Page:The Necromancer, or, The Tale of the Black Forest Vol. 1.djvu/198

 when I at once beheld an heap of ruins on the spot where the village had stood! We could still trace the marks of conflagration. In the back ground we saw only a few miserable huts left, and a little farther distant the castle presented itself to our view. We gazed at each other in dumb astonishment, and the Austrian alighted; I and our two hoary veterans did the same, and we climbed, after much difficulty, over the heap of ruins. As we approached the few remaining houses, the inhabitants came running towards us covered with rags, and exhibiting pale woe-worn countenances. I never beheld such an horrid picture of wretchedness and misery;—they wrung their hands, crying for alms, and wept bitterly.

Having distributed money amongst them, I inquired when that misfortune had happened. "Alas!" groaned they, "who should have thought, when your honor left us, that you ever would see us in such a miserable state? We all are ruined; all our little pro-