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By Root 2945 0

But when he reached Marstal, he saw lights everywhere and the streets teeming with people, even though it was late evening. Some were shouting incomprehensible orders; others were whimpering and praying. A belligerent crowd was marching up Markgade armed with scythes, pitchforks, and the odd gun, and terrified young mothers rushed around the streets, clutching wailing babies, sure that the German would skewer them on his bayonet. By the well on the corner of Markgade and Vestergade a skipper's wife was arguing with a servant girl. The woman had got it into her head that they should hide in the well and was ordering the girl to go first.

"After you, madam," the girl insisted.

We men were ordering one another about as well, but there were too many skippers in our town for anyone to heed anyone else, so all we could agree on was a solemn vow to part with our lives only at the highest possible price.

The upheaval reached the parsonage in Kirkestrædet where Pastor Zachariassen was entertaining guests. One lady fainted, but the pastor's twelve-year-old son, Ludvig, grabbed a poker, ready to defend his country against the advancing enemy. At the home of Mr. Isager, the schoolteacher, who also doubled up as parish clerk, the family prepared for imminent attack. All twelve sons were on hand to celebrate the birthday of their mother, the portly Mrs. Isager; she equipped them with clay pots filled with ashes and commanded them to throw the contents in the face of the German, should he dare to storm their house.

Our flock moved on through Markgade toward Reberbanen led by old Jeppe, who was waving a pitchfork and yelling that the German was welcome to come and get him if he dared. Laves Petersen, the little carpenter, was forced to return home. He had bravely slung his gun over his shoulder and filled his pockets to bursting with bullets, but halfway down the street, he suddenly remembered he'd left his gunpowder behind.

At Marstal Mill the miller's hefty wife, Madam Weber, already armed with a pitchfork, insisted on joining the fight, and because she appeared more intimidating than most of us men, we instantly welcomed her to our bloodthirsty ranks.

Laurids, who was an emotional man, was so fired up by the general fighting spirit that he too ran home to find a weapon. Karoline and the four children were hiding under the dining table in the parlor when he burst in and proclaimed cheerfully, "Come along, kids, time to go to war!"

There was a hollow thud. It was Karoline, banging her head against the underside of the dining table. She crawled laboriously out from under the tablecloth, stood to her full height, and screamed at her husband, "Have you completely lost your mind, Madsen? Children don't go to war!"

Rasmus and Esben started jumping up and down.

"We want to go! We want to go!" they yelled in unison. "Please, please, let us go."

Little Albert had already started rolling his cannonball around.

"Have you all gone stark raving mad?" their mother shouted, boxing the ears of whichever child came near. "You get back under that table right now!"

Laurids ran into the kitchen to find a suitable weapon. "Where do you keep the big frying pan?" he called into the parlor.

"You keep your hands off it!" Karoline shouted back.

"Well, I'll take the broom then," he announced. "The German will be sorry!"

They heard the front door slam behind him.

"Did you hear that?" whispered Rasmus, the eldest, to Albert. "Father wasn't even speaking American."

"The man's insane," their mother said, shaking her head in the darkness underneath the dining table. "Have you ever heard of anyone going to war with a broom?"

Laurids's arrival in our militant crowd stirred great delight. True, he had a reputation for being cocky, but he was big and strong and good to have on your side.

"Is that the only weapon you've got?"

We had spotted the broom.

"It's good enough for the German," he replied, brandishing it aloft. "We'll sweep him right out of here."

Feeling invincible, we roared with laughter at his joke.

"Let's leave a few pitchforks