20-the ratcatcher- 第2部分

have　taken　them　with　him　to　his　country。　That　is　why　for　several

years　they　sent　in　search　of　them　to　different　countries；　but　no　one

ever　came　on　the　trace　of　the　poor　little　ones。



It　was　not　till　much　later　that　anything　was　to　be　heard　of　them。



About　one　hundred　and　fifty　years　after　the　event；　when　there

was　no　longer　one　left　of　the　fathers；　mothers；　brothers　or　sisters

of　that　day；　there　arrived　one　evening　in　Hamel　some　merchants

of　Bremen　returning　from　the　East；　who　asked　to　speak　with　the

citizens。　They　told　that　they；　in　crossing　Hungary；　had　sojourned

in　a　mountainous　country　called　Transylvania；　where　the　inhabitants

only　spoke　German；　while　all　around　them　nothing　was　spoken　but

Hungarian。　These　people　also　declared　that　they　came　from

Germany；　but　they　did　not　know　how　they　chanced　to　be　in　this

strange　country。　‘Now；'　said　the　merchants　of　Bremen；　‘these

Germans　cannot　be　other　than　the　descendants　of　the　lost　children

of　Hamel。'



The　people　of　Hamel　did　not　doubt　it；　and　since　that　day　they

regard　it　as　certain　that　the　Transylvanians　of　Hungary　are　their

country　folk；　whose　ancestors；　as　children；　were　brought　there　by　the

ratcatcher。　There　are　more　difficult　things　to　believe　than　that。＇16＇



＇16＇　Ch。　Marelles；