summoned: he was at that time out fishing in the fjord. They ran to the mayor, who was also postmaster; but he had locked himself up with the mail that had just arrived, and answered through the window that he could not come; the post-office clerk was at a burial, and they must wait. But as they would not delay murdering one another until the mail had been sorted, several voices, chiefly those of terrified women, shouted that word should be sent for Arne, the blacksmith. This was agreed to by the worthy citizens, and now Arne’s own wife was sent after him, “for the policeman was not at home.” Arne came, to the delight of all school-boys, and he made a couple of dashes at the crowd, brought forth a gallant Spaniard, and used him as a club against all the others, promiscuously.
When all was over, the mayor came walking along, staff in hand. He found some old women and children talking together on the field of battle. These he sternly commanded to go home and eat their dinner, and then he himself did the same.
But the next day he instituted a trial; this lasted some time, although no one could give the least information concerning who had been fighting. Only on one point were they all
