of December, a little shepherd lad came into Nazareth, crying bitterly.

Some peasants, who were drinking ale in the Blue Lion, opened the
shutters to look into the village orchard, and saw the child running
over the snow. They recognized him as the son of Korneliz, and called
from the window: "What is the matter? It's time you were abed!"

But, sobbing still and shaking with terror, the boy cried that the
Spaniards had come, that they had set fire to the farm, had hanged his
mother among the nut trees and bound his nine little sisters to the
trunk of a big tree. At this the peasants rushed out of the inn.
Surrounding the child, they stunned him with their questionings and
outcries. Between his sobs, he added that the soldiers were on horseback
and wore armor, that they had taken away the cattle of his uncle, Petrus
Krayer, and would soon be in the forest with the sheep and cows. All now
ran to the Golden Swan where, as they knew, Korneliz and his brother-in-
law were also drinking their mug of ale. The moment the innkeeper heard
these terrifying tidings, he hurried into the village, crying that the
Spaniards were at hand.

What a stir, what an uproar there was then in Nazareth! Women opened
windows, and peasants hurriedly left their houses carrying lights which
were put out when they reached the orchard, where, because of the snow
and the full moon, one could see as well as at midday.

Later, they gathered round Korneliz and Krayer, in the open space which
faced the inns. Several of them had brought pitchforks and rakes, and
consulted together, terror-stricken, under the trees.

But, as they did not know what to do, one of them ran to fetch the cure,