cried she; "I know your step, you always drag your feet along the ground so." "So would anybody's feet," said Franz, "if they were as tired as I am." "Why, what has tired you?--lying under a hedge, watching the cows." "Don't you go to believe, mother, I've been wasting my time like _that_. The cows are competent to take care of themselves." "What have you been doing, then?" "What have I been doing? Why, now, there's a question! Why, the world's turned upside down, I think; and you sit here, blinking in the sun, and know nothing about it." "How am I to know anything if you all run away and leave me? What's happened?" "What's happened! Why, Speckbacher has taken Halle!" "No!--" "--Has, though--That's one thing. When you've given over disbelieving that, I'll tell you something else." "Well, say thy say, tiresome boy." "Hofer's in Innsbruck!" "The Sandwirth? What, prisoner?" "Prisoner! No, mother, quite the other way. We've turned out the Bavarians!" "What, out of Innsbruck?" "Aye, out of Innsbruck. Twenty thousand of us got together on the heights about the city--" "Thou must needs have a finger in the pie, I warrant thee!--"