MIST ON THE MOUNTAIN. 287 



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 excursions ; so they asked Ander'l if, when 

 lie 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 Nicolaus 

 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 and told 

 Andreas to get up and make him a fire, that the poachers 

 might not suspect he was in league with the forester. 

 On looking round he saw the two guns and the poles 

 which the men, strangely enough, had left hanging on 

 the wall near the hearth ; and pretending to inquire whose 

 they were, got some evasive answer from Andreas. This, 

 he said, did not satisfy him : he suspected all was not 

 right, and would search the hut. So he went up, and 

 groping among the hay, seized hold of the two men's 

 feet, and in this way he pulled them out of their hiding- 

 place. As they had left their rifles below, instead of 

 taking them with them when they went to lie down, 



* 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 Kifle 

 corps. 



