MIST ON THE MOUNTAIN. 321 



" No, there were two of them. The other was as 

 great a rascal as he Nicolaus Angel by name, or 

 Anni Klaus as they called him. But I must begin 

 at the beginning. Not far from Schlier See is an Aim 

 the Stocker Alp and Andreas, the peasant who 

 was there during the summer or Stocker Ander'l as 

 he was named was an honest fellow, and one who 

 could be trusted. The foresters used to keep their 

 meal there sometimes ; and even when he was gone, 

 and the hut was empty, they would leave their frying- 

 pan or other things stowed away in some secret place. 

 Well, they knew that Hofer occasionally passed the 

 night in this hut, when out on his poaching excur- 

 sions ; so they asked Ander'l if, when he came again, 

 he would let them know ; for they had often tried to 

 catch him, but never were able. One night he came 

 as usual, and Anni Klaus with him. The herdsman 

 had only a boy in the hut beside himself; but when 

 the two poachers were asleep up among the hay, the 

 boy crept through the window and ran off as fast as 

 he could to Neuhaus it is on the road to Fischbachau 

 you know to tell the forester that Hofer and Nico- 

 laus were in the hut. It happened that none of the 

 keepers were at home, so he took with him two of the 

 Grenz Jager*, who were stationed there, and set off. 

 When he got to the hut, he left the two men to watch 

 outside ; and then making a great noise, spoke roughly 



* Custom-house officers, who patrol along the frontier, to prevent 

 smuggled goods being carried across. They are in fact preventive- 

 service men, but in arms and accoutrements are quite like our Eifle 

 corps. 



Y 



