hans brinker-第3部分

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Another　peculiar　feature　of　Holland　is　the　dune；　or　sand　hill。　　These　are　numerous　along　certain　portions　of　the　coast。　　Before　they　were　sown　with　coarse　reed　grass　and　other　plants；　to　hold　them　down；　they　used　to　send　great　storms　of　sand　over　the　inland。　　So；　to　add　to　the　oddities；　the　farmers　sometimes　dig　down　under　the　surface　to　find　their　soil；　and　on　windy　days　DRY　SHOWERS　（of　sand）　often　fall　upon　fields　that　have　grown　wet　under　a　week　of　sunshine。

In　short；　almost　the　only　familiar　thing　we　Yankees　can　meet　with　in　Holland　is　a　harvest　song　which　is　quite　popular　there；　though　no　linguist　could　translate　it。　　Even　then　we　must　shut　our　eyes　and　listen　only　to　the　tune；　which　I　leave　you　to　guess。


　　　　　Yanker　didee　dudel　down　　　　　　　　　　Didee　dudel　lawnter；　　　　　　Yankee　viver；　voover；　vown；　　　　　　　　　　Botermelk　and　Tawnter！


On　the　other　hand；　many　of　the　oddities　of　Holland　serve　only　to　prove　the　thrift　and　perseverance　of　the　people。　　There　is　not　a　richer　or　more　carefully　tilled　garden　spot　in　the　whole　world　than　this　leaky；　springy　little　country。　　There　is　not　a　braver；　more　heroic　race　than　its　quite；　passive…looking　inhabitants。　　Few　nations　have　equalled　it　in　important　discoveries　and　inventions；　none　has　excelled　it　in　commerce；　navigation；　learning；　and　scienceor　set　as　noble　examples　in　the　promotion　of　education　and　public　charities；　and　none　in　proportion　to　its　extent　has　expended　more　money　or　labor　upon　public　works。

Holland　has　its　shining　annals　of　noble　and　illustrious　men　and　women；　its　grand；　historic　records　of　patience；　resistance；　and　victory；　its　religious　freedom；　its　enlightened　enterprise；　its　art；　music；　and　literature。　　It　has　truly　been　called　〃the　battlefield　of　Europe〃；　as　truly　may　we　consider　it　the　asylum　of　the　world；　for　the　oppressed　of　every　nation　have　there　found　shelter　and　encouragement。　　If　we　Americans；　who　after　all　are　homeopathic　preparations　of　Holland　stock；　can　laugh　at　the　Dutch；　and　call　them　human　beavers　and　hint　that　their　country　may　float　off　any　day　at　high　tide；　we　can　also　feel　proud；　and　say　they　have　proved　themselves　heroes　and　that　their　country　will　not　float　off　while　there　is　a　Dutchman　left　to　grapple　it。

There　are　said　to　be　at　least　ninety…nine　hundred　large　windmills　in　Holland；　with　sails　ranging　from　eighty　to　one　hundred　and　twenty　feet　long。　　They　are　employed　in　sawing　timber；　beating　hemp；　grinding；　and　many　other　kinds　of　work；　but　their　principal　use　is　for　pumping　water　from　the　lowlands　into　the　canals；　and　for　guarding　against　the　inland　freshets　that　so　often　deluge　the　country。　　Their　yearly　cost　is　said　to　be　nearly　ten　million　dollars。　　The　large　ones　are　of　great　power。　　The　huge　circular　tower；　rising　sometimes　from　the　midst　of　factory　buildings；　is　surmounted　with　a　smaller　one　tapering　into　a　caplike　roof。　　This　upper　tower　is　encircled　at　its　base　with　a　balcony；　high　above　which　juts　the　axis　turned　by　its　four　prodigious　ladder…back　sails。

Many　of　the　windmills　are　primitive　affairs；　seeming　sadly　in　need　of　Yankee　〃improvements；〃　but　some　of　the　new　ones　are　admirable。　　They　are　constructed　so　that　by　some　ingenious　contrivance　they　present　their　fans；　or　wings；　to　the　wind　in　precisely　the　right　direction　to　work　with　the　requisite　power。　　In　other　words；　the　miller　may　take　a　nap　and　feel　quite　sure　that　his　mill　will　study　the　wind　and　make　the　most　of　it；　until　he　wakens。　　Should　there　be　but　a　slight　current　of　air；　every　sail　will　spread　itself　to　catch　the　faintest　breath；　but　if　a　heavy　〃blow〃　should　come；　they　will　shrink　at　its　touch；　like　great　mimosa　leaves；　and　only　give　it　half　a　chance　to　move　them。

One　of　the　old　prisons　of　Amsterdam；　called　the　Rasphouse；　because　the　thieves　and　vagrants　who　were　confined　there　were　employed　in　rasping　logwood；　had　a　cell　for　the　punishment　of　lazy　prisoners。　　In　one　corner　of　this　cell　was　a　pump；　and　in　another；　an　opening　through　which　a　steady　stream　of　water　was　admitted。　　The　prisoner　could　take　his　choice；　either　to　stand　still　and　be　drowned　or　to　work　for　dear　life　at　the　pump　and　keep　the　flood　down　until　his　jailer　chose　to　relieve　him。　　Now　it　seems　to　me　that；　throughout　Holland；　nature　has　introduced　this　little　diversion　on　a　grand　scale。　　The　Dutch　have　always　been　forced　to　pump　for　their　very　existence　and　probably　must　continue　to　do　so　to　the　end　of　time。

Every　year　millions　of　dollars　are　spent　in　repairing　dikes　and　regulating　water　levels。　　If　these　important　duties　were　neglected；　the　country　would　be　uninhabitable。　　Already　dreadful　consequences；　as　I　have　said；　have　followed　the　bursting　of　these　dikes。　　Hundreds　of　villages　and　towns　have　from　time　to　time　been　buried　beneath　the　rush　of　waters；　and　nearly　a　million　persons　have　been　destroyed。　　One　of　the　most　fearful　inundations　ever　known　occurred　in　the　autumn　of　the　year　1570。　　Twenty…eight　terrible　floods　had　before　that　time　overwhelmed　portions　of　Holland；　but　this　was　the　most　terrible　of　all。　　The　unhappy　country　had　long　been　suffering　under　Spanish　tyranny；　now；　it　seemed；　the　crowning　point　was　given　to　its　troubles。　　When　we　read　Motley's　history　of　the　rise　of　the　Dutch　republic；　we　learn　to　revere　the　brave　people　who　have　endured；　suffered；　and　dared　so　much。

Mr。　Motley；　in　his　thrilling　account　of　the　great　inundation；　tells　us　how　a　long…continued　and　violent　gale　had　been　sweeping　the　Atlantic　waters　into　the　North　Sea；　piling　them　against　the　coasts　of　the　Dutch　provinces；　how　the　dikes；　taxed　beyond　their　strength；　burst　in　all　directions；　how　even　the　Hand…bos；　a　bulwark　formed　of　oaken　piles；　braced　with　iron；　moored　with　heavy　anchors；　and　secured　by　gravel　and　granite；　was　snapped　to　pieces　like　thread；　how　fishing　boats　and　bulky　vessels　floating　up　into　the　country　became　entangled　among　the　trees　or　beat　in　the　roofs　and　walls　of　dwellings；　and　how；　at　last；　all　Friesland　was　converted　into　an　angry　sea。　　〃Multitudes　of　men；　women；　children；　of　horses；　oxen；　sheep；　and　every　domestic　animal；　were　struggling　in　the　waves　in　every　direction。　　Every　boat　and　every　article　which　could　serve　as　a　boat　was　eagerly　seized　upon。　　Every　house　was　inundated；　even　the　graveyards　gave　up　their　dead。　　The　living　infant　in　his　cradle　and　the　long…buried　corpse　in　his　coffin　floated　side　by　side。　　The　ancient　flood　seemed　about　to　be　renewed。　　Everywhere；　upon　the　tops　of　trees；　upon　the　steeples　of　churches；　human　beings　were　clustered；　praying　to　God　for　mercy　and　to　their　fellow　men　for　assistance。　　As　the　storm　at　last　was　subsiding；　boats　began　to　ply　in　every　direction；　saving　those　who　were　struggling　in　the　water；　picking　fugitives　from　roofs　and　treetops；　and　collecting　the　bodies　of　those　already　drowned。〃　　No　less　than　one　hundred　thousand　human　beings　had　perished　in　a　few　hours。　　Thousands　upon　thousands　of　dumb　creatures　lay　dead　upon　the　waters；　and　the　damage　to　property　was　beyond　calculation。

Robles；　the　Spanish　governor；　was　foremost　in　noble　efforts　to　save　life　and　lessen　the　horrors　of　the　catastrophe。　　He　had　previously　been　hated　by　the　Dutch　because　of　his　Spanish　or　Portuguese　blood；　but　by　his　goodness　and　activity　in　their　hour　of　disaster；　he　won　all　hearts　to　gratitude。　　He　soon　introduced　an　improved　method　of　constructing　the　dikes　and　passed　a　law　that　they　should　in　future　be　kept　up　by　the　owners　of　the　soil。　　There　were　fewer　heavy　floods　from　this　time；　though　within　less　than　three　hundred　years；　six　fearful　inundations　swept　over　the　land。

In　the　spring　there　is　always　great　danger　of　inland　freshets；　especially　in　times　of　thaw；　because　the　rivers；　choked　with　blocks　of　ice；　overflow　before　they　can　discharge　their　rapidly　rising　waters　into　the　ocean。　　Adding　to　this　that　the　sea　chafes　and　presses　against　the　dikes；　it　is　no　wonder　that　Holland　is　often　in　a　state　of　alarm。　　The　greatest　care　is　taken　to　prevent　accidents。　　Engineers　and　workmen　are　stationed　all　along　in　threatened　places；　and　a　close　watch　is　kept　up　night　and　day。　　When　a　general　signal　of　danger　is　given；　the　inhabitants　all　rush　to　the　rescue；　eager　to　combine　against　their　common　foe。　　As；　everywhere　else；　straw　is　supposed　to　be　of　all　things　the　most　helpless　in　the　water；　of　course；　in　Holland；　it　must　be　rendered　the　mainstay　against　a　rushing　tide。　　Huge　straw　mats　are　pressed　against　the　embankments；　fortified　with　clay　and　heavy　stone；　and　once　adjusted；　the　ocean　dashes　against　them　in　vain。

Raff　Brinker；　the　father　of　Gretel　and　Hans；　had　for　years　been　employed　upon　the　dikes。　　It　was　at　the　time　of　a　threatened　inundation；　when　in　the　midst　of　a　terrible　storm；　in　darkness　and　sleet；　the　men　were　laboring　at　a　weak　spot　near　the　Veermyk　sluice；　that　he　fell　from　the　scaffolding　and　became　insensible。　　From　that　hour　he　never　worked　again；　though　he　lived　on；　mind　and　memory　were　gone。

Gretel　could　not　remember　him　otherwise　than　as　the　strange；　silent　man　whose　eyes　followed　her　vacantly　whichever　way　she　turned；　but　Hans　had　recollections　of　a　hearty；　cheerful…voiced　father　who　was　never　tired　of　bearing　him　upon　his　shoulder　and　whose　careless　song　still　seemed　echoing　near　when　he　lay　awake　at　night　and　listened。




The　Silver　Skates



Dame　Brinker　earned　a　scant　support　for　her　family　by　raising　vegetables；　spinning；　and　knitting。　　Once　she　had　worked　on　board　the　barges　plying　up　and　down　the　canal　and　had　occasionally　been　harnessed　with　other　women　to　the　towing　rope　of　a　pakschuyt　plying　between　Broek　and　Amsterdam。　　But　when　Hans　had　grown　strong　and　large；　he　had　insisted　on　doing　all　such　drudgery　in　her　place。　　Besides；　her　husband　had　become　so　very　helpless　of　late　that　he　required　her　constant　care。　　Although　not　having　as　much　intelligence　as　a　little　child；　he　was　yet　strong　of　arm　and　very　hearty；　and　Dame　Brinker　had　sometimes　great　trouble　in　controlling　him。

〃Ah！　children；　he　was　so　good　and　steady；〃　she　would　sometimes　say；　〃and　as　wise　as　a　lawyer。　　Even　the　burgomaster　would　stop　to　ask　him　a　question；　and　now；　alack！　he　doesn't　know　his　wife　and　little　ones。　　You　remember　the　father；　Hans；　when　he　was　himselfa　great　brave　mandon't　you？〃

〃Yes；　indeed；　Mother；　he　knew　everything　and　could