A second, a third, a fourth minute elapsed. Nothing—and again nothing! The boy’s hands fell at his side, his head sank to the ground, and dreadful pain filled his tortured breast.
“In vain! In vain!” he moaned. “I shall go and sit down by Nell, and we shall die together.”
At the same moment far, far off in the silvery background of the moonlit night a fiery streak rose into the air and broke into golden stars, which slowly fell to the ground like large tears.
“We are saved!” cried Stasch.
Then the people, half dead but a moment ago, sprang up, running to and fro, jumping over the grass and tufts of heather. After the first rocket, a second and a third were sent up. Then a gust of wind brought the echo of a peculiar cracking sound, very evidently caused by distant shots. In reply Stasch
