Author: Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Release Date: June 19, 2004 [EBook #119]
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** Start of this project gutenberg
EBOOK A tramp abroad ***
The HTML version was produced by David Widger.
Thanks to the many PG volunteers who have proofed
and reproofed the text file through the past 10 years
By Mark Twain
(Samuel L. Clemens)
One day it occurred to me that it had been many years
since the world had been afforded the spectacle of
a man adventurous enough to undertake a journey through
Europe on foot. After much thought, I decided
that I was a person fitted to furnish to mankind this
spectacle. So I determined to do it. This
was in March, 1878.
I looked about me for the right sort of person to
accompany me in the capacity of agent, and finally
hired a Mr. Harris for this service.
It was also my purpose to study art while in Europe.
Mr. Harris was in sympathy with me in this. He
was as much of an enthusiast in art as I was, and
not less anxious to learn to paint. I desired
to learn the German language; so did Harris.
Toward the middle of April we sailed in the HOLSATIA,
Captain Brandt, and had a very peasant trip, indeed.
After a brief rest at Hamburg, we made preparations
for a long pedestrian trip southward in the soft spring
weather, but at the last moment we changed the program,
for private reasons, and took the express-train.
We made a short halt at Frankfort-on-the-Main, and
found it an interesting city. I would have liked
to visit the birthplace of Gutenburg, but it could
not be done, as no memorandum of the site of the house
has been kept. So we spent an hour in the Goethe
mansion instead. The city permits this house
to belong to private parties, instead of gracing and
dignifying herself with the honor of possessing and
protecting it.
Frankfort is one of the sixteen cities which have
the distinction of being the place where the following
incident occurred. Charlemagne, while chasing
the Saxons (as he said), or being chased by them
(as they said), arrived at the bank of the river
at dawn, in a fog. The enemy were either before
him or behind him; but in any case he wanted to get
across, very badly. He would have given anything
for a guide, but none was to be had. Presently
he saw a deer, followed by her young, approach the
water. He watched her, judging that she would
seek a ford, and he was right. She waded over,
and the army followed. So a great Frankish victory
or defeat was gained or avoided; and in order to commemorate
the episode, Charlemagne commanded a city to be built
there, which he named Frankfort—the ford
of the Franks. None of the other cities where
this event happened were named for it. This
is good evidence that Frankfort was the first place
it occurred at.
