Die digitale Landesbibliothek Oberösterreich

Ir 
a minute’s duration, ensued.” It was broken by 
just such a low, harsh, grating sound, as had 
before attracted ‘the attention of the king and his 
councillors when the’ former threw the wine in the 
face of Trippetta. © 
But; on the present occasion, there could be no 
question as to whenee the sound issued. It came 
from the fang-like teeth of the dwarf, who ground 
them and gnashed them as he foamed at the mouth, 
and glared, with an expression of maniacal rage, 
into the upturned countenances of the king and 
his seven companions. 2 
Ah, ha!” said at length the infuriated jester. 
“Ah, ha! I begin to see who these" people-are, 
now!” Here, pretending to scrutinise .the king 
more closely, he held the flambeau to the flaxen 
coat which enveloped him, and which instantly 
burst into a sheet of vivid flame. 
In‘less than half a minute the whole. eight ourang- 
outangs were blazing fiercely, amid the shrieks of 
the” multitude who: gazed at them from below, 
horror-stricken, and without the power to render 
them the slightest assistance. « 
At lenght ‘the flames, suddenly increasing in 
virulence, forced the jester to climb higher up the 
chain, to be out of their reach; and, as he made 
this movement, the crowd again sank, for a brief 
instant. into silence. 
The dwarf seized his opportunity, and once more 
spoke: 
“I now see distinctly,” he said, “what 
manner .of people these maskers are.. They are a 
get. 
dure 
Tor 
und 
Tri 
Bei 
Fra 
kla’ 
und 
mit 
ger 
Kus 
3% 
fan 
ind 
er ı 
das 
In 
Ore 
die 
und 
leis 
1 
Hei 
der 
Zu 
die 
tied 
De: 
nor 
„Ic 
Mes 
hrs