The next moment, a jay called not far away. I started and saw a figure standing behind one of the beech trees, only some twenty paces from us. The figure had moved out slightly from behind the trunk of the tree, presumably to observe us better, and so I could make out a sleeveless black coachman’s coat, a top hat, and the ivory-handled walking stick that the man held. Suddenly he turned his face to me, and my heart missed a beat.
It was Carl von Strelitz.
The Prussian agent did not for one moment hesitate. With his free hand, he reached into the inner pocket of his coat and brought out a small black pistol. There was a report, and the bark of the beech tree directly behind me split open as if at the lash of a whip. I seized Maria’s arm and drew her behind the rock.
“Do you have anything to do with this man?” I whispered as another shot rang out and dust from the rock rained down on us. “Have you set him on me? Is he the man who will kill you?”
Maria shook her head in silence. Fear seemed to hold her in its frozen grasp.
Desperately, I tried to calm my breathing, but my heart beat wildly. “He has a double-barreled Derringer,” I said quietly, cautiously peering out from behind the rock. “He fired the same gun at me once before, a few weeks ago. The devil knows how he found me. At least he’ll have to reload.” I looked deep into Maria’s eyes. “Now, we are going to run, do you hear me? Over to the castle, where we’ll be safe. Don’t turn around. Just run as fast as you can. One, two, run!”
On that last word we shot out from behind the rock and ran like hares. The castle was not very far away, and I could only hope that Carl von Strelitz would not overtake us before we reached it. As we ran, all kinds of thoughts whirled through my mind. What was the Prussian agent doing at Herrenchiemsee? Was he still pursuing me? But he must assume that I had long ago told the king about his meeting with Dr. Gudden. So was it simply a wish for revenge that brought him here, or was there some other reason for Strelitz’s presence on the island? What had Maria meant when she said, He’ll kill me?
We ran in haste over small streams and through thick undergrowth, so that my coat was soon dirty and ripped at the hem. Beside me, Maria was gasping for breath, but she bravely ran on toward the castle. It must now be hidden somewhere behind the trees to the northeast. I could only hope that in our wild haste we wouldn’t miss seeing it. When, once, I briefly turned around, I saw that von Strelitz still had his walking stick in his hand. Now he pulled the ivory handle, and a long, thin blade appeared. He cut himself a way through the undergrowth with it, steadily gaining ground on us.
Beside me, Maria stumbled and fell full length in the muddy bend of a stream. I heard von Strelitz let out a cry of triumph. I knew at that moment that we wouldn’t make it.
“Go on, run to the castle,” I cried to Maria, roughly pulling at her dress. “I’ll hold him off until you get there.”
“But . . .”
“No buts!” I hauled her out of the stream. She swayed, tottered, and finally hurried on.
The Prussian agent was only a few paces behind me now. I could hear branches cracking as he broke through the thickets. I turned to face him. He held the swordstick stretched far out ahead of him; he meant to stick me like a pig. At the last moment I swerved aside and let him run into empty space; the top hat flew off his head.
Without taking my eyes off the agent, I picked up a stout branch lying on the mossy ground and swung it. Von Strelitz jumped back and feinted a move to the left, in order, finally, to thrust from the right. The blade slit open my coat, which was ruined anyway, and struck me right in the chest—where it unexpectedly met with hard resistance. I staggered a step back and looked down at myself in astonishment. I had expected to be mortally wounded. But a lucky dispensation of Providence had preserved me from death for the moment: the thrust of the blade had been deflected by my silver pocket watch!
With fresh heart, I rushed toward my adversary. This time I swung the branch like a scythe and uttered a berserk yell. Von Strelitz swerved, but the branch struck him on the side at chest height and sent him staggering. As he tottered backward, I took aim with the branch again, and this time I struck him on the left temple. Von Strelitz turned up his eyes, dropped the swordstick, and finally collapsed on the ground like a felled tree.
Instead of dealing him the final mortal blow, in my fear I threw the branch far from me, and hurried away. I almost expected von Strelitz to come after me, but suddenly the trees thinned out, and I saw the green, well-tended turf on the western side of the castle before me. On my right were the two fountains and the garden complex, and two gardeners with wheelbarrows stared at me in astonishment as I broke through the bushes like a wild boar being pursued.