With Frederick the Great: A Story of the Seven Years' War, Page 4

  Chapter 3: The Outbreak Of War.

  As Lindsay had predicted, the marshal had, on the evening of theday Fergus joined his regiment, said to him:

  "I generally have half an hour's fencing the first thing of amorning, Fergus. It is good exercise, and keeps one's muscleslissome. Come round to my room at six. I should like to see whatthe instructors at home have done for you, and I may be able to putyou up to a few tricks of the sword that may be of use to you, ifyou are ever called upon to break his majesty's edicts againstduelling."

  Fergus, of course, kept the appointment.

  "Very good. Very good, indeed," the marshal said, after the firstrally. "You have made the most of your opportunities. Your wrist isstrong and supple, your eye quick. You are a match, now, for mostmen who have not worked hard in a school of arms. Like almost allour countrymen, you lack precision. Now, let us try again."

  For a few minutes Fergus exerted himself to the utmost, but failedto get his point past the marshal's guard. He had never seenfencing like this. Keith's point seemed to be ever threatening him.The circles that were described were so small that the blade seemedscarcely to move; and yet every thrust was put aside by a slightmovement of the wrist, and he felt that he was at his opponent'smercy the whole time. Presently there was a slight jerk and, on theinstant, his weapon was twisted from his hand and sent flyingacross the room.

  Keith smiled at his look of bewilderment.

  "You see, you have much to learn, Fergus."

  "I have indeed, sir. I thought that I knew something about fencing,but I see that I know nothing at all."

  "That is going too far the other way, lad. You know, for example, avast deal more than Lindsay did when he came to me, six months ago.I fancy you know more than he does now, or ever will know; for hestill pins his faith on the utility of a slashing blow, as if thesabre had a chance against a rapier, in the hands of a skilful man.However, I will give you a lesson every morning, and I shouldadvise you to go to Van Bruff every evening.

  "I will give you a note to him. He is by far the best master wehave. Indeed, he is the best in Europe. I will tell him that thetime at your disposal is too short for you to attempt to become athorough swordsman; but that you wish to devote yourself tolearning a few thrusts and parries, such as will be useful in aduel, thoroughly and perfectly. I myself will teach you that trickI played on you just now, and two others like it; and I think itpossible that in a short time you will be able to hold your own,even against men who may know a good deal more of the principlesand general practice of the art than yourself."

  Armed with a note from the marshal, Fergus went the next day to thefamous professor. The latter read the letter through carefully, andthen said:

  "I should be very glad to oblige the marshal, for whom I have thehighest respect, and whom I regard as the best swordsman in Europe.I often practise with him, and always come away having learnedsomething. Moreover, the terms he offers, for me to give you anhour and a half's instruction every evening, are more than liberal.But every moment of my time in the evening is occupied, from fiveto ten. Could you come at that hour?"

  "Certainly I could, professor."

  "Then so be it. Come at ten, punctually. My school is closed atthat hour, but you will find me ready for you."

  Accordingly, during the next three weeks Fergus worked, from tentill half-past eleven, with Herr Van Bruff; and from six till halfpast with the marshal. His mountain training was useful indeed tohim now; for the day's work in the barrack was in itself hard andfatiguing and, tough as his muscles were, his wrist at first achedso at nights that he had to hold it, for some time, under a tap ofcold water to allay the pain. At the end of a week, however, ithardened again; and he was sustained by the commendations of histwo teachers, and the satisfaction he felt in the skill he wasacquiring.

  "Where is your new aide-de-camp, marshal?" the king asked, oneevening.

  It was the close of one of his receptions.

  "As a rule, these young fellows are fond of showing off in theiruniforms, at first."

  "He is better employed, sire. He has the makings of a very fineswordsman and, having some reputation myself that way, I should beglad that my young cousin should be able to hold his own well, whenwe get to blows with the enemy. So I and Van Bruff have taken himin hand, and for the last three weeks he has made such progressthat this morning, when we had open play, it put me on my mettle tohold my own. So, what with that and his regimental work, his handsare more than full; and indeed, he could not get through it, had heto attend here in the evening; and I know that as soon as he hasfinished his supper he turns in for a sound sleep, till he is wokein time to dress and get to the fencing school, at ten. Had therebeen a longer time to spare, I would not have suffered him to workso hard; but seeing that in a few days we may be on the march tothe frontier, we have to make the most of the time."

  "He has done well, Keith, and his zeal shows that he will make agood soldier. Yes, another three days, and our messenger shouldreturn from Vienna; and the next morning, unless the reply issatisfactory, the troops will be on the move. After that, whoknows?"

  During the last few days, the vague rumours that had beencirculating had gained strength and consistency. Every day freshregiments arrived and encamped near the city; and there werereports that a great concentration of troops was taking place, atHalle, under the command of Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick; andanother, under the Duke of Bevern, at Frankfort-on-the-Oder.

  Nevertheless, the public announcement that war was declared withAustria, and that the army would march for the frontier, in threedays' time, came as a sudden shock. The proclamation stated that,it having been discovered that Austria had entered into a secretconfederacy with other powers to attack Prussia; and the kinghaving, after long and fruitless negotiations, tried to obtainsatisfaction from that power; no resource remained but to declarewar, at once, before the confederates could combine their forcesfor the destruction of the kingdom.

  Something like dismay was, at first, excited by the proclamation. Awar with Austria was, in itself, a serious undertaking; but if thelatter had powerful allies, such as Russia, France, and Saxony--andit was well known that all three looked with jealousy on thegrowing power of the kingdom--the position seemed well-nighdesperate.

  Among the troops, however, the news was received with enthusiasm.Confident in their strength and discipline, the question of theodds that might be assembled against them in no way troubled them.The conquest of Silesia had raised the prestige of the army, andthe troops felt proud that they should have the opportunity ofproving their valour in an even more serious struggle.

  Never was there a more brilliant assembly than that at the palace,the evening before the troops marched. All the general officers andtheir staffs were assembled, together with the ladies of the court,and those of the nobility and army. The king was in high goodhumour, and moved about the rooms, chatting freely with all.

  "So you have come to see us at last, young sir," he said to Fergus."I should scold you, but I hear that you have been utilizing yourtime well.

  "Remember that your sword is to be used against the enemies of thecountry, only," and nodding, he walked on.

  The Princess Amelia was the centre of a group of ladies. She was acharming princess, but at times her face bore an expression of deepmelancholy; and all knew that she had never ceased to mourn thefate of the man she would have chosen, Baron Trench, who had beenthrown into prison by her angry father, for his insolence inaspiring to his daughter's hand.

  "You must be glad that your hard work is over, Drummond," Lindsaysaid, as they stood together watching the scene.

  "I am glad that the drill is over," Fergus replied, "but I shouldhave liked my work with the professor to have gone on for anothersix months."

  "Ah, well! You will have opportunities to take it up again, when wereturn, after thrashing the Austrians."

  "How long will that be, Lindsay?"

  The latter shrugged his shoulders.

  "Six months
or six years; who can tell?" he said. "If it be truethat Russia and France, to say nothing of Saxony, are with her, itis more likely to be years than months, and we may both come outcolonels by the time it is over."

  "That is, if we come out at all," Fergus said, with a smile at theother's confidence.

  "Oh! Of course, there is that contingency, but it is one neverworth reckoning with. At any rate, it is pretty certain that, if wedo fall, it will be with odds against us; but of course, asaides-de-camp our chance is a good deal better than that ofregimental officers.

  "At any rate, you have had good preparation for the campaign, foryour work will be child's play in comparison to what you have beengoing through. How you stood it, I cannot make out. I worked prettyhard when I first arrived; but the drill for the first six monthswas tremendous, and I used to be glad to crawl into bed, as soon asI had had my supper.

  "Well, you have been a poor companion so far, Drummond."

  "I am afraid I have been, but will try and make up for it, in thefuture.

  "I suppose there is no doubt that we shall march, in the firstplace, on Dresden."

  "I think that there is no doubt of that. There is no Saxon army tospeak of, certainly nothing that can offer any serious opposition.From there there are three or four passes by which we could pourinto Bohemia. Saxony is a rich country, too, and will afford us afine base for supplies, as we move on. I suppose the Austrians willcollect an army to oppose us, in Bohemia. When we have thrashedthem, I expect we shall go on straight to Vienna."

  Fergus laughed.

  "It all sounds easy enough, Lindsay. I only hope that it will comeoff just as you prophesy."

  "That is one advantage of fighting in a foreign service, Fergus.One fights just as stoutly for victory as if one were fighting forhome, but if one is beaten it does not affect one so much. It issad to see the country overrun, and pillaged; but the houses arenot the houses of our own people, the people massacred are notone's own relations and friends. One's military vanity may be hurtby defeat; otherwise, one can bear it philosophically."

  "I never looked at it in that light before, Lindsay, but no doubtthere is a great deal in what you say. If my father had fallen on aGerman battlefield, instead of at Culloden, our estates would nothave been confiscated, our glens harried, and our clansmen hunteddown and massacred. No, I see there is a great difference. Isuppose I should fight just as hard, against the Austrians, as Ishould have done against the English at Culloden, had I been there;but defeat would have none of the same consequences. No, putting itas you do, I must own that there is a distinct advantage in foreignservice, that I never appreciated before.

  "But I see people are leaving, and I am not sorry. As we are goingto be up before daybreak, the sooner one turns in the better."

  Karl had received the order to call his master at three, to havebreakfast ready at half past, and the horses at the door at four,with somewhat less than his usual stolidity.

  "You will have harder work in the future, Karl," Fergus said.

  "I shall be glad of it, sir. Never have I had such a lazy time as Ihave had for the last month. The first three or four days were verypleasant; then I began to think that I should like a little to do,so as to remind me that there was such a thing as work. But thelast fortnight has been terrible. A man cannot sleep fortwenty-four hours, and if it had not been that Donald and I havehad an occasional quarrel, as to our respective regiments and overthe native land he is so fond of bragging about, I should have beenready to hang myself.

  "Ah, sir, how often have I to thank my stars that I did not take mydischarge!--which I could have asked for, as I have served my time.I had thought of it, many times; and had said to myself howdelightful it would be to hear the morning call sound, at abarracks near, and to turn over in my bed and go to sleep again; tohave no guard to keep, no sergeant to bully or provost guard toarrest one, if one has taken a cup too much. This fortnight hasshown me the folly of such ideas. It has taught me when I am welloff, and what misery it is to be one's own master, and to be alwayswondering how the day is to be got through."

  "Well, you are not likely to have to complain that you have nothingto do, for some time now, Karl."

  "No, cornet. I have felt a new man, since I heard the great news.There is always plenty to do, on a campaign. There are the horsesto be cleaned, food to be cooked, forage and rations to be fetched.Then, too, on a campaign every one is merry and good tempered, andone sings as one marches and sits round the campfire. One may becold and wet and hungry, but who cares? One swears at the moment,but one laughs again, as soon as the sun shines."

  "Well, Karl, you had best turn in at once, for at three o'clock weshall want to be called."

  "You can rely upon my waking, sir. Does my officer wish to take afull-dress suit with him?"

  "No; the order is that all are to start in marching order, and thatall baggage is to be cut down to the smallest proportions. Noofficer is to take more than can be carried in his valises."

  It was the first week in August when the three columns, each twentythousand strong, moved from their respective starting points.Although the king was nominally in command of the central division,Marshal Keith was the real commander. He rode with the king at thehead of the column, and his aides-de-camp, and those of Frederick,were constantly on their way up and down the line, carrying ordersand bringing in reports as to the manner in which the regimentsmaintained their respective positions, and especially how theartillery and baggage train kept up.

  There was no necessity, at present, for taking precautions. Themarch would for some days lead through Prussia, and it was morallycertain that the Saxon army--which was small and scattered and,even if united, would not equal the strength of one of the Prussianarmies--would not attempt any serious resistance; for the countrywas flat, and there would be no defiles where a small force of mencould successfully oppose a larger one. Nevertheless, the dailymarches were long for the infantry and the baggage, but by no meansfatiguing for mounted men. The staff and aides-de-camp, with theirorderlies, rode behind the leaders. The troopers were sometimesemployed, instead of the officers, when a short written order hadto be sent back to the rear of the column.

  The harvest having been gathered in, the cavalry rode across theopen country, thus reducing the length of the column. The day wasvery hot, and the infantry opened their ranks, as much as possible,to allow the passage of what little air was moving. At nine o'clockthe troops were halted. Each man had been served with a breakfast,before starting; and the haversacks were now opened, and a mealmade of the bread they contained, washed down with an allowance ofrough wine, carried in each regimental waggon. Then the men satdown, under the shade of greatcoats supported by ramrods and othercontrivances, and either slept or talked until half-past two; whenthe bugle sounded. The greatcoats were rolled up and strapped on tothe knapsacks, then there was a vigorous use of the brush, toremove the thick dust gathered on the march. At three the columngot into motion again, and halted for the night at half-past six;when fires were lighted, coppers put on, and the main meal of theday presently served.

  The rations of the officers were the same as those of the men, butthe greater part of them supplemented the food by that carried intheir orderlies' saddlebags. Lindsay, Fergus, and the marshalsother two aides-de-camp had arranged that, when possible, theyshould mess together; and their servants should prepare the meal byturns, while those not so engaged looked after the horses, saw thatthey were fed, watered, and groomed. The servants were all oldcampaigners, and though neither Lindsay nor Fergus had thought ofgiving them orders to that effect, both Donald and Karl had laid ina stock of provisions.

  Donald had cooked a pair of fowls on the previous evening. Karl hadbought a sucking pig. One of the German officer's servants had ahuge piece of salt beef, that had already been boiled, while theother had a hare. It was agreed at once that the fowls should beleft for early breakfast; and the beef put aside for dinner, andfor supper, also, if nothing else could be obtained. Karl, as theservant o
f the junior officer, was cook for the evening, and heacquitted himself admirably.

  Each officer carried in his saddlebag a tin plate, a drinking horn,and a knife, fork, and spoon. There was no dish, but the spit washanded round, and each cut off a portion. Soup made from the rationof meat was first served, then the hare, and then the sucking pig,while the four orderlies had an ample meal from the ration of meat.A supply of spirits had been carried in the staff waggon. This theytook, plentifully watered, with the meal; with a stronger cupafterwards.

  The night was so fine that all agreed that it was not worthwhile toerect the tent carried for them in the waggon. At eight o'clock theorder for the next day's march came out, and two of the king'sorderlies started on horseback with copies of it to the commandersof brigades, who in their turn communicated to the colonels oftheir respective regiments.

  The next evening the force encamped round Torgau, a very strongfortress, where a great store of provisions had been collected.Ample quarters were assigned to the marshal and his staff in thetown. Here they halted for a day to allow the other armies, whichhad both farther to march, to keep abreast of them on theirrespective lines of route.

  Then, following the Elbe, the army arrived after two marches infront of Dresden. The court of Saxony had, for years, been wastingthe revenues of the country in extravagance and luxury; whileintriguing incessantly with Austria, and dreaming of obtaining anincrease of territory at the expense of Prussia. No effort had beenmade to prepare to carry out the engagements entered into withAustria; and the army, utterly neglected, numbered but some fifteenthousand. These were scattered over the country, and but poorlyprovided with artillery.

  When, then, the news arrived that three Prussian armies had crossedthe frontier, there was no thought of resistance; but orders weredespatched for the whole force to concentrate at Pirna, a stronglyfortified camp among the defiles of the mountains separating Saxonyfrom Bohemia. The position was almost an impregnable one, and theycould receive reinforcements from Bohemia.

  On the arrival of the Prussian army the king fled, and Dresdenthrew open its gates. As Frederick hoped to detach Saxony from thealliance against him, the greater portion of the army were encampedoutside the town; three or four regiments, only, marching in andquartering themselves in the empty Saxon barracks. The aid Saxonycould render Frederick would be insignificant, but it was mostdesirable for him that he should ensure its neutrality, in order tosecure his communications with Prussia when he marched forward intoBohemia.

  Finding the king had gone, his first step was to send a generalofficer, with a party of soldiers, to seize the archives in thepalace. Among these was discovered the prize he most desired tofind; namely a signed copy of the secret treaty, between Austria,Russia, France, and Saxony, for the invasion and partition ofPrussia. Copies of this document were instantly sent off to thecourts of Europe, thus affording an ample justification for whatwould otherwise have appeared a wholly unprovoked attack by Prussiaupon her neighbours. Had it not been for the discovery of thisdocument, Frederick would probably have always remained under thestigma of engaging in an unprovoked and ambitious war; for thecourt of Austria had hitherto, positively and categorically,declared to Frederick's ambassador and envoys the non-existence ofany such treaty or agreement between the powers.

  As the queen had remained in the palace, Frederick took up hisabode in another royal building, Marshal Keith and a large numberof officers being also quartered there. In order to prevent anybroils with the citizens, orders were issued that certain places ofrefreshment were to be used only by officers, while the soldierswere only to frequent wine and beer shops selected in theneighbourhood of the barracks, and were strictly forbidden to enterany others. Any soldier caught in an act of theft or pillage was tobe hung, forthwith, and all were enjoined to observe a friendlydemeanour to the people.

  One evening, Fergus had been sent with a message to the camp, twomiles from the town. It was nearly ten o'clock when he started toride back. When within half a mile of the town he heard a pistolshot, in the direction of a large house, a quarter of a mile fromthe road.

  Without hesitation he turned his horse's head in that direction. Ina couple of minutes he arrived at a pair of large gates. They wereclosed, but he dismounted, fastened the bridle chain to them and,snatching the pistols from his holsters, ran along by the side of ahigh wall, until he came to a tree growing close to it.

  With some difficulty, for his high boots were ill adapted to suchwork, he climbed the tree, got on to the wall, and dropped down. Hewas in large park-like grounds. Guided by a light in a window, heran to the house. The door was closed. After hesitating for amoment he ran along and, soon coming, as he expected, to an openwindow, he at once climbed through it. A door was open and, passingon, he entered a large hall in which a light was burning.

  Pausing to listen now, he heard voices upstairs and, holding apistol in each hand and his drawn sword in his teeth, he lightlyascended the stairs. On the landing two men lay dead. Light wasissuing from a half-closed door and, noiselessly approaching it, helooked in.

  It was a small room. At the end stood eight or ten scared women,huddled together; while a soldier, with a pistol in one hand and asword in the other, stood sentry over them. These were evidentlythe servants of the chateau, who had been unceremoniously hauledfrom their beds and gathered there, under a guard, to prevent themfrom screaming or giving any alarm. As Fergus was equally anxiousthat no alarm should be given, at present, he retired quietly.

  A pair of double doors faced the top of the staircase. This wasevidently the grand reception room and, listening intently, hecould hear a murmur of voices inside. Turning the handle andthrowing them suddenly open, he entered.

  Upon the floor lay the body of a gentleman. A lady, pale as deathand in a half-fainting condition, leant back in a settee; while agirl of thirteen or fourteen lay on a couch, with bound hands and ahandkerchief fastened across her mouth.

  Three soldiers were engaged in examining the contents of a largecoffer of jewels. As the door opened they turned round and, onseeing a solitary officer, sprang forward with terrible oaths.Fergus shot one of them as they did so, dropped the pistol, andseized his sword. Both men fired. Fergus felt a stinging sensationin his left arm, and the pistol held in that hand dropped to theground.

  Confident in his swordsmanship, he awaited the onslaught of the twomarauders. The swords clashed, and at the second pass one of themfell back, run through the body. The other, shouting for aid, stoodon the defensive. Fergus heard the rush of heavy steps coming downthe staircase and, just as three other men rushed into the room, healmost clove his opponent's head in two, with a tremendous blowfrom his claymore.

  Two of the newcomers fired hastily--and both missed]

  Two of the newcomers fired their pistols hastily--both missed--thenrushed at him with their swords; and as he was hotly engaged withthem the third, who was the sentry who had been placed over thewomen, advanced slowly, with his pistol pointed, with the intentionof making sure of his aim. He paused close to the combatants,waiting for an opportunity to fire between the shifting figures ofhis comrades; when a white figure, after peering in at the door,ran swiftly forward and threw herself on his back, hurling himforward to the ground, his pistol exploding as he fell.

  One of the others started back at the sound, and as he did soFergus ran him through the body. He then attacked his remainingopponent, and after a few passes laid him dead beside his comrade.Picking up his own fallen pistol, Fergus blew out the brains of thesoldier, who was struggling to free himself from the girl's weight,and then helped her to her feet.

  "Well done, my brave girl!" he said. "You have saved my life. Nowrun and tell those wenches to stop screaming, and to come and helptheir mistress. These scoundrels are all killed, and there isnothing more for them to be alarmed at."

  Then he ran to the girl on the sofa, cut her cords with a dagger,and freed her from the gag. As he did so, she leapt up and ran toher mother's side; while Fergus, kneeling by the gen
tleman who hadfallen before he had entered, turned him over and, laying his earover his heart, listened intently.

  "He is alive," he said. "His heart beats, but faintly. Tell themaids to fetch some cordial."

  The women were coming in now, some crying hysterically, someshrieking afresh at the sight of the bodies that were strewn aboutthe room.

  "Silence!" Fergus shouted sternly. "Now, while one runs to fetchsome cordial, do three others come here, and aid me to lift yourmaster gently on to this couch."

  The maid who had overthrown the soldier at once came forward to hisassistance.

  "Now, Truchen and Lisa," the young girl said, stamping her foot,"come at once.

  "Do you, Caroline, run and fetch the stand of cordials from thedining room."

  The two women approached timidly.

  "Now," Fergus said, "get your arm under his shoulders, on yourside, and I will do the same. One of you others support his headwhen we lift, the other take his feet."

  So, gently he was raised and laid on the couch. By the time thiswas done, the woman returned with a bottle of spirits.

  "Now," he said, "water and a glass."

  The young girl ran and fetched a carafe of water and a tumbler,standing on a table by the wall. Her hands shook as she handed itto Fergus.

  "Are you sure that he is not dead, sir?" she asked, in a hushedvoice.

  "Quite sure. I fear that he is grievously wounded, but he certainlylives. Now, get another glass and put some spirits in and fill itup with water, and make your mother drink it, as soon as you haveroused her from her faint."

  Fergus now gave all his attention to the wounded man, poured two orthree spoonfuls of strong spirits and water between his lips, andthen proceeded to examine his wounds. He had three. One was a verysevere cut upon the shoulder. His left arm had been broken by apistol bullet, and he had a dangerous sword thrust in the body.

  Under Fergus' direction the servant had cut off the doublet and,after pouring some more spirits down the wounded man's throat, hebade one of the other women fetch him some soft linen, and a sheet.When these arrived he made a pad of the linen, and bound it overthe wounded man's shoulder with some strips torn from the sheet.Then he sent for some straight strips of wood, cut them to theright length, wrapped some linen round them and, straightening thearm, applied them to it and, with the assistance of the girl,bandaged it firmly. Then he placed a pad of linen over the wound inthe body, and passed bandages round and round.

  "Well done!" he said to his assistant. "You are a stout girl, and abrave one."

  Then he turned to the others, who were crowded round theirmistress.

  "Stand back," he said, "and throw open the window and let the aircome to her. That will do.

  "The young lady and this girl will be enough, now. Do the rest ofyou run off and get some clothes on."

  "She has opened her eyes once, sir."

  "She will come round directly, young lady. Pour a spoonful or twofrom this glass between her lips. It is stronger than that you havein your hand. She has had a terrible shock, but as soon as shehears that your father is alive, it will do more for her than allour services."

  "Will he live, sir?"

  "That I cannot say for certain, but I have great hopes that he willdo so. However, I will send a surgeon out, as soon as I get to thecity."

  The lady was longer in her swoon than Fergus had expected, and theservants had returned before she opened her eyes.

  "Now," he said, "do four of you lend me your assistance. It wouldbe well to carry this sofa with your master into the next room; andthen we will take your mistress in there, too, so that she will bespared seeing these ruffians scattered about, when she comes toherself."

  The doors leading to the adjoining apartment were opened, candleslighted there, and the wounded man carried in on his sofa.

  "And now for your mistress. It will be easier to lift her out ofthe chair, and carry her in bodily."

  This he did, with the assistance of two of the servants.

  "Now," he said to the young girl, "do you stay by her, my bravemaid. I think she will recover in a minute or two. Her eyelidsmoved as I brought her in. I will look round and see about things.

  "Were these the only two men in the house?" he asked the otherwomen, as he joined them on the landing.

  "No, sir. There were six men. The other four have gone to bed, butthe two outside always waited up till the count and countessretired."

  "Where are their rooms?" he asked, taking a candle.

  One of the women led him upstairs. As he expected, he found thefour men lying dead. One had apparently leapt up as the door wasopened, and the other three had been killed in their beds.

  "Where can I get help from?"

  "There are the men at the stables. It is at the back of the house,three or four hundred yards away."

  "Well, take one of the other women with you, and go and rouse them.Tell them to dress and come here, at once."

  He now went down to the gate, undid the fastening, and then led hishorse up to the house. In a few minutes the stablemen arrived. Heordered them to carry the bodies of the six marauders out, and laythem in front of the house. When they had done so, they were totake those of the servants and place them in an outhouse. Then hewent upstairs again.

  "The countess has recovered, sir," one of the women said.

  "Tell her that I will send one of the army surgeons down, at once.But first, bandage my arm. It is but a flesh wound, I know; but Iam feeling faint, and am sure that it is keeping on bleeding.

  "Here, my girl," he said to the one who had before assisted, "I cantrust to you not to faint."

  With her assistance he took off his coat, the arm of which wassaturated with blood.

  "You had better cut off the sleeve of the shirt," he said.

  This was done, and the nature of the wound was seen. A ball hadploughed through the flesh three inches below the shoulder,inflicting a gaping but not serious wound.

  "It is lucky that it was not the inside of the arm," he said to thegirl, as she bandaged it up; "for had it been, I should have bledto death in a very few minutes.

  "Has the count opened his eyes yet?"

  "No, sir. He is lying just as he was."

  "What is the gentleman's name?"

  "Count Eulenfurst."

  "You had better give me a draught of wine, before I start. I feelshaken, and it is possible that riding may set my wound bleedingagain."

  Having drunk a goblet of wine, Fergus went down and mounted hishorse. As he did so, he said to one of the men:

  "Take a lantern, and go down to the spot where the road hitherturns off from the main road. A surgeon will be here in half anhour, or perhaps in twenty minutes. He will be on the lookout foryou and your lantern."

  Events had passed quickly, and the church bell chimed a quarter toeleven as he rode through the streets of Dresden. In three minuteshe drew up at the entrance to the royal quarters. As he dismounted,Karl came out.

  "Keep the horse here, Karl," he said. "It may be wanted in a minuteor two again."

  "Are you hurt, sir?" the man asked as he dismounted, for he saw hisface by the light of the torches on each side of the gateway.

  "It is only a flesh wound, and of no consequence; but I have lost agood deal of blood."

  He made his way up the staircase to the marshal's quarters. He wasfeeling dizzy and faint, now.

  "Is the marshal in his room?" he asked.

  "He is in, sir, but--"

  "I would speak to him immediately. 'Tis a most urgent matter."

  The servant went in, a moment later held the door open, and said:

  "Will you enter, sir?"

  Fergus entered, and made the usual formal salute to the marshal.Two or three other officers were in the room, but he did not heedwho they were, nor hear the exclamations of surprise that broke outat his appearance.

  "I beg to report, sir, that the house of the Count Eulenfurst hasbeen attacked by marauders, belonging to one of the Pomeranianregiments
. The count is desperately wounded, and I pray that asurgeon may be sent instantly to his aid. The house stands backfrom the road, about half a mile from the north gate. A man with alantern will be standing in the road to guide him to it. My horseis at the door below, in readiness to take him. I pray you to allowme to retire."

  He swayed and would have fallen, had not the marshal and one of theothers present caught him, and laid him down on a couch.

  "He is wounded, marshal," the other officer said. "This sleeve issaturated with blood."

  The marshal raised his voice, and called an attendant:

  "Run to the quarters of staff surgeon Schmidt, and ask him to comehere immediately, and to bring another of his staff with him, ifthere is one in."

  In two minutes the king's chief surgeon entered, followed byanother of his staff.

  "First look to the wound of Cornet Drummond," the marshal said. "Itis in the arm, and I trust that he has only fainted from loss ofblood."

  The surgeons examined the wound.

  "It is in no way serious, marshal. As you say, he has fainted fromloss of blood. He must have neglected it for some time. Had it beenbandaged at once, it would only have had the consequence ofdisabling his arm for a fortnight or so."

  The assistant had already hurried away to get lint and bandages.Another voice now spoke.

  "Surgeon Schmidt, you will please at once mount Mr. Drummond'shorse, which is standing at the door. Ride out through the northgate. When you have gone about half a mile you will see a man witha lantern. He will lead you to the house of Count Eulenfurst, whohas been grievously wounded by some marauders. Surgeon Morfen willfollow you, as soon as he has bandaged Mr. Drummond's wounds. Theremay be more wounded there who may need your care.

  "Major Armfeldt, will you order a horse to be brought round at oncefor the surgeon, then hurry to the barracks. Order the colonel toturn out a troop of horse instantly, and let him scour the countrybetween the north gate and the camp, and arrest every straggler hecomes across."