Page:Poet Lore, volume 27, 1916.djvu/405

 defend itself without the help of Austria—and you five will dare it. You will undertake it.

All.—We

Ebner.—Madmen—but I don’t recognize any such tomfoolery. You are soldiers of the Austrian army. If there is a mutiny here it is my duty to stop it. Your place is with the army. There you will get your orders. I order that you fall in line—at once—( with a shout "At you" seizes him. He is again surrounded.)

Ebner.—Let me go—traitors.

Soukup.—We will give orders now.

Ebner.—Let me go, you traitors—I command you—your oath, you cowards—you dare to attack an officer (When he realizes how vain his struggle is.) Wait, I’ll see what you’ll get—in the morning when the Prussians move on. When they’ll get at you—even before that—when you will only hear the fife and drum of the vanguard—you’ll lose your heroic appetite. Let me go—I order you—I command it.

Soukup.—Give me a strap or a rope.

Svacha.—Don’t kill him.

Soukup.—Give me a rope.

Svacha (To ).—Don’t let them kill him.

Ebner.—I order you to let me go.

Soukup.—A rope! He’ll live but he’ll be a witness to what we are.

Levinsky.—This is great. Here are knapsack straps. (Handing them over to, struggles, but is overcome and bound.)

Ebner.—Cowards.

Kloc.—Jesus Mary!

Soukup.—You’ll stay with us.

Ebner.—Hounds.

( puts a bayonet to ’s chest. Pause then.)

Vonka.—Quiet now—it is night throughout—quiet here—what we’ll accomplish he shall witness—the rest is not in our hands. Here we are and shall not yield a step. About us sleeps our Bohemian Fatherland—sleeps, overcome with the horror of the Prussian. The land of our childhood, the country we dreamt about and sang about—our homeland—which now shall be the homeland of the Prussians—the prey of our enemies. But we are still here—we shall not surrender or run away—is there anyone here who would want to go?