Well, it is all
right. What other news do you bring, Luetzow?"
"Here, major, is a paper issued by King Jerome of Westphalia. His
majesty does you the honor to call you in this proclamation a chief of
robbers, a pirate, and a deserter, and commands the military and civil
authorities to hunt you down. He also offers a reward of ten thousand
francs to him who will bring you dead or alive to Cassel."
"Is that so?" exclaimed Schill, laughing. "Well, M. Jerome attaches a
tolerably high value to my head. I am sorry that I am unable to return
the compliment. I shall reply this very day to Jerome's proclamation by
issuing one to the Germans, and by promising a reward of five dollars
for his delivery, living or dead.--What else, lieutenant?"
"The Emperor Napoleon has also issued an edict against Schill and his
men. He says in this document: 'A certain Schill, a sort of highway
robber, who committed crime upon crime during the last campaign in
Prussia, and was rewarded with a captaincy, has deserted with his whole
regiment from Berlin, marched to Wittenberg, and surrounded that place.
General Lestocq, governor of Berlin, has declared Schill a deserter, and
the King of Prussia has given orders to arrest him wherever he can be
found, and to put the insurgent on trial before a court-martial.'"
"Yes," murmured Schill, musingly, "the German patriot has become an
insurgent, and is to be punished for what he attempted in the salvation
of his country.
Pages:
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693