The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-08-25
aaerning Star and Catholic Messemge-.
o1IEAMs. SUNDAY. August IS. is's.
F L O r I N F.,
.,,noess OF BURGUNDY
A TALE OF THE FIRST cRUsADhRs'
nv WILLIAM BERNARD MAC GAZE
ICoutinued.l

gro.ppGe. md respect every word spoken r.
~ him-"do not suppose that IN 'nvitng yGa et
10 listen to the duration oil intSn,on. when nd
DRESSING myself to the ears Of hungry a,es, ~ CT
Jesear,t upon tho horrors of famine, 10 awSa ~. n
i. v1Ga .s Sdss e. its sas@s
fTst it is now somewhat moro than sixSy b
ussss ssnce great dearth fell upon the eafsn
For three successive seasons orS srewiur crop in
Franca In Greece in Italy, in the East, anu IN d
England. The sun appeared to nave .h" esrth b
drawn his yivifsinG m Msat the sky was OBJ
scnrsd by clouds, and rain poured down almost ae n
incessanfly upon the ground tne seea ro..ou
in the soil .SS tSd pashy fields
a ~ tha worst garbage they could discover, and
Then every other species OF food failed, u was
Notorious that some miserable wretches actual
~ lived upon the bodies of tho dead Nay, It
Gaa rumored, and that rumor found belief,
that nersons travelling through the land had,
during that awful ti an peen sss and
bodies deyoured by those who had slain them
It was even positively affirmed that human
flesh had been offered for SAFE T IN sne
had been frequently bought there-but that ON
ono occasion this vile cheat, SO practised on
the the ,eiier 81 human bodies torn to pieces by
the mob, and his remains burned;
"How great must have been the sufferings
Of the as in esn
;ors nriests sold ali the gold and silver YES
sels in their churches it was In vain that poor
creatures sought to sustain LIE; as snSy ono IN
Their other food-hundreds and thousands
perished-perished miserably.
1.-THE famine at length ceased, the earth
teemed with its former abundance; the golden
corn again covered tho land the cattle again
brovsed in the plains; hut still joy was not
estSa a awful consequences Of the famine-iay
like q curse upon every village, and carried
desolation into every hamlet in the district OF
the Masconnois.
"There was fear in every homestead-dread
in the breast of every father-the icy pangs Of
terror chilled the distracted heart OF every
mother for it was known that there were dis
persed amid the Masconuois some monsters in
human form-horrble wretches-who, having
saved themselves from death by. eating the
the abomnable food, that they now preferred
it to ali others; and that to obtain it they muir.
dered their victims now to crafty their appe-
tites, rs they had formerly done to prolonR
their own existence. In the deserted portions
of this district it was believed that the life OF
any animal was more secure from destruction
than that of weak man or Of an unprotected
female; whilst even in the towns and tue vii
lagos it was said-anil many circumstances
occurred to confirm the reportcthat those
children into their power in order that the!
might slay them and eat them.
FSuch was the condition of the NascoDnoi
when 1 was, / suppose, about ten or lively
years of age. There was nothing so constantl.
dinned into my ears by my terror stricken mo
ther, as warnings, if should ever be left alone
man. old or young, and above all things to rul
away from every one did not know. If the
tempted ME to come near them, by Offering t
Die; for if did, would most assuredly b
killed, roasted and eaten by those awfui mar
eaters aaH. CIV, T., ,,v fo.,sr 70 ma or. ia,
that my mothar was, for the thousandth tim
giving me the same warning; never run ava
from any one, but at the same time never a.
cept gift from stranger, without the Pc
mission of thy parents. To run away is I'll
act of q coward; to accept gift from one
whom thou hast rendered NO service, 10 an az
of meanness and would sooner sec thee dea
than find thee grow upa coward or, save-lik
willing to place myself under an obligation
HGs thou e~ nss e so a ts,nss
will be, in case of necessity, q better prote
ton for thee than all the womanly warnings
thy mother. Here is bow and o sheaf of u
best Mascon arrows; when thou canst shoot
oparrow ut twenty yards distance every tin
thou aimest at him, then it is thy own fault
nan-eater ever take thee by surprise
"fThat feat can already perform, fathe
answeFed, somewhat proudly.
Good ohildF said he Patti a;tting e! me re, on on.
it is q tiny dagger. Here boy, fasten it with
tho folds Of thy tunic; Let none ever see til
draw 10. A weapon like this, once expos.
age, is worse than toy, for stronger ha
than thine may grasp It, and plunge it in t
v heart. Observe, then. Guy, thou art never
show this to playfellow-never let any c
know. thou hast it. The secret, mark is c
on which thine own life depends. And tn
remember. thou art never to draw this dagt
unless thou see-unless thou art sare thine o.
life is in danger-and if it be, if thou hast
other means of saving thyself, then draw
Quickly, and thrust it with all thy might
sRVe-+not into the face, but into the bowels
thy adyersary.' ...s D.. ..s..
Alas sighed forth my mother, rs t. til
YOU teach our child already to become q STAY
of his feilow-creaturesT s.
",:Iteach him no such thing replied 1
father, " only teach him how, in case an
tack be made upon his life, he may best p
test. himself. The boy 10 to be soldier;
must, like myself, render military service
which he will inherit from me. He must les
betimes never to fear, never to think OF r.
ming away, never to risk the loss Of his Z
by oowardce in the presence of a foe. =!
boy, if he be not hypocrite, already gi
proof that he is of fearless spirit. ! sh
him how, if he be at all times wstchful, he {
guard his own life as if he were twenty ye
of age. If he be cautious and courageous
is safe. Let him feel this, know this, and l