ON PLAIN AND PEAK 



summons, but even old men, women, and children, 

 who pushed down trunks of trees and rocks upon 

 the foe. Once more Hofer and his chamois-hunters' 

 swept the French before them ; and, for the third 

 time, the peasant hero entered Innsbruck in triumph. 



The scene on his entry beggars description. The 

 people pressed around him to kiss his hand, his 

 boots, his horse ; they hailed him as their deliverer; 

 they named him their dictator. 



Yet Andreas Hofer never forgot that he was but 

 the simple peasant landlord. Their thanks were 

 due to God, and not to him ; it was God who had 

 helped them, so he told the people. And with rare 

 sagacity and wisdom he set himself to rule in Inns- 

 bruck for his master, the Emperor. 



Meanwhile that master had signed the Peace of 

 Vienna, by which the Tyrol was given up to Na- 

 poleon's vengeance. French troops poured into 

 the lovely valleys ; the Archduke John himself 

 wrote to Hofer to bid him lay down his arms. 



There is something tragically touching in the 

 blind devotion of the patriot at this time. He could 

 not believe that the Emperor the dear "good" 

 Kaiser Franz would abandon him and his country- 

 men thus ! It was a mistake, a lie ! He would 

 fight on. 



But Hofer's day was done. The peasants had 

 lost heavily in the former fighting ; they were de- 



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