Transcription
!SITHE XXth CENTURYt.he battle. Attacks by the British against the lowerRhine I\nd by the 3rd U8 Army between Trier Qndthe upper Roor were co·ordinated with the main thrust.By the middle of l\'1ur h the Allics hud oecupit.' 1 Ihete.rritorv west of the lower and middlo Rhine 08 farsouth 08 the Moselle River-with the x eption oC theKoblem: arlm-and had crossed the Rhine at Remag n.Thill advance compelled the Gomlwls to withdrawtheir largo bulge bel,woen tho Saur t1J1d the Rhine.which hAd hold out I long time agninst the ntt""ksof tho 7th US Army. On March 25 tho last Gormallformatioll8 in this aren Cought thoir way back aero. 9the Rhino llOulh of poyer.The battlo entored 1\ now ph6&) with the wideningof the Romugen bridg head and tho br akthrough totho Sieg Hiv r /Lud inl.o the Lahn \11\110)'. This t\lI!Illllltstarted on March 20 Wid was Collowed four days latm'by Alliod 'rossinga of the Hhine on its lowerroacbOll.EASTornJ:E RJlll\"ELooking baok at the fl hting 011 tllO Wcstern Front.we observe 0. striking difference uotwcon the ovontswest and those eaBt of tho Rhine. Until U,O\' reaehedthe Rhin the AlliOll had to fight LoiLtcr and Loloodybattles for very square mile of GcrmlW soil. and the rmaml wore e\'on able to push them Louck telll'porarily in tllO Rundlltedt offcllBi,·c. Whene"er theAllitl8 had munagod to pllSS on to mobil w. rfal' lUlUto make largor territorial gains 11t lL quicker pace,they soon found tholl1861 ves bogged down by nowd.efense linotl. But onco Kcroas the Rhine th ir ad,'ancea56Umed Blitzkrieg proportiollB. What had hal'pened Had the Oerll1lLn Army flnully cracked? The Alliollt.hemselv616 do not 800m to think 110. Th"il' ownreports continued to be full of refer noes to "Canaticalrosistane . on tho part of tho G rm8ll8.But t,ho gapB botwoen the cont!'r8 of Gorman reosistance wero so large that the Alli08 could, by by.pl\l!Sitlf.( t hem, mo\'o almost. 88 fM! M t.h Y ouldorguniz.o their supply lines. Only aIter the war willwe know tho true roason why there were so fow G r·man troops east of tho R,hiue to moot tho Allied on·slaught. The Soviets clnim toO know it already. Andporhap!l they Bre right. In tho }('ras'laya ZV t1)(/ ofApril 4, 1945. G. Alek! androv, 1\ lending Bolshevik,wrote that since lho ond f Jnnullry 10·j- Iho G nnltnIwd mo\'ed 44 di\'isions to thei'r tcrn front. 1Il1lin'"Crom the west. He assertoo tllUt, "by mo\'ing larg'"I ro p oontingent,s to the SO\'iet·Gorlllan front, theGCl'mun High Commnnu left its western front withouta seriou8 dofeuse." In addition it seOmB thllt thoceasell'8l1 bombardment of Gemllul armament plnnl.tland the loss of important industrial aroM hadredueed tho quantity of arms aVlliJable to theGCrIDl\1l8 to such un ox tent t.hut an offective d 'fcn80became impossible.Our mup shows 1,110 rapidity ot the Anglo·AmericlL"advunce. By the middlo of April tho Elbo was rULl 'hodin a number of plac . The junction with t·he ::io\'i t{!was alleded on April 25.Not 8huwn 011 Iho mup aro tho nUlOl'rous n 18 ofresilltunco which held Ollt behilld "he AJJied lIurg'except the large!;t of them, ill lito Ruhr area-, wl\iohtied dvwll !lome eighteon Anglo.American divisions for(\ considerable timo - clinging to individual tOWlltl.vilJog ,IUld road cro&!ings, while small mobile detach.mOIlW:l did their utmost to attack and disrupt anomysupply columns. Yet on the \Vestern Front. too, tlteend Wll in sight.THE RAINMAKERBy HERM.Al\TN HESSEHermann Ht e. now cllUe on evmty, i one of Germany's Uadingauthor,. E"er ,"'Ica he wrola h;'" fir t novel more than forly ytar8 ago, Jill h04"un 81"'901ing wilh Ihe problcn14 of human cJaaracle" and u:W. thc quution lUI 10wAal piau w taken by tho human milld in Iha u.lliverst. A !fror ago h;'" Iwork tL'OB publi.6hul, . Tha Bead Game." a novel in two t:IOlutl'u. .1neJ'ii.tkci :inu are tArea NlOrl torju. the jirst oj whicJa we pre8ent .hc,r, m a ccndeTl8edtran.slalian.IT was manythollAAnrlyearsIIgo,andthewo ill\: 0 were inpower: in triboand family it wastho mother andgrandmother whocommanded von·eration ami 000dillnce; when chilodr n were born,girls were much more highly prized than boye.In tho village th ro was a great. grandmotherwho must have been a hundred years old ormore, rovered a.nd feared by all as a queen,although, as long as people could remember,he had but rarely lifted a ling r or spoken 1\word. Many a. day she sat in front of theentrance to her hut, surrounded by a suite ofattendant relatives, and the women of thevillage cn.me to pay her homage, to teU herof their affair, to !lhow her their children forthem lo be blc's(,'d; pregnant women came andbegged that she might touch them and pro\'idea namo for what thoy were cxpccting.In Lho eveni.ngs there sat in front of thematriarch's mud hut not sho herself but herdaughter, hardly les5 white aDd dignifi d normuch less aged tha.n the great.grandmother.From her mouth there flowed the source ofknowlodge; sho proserved the treasure of thetribe undor her white hair, behind her gentlywrinkled brow lived the memories and thespirit of the settlement. If anyone had knowl·edge Ilnd knew proverbs or stories. he had themfrom her. Besido her and the ancient onothero was only one more initio.tcd person inthe tribe; but he remained more hidden, amysterious and very taciturn man, the weather·or rainmaker. He became the mo I, importantperson in the village at those times when bha.d really to officiate as weathermaker. Tbihappened when a long period of drought, wet,or cold laid siege to the fields llnd threatenedthe tribe with famine. Then Turu, the rain-
THERAl "MAKERmilker, had to apply means known againHtdryn 'S;; and scan;ity of crops: sacrifices, exorei'Llls, I"'oec · illn. Jr. i1l1l stubborn drou ht, orf'llllle;.os rain. all uther methods failet! ant! thespirit:; were not to be moved by any pcr,;uasion,supplicatiou, or thrcnt,s. thcrl' \\'ali, according toIcgend, one last, i1lfalliIJIc means, whidl was"uppused to hanJ bc('n employed now nnd againin the dltys of Illothers and grandmother: thes:lerifil:ing of the wcathermaker himself by thecUllll1lllnit,y. The mat,riurch, it was said, hndstill witnC'ssed neh III I eveut,.:\ luong the listeners there also erouched thehoy Kllecht and be. ide him It little girl, ealll·JAda. He likeJ t,his child Ilnd often Il('companied:lIld protectpd her. not out, of n fedin!! uf l"vt:really-he did not know anyt hing ;tbou!. thatvI'!. he WllS "till n. child himself-uut l'eel1u"l' II(' was the daughter of t h(' rainmaker. Furhim. tho rainlllakl:'r, Knecht felt grl'nt VelH'l'Iltiun alld urlllliratilJll, Tl('xl III till' great,grandmuther Ilnu ht'l' daught('r for nu one as 1Il11t'IIas for him. Xow the wentherllluker WrlS "fat,her IInappl'of\('hrtlJI", man, it was not easy furII hoy to et duse to him: o Ill' had to lI"e cir,cuitou routC'", nnd (,nt' of 1hI: cireuit,ous I'outl' t,o thc w('athl'nnll!;,'r was 1\:I\I'cht',; CUllf'l'rn furhis child, As uft('n a::; he cOlllel. hp fetehed h('l'(rum the w athernHlker's but, \l'hil'll lay FllnH'way ofJ, to sit with her in thc ('\'ening ill fronlof t,he old wonmn's hut and liskll to the storie .Il nd then took hel' home again.Turu responned to the boy's advances wit,hvery sparing :stlPS, he did not make it easy forhim. But the youngster was always aft.er him. ometime Turu growled and ungraciously :senthis pur 'uer on bis wa,y; sometimeli, however, hebeckoned him and kept him at hi.' side t,hrough(lut 1he day, letting himscli be served by him,showing him tbis and that" letting him gue 's,tes ing him, tclling him the names of herbs,ordering him to fetch wakr or uuild It fire,and for (',,'eryt,hill e, he did he hnd ecrtain knacks,Becr ts. formulas, which the boy was lIdjuredto keep seerrt,. And finally. when Kncdl1 wasf\, little older, he krpt him entirely at hi." F irlf',acknowledging him afl his di, ciplo and fet/'hinf!him from t,ho boys' sleeping hOlllie t,o live inhis own hilt. This marked Knecht opp.nly inthe eye of all tho people: he was no longl'f nboy, he wus a disciple of the weathermaker,and tbat meant that., if he stuck it and proveda.ny good, he would become his successor.A wpalth of traditions lind e-'"periene,', allInankind's knowledge of nat,ure, had not, onlyIn be maintained and applied but abu (Hlsspd(,n, A grent., closdy knit .'Ylitell1 of expe['i 'nec:;,(Jbl;l'rvat.ions, in tinets. llnd rri eareh methodsslow Iy dll wned upon the yOllth, almost not hill).!of it fixed in terms. almo·t en rytbing huvingt,o be sensed, learned, testeu,Oue hour u cply engraved it eli in Knecht smemory, un hour between night and morning,when bis moster hud woken bim two hours2 3after midnight and bud gone lit witb him atdead of night to show him th la' risir,g tlf adwindling cre. ·ent. There tlwy waittd. theruastrr in silent ilUmolJility, the YOllth slightlynpprehellsive and shi\Oering: from Inck of sleep,in the midst f 1,he wooded hills on it jlltt.ingslab of rock, for a 1011(' time, until at tl1(' pin '('pl'C'viou:;ly indicated by the muster and ill 1 heshnpe and Hngle prc,-i H,'I}' c1escri cd I,y him,the thin moun appeared, a deli 'all', CUI'\'l'd linc.In awed elldlUlltlUent, 1\:,wcht sturlll at tilt;slnwly ri'ing celestinl uody; bd we("11 d udl''''ip. es it geutl), Jlualt:u lip in II dpllr hea\'l'llIyisland.":-;OUII he will change )1('1' shape and "\\'f'llngain. then the time will C(IIne to "OW tl phll('kwhellt," l:illiu till' I'llinlllakl'r, counting OuLthl' dllYs Oil hi:; finger:;. Thcn hI' snnk IJacki" I,u II i::; fOl'lllef silence; us if left n Iqu I, llr('h t,crullelil'd on the rock :;hinin)! with tll'\\' rind"hi\'('ITd in t.he eold nil'; frolll tlil' cI,'pth" uf till'fl)I'l, t 11 lUllg-dmwu bout, nf an u\\'l I'(,se IIf'.Fur n lung t inlL' t Ilc old nlUlI pUlldel'ed. 1he nhe gilt lip, plal'l'tl hi::; hand loll J\nceht'" hiliI',Hlld "aid softlv, a:: if ill a dream: "\\'IIl'n 1alll dead. Ill)' s'pirit will liy 10 the I11UOII. TIIl'n\'vll will h(J a man lind yOIl will ha\"( a wife,;nv dall!!htl'l' Ada will hI' 'yollr wif :. If she hail;1 '''(In ft:OIll you, Illy spir(t will rct Ufn II "I li\'('in yuur 'on, and you will 1I111n(' him Till'll. III[ was called Turu."Till' disciple li:;L :nl'd witll 1I1Il1lZ'Dll"nt, lil'du/'(·d not sa\' a word. the 'liill sih-el' erf'H'entrose and was' alread,\' lwlJ swullnwcd np b ' th,.douds. ThE' yUllng l1"Ian felt u m 'SII'l'ioliinkling of relat,ions nnd connect ion,', rl'pel,iti n"alld ero'sings, among things and t \'l'nL'; he felthim, elf mystcriou 'I} placed a " Il/'cator andalso H a pllfticipant before Llii sir;lnge nightlSkv whpro over t.lw ('ndless for'F-I;, rlnd hill:ithe, i harp t,hin siekl' had nppcarrcl l'Xlll Iy III'predict.ed by the ma 'Ler; wondr liS \\t:. 11lemai,tcr in his eyes and enveloped in a t 11l.Iu'Hnds eret., lie who t.hough t, of hi own l!t nth. I.E'whose :: pirit would tarry in 1he moun and 1",I urn from the mo n to [I human being \l'hllwould be Knecht's son al:d was tu bear til('rh'f'ased master's naJlle. .'1\':t riom;l v ['enta"lInder, and in par S Il'lln"·Jlili"'·nt. I(k, the('loud\, sl,,·. I'l'lIlld the flltllr/', sl'l'lli(d fat' tolil' b 'f(lre' him. and tIll' faet tltat ('Ill' l'oll1dkllllW ahout theJ11. nlme thelLl. al«1 jJCl\hahont l1H'Ill, " emed to him bkC' a \'ista ofelldll'F-S space filled with wondl'rs alld yet, fullof ol'del'. For all in, j allL l'n:rythillg seem d toliim within tlie grasp of Ihe :: piri1, of th mind,of the po\\'er,; of observatiun, thc silent. IllluTingcOllrse uf tlil' hl'll'" lly hodie" al,o\'L', th life oflUen and of animals. tllcil' communities lindcnmities, 'Ill' llliter' and ,'1 fuggk". c\'crytbulgbig and small as w'l1 a'i the denl h cOlltui I'din lllllife, all this he saw or f ·11, in a tir;;t shudu rof presentiment, as lL whole, und himseU included ill it in hi· proper place a a paTt of a.
28.THE XXtb CENTURYHvster,n, ruled bv laws and aceeti. rble to the mint!. It as the fir I,precognition of the great cerels,of t·heir dignit,y and depth us wellatheir knowableness. whichbrushed the youth like a spectralhand in this fore I, coolness bet ween nighL and morning on therock over the thousancl whisperingt·r etops.For Knecht it was the first timel.hut he became aware of the voice of the mind.its enticement, its demand, its magic wooing.:\lany a moon had he seen wandering acrossthe sky, mlCl many an owl hooting had he heardat night, aml from the month of his master,taciturn as he was, he had hearel many It worduf ancient wisdom or lonely meditation-in thepresent hOllr, however, it was new and dif·fpren(" it was t.he presentiment of lho wholewhich hael st.J'll(.:k him, the fetlillg for relat,ion:llIlHl cOllncctiOll!", for the f:lystem which includedhimself and made him core ·pollsible. He whohad the key to this should be able not only torecognize an animal by its tracks, a plant byits roots or !'ired, he should be able t·o graspthe whole of the world, t·he till", the spirits,the people, t.he animals, remedies and poisons.everything in it.s entirety, and be able to readfrom any purl, 01' sign every other part. Therewere good hlllltt'lTIcn who could recognize morethan others from a track, a dropping, from ahair or trace: from a few tiny hairs they couldtell not only from what kind of animal the."eamo but al. 0 whether it was old ur young.male or fp.Hlnle. Others could, from u cloudformation, from a smell in t.be a.il' , from Iteertnin behM'ior of animals or plautll, tell whatthe weather would be for days in advance; hismast!'!' WA." llnl11f1t.r-hed in t.hif and almost infallible. Otbers again bad some innate skill:there were boy: who were alJle to hit 11 birdwith n. stone at thu·ty puee , they had notlearned it, thl?y could simply du it., it was notthe rOf:llIlt of ollsciotHl effort but of mugic or ;trace, t.he ·tone in their hand fle\I' hy itsell,t,he stone wanLed to hit, amI tho lJird wantedto be hit. There must., so it seemed to Knecht,at that moment, be in the vast nctwork ofconnection a ccnt·cr whcncc everything couldbe known, all that had pa «cd am! all that wasto come eoukl be 'cen and read. To a mUlltanding aL this cenler, knowledge wu tHo\\'like wate!' t,oward a valley and It harc towardIt cabbage. hi::; wurd lI1u't hit shal'ply and in·falliblv like the stonc frum the hund of thesharp llOotc-r, by \'irtue of his intellect he mu 'I,Ilnitc- all t.hes· nuious wonderful gifts andtalents and giH them free play: this would beI.he perfect, wise, matchless man! To becomelike him, to approach him, to be on the waytowa.rd him: t,hat was the path of paths, tbatwas the goal, that gave a. life consecration andmenning.Knecht's apprc::ntieeship wanot very different from the apprenticeship which, for instance,a young huntsman 01' fi hermungoe through wit·h a go d rna. tel',and he enjoyed it gn'ntly, for heonly Iparned what wa already inbim. He learned to lie in wait, tolisten, to creep up, nbserve, watchlJllt be on the alert, scent undfoll \V a track; btlt the game forwhich he and his mastcr luy in wait was notonJy fox and ba.dger, otter and t.oad, bird andfish, but thc spirit,. the whole, the meaning,(,he relationship. To tell, recognize, gl1e,, , andpr'etlict the fleeting moody weather', to knowdeath lurking in belTy and snakebite, to spyout the secret which connected the clouds andthe storm,,; wit.h the pha e. of the moon andmade (,hell! afl'eet seed and growth in the samrway as Lho prospering and ruin of human atldanimal life: that was what they weI' afte!'.They did not d ·tach them:;e!ves from natureand seek to penetrate hrr secrets by force,they never fclt opposed or hostile to nature-.were alway:; part of her and devoted to herwith reverence.Beside Knecht. littlo Ada grew up in thehut, a pret,ty child, the old man's favorite;anti whcn (,he latter deemed the time come, hI'g LVO hc-r to hi::; disciple as a wife,From now 011 Knecht was regarded as therainmakcl"" Ilssi . tant., TUI'Il introduced him tothe mother of the villacre as his son-in-law ancl"lIeee Sal' allLI t.hel'C'l\ft riel. Knecht representh'm in ::;ome of hb dntics and oflir.in.l ads.Wheu 1)(' died-he was found dead at hisIlUarl.h, crouchillg ovcr some pots with magicbrews, hi white hair sinRed by the fire-theyouug man, the disciple Knpp.ht" hfLrI alreadybeen known for a long timc in the village as arainmaker. The mast'r'::; solemn burial wasalready an a/hir of tbe distant past, t.hn oldnHLtriarch Imd bcen succeeded 1011 ngo by herdcLughkr, 1ll0!1g Knecht'. children, of whomthere werc .evcral to fill up Ada's sDJall hut.,there was a boy na.lI1cu Turll: into his bodyt.lle old man h l.d returned from his deat.h'",journe ' to t,he moon.'Knecht wus onsidcred 11 knowl1lg and l'iOlillmu.n. a man of great calm and slight fear ofdeath, a man Oll goou terms wit h the powers-.lIe had t prove bi gifts and virtues in manya hard t pst. Once he had to ll::n,:; through aperiod uf bad harvest and ill-di ·po. cd weatherla ting fur more than 1,\1'0 years, it was t.lJ!'greatest te I, of his life. At that time it bat!become e\'ident that in periods of unrest andworry a l11an's usefulness' grows"the more be haslea.rned t·o revere, ob enTe, wor 'hip, serve, andsacrifice. The two terrible years, whi 11 aluJUs caused bi::; own sacrifice and de t,ruetion, finnllyendowed him with grea.t prestige and confiden e.although not among the irresponsible crowd,
THE RAINMAKER,\' -t among th few who bore rc poll ibility alldw 'rp abl to judg(' a man of his type.1[(. had 1I1!;0 Ill',,! U ired t hf' ex rel'ienee that11l1'n of illlelled ,;olllchuw gil'e otTen'(' to theo her,' IIl1d eau c a certaill curious killd offI\'t'rl:li n IImong t,helu. that, IIlthough they lin'!'I'spect I fl'om n dj tUllp lind all ' I UpOIl ill('liSP, of Ileedth ,y arc not IUI'('u at all or rc,j.:llrdc·d II. eq:wls,' bu aI' iued. H· had alsol"lImed thnt truditional or fr 'ph- illl'ellted ill·('1111 ntiom: or f ll'lJ1lda" of exon:i -Iu arc f\el'('ptl'df:ll' morc willingly hy siek or unfurt ullllie peopll'thllil rN\'onabh· eoun,(·I, t.hat a per;:on willrllther take rli,pornfort and olltward penit IH'('IIJHlll hims(·lf Ihall chung· in his l1('art, or el'( IIju" eXHmine hifl heart. that, l)(,ol,le belin'l'11101'(' easily ill nlllgic than ill rca SOil , morel'IISil.I' ill fnrllluLI. thnn ill expf'ripnce: nil thingswhil'!\ hal'e [ll'obalily not nltcrl'd as 1l1uch illt ht· few thou,.:nnd \'l'al''' sine(' thpII as :;lllll('hi.'tnl'\' hcwks 1I'(t1d 1 cillim, But, he had ul,.,o11"II'IlC' 1 lImt in his ,.;ean·hillg II IIlIlIl of illlplI('('1nll1,.t nol 10, e his 101'e, lhat h' rnu t Illect lllC'wi hf's lind stupidities of mankind wilholltllrroganr r·. 1)11(, llIust 1I0.!, allow hilllfoi(·1f to III'nd(·rl hy th 111. that from 111(' sag to the char·11111111, fromhe- prie,.:t Iu the mounteballk,frolll till; h Ipillg broth"r to the- : !,on,gingJlllrm-litc it. is alwll." , hut n ,.,te-('. and thllt !'1'f)!'lf'n rulwould much rn Ill'l' I'a." II dl('lltrJ.nd let t hems('h'es bc ex plpi \(·d 1'.1' a rog III ,thlln a ccpt aid rCllderpri splfks.,.ly, leal1\yhil he d(;','elo!X'd mal y a fa('ldty inhim -f'lf, among thpm nlso SOIlle- which 11'1'p 'oplf' of It IatN nge no 1011(!( I' P(l": f'R anrlCRn hu \'aguc Iy under,.:t and. Th rc w I"f' II' n h·e-r . it uationR,· t. nRions in the' air nnd tpm·p rat.ure, there were clour! formations andwinds, 1.,11) s of water, ('(Irth, an J du, t ,.:m lis.th re werp Ihreat or prom is :'I, moods andt 'mpers of the wpatbpr dpmons. wllich J\nerhteould f el coming in his skin, hi' hnil', in nilhi senses, so that thNc \l'a nothing whiehcould surprise him nothing which cOllld di ,a ppoint him. In consonaDce with the weath('l'he concentrated it within himself and carripdit ill his lH'lIrt in IL way which enabled him f'\)1'r: mll1and t hp douds and winds: not" however,from arbitrar.\' pOlYpr and a will but out oft,hi I' ry ullion /llid hond which compl('t.I'lydi-;"uh'ed I.Il(' difTC'rplle(' ),pt weclI himRclf andth world. b{·twe n the spirit amI Ihe f'xte-riorenl'ironn1Pnt,. In certain pr'riodfoi of particularlypun' harmoll.I' of the ROlli, he- bore UII exaetand infallihle pre. "ience of the wf'l1th('r of th!'('oming day" within him, a, if ill hiH bloodW('ft· written thp (·lIt.irc :;pore whieh would ha\'e10 1)(' play d ou : irle, Tho'f' were hi-; goodand hi;; lies days. his rpward, his delight.fn ths good timcs Ill' wa rarely seen athOIl1f'; then he roamed nnd . tuyed outside,cuu,ght fish. wen huntinll, searphed for roots.lay in the grf\.SS or crou hed in trees, ,miffed,listened, imiated the I'oice of animal, kept286lit.t1e fire bumin' und compar d the : hup '!S ft.he smoke clouds with tho. of I he clouds abo\'e,,.;o:tked his skin und hair witL mi,t" with ruin,wilh air, with sun or moonlight. II r 'ad hI'marking on a I IIf, the net·like lin atiun (nt1)(' cap of a. mOl'cl, and in doing :;0 he I'c'nsf'dl1lysteriOIlI', pirituul, flit ure pOf'"ilil" thin 'I".the magic of igns, pI' monition of numb '1' andlet,f 'rs, c:ljlflll'in what was endl s. and multi·form in n. simpl· : ."8t('III, in t I'm: . For nilthe. pos ihdilies of seizing th world throllght.he lIIind IIllIst Illwe lain in him, nllm 11: -1",1I11l1UmeJ, but no illlpo&Jible, not unimaginablr,"I ill '('ed lind bnd but rs entilll to hilll. purtIIf him, and organil'nlly growing in him,It WUR not gi"cn to the wentltermllk('r 10pe-rpctuat(' one of his prescntiment,.: /lnd to h'udit, do,.;er to the point of being pro I' d, u proofit. hllrdly noetled fol' him, He hlCUllle lIeitllll'lin/' \.If'th(· lI1l1ny il1\'('ntor: of /lcfi].t 1Illr ofj.:l'Oliletn" nor of lIleuicine or list rOn011l I'. H f'rCllllline;' lUI IInlolll"'l1 link in Iho \'IllIin: bul, IIlink liS indi,.:pen"u ble a IIny other: h· pn":l'l'dlin what, he hnd re('l'i\'(·d lind added new knowl.edg-p lie had IIc/fuil'rd lind strllp; rled for, Forhe, too. hud di"ciplc" In the ('our'(' uf th('Y('lIrli hI' trained two IIjlprl'ntiee. to b' rain·Illllk('rs, OIH' (Jf whol1l later ber'1Im his : 11 'C(,"f'ol',:--: or was the II'l'at hl'l'nw k I' . (Jared a vcrybi tN experienee- and disappoint ment in thiill1portant, pl'fhap!! the mo. t. responsible :sphl'rof hi!! Om(·C', th pa sinf( on I)f t radit ions llndtraining of ,uepp:;sorf'. The first lll'prcntirf'who s ught his fal'or and was IIl10w('d afterwlliting amI beil1l! pnt oIT fpr II lonl! lime toenter the sen'ice of thc mn;-.Ier wns e-lIl1r d rarnand cnu rI him a disnppoinlment whir'h 11(' wnHnever quit.e able to get, 01'01'. lie WIlS I"CI'\'ilf'and flattering, and for long he a",.lIm·d t ht'gllise of eomplet obr'diencp, but he Inekpd thi,.and that, n hove nil hc lackcd eOllrn ('. hl'fenre-d the night and dllrkn s,. n fad 1)(' trit'dto conceal and which ]\l1el'ht, nit Iiougil hI'noticed it, long snpposed t.o Ie (L n'llll1l1nt IIfrhildhooU which would di,.:npp('ar. Rllt it didnot di. app aI', This disciple abo (·()mpll'f.r·I 'I:u-ked the (!tellity of abundonillg him,wlf : t·lf·IC'!-lsl.v ulld without, ulterior m( tin'", to ob.-en'in,C',t,o th· ar-t-; nnd proee-ssc, of his ellllin . toIhollghl,.: IIl1d intuition. Hp \\'11": el('\'('r, III'pOlllse--;sed n hrillht. quick inlellel'f., lind tll/ltwhieh can b(' learned I\'ilhou oIe\'oti 111 11('learned efl'iil \' and well. Hut it l)('cal11(' mon'and more oh 'i()us t hilt 11 ' hnd : 1'111,,11 intl'nt iOI1 .and aims for t hI' "akf' flf 1\ l,ieh lip wlIl1t·d ()learn rniI1JJlllkin . \rhat lit· lIantL-d mlln' thlln;Ll1 ·thil1g else W'IlS prestigr', to pillY a pHrt alldimpr . people, hI' hud till' \'anity of 1I I'crH\11of t.alent 1m no palling,](n cht wa. rp('oJ1)p n ed by his two Intprdisciple, particularly by thc . 1"0l1d of tbe;:c,who was his own son Turu, He IOH'd tui,youngcst llnd last of his a,pprpnt i ('s and dis·ciples very dea.rly and bclieYed tLat he could
THE XXth CENTURYbe am mol' than he him If ever WnIl; it waslear tha hi grandfath 1"pirit had I' turnedto him. Knecht xp rieuced th in piring,atisf tion of un \'ing pId on t h urn of hikn wlcdg and faith in Ihe futur , and ofknowin u. man. doubly hi.on, lipan WhOIDhe cOllld onf'r his ani 'C fln.v day if it b ametoo mil h for him. How \"er, that first pllpil.wh 111m d out badly, C IIld no I.i pu!:'heilnl ir I all of his lif flnt! his houaht: heC III U man wbo, althou h no highly han redin t h\'illllge, wus n \" ,rth Ix remehpopul I' and not withou illnllcnce amollg many,h hat! JIlarried, enjoy I favor as n. Aort ofhuff 0011 unt! practical joker. was even 'hiefdrllmlD I' in the drummer' ehorwl. and I' .maincd a !' cret nmv and cn\'icr f th I' in·maker froUl whom the lalt I' bad IulierIII 11,)" a millor and also major injury.11 I' N came n. yenr-]{lIc .;ht's Lenrd \vUI nlrcndy ral her' gr y-whcn thr ord r bl"til N'lI h oxen and eo rt h Rf'cl1lcd 10 ha \'eIx'ell 81 ·[l·d and di turbed h\' d mons of 1111II. II I pow I' and mali '('.Tbe;.;c di tllrballec,b I!lln ill th Illltllmn, wcirdly and maje"ticlllI.\·,fri,lZhlc-nill v'ryollp to tht, bol.tolll of hil soul/tnd c·lut 'hing at his hellrt wilh fear. with a('f'1 'stial Bp cLacle n '\,cr s(;'en bt'fore which to kpi ·t· ROOII af 'I' thc e (llinox. ](n 'chi hlld forOllldllYs I cen fecling om'thing whi·h \Vll!'. tronger alld . tranger than thn which eOllld bef It e Ny year a this ime f !'hortenin1l day".It working of tho powers in the h 'n\'I'nly !.phl'rl'.1111 lin u in 13 of tharth, the Ilanls, tllPanimals, n re.·tle ne,!\ in t.hr air somethin' I1n·ettl tl, WHiting, anxious, premonilory, ill allArnon ! thc"e indielltion wcro nL' o then mIi Ir. e1uuda which, long aftcr the un hadt, Iow d [lliv ringly in Iho . n ning skin aRutt ring rnov ment which did not orr srond1,0 tho wind blowing on t.he carl,h. With thcexlin tion f th In t cloud taper, the tar in,hc gr ni h. pho pharo c nt ky amId nly oc·cam iliaI' learl \'i ibl and rapidly inCTeas('r!in number and briUianc ; wh rc a morm'n ago't,wo or thrbad been visible, tbere now stoodt n, tw nty. Many of t.1I m and t.h ir gruupRand famili s wcr kn wn to the rnilllllnk r. hehad sp('n hem muny hWlclr tis of tim's; theirIInehanged re urn hll 1 SOIUt'l hing . 001 hing nb litit, tar/! w'rl' eomfortin. A!tholl,h the V toadfltr nw . and cold up t 111'1", radiat in no ';lLrlllth,t bl'y wt'r' reliable, firmly fixed, pI' 'Inimingonl r. pI' rnising duration.'l'odn:-'. to, th Y I ok u down as a I\Va.y;;only v'ry light and II iI th y hadn ground\'cry . harpl:-' in the laut. thin air. bll he couldno lind tht' erenit V in himself to abandonhim '('If to th m;f unknuwn pacap weI' was dragging at him. hurl,illg in hi pore , . uddng at his (),ve,il 'ntly !tnd cons ntl.v ffective, a st.r('llLll, a warning trcmor.13esidt, him ill the hut th warm, f ble light ofTaut.he h art,h glow cl dimly red, tbe ,mall, W!lrmlif flowed on, a aU. a lallgh, a ya\\'1) I' oundedthe dol' of buman bocli breath d, th warmthof kin. mothl:'r1in enildreo'I p, andcmed by it, harm Ieproximi 'deepenthe falling night. to driv back thtur evellfurth I' into tbe incomprehensible di:taneo andheiKht.And now. while fr m wilhin the hu }(II cbthard'n' \'oiep uil'linl! u child with a d('cp,meladiOIl. hum :lnd drone. be wll Ihe ata:·t I' )ph in the ski " which thl:' \'illng was lorem mhcr for yenrs. In the qui(' . shining nel.work of stars a shimJ11('ring nnd flickering ap·pelll'f'd her nnd ther , as if tlie oth('J'wiRe in,j lhle t.hread· of this network 'utldc'nl" flaredlip. Likp tone bein hurt.led, glowing" lip nndquickly going 01lt llguill, a few till' feU r1ia nnall:-' Il.rough I pncl:', OUl' her, two I here, aff'W hl'r('. thell Wnrnli' of dl)Zen , of hllndrf'fb.of t.housltnds. Lilia dend ! av(·s. like wafted nowflal{(' tbe\' flt'd, t,h',""ands nnd thOllsund!:!.dowllwnrd'in ghn!'tl.\' iknf'e. disl\PI oring hI"hind Ih' woodl:'d h;1\8 in the .outh l\ t. wh rein I hI' J11('morv of mun no . ar had C'\' I' lieI ,somewher(' into l1 boltorole R cha, m.His heltrt froz n, his eye. wimming, KIlf'chHlol)d with his helld throW11 far back. lookingup horrifil'Ci and .\'f't insatiable inlo t.hl' Iran,,·form d and bewitched sky. not IrlJst.in hi!'C'.Ilnt! \'e on'" 1.00 I'l'rtnin Ilf 111 ' frightfuldi. l 1. '1'. 'Likc fill nll",r" who witu(''' I'd Ihi,!'pcctaf'll' uf thl' night, Ill' bP1i H·d tllll hr WaRI ('cing the weU·known stars them clvl:'s flinchinf!.:1'lltlcrina, and hurtling clown, and expf'c!. dthnl. unll"s the parth .wallowed him lip first.}.(' woulcl oon fincl thl' hf'a, nh' dOlT!e blackand I'mptied. Afl 1'1\ ",hil , hO \'('\'f'r, lif' per·C" ived what others WP1'P not. arabi (,f p r·('eh'ing: that the well.known stur" WI" t ill int.hcir pInel'S hc-rc and t,bern find v('fywh('fp.that, the blizzord of "I firs wa. not I'fI ling nmongthe cnrlh and Ihp hv. and that thp,w fallingor nllng. new, "f q;lickly apf'c'nrin' fI d ,0quickly di, flN)1:' r' g lirrbt ,glowed in II fir of11 Rligh 11 v cl i fIrrf"n cO](lr from tllllt f I hold,thl' I' 01' stnr!'.'oon hp hear,1 gronm,. !lcr am ,nnd C',clflma.lions of l,prror ('omin fr m ol.h I' hutR; otherllhfld not 'Cl:'d too, hnd CIll1ed out til new . hadalartnl'd I h unslI I' til)g and th ,I Jler·. feorAnd )lnni \V 1'(" annu I "f'izp the wholf' ;1I' ge. iabinlZ d('epl.v, I(neC"h t ok il uJlon him. plf.Tt \Vas he more I.)'nn anyone elst' at whom tbidisaster At.ruck, hC'. Ihl' ninmalicl': he, who wasHO to . p ak rp, pOI' ihle for t.he orc'l'r in Ihe k:vflnd in the air. lIilhcrlo h. hud alway I adfl.reknowl d!'! or II I' moni ion f gTc'a di,lI t('l':-{J clR. hail·t" mfl. vi lent 'rm -harlIllw vs pre par dad warned I h mother!' andddc R. had prevl'n1cr! the worst. had placl'dhimHfJlf, his knowlcl1 c Rnd his courage and hi!:!faith in the uTwrior power. hetween the villagoand de, r ir. "Vhy had h not known ill ad\-anc,
f',THEHAI fAK8Rund La.k'n uwu.::lll.rc OU thil:l occasion? \-,,,'liyhu,l he nopoken a word to anybody aboutth,' durk, port.t.'ntQus premollition which, aft .rall, hC' hud had:1"01' a few lUore mOUlc:ntll he rcmaillC'J, hisf'lce l'llised towurd l·he conI illlllllg rain of stu 1''',I hell he bOll'ed his heaJ, slgheJ unce morc fJ'1I11Ja twa.vy hean, a
or rainmaker. He became the mo I, important person in the village at those times when b ha.d really to officiate as weathermaker. Tbi happened when a long period of drought, wet, or cold laid siege to the fields ll
