Page:Adventures of Baron Wenceslas Wratislaw of Mitrowitz (1862).djvu/181

 me knave, and all kinds of foul and monstrous names, and said that he would not go with me. I, in return, exhorted him to patience, and reminded him that, as a clergyman, he ought to be an example to the rest, and said that I was not in fault for my illness; but since the Lord God had laid it upon me, sorrowful afflicted being that I was, I did not know what to do or say, and had rather either get well quickly or die. As, however, I did not cease urging him to go with me, he frequently kicked me so that I fell head-over-heels, and would not go with me after all. Once, when he was obliged to go with me and carry the chain, he threw it into all kinds of filth, wept, lamented, and complained that he should lose his health through me; but he was obliged afterwards to carry it back, filthy as it was, to our cattle-like lair, and I cleaned it again with water.

My illness lasted several weeks, and, if it had lasted longer, I certainly should have deprived the poor chaplain of his life, for he was now so emaciated and wretched that he was bent double; for they gave us nothing but bread for food, and not enough of that to satisfy us, and with me he had no peace or repose either day or night. When at length, with a broken heart, and with tears, I implored God that it might please Him to have compassion on my great and intolerable misery, and either to restore me to health, or remove me from this world, whichever was His holy will, and my comrades, also, seeing me half dead, prayed earnestly for me to God, the good God listened to me, so that my illness ceased,