Simplicissimus by Grimmelshausen Johann

Author:Grimmelshausen, Johann [Grimmelshausen, Johann]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: SCB Distributors
Published: 2012-10-22T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Contains all kind of things of little importance and great self-importance

Nothing else of note happened to me on that expedition. When I got back to Soest I discovered that the Hessians from Lippstadt had captured the servant I had left behind with my baggage in my quarters together with a horse which he had taken out to graze. From him the enemy learnt more about the way I went about things and came to respect me even more, for until then they had accepted the general rumour that I had magic powers. He told them that he had been one of the ‘devils’ that had given the Huntsman of Werl such a fright at the sheep-farm. When the said Huntsman heard this he felt so humiliated that he made himself scarce again, leaving Lippstadt to join the Dutch. For me, however, the capture of my servant turned out to be a great piece of good fortune, as will become apparent from later instalments of my story.

Now I began to tone down my behaviour, since I had such great hopes of soon being made ensign. I associated more and more with the officers and with the young noblemen who were hoping to achieve what I imagined would soon be mine. That made them my worst enemies, though to my face they behaved as if they were my best friends; the lieutenant-colonel was no longer so well-disposed towards me either because he had been ordered to promote me over the heads of his relatives. My captain, an old miser, also bore me a grudge because I had much finer horses, clothes and arms than he and no longer treated him to free drink as liberally as before. He would have been happier to see my head chopped off than an ensign’s post promised me, since he had hoped to inherit my splendid horses.

The lieutenant hated me for a careless word I had let slip recently. It happened during the last expedition when we were both sent to act as look-out in a particularly exposed position. When it was my turn to keep watch, which had to be done lying down, even though it was pitch dark, the lieutenant crawled up to me on his belly, like a snake, and said, ‘Look-out, can you see anything?’ to which I replied, ‘Yes, sir.’

‘What? What?’ he said.

‘I can see that you’re afraid’, I said.

From then on I was completely out of favour with him and I was always the first to be sent wherever the danger was greatest. He kept looking for any opportunity to give me a good thrashing before I was made ensign, because until then I could not resist. The sergeants were no less hostile to me either because I was preferred to them. Even the love and friendship of the ordinary soldiers was beginning to waver, since it looked as if I despised them because, as I said, I had started associating more with my betters, who liked me none the better for it.

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