• A Sunken Forest
• Treasures
• The Alber

A Sunken Forest

Near the village of Kitzbühel used to stand a magnificent forest. Two peasants had a lawsuit over it for several years. It ended when the judge, who had been bribed by one of the two peasants, awarded the land to him and sent the one the forest really belonged to, off with no hope of ever regaining his right.

The lengthy trial and corrupt verdict had made the losing party poor. He could not rest, but constantly wailed over his misfortune, saying that he had been cheated and unjustly condemned.

But the other, hearing the constant complaining of the poor, injured man, one day called out, "Well, then, by all the devils, keep on crying. If I have unlawfully gained the forest, may it sink a thousand metres beneath the ground."

These words had scarcely gone out of his mouth, when an earthquake happened, and along with it a fearful thunderstorm, The majestic forest sank beneath his feet, and black waves rolled over it.

Though very deep as the See [lake] is, during certain kinds of weather the forms of trees can be clearly seen far down below.

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Treasures

Many are those who, once wealthy and rich, now live on the alms of other people because of their passion for treasure-seeking. In their infatuation they neglected their domestic work, and almost without knowing it, stood on the verge of beggary.

There are treasures in all parts of the country, on the mountains, in the valleys, under rocks and trees, in the lakes, in the cellars, even beneath the hearths and behind the walls. The ruins of once powerful strongholds generally hidel treasure in different forms, and there is not one ruin in the whole Tyrol that does not possess its treasure tradition.

It is said that a treasure on some days give off a blue light, or a green light, or a yellowish-green light.

This is what once happened on the post-route from Imst to Landeck, close by the hamlet of Starkenbach. On this spot several people had noticed at different times a green light which lasted from two to five minutes. However, when they approached, it dissolved into mist and disappeared.

Some men of Starkenbach happened to be at work on the very same spot one autumn over a hundred and fifty years ago under the supervision of the road-maker, when one of the men pulled up a piece of turf and was joyfully surprised when some two hundred silver coins lay at his feet. Most of them well-preserved Roman coins bearing the inscriptions of emperors and empresses. The coins were all of the same size.

"Such treasures," declare Tyrolians, "are lying in thousands all over the country, if it were only possible to lay hands on them, as on those Roman coins."

[210-14]

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The Alber

The Floitenthal, near the Ziller valley, is surrounded by such terrific mountains; chasms, and rocks, as are nowhere else to be seen; the mountains of Floitenthurrn and Teufelseck especially attract the attention of the traveller. The latter mountain is called "Teufelseck" (devil's corner) because it is said that at certain times the devil is seen descending from it in the form of a huge fiery dragon. He then flies through the Bleiarzkar, a narrow hole in the rock, which leads through the Stilluppe into the Zillerthal. This hell-dragon is called the Alber, and whenever he appears, plague, famine, and war are the sure consequences.

It once happened that during a pitch-dark night, two men climbed the cherry-tree which stands close to the Mission Cross of Algund, near the village of Meran. One of them, the tailor Hanser, was a most wicked man, an idle vagabond and debauchee; and just on that dreadful night he had made a bet with some of his worthless companions to fetch home cherries from the tree near the cross; but as he was a rank coward, he did not dare to go alone, and so he persuaded a good villager, old Sepp, to accompany him.

Sepp climbed the tree first, but could nowhere find any cherries, so he climbed higher and higher, almost to the very top, and he was very much astonished at not being able to discover the least sign of fruit, for he knew the tree to be loaded. As he climbed, he noticed a peculiar, disquieting noise among the leaves.

Hanser, in the meanwhile, had remained on a lower branch, where he found cherries by the hatful. At last Sepp shouted to him, "Hanser, can you find any?"

Hanser replied, "Oh! yes, wherever I put my hand they hang in clusters."

So Sepp climbed down to help his friend in gathering, but could not find one single cherry, while Hanser was filling his basket as fast as he could from the abundance thatsurrounded him.

Sepp began to feel very uncomfortable, and as he stood on the bough close to Hanser, he all at once saw the Alber fly by, lighting all around with the brilliancy of an electric fire. At this sight the tailor trembled so much that Sepp had to hold him to prevent him from falling, and said, "Has it already gone so far with you, Hanser, that the devil not only gives you his blessing, but lights you also to find all the cherries? Then may God preserve you."

He then shouted to the fiery Alber, "Hi there! Wait a little till I can find some cherries too."

But the devil flew off with the speed of lightning.

Even now people admire the courage of Sepp, who dared to accompany the worthless tailor on such an errand. But Sepp was such a good man that the devil had no power over him, and there was no reason to punish him for not stealing anything either.