Sermon by H. E. Bishop Oliver Doeme, Maiduguri, Nigeria (in English)

original source: www.de-vrouwe.info

Day of Prayer in Düsseldorf, May 21, 2016

I wish to give thanks and praise to God for giving all of us the opportunity to gather here for this great event of the Day of Prayer in honour of the Mother of All Nations. I thank and honour our Blessed Mother for always extending her maternal care towards us her children. May Mama Mary continue to extend her merciful love towards all of you, her children.

                My dear people of God I am here not to engage in any theological discourse or exegesis on Mary with you. I am not here for any theoretical debate on whether or not Mary is the Mother of God. I am here simply to share with you my experience of Mary our Mother. I am here to share with you how she has been a Mother to us Catholics in the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri in Nigeria. My being here is to encourage you, my dear brothers and sisters, that Mary our Mother cares for us her children, and so you should get more and more involved in her devotions. Mama Mary has brought me here to stress the fact that the Rosary, which is the most widely used devotion to her, is very powerful.

                The church in the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri has suffered grievously at the hands of the Islamic sect known as Boko Haram. For the past six years when the insurgency began, these members have caused colossal destructions to lives and property.

                Over 70,000 Catholics were displaced last year when the sect members took control of more than three quarters of the territory covered by our diocese. Even though many of them are now back, there are still over 20 000 of them who are taking refuge in some parts of Nigeria and Cameroon.

                In that same year, over 30 priests were driven out of from their places of duty, over 40 nuns were driven from their convents, and over 200 catechists were forced to flee together with other Christians. The school where the Chibok-school-girls were abducted by the sect is located within our diocese. And out of the 270 girls taken away, only 56 later escaped and came back. For the rest we do not know were they are.

                Apart from the Chibok-girls a lot of our women and girls have also been abducted, some before and others after. Some of our young men have been forcefully conscripted into the army of Boko Haram. Many of these women and girls taken by the sect are used for suicide bombings.

                Again, we have over 500 Catholics alone that have been martyred because of their faith. There are over 5 000 widows that the diocese is taking care of, and the husbands of a good number of them have been killed by Boko Haram. In addition to these, there are over 15 000 orphans that the diocese is struggling to help. Again some of their parents have been killed by Boko Haram.

                In terms of structures, we have lost a lot to Boko Haram. There are over 200 out-station churches that have been burned down by the Islamic militants. There are over 20 parish churches and over 20 priest’s residences that have been burned down. Over 20 schools including our Minor Seminary are destroyed and are no longer functioning. Similarly, a lot of family houses, vehicles, foot stuff, animals, shops and many personal effects have either been destroyed or taken away by the Boko Haram members.

After hearing about all this, some of you may be wondering what these things have to do with Mary, Our Mother. These have a lot to do with Mary, Our Mother. To start with, despite all these things that have been happening, the faith of our people continues to grow stronger and stronger. The faithful in the diocese, including the priests, the religious and the lay faithful are very bold. They are courageous and still practice their faith in the midst of this destruction. They openly carry out their religious activities, going to mass on Sundays and during the week. They engage in other devotional activities.

                Secondly, one may ask as to source of their courage. It is from Mary, Our Mother. As a diocese, we have introduced a lot of Marian programs aimed at strengthening our relationship with Our Mother. We have got a good field for the permanent site of our Marian shrine. Even though we have not developed it because of the crisis, it is our hope that in the near future we will get those who will support us with funds to develop it for our Marian devotions. For the past four years, we have been having the yearly celebration of the consecration of our diocese to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I wrote a pastoral letter on the importance of the rosary procession. Since then we have introduced the rosary procession at the diocesan, parish, outstation, and family levels. Similarly, every Saturday, the morning masses in all parishes are offered in memory of our Lady. We also receive a lot of rosaries from outside and distribute them among our lay faithful.

                As a church in this diocese, we are fully convinced that Mama Mary is the solution to our crisis. And she has proved to us that she will continue to fight the war on our behalf. How do we know that Mary is fighting the war on our behalf? It is on record that Boko Haram made more than six attempts to penetrate Maiduguri, but they were unsuccessful. And we have many Christians inside Maiduguri. We believe that it is Mary who blocked them from entering the city. Secondly, since this crisis started no priest or religious has been touched. Mary has been shielding her sons and daughters from the terrorists. At the end of 2014, over three quarters of our diocese was under the control of Boko Haram. But because of our various Marian devotions, Mama Mary has been able to use the security forces to send Boko Haram back to the forests. And in most of these communities, our people have come back and are now worshipping God in their churches.

                In addition to this, we have several instances in which some members were either captured or surrounded by Boko Haram, but through the praying of the rosary, they either escaped or were released by the sect members.

                a. One young man was taken into the forest together with other passengers. But while in the forest, he kept on praying the rosary and singing a particular church song. On the forth day, the sect members took him to the main road and released him.

                b. A mother of three children was taken to the forest together with some women who are Muslims. She was the only Catholic among them. She was quietly praying her rosary. After about a week, the sect members carried only her back to the village and left her.

                c. One old grandmother was caught by the sect members in one community. The rest of the villagers ran and left her alone. But she went on praying her rosary. The sect members came and found her, and told her to become a Muslim, but she refused. And they started beating her. They left her half dead, but she later regained consciousness, carried her stick and walked to the leader of Boko Haram in that area, showed him the wounds inflicted on her by his boys. She asked the leader why his boys would want to force her to become a Muslim as she would never become a Muslim. The commander became sympathetic towards her. So he scolded those boys and transferred them immediately from that area, brought in another group and ordered them to feed the grandmother. They continued to care for her until the soldiers came after some months and reclaimed the area.

                d. There is a family that was trapped by Boko Haram when they captured Mubi. Boko Haram parked many of their vehicles in front of this house but did not know that the man, his wife, and children were inside the house. The man, his wife, and the children were praying the rosary, morning, afternoon and evening. None of them could go out of the house because the sect members would see them. The food they had inside the house did not run out nor did the water. They were in that condition for months, until eventually the soldiers came and recaptured the area. Mama Mary shielded her children from the sect members. What a miracle!

                At the personal level, Mama Mary has done so much for me despite my sinfulness and unworthiness. I see myself as the last born of Mama Mary. There is nothing I ask her to give me , that our mother Mary will not grant me as long as it will give glory to her Son. Because of this, I try my best to get involved in Marian devotions and I encourage others to do the same. I consecrate myself to her Immaculate Heart almost on a daily basis. I cherish the novena to our Lady of Perpetual Help especially based on what we are experiencing. Above all I pray my rosary as frequently as possible, usually all four rosaries every day.

                Yes, I had an encounter with our Lord at the end of October 2014. Let me say again that that vision is not about me because I am nothing but a great sinner. That vision is about Jesus and his Mother, and the people of God. By giving me the sword in a vision which turned into a rosary, Jesus has one clear message for us: If we pray the rosary fervently, we will defeat evil in the world. Boko Haram is demonic, and the rosary is going to defeat it. There are other demons in other parts of the world. The rosary can defeat them.

                So let us remain committed to praying the rosary in particular and the devotions to our Mother Mary in general. May I once more give thanks for the privilege given to me to come here and share my experience with you. May God bless you all.

Friday's Sung Word: "Adeus, Ano Velho" by Lamartine Babo (in Portuguese)

Adeus, Ano Velho,
Boa viagem
Leva na bagagem
Todo o mal.
Venha ao nosso povo
Um Ano Novo
Com saúde e paz
Universal.
Blim-blom
Blim-blom.

You can hear "Adeus, Ano Velho" sung by Simone de Moraes here.

Thursday's Serial: "The House on the Borderland" by William Hope Hodgson (in English) - VI

X - THE TIME OF WAITING

            The sun was now warm, and shining brightly, forming a wondrous contrast to the dark and dismal cellars; and it was with comparatively light feelings, that I made my way up to the tower, to survey the gardens. There, I found everything quiet, and, after a few minutes, went down to Mary's room.

            Here, having knocked, and received a reply, I unlocked the door. My sister was sitting, quietly, on the bed; as though waiting. She seemed quite herself again, and made no attempt to move away, as I approached; yet, I observed that she scanned my face, anxiously, as though in doubt, and but half assured in her mind that there was nothing to fear from me.

            To my questions, as to how she felt, she replied, sanely enough, that she was hungry, and would like to go down to prepare breakfast, if I did not mind. For a minute, I meditated whether it would be safe to let her out. Finally, I told her she might go, on condition that she promised not to attempt to leave the house, or meddle with any of the outer doors. At my mention of the doors, a sudden look of fright crossed her face; but she said nothing, save to give the required promise, and then left the room, silently.

            Crossing the floor, I approached Pepper. He had waked as I entered; but, beyond a slight yelp of pleasure, and a soft rapping with his tail, had kept quiet. Now, as I patted him, he made an attempt to stand up, and succeeded, only to fall back on his side, with a little yowl of pain.

            I spoke to him, and bade him lie still. I was greatly delighted with his improvement, and also with the natural kindness of my sister's heart, in taking such good care of him, in spite of her condition of mind. After a while, I left him, and went downstairs, to my study.

            In a little time, Mary appeared, carrying a tray on which smoked a hot breakfast. As she entered the room, I saw her gaze fasten on the props that supported the study door; her lips tightened, and I thought she paled, slightly; but that was all. Putting the tray down at my elbow, she was leaving the room, quietly, when I called her back. She came, it seemed, a little timidly, as though startled; and I noted that her hand clutched at her apron, nervously.

            'Come, Mary,' I said. 'Cheer up! Things look brighter. I've seen none of the creatures since yesterday morning, early.'

            She looked at me, in a curiously puzzled manner; as though not comprehending. Then, intelligence swept into her eyes, and fear; but she said nothing, beyond an unintelligible murmur of acquiescence. After that, I kept silence; it was evident that any reference to the Swine-things, was more than her shaken nerves could bear.

            Breakfast over, I went up to the tower. Here, during the greater part of the day, I maintained a strict watch over the gardens. Once or twice, I went down to the basement, to see how my sister was getting along. Each time, I found her quiet, and curiously submissive. Indeed, on the last occasion, she even ventured to address me, on her own account, with regard to some household matter that needed attention. Though this was done with an almost extraordinary timidity, I hailed it with happiness, as being the first word, voluntarily spoken, since the critical moment, when I had caught her unbarring the back door, to go out among those waiting brutes. I wondered whether she was aware of her attempt, and how near a thing it had been; but refrained from questioning her, thinking it best to let well alone.

            That night, I slept in a bed; the first time for two nights. In the morning, I rose early, and took a walk through the house. All was as it should be, and I went up to the tower, to have a look at the gardens. Here, again, I found perfect quietness.

            At breakfast, when I met Mary, I was greatly pleased to see that she had sufficiently regained command over herself, to be able to greet me in a perfectly natural manner. She talked sensibly and quietly; only keeping carefully from any mention of the past couple of days. In this, I humored her, to the extent of not attempting to lead the conversation in that direction.

            Earlier in the morning, I had been to see Pepper. He was mending, rapidly; and bade fair to be on his legs, in earnest, in another day or two. Before leaving the breakfast table, I made some reference to his improvement. In the short discussion that followed, I was surprised to gather, from my sister's remarks, that she was still under the impression that his wound had been given by the wildcat, of my invention. It made me feel almost ashamed of myself for deceiving her. Yet, the lie had been told to prevent her from being frightened. And then, I had been sure that she must have known the truth, later, when those brutes had attacked the house.

            During the day, I kept on the alert; spending much of my time, as on the previous day, in the tower; but not a sign could I see of the Swine-creatures, nor hear any sound. Several times, the thought had come to me, that the Things had, at last, left us; but, up to this time, I had refused to entertain the idea, seriously; now, however, I began to feel that there was reason for hope. It would soon be three days since I had seen any of the Things; but still, I intended to use the utmost caution. For all that I could tell, this protracted silence might be a ruse to tempt me from the house - perhaps right into their arms. The thought of such a contingency, was, alone, sufficient to make me circumspect.

            So it was, that the fourth, fifth and sixth days went by, quietly, without my making any attempt to leave the house.

            On the sixth day, I had the pleasure of seeing Pepper, once more, upon his feet; and, though still very weak, he managed to keep me company during the whole of that day.

XI - THE SEARCHING OF THE GARDENS

            How slowly the time went; and never a thing to indicate that any of the brutes still infested the gardens.

            It was on the ninth day that, finally, I decided to run the risk, if any there were, and sally out. With this purpose in view, I loaded one of the shotguns, carefully - choosing it, as being more deadly than a rifle, at close quarters; and then, after a final scrutiny of the grounds, from the tower, I called Pepper to follow me, and made my way down to the basement.

            At the door, I must confess to hesitating a moment. The thought of what might be awaiting me among the dark shrubberies, was by no means calculated to encourage my resolution. It was but a second, though, and then I had drawn the bolts, and was standing on the path outside the door.

            Pepper followed, stopping at the doorstep to sniff, suspiciously; and carrying his nose up and down the jambs, as though following a scent. Then, suddenly, he turned, sharply, and started to run here and there, in semicircles and circles, all around the door; finally returning to the threshold. Here, he began again to nose about.

            Hitherto, I had stood, watching the dog; yet, all the time, with half my gaze on the wild tangle of gardens, stretching 'round me. Now, I went toward him, and, bending down, examined the surface of the door, where he was smelling. I found that the wood was covered with a network of scratches, crossing and recrossing one another, in inextricable confusion. In addition to this, I noticed that the doorposts, themselves, were gnawed in places. Beyond these, I could find nothing; and so, standing up, I began to make the tour of the house wall.

            Pepper, as soon as I walked away, left the door, and ran ahead, still nosing and sniffing as he went along. At times, he stopped to investigate. Here, it would be a bullet-hole in the pathway, or, perhaps, a powder stained wad. Anon, it might be a piece of torn sod, or a disturbed patch of weedy path; but, save for such trifles, he found nothing. I observed him, critically, as he went along, and could discover nothing of uneasiness, in his demeanor, to indicate that he felt the nearness of any of the creatures. By this, I was assured that the gardens were empty, at least for the present, of those hateful Things. Pepper could not be easily deceived, and it was a relief to feel that he would know, and give me timely warning, if there were any danger.

            Reaching the place where I had shot that first creature, I stopped, and made a careful scrutiny; but could see nothing. From there, I went on to where the great copingstone had fallen. It lay on its side, apparently just as it had been left when I shot the brute that was moving it. A couple of feet to the right of the nearer end, was a great dent in the ground; showing where it had struck. The other end was still within the indentation - half in, and half out. Going nearer, I looked at the stone, more closely. What a huge piece of masonry it was! And that creature had moved it, single-handed, in its attempt to reach what lay below.

            I went 'round to the further end of the stone. Here, I found that it was possible to see under it, for a distance of nearly a couple of feet. Still, I could see nothing of the stricken creatures, and I felt much surprised. I had, as I have before said, guessed that the remains had been removed; yet, I could not conceive that it had been done so thoroughly as not to leave some certain sign, beneath the stone, indicative of their fate. I had seen several of the brutes struck down beneath it, with such force that they must have been literally driven into the earth; and now, not a vestige of them was to be seen - not even a bloodstain.

            I felt more puzzled, than ever, as I turned the matter over in my mind; but could think of no plausible explanation; and so, finally, gave it up, as one of the many things that were unexplainable.

            From there, I transferred my attention to the study door. I could see, now, even more plainly, the effects of the tremendous strain, to which it had been subjected; and I marveled how, even with the support afforded by the props, it had withstood the attacks, so well. There were no marks of blows - indeed, none had been given - but the door had been literally riven from its hinges, by the application of enormous, silent force. One thing that I observed affected me profoundly - the head of one of the props had been driven right through a panel. This was, of itself, sufficient to show how huge an effort the creatures had made to break down the door, and how nearly they had succeeded.

            Leaving, I continued my tour 'round the house, finding little else of interest; save at the back, where I came across the piece of piping I had torn from the wall, lying among the long grass underneath the broken window.

            Then, I returned to the house, and, having re-bolted the back door, went up to the tower. Here, I spent the afternoon, reading, and occasionally glancing down into the gardens. I had determined, if the night passed quietly, to go as far as the Pit, on the morrow. Perhaps, I should be able to learn, then, something of what had happened. The day slipped away, and the night came, and went much as the last few nights had gone.

            When I rose the morning had broken, fine and clear; and I determined to put my project into action. During breakfast, I considered the matter, carefully; after which, I went to the study for my shotgun. In addition, I loaded, and slipped into my pocket, a small, but heavy, pistol. I quite understood that, if there were any danger, it lay in the direction of the Pit and I intended to be prepared.

            Leaving the study, I went down to the back door, followed by Pepper. Once outside, I took a quick survey of the surrounding gardens, and then set off toward the Pit. On the way, I kept a sharp outlook, holding my gun, handily. Pepper was running ahead, I noticed, without any apparent hesitation. From this, I augured that there was no imminent danger to be apprehended, and I stepped out more quickly in his wake. He had reached the top of the Pit, now, and was nosing his way along the edge.

            A minute later, I was beside him, looking down into the Pit. For a moment, I could scarcely believe that it was the same place, so greatly was it changed. The dark, wooded ravine of a fortnight ago, with a foliage-hidden stream, running sluggishly, at the bottom, existed no longer. Instead, my eyes showed me a ragged chasm, partly filled with a gloomy lake of turbid water. All one side of the ravine was stripped of underwood, showing the bare rock.

            A little to my left, the side of the Pit appeared to have collapsed altogether, forming a deep V-shaped cleft in the face of the rocky cliff. This rift ran, from the upper edge of the ravine, nearly down to the water, and penetrated into the Pit side, to a distance of some forty feet. Its opening was, at least, six yards across; and, from this, it seemed to taper into about two. But, what attracted my attention, more than even the stupendous split itself, was a great hole, some distance down the cleft, and right in the angle of the V. It was clearly defined, and not unlike an arched doorway in shape; though, lying as it did in the shadow, I could not see it very distinctly.

            The opposite side of the Pit, still retained its verdure; but so torn in places, and everywhere covered with dust and rubbish, that it was hardly distinguishable as such.

            My first impression, that there had been a land slip, was, I began to see, not sufficient, of itself, to account for all the changes I witnessed. And the water -? I turned, suddenly; for I had become aware that, somewhere to my right, there was a noise of running water. I could see nothing; but, now that my attention had been caught, I distinguished, easily, that it came from somewhere at the East end of the Pit.

Slowly, I made my way in that direction; the sound growing plainer as I advanced, until in a little, I stood right above it. Even then, I could not perceive the cause, until I knelt down, and thrust my head over the cliff. Here, the noise came up to me, plainly; and I saw, below me, a torrent of clear water, issuing from a small fissure in the Pit side, and rushing down the rocks, into the lake beneath. A little further along the cliff, I saw another, and, beyond that again, two smaller ones. These, then, would help to account for the quantity of water in the Pit; and, if the fall of rock and earth had blocked the outlet of the stream at the bottom, there was little doubt but that it was contributing a very large share.

            Yet, I puzzled my head to account for the generally shaken appearance of the place - these streamlets, and that huge cleft, further up the ravine! It seemed to me, that more than the landslip was necessary to account for these. I could imagine an earthquake, or a great explosion, creating some such condition of affairs as existed; but, of these, there had been neither. Then, I stood up, quickly, remembering that crash, and the cloud of dust that had followed, directly, rushing high into the air. But I shook my head, unbelievingly. No! It must have been the noise of the falling rocks and earth, I had heard; of course, the dust would fly, naturally. Still, in spite of my reasoning, I had an uneasy feeling, that this theory did not satisfy my sense of the probable; and yet, was any other, that I could suggest, likely to be half so plausible? Pepper had been sitting on the grass, while I conducted my examination. Now, as I turned up the North side of the ravine, he rose and followed.

            Slowly, and keeping a careful watch in all directions, I made the circuit of the Pit; but found little else, that I had not already seen. From the West end, I could see the four waterfalls, uninterruptedly. They were some considerable distance up from the surface of the lake - about fifty feet, I calculated.

            For a little while longer, I loitered about; keeping my eyes and ears open, but still, without seeing or hearing anything suspicious. The whole place was wonderfully quiet; indeed, save for the continuous murmur of the water, at the top end, no sound, of any description, broke the silence.

            All this while, Pepper had shown no signs of uneasiness. This seemed, to me, to indicate that, for the time being, at least, there was none of the Swine-creatures in the vicinity. So far as I could see, his attention appeared to have been taken, chiefly, with scratching and sniffing among the grass at the edge of the Pit. At times, he would leave the edge, and run along toward the house, as though following invisible tracks; but, in all cases, returning after a few minutes. I had little doubt but that he was really tracing out the footsteps of the Swine-things; and the very fact that each one seemed to lead him back to the Pit, appeared to me, a proof that the brutes had all returned whence they came.

            At noon, I went home, for dinner. During the afternoon, I made a partial search of the gardens, accompanied by Pepper; but, without coming upon anything to indicate the presence of the creatures.

            Once, as we made our way through the shrubberies, Pepper rushed in among some bushes, with a fierce yelp. At that, I jumped back, in sudden fright, and threw my gun forward, in readiness; only to laugh, nervously, as Pepper reappeared, chasing an unfortunate cat. Toward evening, I gave up the search, and returned to the house. All at once, as we were passing a great clump of bushes, on our right, Pepper disappeared, and I could hear him sniffing and growling among them, in a suspicious manner. With my gun barrel, I parted the intervening shrubbery, and looked inside. There was nothing to be seen, save that many of the branches were bent down, and broken; as though some animal had made a lair there, at no very previous date. It was probably, I thought, one of the places occupied by some of the Swine-creatures, on the night of the attack.

            Next day, I resumed my search through the gardens; but without result. By evening, I had been right through them, and now, I knew, beyond the possibility of doubt, that there were no longer any of the Things concealed about the place. Indeed, I have often thought since, that I was correct in my earlier surmise, that they had left soon after the attack.

Good Readings: "The Six Swans" by the Brothers Grimm (translated into English by Andrew Lang)

A king was once hunting in a great wood, and he hunted the game so eagerly that none of his courtiers could follow him. When evening came on he stood still and looked round him, and he saw that he had quite lost himself. He sought a way out, but could find none. Then he saw an old woman with a shaking head coming towards him; but she was a witch.

            "Good woman,"' he said to her, "can you not show me the way out of the wood?"

            "Oh, certainly, Sir King," she replied, "I can quite well do that, but on one condition, which if you do not fulfil you will never get out of the wood, and will die of hunger."

            "What is the condition?"' asked the King.

            "I have a daughter," said the old woman, "who is so beautiful that she has not her equal in the world, and is well fitted to be your wife; if you will make her lady-queen I will show you the way out of the wood."

            The King in his anguish of mind consented, and the old woman led him to her little house where her daughter was sitting by the fire. She received the King as if she were expecting him, and he saw that she was certainly very beautiful; but she did not please him, and he could not look at her without a secret feeling of horror. As soon as he had lifted the maiden on to his horse the old woman showed him the way, and the King reached his palace, where the wedding was celebrated.

            The King had already been married once, and had by his first wife seven children, six boys and one girl, whom he loved more than anything in the world. And now, because he was afraid that their stepmother might not treat them well and might do them harm, he put them in a lonely castle that stood in the middle of a wood. It lay so hidden, and the way to it was so hard to find, that he himself could not have found it out had not a wise-woman given him a reel of thread which possessed a marvellous property: when he threw it before him it unwound itself and showed him the way. But the King went so often to his dear children that the Queen was offended at his absence. She grew curious, and wanted to know what he had to do quite alone in the wood. She gave his servants a great deal of money, and they betrayed the secret to her, and also told her of the reel which alone could point out the way. She had no rest now till she had found out where the King guarded the reel, and then she made some little white shirts, and, as she had learnt from her witch-mother, sewed an enchantment in each of them.

            And when the King had ridden off she took the little shirts and went into the wood, and the reel showed her the way. The children, who saw someone coming in the distance, thought it was their dear father coming to them, and sprang to meet him very joyfully. Then she threw over each one a little shirt, which when it had touched their bodies changed them into swans, and they flew away over the forest. The Queen went home quite satisfied, and thought she had got rid of her step-children; but the girl had not run to meet her with her brothers, and she knew nothing of her.

            The next day the King came to visit his children, but he found no one but the girl.

            "Where are your brothers?"' asked the King.

            "Alas! dear father," she answered, "they have gone away and left me all alone." And she told him that looking out of her little window she had seen her brothers flying over the wood in the shape of swans, and she showed him the feathers which they had let fall in the yard, and which she had collected. The King mourned, but he did not think that the Queen had done the wicked deed, and as he was afraid the maiden would also be taken from him, he wanted to take her with him. But she was afraid of the stepmother, and begged the King to let her stay just one night more in the castle in the wood. The poor maiden thought, "My home is no longer here; I will go and seek my brothers." And when night came she fled away into the forest. She ran all through the night and the next day, till she could go no farther for weariness. Then she saw a little hut, went in, and found a room with six little beds. She was afraid to lie down on one, so she crept under one of them, lay on the hard floor, and was going to spend the night there. But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window. They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt. Then the maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept out from under the bed. Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.

            "You cannot stay here," they said to her. "This is a den of robbers; if they were to come here and find you they would kill you."

            "Could you not protect me?" asked the little sister.

            "No," they answered, "for we can only lay aside our swan skins for a quarter of an hour every evening. For this time we regain our human forms, but then we are changed into swans again."

            Then the little sister cried and said, "Can you not be freed?"

            "Oh, no," they said, "the conditions are too hard. You must not speak or laugh for six years, and must make in that time six shirts for us out of star-flowers. If a single word comes out of your mouth, all your labour is vain." And when the brothers had said this the quarter of an hour came to an end, and they flew away out of the window as swans.

            But the maiden had determined to free her brothers even if it should cost her her life. She left the hut, went into the forest, climbed a tree, and spent the night there. The next morning she went out, collected star-flowers, and began to sew. She could speak to no one, and she had no wish to laugh, so she sat there, looking only at her work.

            When she had lived there some time, it happened that the King of the country was hunting in the forest, and his hunters came to the tree on which the maiden sat. They called to her and said "Who are you?"

            But she gave no answer.

            "Come down to us," they said, "we will do you no harm."

            But she shook her head silently. As they pressed her further with questions, she threw them the golden chain from her neck. But they did not leave off, and she threw them her girdle, and when this was no use, her garters, and then her dress. The huntsmen would not leave her alone, but climbed the tree, lifted the maiden down, and led her to the King. The King asked, "Who are you? What are you doing up that tree?"

            But she answered nothing.

            He asked her in all the languages he knew, but she remained as dumb as a fish. Because she was so beautiful, however, the King's heart was touched, and he was seized with a great love for her. He wrapped her up in his cloak, placed her before him on his horse. and brought her to his castle. There he had her dressed in rich clothes, and her beauty shone out as bright as day, but not a word could be drawn from her. He set her at table by his side, and her modest ways and behaviour pleased him so much that he said, "I will marry this maiden and none other in the world," and after some days he married her. But the King had a wicked mother who was displeased with the marriage, and said wicked things of the young Queen. "Who knows who this girl is?" she said; "she cannot speak, and is not worthy of a king."

            After a year, when the Queen had her first child, the old mother took it away from her. Then she went to the King and said that the Queen had killed it. The King would not believe it, and would not allow any harm to be done her. But she sat quietly sewing at the shirts and troubling herself about nothing. The next time she had a child the wicked mother did the same thing, but the King could not make up his mind to believe her. He said, "She is too sweet and good to do such a thing as that. If she were not dumb and could defend herself, her innocence would be proved." But when the third child was taken away, and the Queen was again accused, and could not utter a word in her own defence, the King was obliged to give her over to the law, which decreed that she must be burnt to death. When the day came on which the sentence was to be executed, it was the last day of the six years in which she must not speak or laugh, and now she had freed her dear brothers from the power of the enchantment. The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.

            When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air. Then she knew that her release was at hand and her heart danced for joy. The swans fluttered round her, and hovered low so that she could throw the shirts over them. When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful. Only the youngest had a swan's wing instead of his left arm. They embraced and kissed each other, and the Queen went to the King, who was standing by in great astonishment, and began to speak to him, saying, "Dearest husband, now I can speak and tell you openly that I am innocent and have been falsely accused."

            She told him of the old woman's deceit, and how she had taken the three children away and hidden them. Then they were fetched, to the great joy of the King, and the wicked mother came to no good end.

            But the King and the Queen with their six brothers lived many years in happiness and peace.