FOR THE LITTLE ONES

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 199, 23 August 1930, Page 3 (Supplement)

FOR THE LITTLE ONES

THE BURGOMASTER AND THE LilON.

HOW COLOGNE WAS SAVED

My Dear Little Friends, — I'm sure that each of "my little readers knows that the Mayor is a very important gentleman upon whom rests a great responsibility, and to-day I am going to" tell you the story of the Mayor or Burgomaster of Cologne. In those days Cologne was a very rich city and had for its Mayor a gallant merchant prince named Hermann Gryn. In the city, however, there was a wicked archbishop, who determined to have all the wealth of the city for himself. Accordingly he went about, stirring up trouble between the merchants and the working people, and very soon a civil war broke out. Then the archbishop,. Engelbert by name, took the treasure of the city and broupht into Cologne an army of hired soldiers, who prevented the townspeople from regaining their rights or their liberty. Brave old Hermann Gryn, however, came to the rescue of the city. He went to the merchants and he went to the working people, and pointed out to both parties how silly it was to quarrel in such a fashion, eventually persuading them to band together and drive out the hired troops and regain their riches from the archbishop. Silently and warily the Burgomaster laid his plans for the general uprising, and this took place, bringing about the desired result. The archbishop was captured and all his troops were driven from the town. He was, however, allowed to go free upon swearing never to trouble the city again. Engelbert, knowing that it would be impossible for him to capture the town whilst the Burgomaster lived, determined to put an end to his existence, but in such a way that the fury jof the townspeople would not be aroused. At last he formed a plan and sent a message to Hermann Gryn summoning him to the monastery. At the monastery-the simple hearted burgomaster was told that the archbishop awaited him in the menagerie. Along the wall he was escorted until he came to an iron gate set into the stone. His guide opened this and the Mayor entered. Immediately afterwards the door slammed shut and Hermann Gryn found himself imprisoned with a hungry lion. His only weapon was a short sword, such as was carried by all men in those troubled times. "Ha, ha, ha! a mocking voice cried from outside. "We have trapped you at last. Cologne now belongs to the archbishop." Gryn took no notice, however, for he was busy watching the lion which gazed at him with hungry eyes. Whilst he watched the Burgomaster wrapped his thick fur cloak about his left arm to form a shield and gripped his sword firmly in his right hand. Suddenly the lion sprang and the man thrust his cloak-covered arm into its mouth, and whilst the animal was trying to swallow the fur, killed it with his sword. Meanwhile the archbishop's men spread about the rumour that Hermann Gryn had been accidentally killed in the lion's den, but the townsfolk would not believe this and raided the monastery, setting the Burgomaster free. He was carried /l) \f ■ — back to the city in triumph, and aftar (\4 / /\ [a* that the bad archbishop never dared >7 to show himself in Cologne.