what?“
- "The whole area has had enough of you. You have enemies; an officer has looked after you, Wolf. People have brought you down; people have become outraged by your actions!”
Then the man became aggressive.
- “Because you have shot at a pair of pigs which the Prince fed on our farmland and field anyway, they have kept you, yearlong, into imprisonment and under arrest; they have stolen home and livelihood from you, they have made you into a beggar. How did it happen, that a human being is not worth more than a rabbit? Are we not better than the cattle in the fields? How could a fellow like you be accepting that?”
- "Could I have done something about it?“
- “We will see about that. However, tell me, where are you going to, now, and what led you into hiding?”
I told him the whole story. The man, without waiting for me to finish, stood up with happy impatience, and mulled me near him.
- “Come, Brother Boss!”, he said, “Now, you are ripe; now I have you where I need you! I will confer you honour. Follow me!”
- “Where are you leading me to?”
- “Ask no more! Follow me!” – He dragged me forth with force.
We have walked for a quarter of a mile. The forest became more sloping, more impracticable and wilder, none of us uttered a word, until finally my guide’s whistle startled me from my thoughts. I opened my eyes wide; we were standing near the steep fall of a cliff which stooped down into a deep hole.
A second whistle answered from deep inside the cliff, and another person came by himself, appearing slowly from the depths.
My guide went down, first, he told me to wait there until his return.
- “I must first put the dog on a leach” he added, “You are foreign here, the beast would attack you.” So, he went.
Now, I stood alone before the hole, and knew perfectly that I was alone. My guide's absence of suspicion did not escape my attention. It would only cost me a firm resolution to run off my guide and be free; and in addition, my escape would be secured. I confess that I have foreseen that alternative. I looked down at the opening which I should be taking soon: it reminded me sombrely of hell's underworld from where any salvation is not to be expected.
I began to shiver before the turnout which would, now, be happening; only a rapid escape could still be saving me. I decided for this escape: I was already pulling myself from the embroil set up by my guide; but, something hammered in my ears, it resounded in me like a laughter from hell: “What is the murderer daring?”; then my arms fell down, motionless. My plan of escape was gone, the time of remorse came, my committed crimes were looming above me like a rock and would eternally obstruct any turn back. At the same time, my guide reappeared and announced to me that I should be coming with him.
Now, there was not any more choice left. I came down the cliff.
We were a few steps down the cliff, the passage enlarged itself, and some huts were becoming visible. In the midst of these, a round grass court opened itself to us on which between eighteen and twenty people were gathered around a coal fire.
- “Here, comrade!” said my guide and sat me down in the middle of the circle; “Here is “The Sun”'s boss! The Boss himself! Wish him welcome!”
- ”The Sun”’s boss!?” shouted they altogether, and they all came to me, men and women alike.
Should I confess it? The joy reigning among them was frank and sincere; trust and respect even appeared on their faces, one person would shake my hand, another would pull me confidently by my clothes, and all this had the appearance of a reunion with old, dear acquaintances. My entry has interrupted the feast which precisely should have been starting.
People resumed the feast at once and asked me to have a welcome drink. Roasted wild meat of all kinds was on the table, and bottles of wine wandered tirelessly from one person to the other. Good life and unity seemed to possess the entire band, and everyone competed to wear me off his joy, without any restrain.
People have seated me between two women, at the place of honour.
I expected to find the scum of their gender in this place; however, how great was my wonder, as I, under this shameful group, discovered the most beautiful women which I happened to have ever seen. Margaret, the oldest and the most beautiful of both, allowed herself to be called Miss and could approximately be twenty five.
She spoke very saucily, and her features were even more promising. Mary, the younger one, was married, but ran away from her husband who mistreated her. She was finely built, however, appeared pale and frail and was lesser pleasant to the eye than her ardent neighbour. Both women attended to awake my desires; the beautiful Margaret overcame my shyness with saucy jokes, but her whole presence was somehow repulsive to me; and my heart has always preferred the shier Mary.
- ”You see, brother Boss“ began, now, the man who has brought me, “you see, we live among one another, and every day is similar to this day. Isn’t it, comrades?”
- “Yes! Every day is like today!” repeated the whole band.
- “Should you, hence, decide to find our way of living pleasant, so please join us and be our leader! Until now, I held that position; however, I will give way to you. Are you happy about that, comrades?”
A happy “Yes!” was uttered by all throats.
My head warmed up, my mind became oblivious, my blood was boiling from wine and desires. The world has thrown me out of its midst as if I was pest-ridden; here, I found fraternal reception, good life and honour.
No matter what choice I will be making, death sentence was awaiting me anyway; here, at least, I could buy my life for a higher price until the fatal outcome. Voluptuousness was my most ardent inclination; the other gender has shown to me, until now, only despise; here, unbridled pleasures and favours awaited me.
A resolution did cost me little effort. “I stay with you, comrades!”, said I loudly with a resolute voice and stepped in the middle of the band; “I stay with you!”, I said once more, “If you give me my beautiful neighbour as companion!”. All of them agreed to satisfy my demand, I was the declared possessor of a whore, and the new chief of a band of robbers.
I really skip the following part of the story; total dreadfulness is nothing to be known by any reader. An unfortunate person who sank into such a depth, must allow himself to do anything that outrages Humanity; however, a second murder he did not commit any more, as he himself testified under torture. The reputation of this person reverberated, in a short period, into the whole province. The country roads became insecure, nightly burglaries worried the citizens, the name of The Sun’s Boss became the synonym of terror in the countryside, Justice looked for him, and a reward was put on his head.
He was so happy to secure his freedom after each attack, and was enough cunning to use the superstition of the credulous farmers for his own safety.
His resources did expand; it was rumoured that he had made a pact with the devil himself and could practice witchcraft.
The district where he was operating, belonged in those days, to a lesser extent than it is now, to the enlightened part of Germany; people believed the rumours, and hence, his person was secured from any denunciation. No
