Show THE regensburg BRIDGE an interesting uval legend of a structure over the lie danube 1 1 ew towns I 1 fancy combine within their walls so many buildings of interest and BO so many memories dear to mankind as 03 regensburg we sat down upon the pavement in the market place to muse of these things our backs to a church wall and our hats full of freshly picked strawberries from the basket of an equally fresh peasant lassie who deligh delighted in seeing us cat her fruit but the monument most interesting to a canoeist is the stone bridge claimed by burgers era to be the strong est in the world at any rate the span between the piers Is no wider than the buttresses and the river rushes through so turbulently as to create very risky looking whirlpools whirl and rapids below the engineer troops of in folstadt gol stadt have to take pilots when they pass this town and we were strongly urged todo to do the same but we had no room and consequently determined to try tor for ourselves we succeeded by choosing the right hand arch and our success was in spite of the devil for his bhare la in its construction wai wa very great as every danube sailor will at test the story runs that while the cathedral was in course of construction the chief architect in trusted to a very clever apprentice the task of making this bridge the young man felt so confident that he offered to span the danube before his master had finished the cathedral but he lie finally found that he lie had undertaken too much for the sacred pile went up with great steadiness while the bridge moved with great difficulty the youngster finally vented his discouragement in blasphemous wishes that the devil might take over the job ko no sooner spoken than a venerable monk appeared and offered to do the work in liis his sandals were cloven hoofs and a tail whisked under the sacred garb but nevertheless a bargain was made and it was agreed that when the bridge was done the devil was waa to have the first three living things that cro closed sed tho the devil kept his word all the material came to hand with such devilish rapidity that the morning broke upon a completed bridge it was may day and of course a great crowd was present each eager to be first in crossing so new and magnificent a thoroughfare ough fare the devil delighted with his bargain rubbed his hands under the second arch from theobore thea the shore bore and waited tor for hla hia victims said sald the architect to the crowd stand back I 1 in the opening of this bridge wo we have a solemn ceremony to perform before it can be pronounced sate safe jacob said be with a wink to his foreman let the strangers take precedence at these words a rough wolf dog followed by a cock and a hen was set at large and crossed the first arch of the bridge at the same time a dreadful noise was heard under the piers the mangled remains ot of the three animals flew fiew in all directions and the devil was seen to disappear screaming cheated cheated of my feel the monks now sprinkled holy water on the bridge and the happy people rejoiced the second arch of the regensburg dridge bridge as if to prove the legend la Is Is till savagely bent upon destroying the boatman venturing beneath it and arwe as we had no desire to measure the strength of our paddle with that of the devils pitchfork we carefully avoided it and advise all al others to do the bame same poultney ncy bigelow in fit Ilar pers |