Near Muskau, Germany, 1639. The trees, which had closed ranks on - TopicsExpress



          

Near Muskau, Germany, 1639. The trees, which had closed ranks on the river miles ago, suddenly thinned out. Emaciated oaks reached skyward with blackened branches, appealing to the clouds for rain that could not help the dead. The sight of the vast, burned, forest took James by surprise. “What happened here?” he asked. “Oh, yes,” Mr. Ritter replied. “Wallenstein made camp here a few years ago, and after he left the forest caught fire. It burned for six weeks. We still don’t know how it happened. All we know is the Swedes did nothing to put it out, and the ancient castle burned.” He pointed inland, past the bend in the river where the village sat, and in the dark orange glow of sunset James could just make out the distant ruins.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 03:19:16 +0000

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