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A strange joy suddenly lighted up the brow of the count

"Ah," said he, breathinghimself up--"ah, I

thank God that I now have so the unfortunate weeping and writhing servants, ere

crawling in the dust before him, Munnich cried: "No ed until you

have breathed out your miserable lives! The knout here! Strike! I will

look on from my s, and see that my commands are executed! Ah, I

will teach you to break e the blood!"

The field-marshal stationed himself at his openThe servants had

fors ere receiving their

punishment in the court below The air was filled with the shrieks of

the tortured men, blood flowed in streams over their flayed backs, and

at every new stroke of the knout they howled and shrieked for mercy;

while at every new shriek Munnich cried out to his executioners: "No, no e the culprits! I would, I , the band of servants looked on with folded hands; with a

savage smile upon his face, stood Count Munnich at hisabove

Weaker and weaker grew the cries of the unhappy sufferers--they no

longer prayed for mercy The knout continued to flay their bodies, but

their blood no longer flowed--they were dead!

The surrounding servants folded their hands in prayer for the souls

of the deceased, and then loudly co from the , Count Munnich ordered his breakfast to be

served!() () Such horribly cruel punishments of the serfs were at