SOME TYROLESE LEGENDS
THE following morning Herr and Frau Müller and Ferdinand bade their
kind host and hostess good-by and they set out for Linz, where they
would take the train to Innsbruck, the capital of Upper Tyrol.
Ferdinand was very loth to leave the farm, he had had such a splendid
time there, and felt that he had not seen half of the farm-life; but
Herr Runkel promised that he should come again the following summer and
spend the entire vacation with them, to which his parents consented,
so the child was content. However, he was to visit his cousin Leopold,
and that was always a treat, for Tyrol is so charming and so different
from other spots in Austria, it would be a difficult child, indeed, to
please, who would not be content with a trip to Tyrol.
Herr Hofer and his son Leopold met them at the station in Innsbruck,
with a heavy wagon and two strong horses; the Hofers lived in Volders
in the Unter-Innthal or valley of the Lower Inn River, some distance in
the mountains; all the country to the north of the Inn being designated
as the Upper and that to the south, as the Lower valley.
"Have you had your luncheon?" asked Herr Hofer, as soon as the
greetings were over.
"Oh, yes, we lunched on board the train," replied Herr Müller.
"Then, let's get off," said Herr Hofer, "for we have a long drive
before us." He pulled his horses' reins and the beasts started off at a
good pace.
Leaving the station, they turned down the Margareth-platz with its
fountain of dragons and griffins, where young women were filling their
pitchers, for Innsbruck is very primitive in many of its customs. Down
the broad and splendid Maria-Theresa Strasse the carriage turned, and
stopped before a most gorgeous palace, whose roof shone in the bright
sunshine like molten metal.
"Oh, uncle, who can live in such a beautiful house?" asked Ferdinand.
"That is the Goldne Dachl, or the House with the Golden Roof," replied
his uncle. "It was built ever so many years ago by our beloved Count
Frederick of Tyrol. You've heard of him?" he queried.
"Oh, yes," replied the lad. "But I don't know about this house of his."
"Well, Count Frederick was a most generous man; he would lend to
all his friends who were not always very prompt in repaying him,
and sometimes forget they owed him anything at all. At length, his
enemies began to call him the Count of the Empty Pockets. This was
very unjust, for poor Friedl (that's what we call him, who love him,
you know) had had a very hard time of it, indeed. His own brother had
driven him from his throne and usurped it himself, and made it a crime
for any one to even shelter poor Friedl, who wandered about from place
to place like the veriest vagabond. But, at length, he discovered that
he had many friends who longed to show their devotion to him; he made
a stand for his rights and secured his throne. But still, the nickname
did not leave him. So, just to prove to his people that he was unjustly
called the Count of the Empty Pockets, he ordered this wonderful roof
of gold to be put on his palace. They say it cost him $70,000, which
certainly was a great sum for a man with empty pockets."
Turning the horses' heads in the opposite direction, Herr Hofer
conducted them through the Triumphal Arch and gained the country road.
"I thought to show the boys the Abbey of Wilten," explained Herr Hofer,
as they trotted along, "and perhaps stop at Schloss Amras, as we may
not have an opportunity soon again."
"Oh, uncle," cried Ferdinand, "I love to see old ruins and castles. We
have a lot of fine ones about Vienna, but they are all alike."
"Well, these will be quite different, I can assure you," replied his
uncle.
The two boys occupied the rear seat with Frau Müller, while the fathers
sat upon the front. And verily the little tongues wagged as only boys'
tongues can do. In the midst of their spirited conversation, the
carriage stopped before a splendid old church.
"Oh, father," exclaimed Ferdinand, "what queer looking men!"
Herr Müller looked about, but saw no one.
"Where?" he asked.
"Why, there, by the sides of the church door."
Both men laughed.
"They _are_ queer looking, aren't they?" said Uncle Hofer. "But you
would think it a lot queerer did you know how they came to be here."
"Oh, tell us," the boy exclaimed.
"Well, once upon a time, way back in the Middle Ages, there were
two giants who lived in different parts of the earth. Each of them
was twelve feet or more tall; one was called Haymo and the other
Tirsus. Now, in those times, giants did not remain quietly in their
strongholds; they set out on adventures; so it chanced that, in the
course of their travels, these two mighty giants encountered each
other, right on this spot where this abbey stands. But of course,
there was no abbey here then; the ancient Roman town of Veldidena was
hereabouts.
"Now, when the two giants met, they stopped, looked one at the other
and measured his strength. Well, it naturally fell about that they
decided to prove their strength; in the struggle, sad to tell, Haymo
killed Tirsus. Poor giant Haymo. Big as he was, he wept, for he had
not meant to harm his giant comrade. At length, to ease his mind, he
determined to build an abbey on the spot, as that seemed to be the
solace for all evils, in those days. And then Haymo would become a
monk, and for eighteen whole years he would weep and weep as penance
for the deed.
"But poor Haymo had more than he bargained for. He did not know that
the Devil had claimed this same spot; no sooner did Haymo bring the
stones for the foundation of his church than the Devil came and pulled
them down. But Haymo persisted, for he really must keep his vow; and
evidently he conquered the Devil himself, for the abbey stands, as you
see, and these are the two statues of the giants guarding the portal of
the church, so that the Devil may not come, I suppose."
[Illustration: STATUE OF ANDREAS HOFER, NEAR INNSBRUCK.]
"Poor Haymo," said Ferdinand. "What a hardship to weep for eighteen
years, _nicht wahr_, Leopold?"
"_Yawohl_," came the stolid reply, while the two men chuckled softly.
It is a peculiarity of Tyrol that, not until one attains middle age at
least, does he begin to appreciate humor the least bit. Children are
always too serious to admit of "fun" in their prosaic lives, so that,
were it not for the elderly people, humor might eventually die out
altogether in Tyrol, so serious a nation are they.
"Shall we go inside, father?" asked Leopold.
"We have not time; night will overtake us, and we must go on to Schloss
Amras yet. There really is little to see, however."
And while the lads strained their necks and eyes to catch a glimpse of
the beautiful paintings upon the outside walls of the abbey, the
wonderful gilding and stucco, the horses disappeared around a bend in
the road, and it was lost to sight.
Now they commenced to climb, for the road is always up and up in Tyrol.
Below them lay the wonderful view of Innsbruck, with the Inn running
gayly along; there, too, was the fair abbey with its two giants carved
in stone, watching ever at the portal.
"Have you boys any idea where we are?" asked Herr Hofer.
Both shook their heads negatively.
"All this country hereabouts is alive with interest attaching to
Andreas Hofer, our patriot," replied he. "Here, at this very Gasthaus
(inn) was where he made his last effort against the enemy. We shall
learn more of it as we go along," he continued, "but there is not much
use to stop here now. We go a few steps further to the Schloss."
Truly it was a delightful old place, this castle of Amras, one of
the few feudal castles left. There was an old courtyard paved with
great stones, there were battlements and towers and relics of Roman
invasions. The guide led them through the castle, room after room,
filled with most interesting articles of every description pertaining
to ancient times and wars, all of which intensely absorbed the boys'
attention.
"Oh, what an immense bowl!" cried Ferdinand. "And of glass. What is it
for?"
"That is the welcome bowl," replied the attendant. "We call it,
nowadays, the loving cup. In every castle there were many like this;
there was a gold one for ladies, a silver one for princes and a glass
one for knights, which latter was the largest of all. When guests came
to the castle, the welcome bowl was brought out, filled to the brim and
handed to the guest, who was supposed to drink it off at a draught, if
he was at all of a hazardous or knightly disposition. To his undoing,
it sometimes happened he did not survive the ordeal; but that mattered
not at all to him; he had displayed his bravery and that was worth life
itself. After the bowl was drained, a great book was brought out, in
which the guest was requested to write his name, no doubt as a test as
to his real station, for no one but the highest and noblest were able
to write or read in those times, and it often chanced even they were
unable to do so."
"Why, that is what they do in hotels!" said Ferdinand.
"Yes," replied the guide, "and probably that is where the custom
originated, for the manager of a hotel but preserves the ancient custom
of registering the names of his guests."
All too soon the visit came to an end; the party made its way to the
near-by inn to spend the night.