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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lion of the North, by G.A. Henty
+(#8 in our series by G.A. Henty)
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+Title: The Lion of the North
+
+Author: G.A. Henty
+
+Release Date: February, 2004  [EBook #5075]
+[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule]
+[This file was first posted on April 16, 2002]
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+Edition: 10
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+Language: English
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+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE LION OF THE NORTH ***
+
+
+
+
+The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Lion of The North:
+A Tale of the Times of Gustavus Adolphus, by G. A. Henty
+
+This etext was produced by Martin Robb (MartinRobb@ieee.org)
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+MY DEAR LADS,
+
+You are nowadays called upon to acquire so great a mass of learning
+and information in the period of life between the ages of twelve
+and eighteen that it is not surprising that but little time can be
+spared for the study of the history of foreign nations. Most lads
+are, therefore, lamentably ignorant of the leading events of even
+the most important epochs of Continental history, although, as many
+of these events have exercised a marked influence upon the existing
+state of affairs in Europe, a knowledge of them is far more
+useful, and, it may be said, far more interesting than that of the
+comparatively petty affairs of Athens, Sparta, Corinth, and Thebes.
+
+Prominent among such epochs is the Thirty Years' War, which arose
+from the determination of the Emperor of Austria to crush out
+Protestantism throughout Germany. Since the invasion of the Huns
+no struggle which has taken place in Europe has approached this
+in the obstinacy of the fighting and the terrible sufferings which
+the war inflicted upon the people at large. During these thirty
+years the population of Germany decreased by nearly a third, and
+in some of the states half the towns and two-thirds of the villages
+absolutely disappeared.
+
+The story of the Thirty Years' War is too long to be treated in
+one volume. Fortunately it divides itself naturally into two parts.
+The first begins with the entry of Sweden, under her chivalrous
+monarch Gustavus Adolphus, upon the struggle, and terminates with
+his death and that of his great rival Wallenstein. This portion of
+the war has been treated in the present story. The second period
+begins at the point when France assumed the leading part in the
+struggle, and concluded with the peace which secured liberty of
+conscience to the Protestants of Germany. This period I hope to
+treat some day in another story, so that you may have a complete
+picture of the war. The military events of the present tale, the
+battles, sieges, and operations, are all taken from the best authorities,
+while for the account of the special doings of Mackay's, afterwards
+Munro's Scottish Regiment, I am indebted to Mr. J. Grant's Life of
+Sir John Hepburn.
+
+Yours sincerely,
+
+G. A. HENTY
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I THE INVITATION
+
+
+It was late in the afternoon in the spring of the year 1630; the
+hilltops of the south of Scotland were covered with masses of cloud,
+and a fierce wind swept the driving rain before it with such force
+that it was not easy to make way against it. It had been raining
+for three days without intermission. Every little mountain burn had
+become a boiling torrent, while the rivers had risen above their
+banks and flooded the low lands in the valleys.
+
+The shades of evening were closing in, when a lad of some sixteen
+years of age stood gazing across the swollen waters of the Nith
+rushing past in turbid flood. He scarce seemed conscious of the
+pouring rain; but with his lowland bonnet pressed down over his
+eyes, and his plaid wrapped tightly round him, he stood on a rising
+hummock of ground at the edge of the flood, and looked across the
+stream.
+
+"If they are not here soon," he said to himself, "they will not
+get across the Nith tonight. None but bold riders could do so now;
+but by what uncle says, Captain Hume must be that and more. Ah!
+here they come."
+
+As he spoke two horsemen rode down the opposite side of the valley
+and halted at the water's edge. The prospect was not a pleasant
+one. The river was sixty or seventy feet wide, and in the centre
+the water swept along in a raging current.
+
+"You cannot cross here," the boy shouted at the top of his voice.
+"You must go higher up where the water's deeper."
+
+The wind swept his words away, but his gestures were understood.
+
+"The boy is telling us to go higher up," said one of the horsemen.
+
+"I suppose he is," the other replied; "but here is the ford. You
+see the road we have travelled ends here, and I can see it again
+on the other side. It is getting dark, and were we to cross higher
+up we might lose our way and get bogged; it is years since I was
+here. What's the boy going to do now? Show us a place for crossing?"
+
+The lad, on seeing the hesitation of the horsemen, had run along
+the bank up the stream, and to their surprise, when he had gone a
+little more than a hundred yards he dashed into the water.  For a
+time the water was shallow, and he waded out until he reached the
+edge of the regular bank of the river, and then swam out into the
+current.
+
+"Go back," the horseman shouted; but his voice did not reach
+the swimmer, who, in a few strokes, was in the full force of the
+stream, and was soon lost to the sight of the horsemen among the
+short foaming waves of the torrent.
+
+"The boy will be drowned," one of the horsemen said, spurring his
+horse up the valley; but in another minute the lad was seen breasting
+the calmer water just above the ford.
+
+"You cannot cross here, Captain Hume," he said, as he approached
+the horsemen. "You must go nigh a mile up the river."
+
+"Why, who are you, lad?" the horseman asked, "and how do you know
+my name?"
+
+"I'm the nephew of Nigel Graheme. Seeing how deep the floods were
+I came out to show you the way, for the best horse in the world
+could not swim the Nith here now."
+
+"But this is the ford," Captain Hume said.
+
+"Yes, this is the ford in dry weather. The bottom here is hard rock
+and easy to ride over when the river is but waist deep, but below
+and above this place it is covered with great boulders. The water
+is six feet deep here now, and the horses would be carried down
+among the rocks, and would never get across. A mile up the river
+is always deep, and though the current is strong there is nothing
+to prevent a bold horseman from swimming across."
+
+"I thank you heartily, young sir," Captain Hume said.  "I can see
+how broken is the surface of the water, and doubt not that it would
+have fared hard with us had we attempted to swim across here. In
+faith, Munro, we have had a narrow escape."
+
+"Ay, indeed," the other agreed. "It would have been hard if you and
+I, after going through all the battlefields of the Low Countries,
+should have been drowned here together in a Scottish burn. Your
+young friend is a gallant lad and a good swimmer, for in truth it
+was no light task to swim that torrent with the water almost as
+cold as ice."
+
+"Now, sirs, will you please to ride on," the boy said; "it is
+getting dark fast, and the sooner we are across the better."
+
+So saying he went off at a fast run, the horses trotting behind
+him. A mile above he reached the spot he had spoken of. The river
+was narrower here, and the stream was running with great rapidity,
+swirling and heaving as it went, but with a smooth even surface.
+
+"Two hundred yards farther up," the boy said, "is the beginning of
+the deep; if you take the water there you will get across so as to
+climb up by that sloping bank just opposite."
+
+He led the way to the spot he indicated, and then plunged into
+the stream, swimming quietly and steadily across, and allowing the
+stream to drift him down.
+
+The horsemen followed his example. They had swum many a swollen
+river, and although their horses snorted and plunged at first, they
+soon quieted down and swam steadily over. They just struck the spot
+which the boy had indicated.  He had already arrived there, and,
+without a word, trotted forward.
+
+It was soon dark, and the horsemen were obliged to keep close to
+his heels to see his figure. It was as much as they could do to
+keep up with him, for the ground was rough and broken, sometimes
+swampy, sometimes strewn with boulders.
+
+"It is well we have a guide," Colonel Munro said to his companion;
+"for assuredly, even had we got safely across the stream, we should
+never have found our way across such a country as this. Scotland
+is a fine country, Hume, a grand country, and we are all proud of
+it, you know, but for campaigning, give me the plains of Germany;
+while, as for your weather here, it is only fit for a water rat."
+
+Hume laughed at this outburst.
+
+"I sha'n't be sorry, Munro, for a change of dry clothes and a corner
+by a fire; but we must be nearly there now if I remember right.
+Graheme's hold is about three miles from the Nith."
+
+The boy presently gave a loud shout, and a minute later lights
+were seen ahead, and in two or three minutes the horsemen drew up
+at a door beside which two men were standing with torches; another
+strolled out as they stopped.
+
+"Welcome, Hume! I am glad indeed to see you; and -- ah! is it you,
+Munro? it is long indeed since we met."
+
+"That is it, Graheme; it is twelve years since we were students
+together at St. Andrews."
+
+"I did not think you would have come on such a night," Graheme
+said.
+
+"I doubt that we should have come tonight, or any other night,
+Nigel, if it had not been that that brave boy who calls you uncle
+swam across the Nith to show us the best way to cross. It was a
+gallant deed, and I consider we owe him our lives."
+
+"It would have gone hard with you, indeed, had you tried to swim
+the Nith at the ford; had I not made so sure you would not come I
+would have sent a man down there. I missed Malcolm after dinner,
+and wondered what had become of him. But come in and get your wet
+things off. It is a cold welcome keeping you here. My men will take
+your horses round to the stable and see that they are well rubbed
+down and warmly littered."
+
+In a quarter of an hour the party were assembled again in the sitting
+room. It was a bare room with heavily timbered ceiling and narrow
+windows high up from the ground; for the house was built for
+purposes of defence, like most Scottish residences in those days.
+The floor was thickly strewn with rushes. Arms and trophies of the
+chase hung on the walls, and a bright fire blazing on the hearth
+gave it a warm and cheerful aspect. As his guests entered the room
+Graheme presented them with a large silver cup of steaming liquor.
+
+"Drain this," he said, "to begin with. I will warrant me a draught
+of spiced wine will drive the cold of the Nith out of your bones."
+
+The travellers drank off the liquor.
+
+"'Tis a famous drink," Hume said, "and there is nowhere I enjoy it
+so much as in Scotland, for the cold here seems to have a knack of
+getting into one's very marrow, though I will say there have been
+times in the Low Countries when we have appreciated such a draught.
+Well, and how goes it with you, Graheme?"
+
+"Things might be better; in fact, times in Scotland have been getting
+worse and worse ever since King James went to England, and all the
+court with him. If it were not for an occasional raid among the
+wild folks of Galloway, and a few quarrels among ourselves, life
+would be too dull to bear here."
+
+"But why bear it?" Captain Hume asked. "You used to have plenty
+of spirit in our old college days, Graheme, and I wonder at your
+rusting your life out here when there is a fair field and plenty of
+honour, to say nothing of hard cash, to be won in the Low Country.
+Why, beside Hepburn's regiment, which has made itself a name
+throughout all Europe, there are half a score of Scottish regiments
+in the service of the King of Sweden, and his gracious majesty
+Gustavus Adolphus does not keep them idle, I warrant you."
+
+"I have thought of going a dozen times," Graheme said, "but you see
+circumstances have kept me back; but I have all along intended to
+cross the seas when Malcolm came of an age to take the charge of
+his father's lands. When my brother James was dying from that sword
+thrust he got in a fray with the Duffs, I promised him I would be
+a father to the boy, and see that he got his rights."
+
+"Well, we will talk of the affair after supper, Graheme, for now
+that I have got rid of the cold I begin to perceive that I am well
+nigh famished."
+
+As the officer was speaking, the servitors were laying the table,
+and supper was soon brought in. After ample justice had been done
+to this, and the board was again cleared, the three men drew their
+seats round the fire, Malcolm seating himself on a low stool by
+his uncle.
+
+"And now to business, Nigel," Colonel Munro said. "We have not come
+back to Scotland to see the country, or to enjoy your weather, or
+even for the pleasure of swimming your rivers in flood.
+
+"We are commissioned by the King of Sweden to raise some 3000
+or 4000 more Scottish troops. I believe that the king intends to
+take part in the war in Germany, where the Protestants are getting
+terribly mauled, and where, indeed, it is likely that the Reformed
+Religion will be stamped out altogether unless the Swedes strike in
+to their rescue. My chief object is to fill up to its full strength
+of two thousand men the Mackay Regiment, of which I am lieutenant
+colonel.  The rest of the recruits whom we may get will go as drafts
+to fill up the vacancies in the other regiments. So you see here
+we are, and it is our intention to beat up all our friends and
+relations, and ask them each to raise a company or half a company
+of recruits, of which, of course, they would have the command.
+
+"We landed at Berwick, and wrote to several of our friends that
+we were coming. Scott of Jedburgh has engaged to raise a company.
+Balfour of Lauderdale, who is a cousin of mine, has promised to
+bring another; they were both at St. Andrew's with us, as you may
+remember, Graheme. Young Hamilton, who had been an ensign in my
+regiment, left us on the way. He will raise a company in Douglasdale.
+Now, Graheme, don't you think you can bring us a band of the men
+of Nithsdale?"
+
+"I don't know," Graheme said hesitatingly. "I should like it of all
+things, for I am sick of doing nothing here, and my blood often runs
+hot when I read of the persecutions of the Protestants in Germany;
+but I don't think I can manage it."
+
+"Oh, nonsense, Nigel!" said Hume; "you can manage it easily enough
+if you have the will. Are you thinking of the lad there? Why not
+bring him with you? He is young, certainly, but he could carry a
+colour; and as for his spirit and bravery, Munro and I will vouch
+for it."
+
+"Oh, do, uncle," the lad exclaimed, leaping to his feet in his
+excitement. "I promise you I would not give you any trouble; and
+as for marching, there isn't a man in Nithsdale who can tire me
+out across the mountains."
+
+"But what's to become of the house, Malcolm, and the land and the
+herds?"
+
+"Oh, they will be all right," the boy said. "Leave old Duncan in
+charge, and he will look after them."
+
+"But I had intended you to go to St. Andrews next year, Malcolm,
+and I think the best plan will be for you to go there at once. As
+you say, Duncan can look after the place."
+
+Malcolm's face fell.
+
+"Take the lad with you, Graheme," Colonel Munro said.  "Three years
+under Gustavus will do him vastly more good than will St. Andrews.
+You know it never did us any good to speak of. We learned a little
+more Latin than we knew when we went there, but I don't know that
+that has been of any use to us; whereas for the dry tomes of divinity
+we waded through, I am happy to say that not a single word of the
+musty stuff remains in my brains. The boy will see life and service,
+he will have opportunities of distinguishing himself under the
+eye of the most chivalrous king in Europe, he will have entered a
+noble profession, and have a fair chance of bettering his fortune,
+all of which is a thousand times better than settling down here in
+this corner of Scotland."
+
+"I must think it over," Graheme said; "it is a serious step to
+take. I had thought of his going to the court at London after he
+left the university, and of using our family interest to push his
+way there."
+
+"What is he to do in London?" Munro said. "The old pedant James, who
+wouldn't spend a shilling or raise a dozen men to aid the cause of
+his own daughter, and who thought more of musty dogmatic treatises
+than of the glory and credit of the country he ruled over, or the
+sufferings of his co-religionists in Germany, has left no career
+open to a lad of spirit."
+
+"Well, I will think it over by the morning," Graheme said.  "And now
+tell me a little more about the merits of this quarrel in Germany.
+If I am going to fight, I should like at least to know exactly what
+I am fighting about."
+
+"My dear fellow," Hume laughed, "you will never make a soldier
+if you always want to know the ins and outs of every quarrel you
+have to fight about; but for once the tenderest conscience may be
+satisfied as to the justice of the contention.  But Munro is much
+better versed in the history of the affair than I am; for, to tell
+you the truth, beyond the fact that it is a general row between
+the Protestants and Catholics, I have not troubled myself much in
+the matter."
+
+"You must know," Colonel Munro began, "that some twenty years
+ago the Protestant princes of Germany formed a league for mutual
+protection and support, which they called the Protestant Union; and
+a year later the Catholics, on their side, constituted what they
+called the Holy League. At that time the condition of the Protestants
+was not unbearable.  In Bohemia, where they constituted two-thirds
+of the population, Rudolph II, and after him Mathias, gave conditions
+of religious freedom.
+
+"Gradually, however, the Catholic party about the emperor gained the
+upper hand; then various acts in breach of the conditions granted
+to the Protestants were committed, and public spirit on both sides
+became much embittered.  On the 23d of May, 1618, the Estates of
+Bohemia met at Prague, and the Protestant nobles, headed by Count
+Thurn, came there armed, and demanded from the Imperial councillors an
+account of the high handed proceedings. A violent quarrel ensued,
+and finally the Protestant deputies seized the councillors Martinitz
+and Slavata, and their secretary, and hurled them from the window
+into the dry ditch, fifty feet below. Fortunately for the councillors
+the ditch contained a quantity of light rubbish, and they and their
+secretary escaped without serious damage. The incident, however,
+was the commencement of war.  Bohemia was almost independent
+of Austria, administering its own internal affairs. The Estates
+invested Count Thurn with the command of the army. The Protestant
+Union supported Bohemia in its action.  Mathias, who was himself
+a tolerant and well meaning man, tried to allay the storm; but,
+failing to do so, marched an army into Bohemia.
+
+"Had Mathias lived matters would probably have arranged themselves,
+but he died the following spring, and was succeeded by Ferdinand
+II. Ferdinand is one of the most bigoted Catholics living, and is
+at the same time a bold and resolute man; and he had taken a solemn
+vow at the shrine of Loretto that, if ever he came to the throne,
+he would re-establish Catholicism throughout his dominions.  Both
+parties prepared for the strife; the Bohemians renounced their
+allegiance to him and nominated the Elector Palatine Frederick V,
+the husband of our Scotch princess, their king.
+
+"The first blow was struck at Zablati. There a Union army, led by
+Mansfeldt, was defeated by the Imperial general Bucquoi. A few days
+later, however, Count Thurn, marching through Moravia and Upper
+Austria, laid siege to Vienna.  Ferdinand's own subjects were
+estranged from him, and the cry of the Protestant army, `Equal rights
+for all Christian churches,' was approved by the whole population
+-- for even in Austria itself there were a very large number of
+Protestants.  Ferdinand had but a few soldiers, the population of
+the city were hostile, and had Thurn only entered the town he could
+have seized the emperor without any resistance.
+
+"Thurn hesitated, and endeavoured instead to obtain the conditions
+of toleration which the Protestants required; and sixteen Austrian
+barons in the city were in the act of insisting upon Ferdinand
+signing these when the head of the relieving army entered the city.
+Thurn retired hastily.  The Catholic princes and representatives
+met at Frankfort and elected Ferdinand Emperor of Germany. He at
+once entered into a strict agreement with Maximilian of Bavaria to
+crush Protestantism throughout Germany. The Bohemians, however, in
+concert with Bethlem Gabor, king of Hungary, again besieged Vienna;
+but as the winter set in they were obliged to retire. From that
+moment the Protestant cause was lost; Saxony and Hesse-Darmstadt
+left the Union and joined Ferdinand. Denmark, which had promised
+its assistance to the Protestants, was persuaded to remain quiet.
+Sweden was engaged in a war with the Poles.
+
+"The Protestant army was assembled at Ulm; the army of the League,
+under the order of Maximilian of Bavaria, was at Donauworth.
+Maximilian worked upon the fears of the Protestant princes, who,
+frightened at the contest they had undertaken, agreed to a peace,
+by which they bound themselves to offer no aid to Frederick V.
+
+"The Imperial forces then marched to Bohemia and attacked Frederick's
+army outside Prague, and in less than an hour completely defeated
+it. Frederick escaped with his family to Holland. Ferdinand then
+took steps to carry out his oath. The religious freedom granted by
+Mathias was abolished. In Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and Austria
+proper.  Many of the promoters of the rebellion were punished in
+life and property. The year following all members of the Calvinistic
+sect were forced to leave their country, a few months afterwards
+the Lutherans were also expelled, and in 1627 the exercise of all
+religious forms except those of the Catholic Church was forbidden;
+200 of the noble, and 30,000 of the wealthier and industrial classes,
+were driven into exile; and lands and property to the amount of
+5,000,000 or 6,000,000 pounds were confiscated.
+
+"The hereditary dominions of Frederick V were invaded, the Protestants
+were defeated, the Palatinate entirely subdued, and the electorate
+was conferred upon Maximilian of Bavaria; and the rigid laws against
+the Protestants were carried into effect in the Palatinate also.
+It had now become evident to all Europe that the Emperor of Austria
+was determined to stamp out Protestantism throughout Germany; and
+the Protestant princes, now thoroughly alarmed, besought aid from
+the Protestant countries, England, Holland, and Denmark. King James,
+who had seen unmoved the misfortunes which had befallen his daughter
+and her husband, and who had been dead to the general feeling of
+the country, could no longer resist, and England agreed to supply
+an annual subsidy; Holland consented to supply troops; and the King
+of Denmark joined the League, and was to take command of the army.
+
+"In Germany the Protestants of lower Saxony and Brunswick, and the
+partisan leader Mansfeldt, were still in arms. The army under the
+king of Denmark advanced into Brunswick, and was there confronted
+by that of the league under Tilly, while an Austrian army, raised
+by Wallenstein, also marched against it.  Mansfeldt endeavoured to
+prevent Wallenstein from joining Tilly, but was met and defeated by
+the former general. Mansfeldt was, however, an enterprising leader,
+and falling back into Brandenburg, recruited his army, joined the
+force under the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and started by forced marches
+to Silesia and Moravia, to join Bethlem Gabor in Hungary. Wallenstein
+was therefore obliged to abandon his campaign against the Danes and
+to follow him.  Mansfeldt joined the Hungarian army, but so rapid
+were his marches that his force had dwindled away to a mere skeleton,
+and the assistance which it would be to the Hungarians was so small
+that Bethlem Gabor refused to cooperate with it against Austria.
+
+"Mansfeldt disbanded his remaining soldiers, and two months
+afterwards died. Wallenstein then marched north.  In the meantime
+Tilly had attacked King Christian at Lutter, and completely
+defeated him. I will tell you about that battle some other time.
+When Wallenstein came north it was decided that Tilly should carry
+the war into Holland, and that Wallenstein should deal with the
+King of Denmark and the Protestant princes. In the course of two
+years he drove the Danes from Silesia, subdued Brandenburg and
+Mecklenburg, and, advancing into Pomerania, besieged Stralsund.
+
+"What a siege that was to be sure! Wallenstein had sworn to capture
+the place, but he didn't reckon upon the Scots.  After the siege
+had begun Lieutenant General Sir Alexander Leslie, with 5000 Scots
+and Swedes, fought his way into the town; and though Wallenstein
+raised fire upon it, though we were half starved and ravaged
+by plague, we held out for three months, repulsing every assault,
+till at last the Imperialists were obliged to draw off; having lost
+12,200 men.
+
+"This, however, was the solitary success on our side, and a few months
+since, Christian signed a peace, binding himself to interfere no
+more in the affairs of Germany. When Ferdinand considered himself
+free to carry out his plans, he issued an edict by which the
+Protestants throughout Germany were required to restore to the
+Catholics all the monasteries and land which had formerly belonged
+to the Catholic Church.  The Catholic service was alone to
+be performed, and the Catholic princes of the empire were ordered
+to constrain their subjects, by force if necessary, to conform to
+the Catholic faith; and it was intimated to the Protestant princes
+that they would be equally forced to carry the edict into effect.
+But this was too much.  Even France disapproved, not from any
+feeling of pity on the part of Richelieu for the Protestants, but
+because it did not suit the interests of France that Ferdinand
+should become the absolute monarch of all Germany.
+
+"In these circumstances Gustavus of Sweden at once resolved to
+assist the Protestants in arms, and ere long will take the field.
+That is what has brought us here. Already in the Swedish army there
+are 10,000 Scotchmen, and in Denmark they also form the backbone
+of the force; and both in the Swedish and Danish armies the greater
+part of the native troops are officered and commanded by Scotchmen.
+
+"Hitherto I myself have been in the Danish service, but my regiment
+is about to take service with the Swedes. It has been quietly intimated
+to us that there will be no objection to our doing so, although
+Christian intends to remain neutral, at any rate for a time. We
+suffered very heavily at Lutter, and I need 500 men to fill up my
+ranks to the full strength.
+
+"Now, Graheme, I quite rely upon you. You were at college with
+Hepburn, Hume, and myself, and it will be a pleasure for us all
+to fight side by side; and if I know anything of your disposition
+I am sure you cannot be contented to be remaining here at the age
+of nine-and-twenty, rusting out your life as a Scotch laird, while
+Hepburn has already won a name which is known through Europe."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II SHIPWRECKED
+
+
+Upon the following morning Nigel Graheme told his visitors that
+he had determined to accept their offer, and would at once set to
+work to raise a company.
+
+"I have," he said, "as you know, a small patrimony of my own, and
+as for the last eight years I have been living here looking after
+Malcolm I have been laying by any rents, and can now furnish the
+arms and accoutrements for a hundred men without difficulty. When
+Malcolm comes of age he must act for himself, and can raise two
+or three hundred men if he chooses; but at present he will march
+in my company. I understand that I have the appointment of my own
+officers."
+
+"Yes, until you join the regiment," Munro said. "You have the
+first appointments. Afterwards the colonel will fill up vacancies.
+You must decide how you will arm your men, for you must know
+that Gustavus' regiments have their right and left wings composed
+of musketeers, while the centre is formed of pikemen, so you must
+decide to which branch your company shall belong."
+
+"I would choose the pike," Nigel said, "for after all it must be
+by the pike that the battle is decided."
+
+"Quite right, Nigel. I have here with me a drawing of the armour in
+use with us. You see they have helmets of an acorn shape, with a
+rim turning up in front; gauntlets, buff coats well padded in front,
+and large breast plates. The pikes vary from fourteen to eighteen
+feet long according to the taste of the commander. We generally use
+about sixteen. If your company is a hundred strong you will have
+two lieutenants and three ensigns. Be careful in choosing your
+officers. I will fill in the king's commission to you as captain
+of the company, authorizing you to enlist men for his service and
+to appoint officers thereto."
+
+An hour or two later Colonel Munro and Captain Hume proceeded on
+their way. The news speedily spread through Nithsdale that Nigel
+Graheme had received a commission from the King of Sweden to raise
+a company in his service, and very speedily men began to pour in.
+The disbandment of the Scottish army had left but few careers open
+at home to the youth of that country, and very large numbers had
+consequently flocked to the Continent and taken service in one
+or other of the armies there, any opening of the sort, therefore,
+had only to be known to be freely embraced.  Consequently, in
+eight-and-forty hours Nigel Graheme had applications from a far
+larger number than he could accept, and he was enabled to pick and
+choose among the applicants.  Many young men of good family were
+among them, for in those days service in the ranks was regarded
+as honourable, and great numbers of young men of good family and
+education trailed a pike in the Scotch regiments in the service of
+the various powers of Europe. Two young men whose property adjoined
+his own, Herries and Farquhar, each of whom brought twenty of
+his own tenants with him, were appointed lieutenants, while two
+others, Leslie and Jamieson, were with Malcolm named as ensigns.
+The noncommissioned officers were appointed from men who had served
+before. Many of the men already possessed armour which was suitable,
+for in those day's there was no strict uniformity of military
+attire, and the armies of the various nationalities differed very
+slightly from each other. Colonel Munro returned in the course of
+a fortnight, Nigel Graheme's company completing the number of men
+required to fill up the ranks of his regiment.
+
+Captain Hume had proceeded further north. Colonel Munro stopped
+for a week in Nithsdale, giving instructions to the officers and
+noncommissioned officers as to the drill in use in the Swedish army.
+Military manoeuvres were in these days very different to what they
+have now become.  The movements were few and simple, and easily
+acquired.  Gustavus had, however, introduced an entirely new formation
+into his army. Hitherto troops had fought in solid masses, twenty
+or more deep. Gustavus taught his men to fight six deep, maintaining
+that if troops were steady this depth of formation should be able
+to sustain any assault upon it, and that with a greater depth the
+men behind were useless in the fight. His cavalry fought only three
+deep. The recruits acquired the new tactics with little difficulty.
+In Scotland for generations every man and boy had received a certain
+military training, and all were instructed in the use of the pike;
+consequently, at the end of a week Colonel Munro pronounced Nigel
+Graheme's company capable of taking their place in the regiment
+without discredit, and so went forward to see to the training
+of the companies of Hamilton, Balfour, and Scott, having arranged
+with Graheme to march his company to Dunbar in three weeks' time,
+when he would be joined by the other three companies. Malcolm was
+delighted with the stir and bustle of his new life. Accustomed to
+hard exercise, to climbing and swimming, he was a strong and well
+grown lad, and was in appearance fully a year beyond his age. He
+felt but little fatigued by the incessant drill in which the days
+were passed, though he was glad enough of an evening to lay aside
+his armour, of which the officers wore in those days considerably
+more than the soldiers, the mounted officers being still clad
+in full armour, while those on foot wore back and arm pieces, and
+often leg pieces, in addition to the helmet and breastplate. They
+were armed with swords and pistols, and carried besides what were
+called half pikes, or pikes some 7 feet long. They wore feathers
+in their helmets, and the armour was of fine quality, and often
+richly damascened, or inlaid with gold.
+
+Very proud did Malcolm feel as on the appointed day he marched with
+the company from Nithsdale, with the sun glittering on their arms
+and a drummer beating the march at their head. They arrived in
+due course at Dunbar, and were in a few hours joined by the other
+three companies under Munro himself. The regiment which was now
+commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Munro had been raised in 1626 by
+Sir Donald Mackay of Farre and Strathnaver, 1500 strong, for the
+service of the King of Denmark. Munro was his cousin, and when Sir
+Donald went home shortly before, he succeeded to the command of
+the regiment.  They embarked at once on board a ship which Munro
+had chartered, and were landed in Denmark and marched to Flensberg,
+where the rest of the regiment was lying.
+
+A fortnight was spent in severe drill, and then orders were received
+from Oxenstiern, the chancellor of Sweden, to embark the regiment
+on board two Swedish vessels, the Lillynichol and the Hound. On
+board the former were the companies of Captains Robert Munro, Hector
+Munro, Bullion, Nigel Graheme, and Hamilton. Colonel Munro sailed
+in this ship, while Major Sennot commanded the wing of the regiment
+on board the Hound. The baggage horses and ammunition were in a
+smaller vessel.
+
+The orders were that they were to land at Wolgast on the southern
+shore of the Baltic. Scarcely had they set sail than the weather
+changed, and a sudden tempest burst upon them. Higher and higher
+grew the wind, and the vessels were separated in the night. The
+Lillynichol laboured heavily in the waves, and the discomfort of the
+troops, crowded together between decks, was very great. Presently
+it was discovered that she had made a leak, and that the water was
+entering fast. Munro at once called forty-eight soldiers to the
+pumps. They were relieved every quarter of an hour, and by dint of
+the greatest exertions barely succeeded in keeping down the water.
+So heavily did the vessel labour that Munro bore away for Dantzig;
+but when night came on the storm increased in fury. They were now
+in shoal water, and the vessel, already half waterlogged, became
+quite unmanageable in the furious waves. Beyond the fact that they
+were fast driving on to the Pomeranian coast, they were ignorant
+of their position.
+
+"This is a rough beginning," Nigel said to his nephew.  "We
+bargained to run the risk of being killed by the Germans, but we
+did not expect to run the hazard of being drowned. I doubt if the
+vessel can live till morning. It is only eleven o'clock yet, and
+in spite of the pumps she is getting lower and lower in the water."
+
+Before Malcolm had time to answer him there was a tremendous crash
+which threw them off their feet. All below struggled on deck, but
+nothing could be seen in the darkness save masses of foam as the
+waves broke on the rock on which they had struck. There were two
+more crashes, and then another, even louder and more terrible, and
+the vessel broke in two parts.
+
+"Come aft all," Colonel Munro shouted; "this part of the wreck is
+fixed."
+
+With great efforts all on board managed to reach the after portion
+of the vessel, which was wedged among the rocks, and soon afterwards
+the forepart broke up and disappeared. For two hours the sea broke
+wildly over the ship, and all had to hold on for life.
+
+Malcolm, even in this time of danger, could not but admire the
+calmness and coolness of his young colonel.  He at once set men to
+work with ropes to drag towards the vessel the floating pieces of
+wreck which were tossing about in the boiling surf. The masts and
+yards were hauled alongside, and the colonel instructed the men
+to make themselves fast to these in case the vessel should go to
+pieces.
+
+Hour after hour passed, and at last, to the joy of all, daylight
+appeared. The boats had all been broken to pieces, and Munro now
+set the men to work to bind the spars and timbers together into a
+raft. One of the soldiers and a sailor volunteered to try to swim
+to shore with lines, but both were dashed to pieces.
+
+At one o'clock in the day some natives were seen collecting on the
+shore, and these presently dragged down a boat and launched it, and
+with great difficulty rowed out to the ship. A line was thrown to
+them, and with this they returned to shore, where they made the
+line fast. The storm was now abating somewhat, and Munro ordered
+the debarkation to commence.
+
+As many of the troops as could find a place on the raft, or could
+cling to the ropes fastened on its sides, started first, and by means
+of the line hauled the raft ashore. A small party then brought it
+back to the ship, while others manned the boat; and so after a number
+of trips the whole of the troops and crew were landed, together
+with all the weapons and armour that could be saved.
+
+From the peasantry Munro now learned that they had been wrecked
+upon the coast of Rugenwalde, a low lying tract of country in the
+north of Pomerania. The forts upon it were all in the possession of
+the Imperialists, while the nearest post of the Swedes was eighty
+miles away.
+
+The position was not a pleasant one. Many of the arms had been lost,
+and the gunpowder was of course destroyed.  The men were exhausted
+and worn out with their long struggle with the tempest. They were
+without food, and might at any moment be attacked by their enemies.
+
+"Something must be done, and that quickly," Munro said, "or our
+fate will be well nigh as bad as that of the Sinclairs; but before
+night we can do nothing, and we must hope that the Germans will
+not discover us till then."
+
+Thereupon he ordered all the men to lie down under shelter of the
+bushes on the slopes facing the shore, and on no account to show
+themselves on the higher ground. Then he sent a Walloon officer
+of the regiment to the Pomeranian seneschal of the old castle
+of Rugenwalde which belonged to Bogislaus IV, Duke of Pomerania,
+to inform him that a body of Scotch troops in the service of the
+Swedish king had been cast on the coast, and begging him to supply
+them with a few muskets, some dry powder, and bullets, promising if
+he would do so that the Scotch would clear the town of its Imperial
+garrison.
+
+The castle itself, which was a very old feudal building, was
+held only by the retainers of the duke, and the seneschal at once
+complied with Munro's request, for the Duke of Pomerania, his master,
+although nominally an ally of the Imperialists, had been deprived
+of all authority by them, and the feelings of his subjects were
+entirely with the Swedes.
+
+Fifty old muskets, some ammunition, and some food were sent out by
+a secret passage to the Scots. There was great satisfaction among
+the men when these supplies arrived. The muskets which had been
+brought ashore were cleaned up and loaded, and the feeling that they
+were no longer in a position to fall helplessly into the hands of
+any foe who might discover them restored the spirits of the troops,
+and fatigue and hunger were forgotten as they looked forward to
+striking a blow at the enemy.
+
+"What did the colonel mean by saying that our position was well
+nigh as bad as that of the Sinclairs?" Malcolm asked Captain Hector
+Munro, who with two or three other officers was sheltering under
+a thick clump of bushes.
+
+"That was a bad business," Captain Munro replied. "It happened
+now nigh twenty years ago. Colonel Monkhoven, a Swedish officer,
+had enlisted 2300 men in Scotland for service with Gustavus, and
+sailed with them and with a regiment 900 strong raised by Sinclair
+entirely of his own clan and name. Sweden was at war with Denmark,
+and Stockholm was invested by the Danish fleet when Monkhoven
+arrived with his ships. Finding that he was unable to land, he
+sailed north, landed at Trondheim, and marching over the Norwegian
+Alps reached Stockholm in safety, where the appearance of his
+reinforcements discouraged the Danes and enabled Gustavus to raise
+the siege.
+
+"Unfortunately Colonel Sinclair's regiment had not kept with Monkhoven,
+it being thought better that they should march by different routes
+so as to distract the attention of the Norwegians, who were bitterly
+hostile.  The Sinclairs were attacked several times, but beat off
+their assailants; when passing, however, through the tremendous
+gorge of Kringellen, the peasantry of the whole surrounding country
+gathered in the mountains.  The road wound along on one side of the
+gorge. So steep was the hill that the path was cut in solid rock
+which rose almost precipitously on one side, while far below at
+their feet rushed a rapid torrent. As the Sinclairs were marching
+along through this rocky gorge a tremendous fire was opened upon
+them from the pine forests above, while huge rocks and stones came
+bounding down the precipice.
+
+"The Sinclairs strove in vain to climb the mountainside and get
+at their foes. It was impossible, and they were simply slaughtered
+where they stood, only one man of the whole regiment escaping to
+tell the story."
+
+"That was a terrible massacre indeed," Malcolm said.  "I have read
+of a good many surprises and slaughters in our Scottish history,
+but never of such complete destruction as that only one man out of
+900 should escape. And was the slaughter never avenged?"
+
+"No," Munro replied. "We Scots would gladly march north and repay
+these savage peasants for the massacre of our countrymen, but the
+King of Sweden has had plenty of occupation for his Scotchmen in
+his own wars. What with the Russians and the Poles and the Danes
+his hands have been pretty full from that day to this, and indeed
+an expedition against the Norsemen is one which would bring more
+fatigue and labour than profit. The peasants would seek shelter in
+their forests and mountains, and march as we would we should never
+see them, save when they fell upon us with advantage in some defile."
+
+At nightfall the troops were mustered, and, led by the men who
+had brought the arms, they passed by the secret passage into the
+castle, and thence sallied suddenly into the town below. There
+they fell upon a patrol of Imperial cavalry, who were all shot down
+before they had time to draw their swords. Then scattering through
+the town, the whole squadron of cuirassiers who garrisoned it were
+either killed or taken prisoners.  This easy conquest achieved, the
+first care of Munro was to feed his troops. These were then armed
+from the stores in the town, and a strong guard being placed lest
+they should be attacked by the Austrian force, which was, they
+learned, lying but seven miles away, on the other side of the river,
+the troops lay down to snatch a few hours of needed rest.
+
+In the morning the country was scoured, and a few detached posts
+of the Austrians captured. The main body then advanced and blew
+up the bridge across the river. Five days later an order came from
+Oxenstiern, to whom Munro had at once despatched the news of his
+capture of Rugenwalde, ordering him to hold it to the last, the
+position being a very valuable one, as opening an entrance into
+Pomerania.
+
+The passage of the river was protected by entrenchments, strong
+redoubts were thrown up round Rugenwalde, and parties crossing the
+river in boats collected provisions and stores from the country
+to the very gates of Dantzig. The Austrians rapidly closed in upon
+all sides, and for nine weeks a constant series of skirmishes were
+maintained with them.
+
+At the end of that time Sir John Hepburn arrived from Spruce,
+having pushed forward by order of Oxenstiern by forced marches to
+their relief. Loud and hearty was the cheering when the two Scotch
+regiments united, and the friends, Munro and Hepburn, clasped hands.
+Not only had they been at college together, but they had, after
+leaving St.  Andrews, travelled in companionship on the Continent
+for two or three years before taking service, Munro entering that
+of France, while Hepburn joined Sir Andrew Gray as a volunteer when
+he led a band to succour the Prince Palatine at the commencement
+of the war.
+
+"I have another old friend in my regiment, Hepburn," the colonel
+said after the first greeting was over --"Nigel Graheme, of course
+you remember him."
+
+"Certainly I do," Hepburn exclaimed cordially, "and right glad will
+I be to see him again; but I thought your regiment was entirely
+from the north."
+
+"It was originally," Munro said; "but I have filled up the gaps
+with men from Nithsdale and the south. I was pressed for time, and
+our glens of Farre and Strathnaver had already been cleared of all
+their best men. The other companies are all commanded by men who
+were with us at St. Andrews -- Balfour, George Hamilton, and James
+Scott."
+
+"That is well," Hepburn said. "Whether from the north or the south
+Scots fight equally well; and with Gustavus 'tis like being in our
+own country, so large a proportion are we of his majesty's army.
+And now, Munro, I fear that I must supersede you in command, being
+senior to you in the service, and having, moreover, his majesty's
+commission as governor of the town and district."
+
+"There is no one to whom I would more willingly resign the command.
+I have seen some hard fighting, but have yet my name to win; while
+you, though still only a colonel, are famous throughout Europe."
+
+"Thanks to my men rather than to myself," Hepburn said, "though,
+indeed, mine is no better than the other Scottish regiments in the
+king's service; but we have had luck, and in war, you know, luck
+is everything."
+
+There were many officers in both regiments who were old friends
+and acquaintances, and there was much feasting that night in the
+Scotch camp. In the morning work began again. The peasants of the
+district, 8000 strong, were mustered and divided into companies,
+armed and disciplined, and with these and the two Scotch regiments
+Hepburn advanced through Pomerania to the gates of Colberg, fifty
+miles away, clearing the country of the Austrians, who offered,
+indeed, but a faint resistance.
+
+The Lord of Kniphausen, a general in the Swedish service, now arrived
+with some Swedish troops, and prepared to besiege the town. The
+rest of Munro's regiment accompanied him, having arrived safely
+at their destination, and the whole were ordered to aid in the
+investment of Colberg, while Hepburn was to seize the town and
+castle of Schiefelbrune, five miles distant, and there to check the
+advance of the Imperialists, who were moving forward in strength
+towards it.
+
+Hepburn performed his mission with a party of cavalry, and reported
+that although the castle was dilapidated it was a place of strength,
+and that it could be held by a resolute garrison; whereupon Munro
+with 500 men of his regiment was ordered to occupy it. Nigel
+Graheme's company was one of those which marched forward on the
+6th of November, and entering the town, which was almost deserted
+by its inhabitants, set to work to prepare it for defence. Ramparts
+of earth and stockades were hastily thrown up, and the gates were
+backed by piles of rubbish to prevent them being blown in by petards.
+
+Scarcely were the preparations completed before the enemy were seen
+moving down the hillside.
+
+"How many are there of them, think you?" Malcolm asked Lieutenant
+Farquhar.
+
+"I am not skilled in judging numbers, Malcolm, but I should say
+that there must be fully five thousand."
+
+There were indeed eight thousand Imperialists approaching, led by
+the Count of Montecuculi, a distinguished Italian officer, who had
+with him the regiments of Coloredo, Isslani, Goetz, Sparre, and
+Charles Wallenstein, with a large force of mounted Croats.
+
+Munro's orders were to hold the town as long as he could, and
+afterwards to defend the castle to the last man.  The Imperial
+general sent in a message requesting him to treat for the surrender
+of the place; but Munro replied simply, that as no allusion to the
+word treaty was contained in his instructions he should defend the
+place to the last. The first advance of the Imperialists was made
+by the cavalry covered by 1000 musketeers, but these were repulsed
+without much difficulty by the Scottish fire.
+
+The whole force then advanced to the attack with great resolution.
+Desperately the Highlanders defended the town, again and again the
+Imperialists were repulsed from the slight rampart, and when at
+last they won their way into the place by dint of numbers, every
+street, lane, alley, and house was defended to the last.  Malcolm
+was almost bewildered at the din, the incessant roll of musketry,
+the hoarse shouts of the contending troops, the rattling of the
+guns, and the shrieks of pain.
+
+Every time the Imperialists tried to force their way in heavy columns
+up the streets the Scots poured out from the houses to resist them,
+and meeting them pike to pike hurled them backwards. Malcolm tried
+to keep cool, and to imitate the behaviour of his senior officers,
+repeating their orders, and seeing that they were carried out.
+
+Time after time the Austrians attempted to carry the place, and
+were always hurled back, although outnumbering the Scots by nigh
+twenty to one. At last the town was in ruins, and was on fire in a
+score of places. Its streets and lanes were heaped with dead, and
+it was no longer tenable.  Munro therefore gave orders that the
+houses should everywhere be set on fire, and the troops fall back
+to the castle.
+
+Steadily and in good order his commands were carried out, and with
+levelled pikes, still facing the enemy, the troops retired into the
+castle. The Imperial general, seeing how heavy had been his losses
+in carrying the open town, shrank from the prospect of assaulting
+a castle defended by such troops, and when night fell he quietly
+marched away with the force under his command.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III SIR JOHN HEPBURN
+
+
+Munro's first care, when he found that the Imperialists had retreated
+in the direction of Colberg, was to send out some horsemen to
+discover whether the Swedes were in a position to cover that town.
+The men returned in two hours with the report that Field Marshal
+Horn, with the Swedish troops from Stettin, had joined Kniphausen
+and Hepburn, and were guarding the passage between the enemy and
+Colberg.
+
+Two days later a message arrived to the effect that Sir Donald
+Mackay, who had now been created Lord Reay, had arrived to take
+the command of his regiment, and that Nigel Graheme's company was
+to march and join him; while Munro with the rest of his command
+was to continue to hold the Castle of Schiefelbrune.
+
+Shortly afterwards General Bauditzen arrived with 4000 men and 18
+pieces of cannon to press the siege of Colberg, which was one of
+the strongest fortresses in North Germany.  On the 13th of November
+the news arrived that Montecuculi was again advancing to raise the
+siege; and Lord Reay with his half regiment, Hepburn with half his
+regiment, and a regiment of Swedish infantry marched out to meet
+him, Kniphausen being in command. They took up a position in a
+little village a few miles from the town; and here, at four o'clock
+in the morning, they were attacked by the Imperialists, 7000 strong.
+The Swedish infantry fled almost without firing a shot, but the
+Scottish musketeers of Hepburn and Reay stood their ground.
+
+For a time a desperate conflict raged. In the darkness it was
+utterly impossible to distinguish friend from foe, and numbers on
+both sides were mown down by the volleys of their own party. In the
+streets and gardens of the little village men fought desperately
+with pikes and clubbed muskets.  Unable to act in the darkness,
+and losing many men from the storm of bullets which swept over the
+village, the Swedish cavalry who had accompanied the column turned
+and fled; and being unable to resist so vast a superiority of
+force, Kniphausen gave the word, and the Scotch fell slowly back
+under cover of the heavy mist which rose with the first breath of
+day, leaving 500 men, nearly half their force, dead behind them.
+
+Nigel Graheme's company had suffered severely; he himself was badly
+wounded. A lieutenant and one of the ensigns were killed, with
+thirty of the men, and many others were wounded with pike or bullet.
+Malcolm had had his share of the fighting. Several times he and
+the men immediately round him had been charged by the Imperialists,
+but their long pikes had each time repulsed the assaults.
+
+Malcolm had before this come to the conclusion, from the anecdotes
+he heard from the officers who had served through several campaigns,
+that the first quality of an officer is coolness, and that this is
+even more valuable than is reckless bravery. He had therefore set
+before himself that his first duty in action was to be perfectly
+calm, to speak without hurry or excitement in a quiet and natural
+tone.
+
+In his first fight at Schiefelbrune he had endeavoured to carry
+this out, but although he gained much commendation from Nigel and
+the other officers of the company for his coolness on that occasion,
+he had by no means satisfied himself; but upon the present occasion
+he succeeded much better in keeping his natural feelings in check,
+forcing himself to speak in a quiet and deliberate way without
+flurry or excitement, and in a tone of voice in no way raised above
+the ordinary. The effect had been excellent, and the soldiers, in
+talking over the affair next day, were loud in their praise of the
+conduct of the young ensign.
+
+"The lad was as cool as an old soldier," one of the sergeants
+said, "and cooler. Just as the Austrian column was coming on for
+the third time, shouting, and cheering, and sending their bullets
+in a hail, he said to me as quietly as if he was giving an order
+about his dinner, 'I think, Donald, it would be as well to keep
+the men out of fire until the last moment. Some one might get hurt,
+you see, before the enemy get close enough to use the pikes.' And
+then when they came close he said, 'Now, sergeant, I think it is time
+to move out and stop them.' When they came upon us he was fighting
+with his half pike with the best of us. And when the Austrians
+fell back and began to fire again, and we took shelter behind the
+houses, he walked about on the road, stooping down over those who
+had fallen, to see if all were killed, and finding two were alive
+he called out, 'Will one of you just come and help me carry these
+men under shelter?  They may get hit again if they remain here.'
+I went out to him, but I can tell you I didn't like it, for the
+bullets were coming along the road in a shower. His helmet was
+knocked off by one, and one of the men we were carrying in was
+struck by two more bullets and killed, and the lad seemed to mind
+it no more than if it had been a rainstorm in the hills at home.
+I thought when we left Nithsdale that the captain was in the wrong
+to make so young a boy an officer, but I don't think so now. Munro
+himself could not have been cooler. If he lives he will make a
+great soldier."
+
+The defence of the Scots had been so stubborn that Montecuculi
+abandoned his attempt to relieve Colberg that day, and so vigilant
+was the watch which the besiegers kept that he was obliged at last
+to draw off his troops and leave Colberg to its fate. The place
+held out to the 26th of February, when the garrison surrendered
+and were allowed to march out with the honours of war, with pikes
+carried, colours flying, drums beating, matches lighted, with
+their baggage, and with two pieces of cannon loaded and ready for
+action. They were saluted by the army as they marched away to the
+nearest town held by the Austrians, and as they passed by Schiefelbrune
+Munro's command were drawn up and presented arms to the 1500 men
+who had for three months resisted every attempt to capture Colberg
+by assault.
+
+Nigel Graheme's wound was so severe that he was obliged for a time
+to relinquish the command of his company, which he handed over to
+Herries.
+
+As there had been two vacancies among the officers Malcolm would
+naturally have been promoted to the duties of lieutenant, but at his
+urgent request his uncle chose for the purpose a young gentleman of
+good family who had fought in the ranks, and had much distinguished
+himself in both the contests. Two others were also promoted to fill
+up the vacancies as ensigns.
+
+The troops after the capture of Colberg marched to Stettin, around
+which town they encamped for a time, while Gustavus completed his
+preparations for his march into Germany. While a portion of his
+army had been besieging Colberg, Gustavus had been driving the
+Imperialists out of the whole of Pomerania.  Landing on the 24th
+of June with an army in all of 15,000 infantry, 2000 cavalry, and
+about 3000 artillery, he had, after despatching troops to aid Munro
+and besiege Colberg, marched against the Imperialists under Conti.
+These, however, retreated in great disorder and with much loss of
+men, guns, and baggage, into Brandenburg; and in a few weeks after
+the Swedish landing only Colberg, Greifswald, and Demming held out.
+In January Gustavus concluded a treaty with France, who agreed to
+pay him an annual subsidy of 400,000 thalers on the condition that
+Gustavus maintained in the field an army of 30,000 infantry and
+6000 cavalry, and assured to the princes and peoples whose territory
+he might occupy the free exercise of their religion. England also
+promised a subsidy, and the Marquis of Hamilton was to bring over
+6000 infantry; but as the king did not wish openly to take part
+in the war this force was not to appear as an English contingent.
+Another regiment of Highlanders was brought over by Colonel John
+Munro of Obstell, and also a regiment recruited in the Lowlands by
+Colonel Sir James Lumsden.
+
+Many other parties of Scotch were brought over by gentlemen of rank.
+Four chosen Scottish regiments, Hepburn's regiment, Lord Reay's
+regiment, Sir James Lumsden's musketeers, and Stargate's corps,
+were formed into one brigade under the command of Hepburn. It was
+called the Green Brigade, and the doublets, scarfs, feathers, and
+standards were of that colour. The rest of the infantry were divided
+into the Yellow, Blue, and White Brigades.
+
+One evening when the officers of Reay's regiment were sitting round
+the campfire Lieutenant Farquhar said to Colonel Munro:
+
+"How is it that Sir John Hepburn has, although still so young,
+risen to such high honour in the counsel of the king; how did he
+first make his way?"
+
+"He first entered the force raised by Sir Andrew Gray, who crossed
+from Leith to Holland, and then uniting with a body of English
+troops under Sir Horace Vere marched to join the troops of the
+Elector Palatine. It was a work of danger and difficulty for so
+small a body of men to march through Germany, and Spinola with a
+powerful force tried to intercept them. They managed, however, to
+avoid him, and reached their destination in safety.
+
+"Vere's force consisted of 2200 men, and when he and Sir Andrew
+Gray joined the Margrave of Anspach the latter had but 4000 horse
+and 4000 foot with him. There was a good deal of fighting, and
+Hepburn so distinguished himself that although then but twenty
+years old he obtained command of a company of pikemen in Sir Andrew
+Gray's band, and this company was specially selected as a bodyguard
+for the king.
+
+"There was one Scotchman in the band who vied even with Hepburn in
+the gallantry of his deeds. He was the son of a burgess of Stirling
+named Edmund, and on one occasion, laying aside his armour, he swam
+the Danube at night in front of the Austrian lines, and penetrated
+to the very heart of the Imperial camp. There he managed to enter
+the tent of the Imperialist general, the Count de Bucquoi, gagged
+and bound him, carried him to the river, swam across with him and
+presented him as a prisoner to the Prince of Orange, under whose
+command he was then serving.
+
+"It was well for Hepburn that at the battle of Prague he was guarding
+the king, or he also might have fallen among the hosts who died
+on that disastrous day. When the elector had fled the country Sir
+Andrew Gray's bands formed part of Mansfeldt's force, under whom
+they gained great glory.  When driven out of the Palatinate they
+still kept up the war in various parts of Germany and Alsace. With
+the Scotch companies of Colonel Henderson they defended Bergen when
+the Marquis of Spinola besieged it. Morgan with an English brigade
+was with them, and right steadily they fought.  Again and again
+the Spaniards attempted to storm the place, but after losing 12,000
+men they were forced to withdraw on the approach of Prince Maurice.
+
+"The elector now made peace with the emperor, and Mansfeldt's bands
+found themselves without employment.  Mansfeldt in vain endeavoured
+to obtain employment under one of the powers, but failing, marched
+into Lorraine. There, it must be owned, they plundered and ravaged
+till they were a terror to the country. At last the Dutch, being
+sorely pressed by the Spaniards, offered to take them into their
+pay, and the bands marched out from Lorraine in high spirits.
+
+"They were in sore plight for fighting, for most of them had been
+obliged to sell even their arms and armour to procure food. Spinola,
+hearing of their approach pushed forward with a strong force to
+intercept them, and so came upon them at Fleurus, eight miles from
+Namur, on the 30th of August, 1622.
+
+"The Scots were led by Hepburn, Hume, and Sir James Ramsay;
+the English by Sir Charles Rich, brother to the Earl of Warwick,
+Sir James Hayes, and others. The odds seemed all in favour of the
+Spaniards. who were much superior in numbers, and were splendidly
+accoutred and well disciplined, and what was more, were well fed,
+while Mansfeldt's bands were but half armed and almost wholly
+starving.
+
+"It was a desperate battle, and the Spaniards in the end remained
+masters of the field, but Mansfeldt with his bands had burst their
+way through them, and succeeded in crossing into Holland. Here
+their position was bettered; for, though there was little fighting
+for them to do, and they could get no pay, they lived and grew
+fat in free quarters among the Dutch. At last the force broke
+up altogether; the Germans scattered to their homes, the English
+crossed the seas, and Hepburn led what remained of Sir Andrew Gray's
+bands to Sweden, where he offered their services to Gustavus. The
+Swedish king had already a large number of Scotch in his service,
+and Hepburn was made a colonel, having a strong regiment composed
+of his old followers inured to war and hardship, and strengthened
+by a number of new arrivals.  When in 1625 hostilities were renewed
+with Poland Hepburn's regiment formed part of the army which invaded
+Polish Prussia. The first feat in which he distinguished himself in
+the service of Sweden was at the relief of Mewe, a town in Eastern
+Prussia, which was blockaded by King Sigismund at the head of
+30,000 Poles. The town is situated at the confluence of the Bersa
+with the Vistula, which washes two sides of its walls.
+
+"In front of the other face is a steep green eminence which the
+Poles had very strongly entrenched, and had erected upon it ten
+batteries of heavy cannon. As the town could only be approached on
+this side the difficulties of the relieving force were enormous;
+but as the relief of the town was a necessity in order to enable
+Gustavus to carry out the campaign he intended, the king determined
+to make a desperate effort to effect it.
+
+"He selected 3000 of his best Scottish infantry, among whom was
+Hepburn's own regiment, and 500 horse under Colonel Thurn. When
+they were drawn up he gave them a short address on the desperate
+nature of the service they were about to perform, namely, to cut
+a passage over a strongly fortified hill defended by 30,000 men.
+The column, commanded by Hepburn, started at dusk, and, unseen by
+the enemy, approached their position, and working round it began
+to ascend the hill by a narrow and winding path encumbered by rocks
+and stones, thick underwood, and overhanging trees.
+
+"The difficulty for troops with heavy muskets, cartridges, breastplates,
+and helmets, to make their way up such a place was enormous, and
+the mountain side was so steep that they were frequently obliged
+to haul themselves up by the branches of the trees; nevertheless,
+they managed to make their way through the enemy's outposts unobserved,
+and reached the summit, where the ground was smooth and level.
+
+"Here they fell at once upon the Poles, who were working busily
+at their trenches, and for a time gained a footing there; but a
+deadly fire of musketry with showers of arrows and stones, opened
+upon them from all points, compelled the Scots to recoil from the
+trenches, when they were instantly attacked by crowds of horsemen
+in mail shirts and steel caps. Hepburn drew off his men till they
+reached a rock on the plateau, and here they made their stand, the
+musketeers occupying the rock, the pikemen forming in a wall around
+it.
+
+"They had brought with them the portable chevaux-de-frise carried
+by the infantry in the Swedish service.  They fixed this along in
+front, and it aided the spearmen greatly in resisting the desperate
+charges of the Polish horsemen.  Hepburn was joined by Colonel Mostyn,
+an Englishman, and Count Brahe, with 200 German arquebusiers, and
+this force for two days withstood the incessant attacks of the
+whole of the Polish army.
+
+"While this desperate strife was going on, and the attention of the
+enemy entirely occupied, Gustavus managed to pass a strong force of
+men and a store of ammunition into the town, and the Poles, seeing
+that he had achieved his purpose, retired unmolested. In every
+battle which Gustavus fought Hepburn bore a prominent part. He
+distinguished himself at the storming of Kesmark and the defeat of
+the Poles who were marching to its relief.
+
+"He took part in the siege and capture of Marienburg and in
+the defeat of the Poles at Dirschau. He was with Leslie when last
+year he defended Stralsund against Wallenstein, and inflicted upon
+the haughty general the first reverse he had ever met with. Truly
+Hepburn has won his honours by the edge of the sword."
+
+"Wallenstein is the greatest of the Imperial commanders, is he
+not?" Farquhar asked.
+
+"He and Tilly," Munro replied. "'Tis a question which is the greatest.
+They are men of a very different stamp. Tilly is a soldier, and
+nothing but a soldier, save that he is a fanatic in religion. He
+is as cruel as he is brave, and as portentously ugly as he is cruel.
+
+"Wallenstein is a very different man. He has enormous ambition and
+great talent, and his possessions are so vast that he is a dangerous
+subject for any potentate, even the most powerful. Curiously enough,
+he was born of Protestant parents, but when they died, while he
+was yet a child, he was committed to the care of his uncle, Albert
+Slavata, a Jesuit, and was by him brought up a strict Catholic.
+When he had finished the course of his study at Metz he spent some
+time at the University of Altdorf, and afterwards studied at Bologna
+and Padua. He then travelled in Italy, Germany, France, Spain,
+England, and Holland, studying the military forces and tactics of
+each country.
+
+"On his return to Bohemia he took service under the Emperor
+Rudolph and joined the army of General Basta in Hungary, where he
+distinguished himself greatly at the siege of Grau. When peace was
+made in 1606 Wallenstein returned to Bohemia, and though he was but
+twenty-three years old he married a wealthy old widow, all of whose
+large properties came to him at her death eight years afterwards.
+
+"Five years later he raised at his own cost two hundred dragoons to
+support Ferdinand of Gratz in his war against the Venetians. Here
+he greatly distinguished himself, and was promoted to a colonelcy.
+He married a second time, and again to one of the richest heiresses
+of Austria. On the outbreak of the religious war of 1618 he raised
+a regiment of Cuirassiers, and fought at its head. Two years later
+he was made quartermaster general of the army, and marched at the
+head of an independent force into Moravia, and there re-established
+the Imperial authority.
+
+"The next year he bought from the Emperor Ferdinand, for a little
+over 7,000,000 florins, sixty properties which the emperor had
+confiscated from Protestants whom he had either executed or banished.
+He had been made a count at the time of his second marriage; he was
+now named a prince, which title was changed into that of the Duke
+of Friedland.  They say that his wealth is so vast that he obtains
+two millions and a half sterling a year from his various estates.
+
+"When in 1625 King Christian of Denmark joined in the war against
+the emperor, Wallenstein raised at his own cost an army of 50,000
+men and defeated Mansfeldt's army.  After that he cleared the Danes
+out of Silesia, conquered Brandenburg and Mecklenburg, and laid
+siege to Stralsund, and there broke his teeth against our Scottish
+pikes. For his services in that war Wallenstein received the duchy
+of Mecklenburg.
+
+"At present he is in retirement. The conquests which his army have
+made for the emperor aroused the suspicion and jealousy of the
+German princes, and it may be that the emperor himself was glad
+enough of an excuse to humble his too powerful subject. At any
+rate, Wallenstein's army was disbanded, and he retired to one of
+his castles. You may be sure we shall hear of him again. Tilly, you
+know, is the Bavarian commander, and we shall probably encounter
+him before long."
+
+New Brandenburg and several other towns were captured and strongly
+garrisoned, 600 of Reay's regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Lindsay
+being left in New Brandenburg. Nigel Graheme was still laid up,
+but his company formed part of the force.
+
+"This is ill fortune indeed," Malcolm said to Lieutenant Farquhar,
+"thus to be shut up here while the army are marching away to win
+victories in the field."
+
+"It is indeed, Malcolm, but I suppose that the king thinks that
+Tilly is likely to try and retake these places, and so to threaten
+his rear as he marches forward. He would never have placed as
+strong a force of his best soldiers here if he had not thought the
+position a very important one."
+
+The troops were quartered in the larger buildings of New Brandenburg;
+the officers were billeted upon the burghers. The position of the
+country people and the inhabitants of the towns of Germany during
+this long and desolating war was terrible; no matter which side
+won, they suffered. There were in those days no commissariat wagons
+bringing up stores from depots and magazines to the armies.  The
+troops lived entirely upon the country through which they marched.
+In exceptional cases, when the military chest happened to be well
+filled, the provisions acquired might be paid for, but as a rule
+armies upon the march lived by foraging. The cavalry swept in the
+flocks and herds from the country round. Flour, forage, and everything
+else required was seized wherever found, and the unhappy peasants
+and villagers thought themselves lucky if they escaped with the loss
+of all they possessed, without violence, insult, and ill treatment.
+The slightest resistance to the exactions of the lawless foragers
+excited their fury, and indiscriminate slaughter took place. The
+march of an army could be followed by burned villages, demolished
+houses, crops destroyed, and general ruin, havoc, and desolation.
+
+In the cases of towns these generally escaped indiscriminate
+plunder by sending deputies forward to meet advancing armies, when
+an offer would be made to the general to supply so much food and to
+pay so much money on condition that private property was respected.
+In these cases the main body of the troops was generally encamped
+outside the town. Along the routes frequently followed by armies
+the country became a desert, the hapless people forsook their ruined
+homes, and took refuge in the forests or in the heart of the hills,
+carrying with them their portable property, and driving before them
+a cow or two and a few goats.
+
+How great was the general slaughter and destruction may be judged by
+the fact that the population of Germany decreased by half during
+the war, and in Bohemia the slaughter was even greater. At the
+commencement of the war the population of Bohemia consisted of
+3,000,000 of people, inhabiting 738 towns and 34,700 villages. At
+the end of the war there were but 780,000 inhabitants, 230 towns,
+and 6000 villages. Thus three out of four of the whole population
+had been slaughtered during the struggle.
+
+Malcolm was, with Lieutenant Farquhar, quartered upon one of the
+principal burghers of New Brandenburg, and syndic of the weavers.
+He received them cordially.
+
+"I am glad," he said, "to entertain two Scottish officers, and, to
+speak frankly, your presence will be of no slight advantage, for
+it is only the houses where officers are quartered which can hope
+to escape from the plunder and exactions of the soldiers. My wife
+and I will do our best to make you comfortable, but we cannot
+entertain you as we could have done before this war began, for
+trade is altogether ruined. None have money wherewith to buy goods.
+Even when free from the presence of contending armies, the country
+is infested with parties of deserters or disbanded soldiers, who
+plunder and murder all whom they meet, so that none dare travel
+along the roads save in strong parties.  I believe that there is
+scarce a village standing within twenty miles, and many parts have
+suffered much more than we have. If this war goes on, God help the
+people, for I know not what will become of them. This is my house,
+will you please to enter."
+
+Entering a wide hall, he led them into a low sitting room where
+his wife and three daughters were at work.  They started up with
+looks of alarm at the clatter of steel in the hall.
+
+"Wife," the syndic said as he entered, "these are two gentlemen,
+officers of the Scottish regiment; they will stay with us during
+the occupation of the town. I know that you and the girls will do
+your best to make their stay pleasant to them."
+
+As the officers removed their helmets the apprehensions of the women
+calmed down on perceiving that one of their guests was a young man
+of three or four and twenty, while the other was a lad, and that
+both had bright pleasant faces in no way answering the terrible
+reputation gained by the invincible soldiers of the Swedish king.
+
+"I hope," Farquhar said pleasantly, "that you will not put yourselves
+out of your way for us. We are soldiers of fortune accustomed to
+sleep on the ground and to live on the roughest fare, and since
+leaving Scotland we have scarcely slept beneath a roof. We will be
+as little trouble to you as we can, and our two soldier servants
+will do all that we need."
+
+Farquhar spoke in German, for so large a number of Germans were
+serving among the Swedes that the Scottish officers had all learned
+to speak that language and Swedish, German being absolutely necessary
+for their intercourse with the country people. This was the more
+easy as the two languages were akin to each other, and were less
+broadly separated from English in those days than they are now.
+
+It was nearly a year since Farquhar and Malcolm had landed on the
+shores of the Baltic, and living as they had done among Swedes
+and Germans, they had had no difficulty in learning to speak both
+languages fluently.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV NEW BRANDENBURG
+
+
+Farquhar and Malcolm Graheme were soon at home with their hosts.
+The syndic had offered to have their meals prepared for them in a
+separate chamber, but they begged to be allowed to take them with
+the family, with whom they speedily became intimate.
+
+Three weeks after the capture of New Brandenburg the news came that
+Tilly with a large army was rapidly approaching.
+
+Every effort was made to place the town in a position of defence.
+Day after day messengers came in with the news that the other
+places which had been garrisoned by the Swedes had been captured,
+and very shortly the Imperialist army was seen approaching.
+The garrison knew that they could expect no relief from Gustavus,
+who had ten days before marched northward, and all prepared for
+a desperate resistance. The townsfolk looked on with trembling
+apprehension, their sympathies were with the defenders, and,
+moreover, they knew that in any case they might expect pillage and
+rapine should the city be taken, for the property of the townspeople
+when a city was captured was regarded by the soldiery as their
+lawful prize, whether friendly to the conquerors or the reverse.
+The town was at once summoned to surrender, and upon Lindsay's
+refusal the guns were placed in position, and the siege began.
+
+As Tilly was anxious to march away to the north to oppose Gustavus
+he spared no effort to reduce New Brandenburg as speedily as
+possible, and his artillery fired night and day to effect breaches
+in the walls.  The Scotch officers saw little of their hosts now,
+for they were almost continually upon the walls.
+
+At the first news of the approach of the Imperialists the syndic
+had sent away his daughters to the house of a relative at Stralsund,
+where his son was settled in business. When Farquhar and Malcolm
+returned to eat a meal or to throw themselves on their beds to
+snatch a short sleep, the syndic anxiously questioned them as to
+the progress of the siege.  The reports were not hopeful. In several
+places the walls were crumbling, and it was probable that a storm
+would shortly be attempted. The town itself was suffering heavily,
+for the balls of the besiegers frequently flew high, and came
+crashing among the houses. Few of the inhabitants were to be seen
+in the streets; all had buried their most valuable property, and
+with scared faces awaited the issue of the conflict.
+
+After six days' cannonade the walls were breached in many places,
+and the Imperialists advanced to the assault.  The Scotch defended
+them with great resolution, and again and again the Imperialists
+recoiled, unable to burst their way through the lines of pikes
+or to withstand the heavy musketry fire poured upon them from the
+walls and buildings.
+
+But Tilly's army was so strong that he was able continually to bring
+up fresh troops to the attack, while the Scotch were incessantly
+engaged. For eight-and-forty hours the defenders resisted successfully,
+but at last, worn out by fatigue, they were unable to withstand
+the onslaught of the enemy, and the latter forced their way into
+the town. Still the Scots fought on. Falling back from the breaches,
+they contested every foot of the ground, holding the streets and
+lanes with desperate tenacity, and inflicting terrible losses upon
+the enemy.
+
+At last, twelve hours later, they were gathered in the marketplace,
+nearly in the centre of the town, surrounded on all sides by the
+enemy. Several times the Scottish bugles had sounded a parley, but
+Tilly, furious at the resistance, and at the loss which the capture
+of the town had entailed, had issued orders that no quarter should
+be given, and his troops pressed the now diminished band of Scotchmen
+on all sides.
+
+Even now they could not break through the circle of spears, but
+from every window and roof commanding them a deadly fire was poured
+in. Colonel Lindsay was shot dead.  Captain Moncrieff, Lieutenant
+Keith, and Farquhar fell close to Malcolm. The shouts of "Kill,
+kill, no quarter," rose from the masses of Imperialists. Parties
+of the Scotch, preferring to die sword in hand rather than be shot
+down, flung themselves into the midst of the enemy and died fighting.
+
+At last, when but fifty men remained standing, these in a close
+body rushed at the enemy and drove them by the fury of their attack
+some distance down the principal street.  Then numbers told. The
+band was broken up, and a desperate hand-to-hand conflict raged
+for a time.
+
+Two of the Scottish officers alone, Captain Innes and Lieutenant
+Lumsden, succeeded in breaking their way down a side lane, and
+thence, rushing to the wall, leapt down into the moat, and swimming
+across, succeeded in making their escape, and in carrying the news
+of the massacre to the camp of Gustavus, where the tale filled all
+with indignation and fury. Among the Scotch regiments deep vows of
+vengeance were interchanged, and in after battles the Imperialists
+had cause bitterly to rue having refused quarter to the Scots at
+New Brandenburg.
+
+When the last melee was at its thickest, and all hope was at an
+end, Malcolm, who had been fighting desperately with his half pike,
+found himself for a moment in a doorway.  He turned the handle,
+and it opened at once. The house, like all the others, was full
+of Imperialists, who had thrown themselves into it when the Scots
+made their charge, and were now keeping up a fire at them from the
+upper windows.  Closing the door behind him, Malcolm stood for a
+moment to recover his breath. He had passed unscathed through the
+three days' fighting, though his armour and helmet were deeply
+dinted in many places.
+
+The din without and above was tremendous. The stroke of sword on
+armour, the sharp crack of the pistols, the rattle of musketry,
+the shouts of the Imperialists, and the wild defiant cries of the
+Highlanders mingled together.
+
+As Malcolm stood panting he recalled the situation, and, remembering
+that the syndic's house was in the street behind, he determined to
+gain it, feeling sure that his host would shelter him if he could.
+Passing through the house he issued into a courtyard, quickly
+stripped off his armour and accoutrements, and threw them into an
+outhouse. Climbing on the roof of this he got upon the wall, and
+ran along it until behind the house of the syndic. He had no fear
+of being observed, for the attention of all in the houses in the
+street he had left would be directed to the conflict below.
+
+The sound of musketry had already ceased, telling that the work
+of slaughter was well nigh over, when Malcolm dropped into the
+courtyard of the syndic; the latter and his wife gave a cry of
+astonishment as the lad entered the house, breathless and pale as
+death.
+
+"Can you shelter me awhile?" he said. "I believe that all my
+countrymen are killed."
+
+"We will do our best, my lad," the syndic said at once.  "But the
+houses will be ransacked presently from top to bottom."
+
+"Let him have one of the servant's disguises," the wife said; "they
+can all be trusted."
+
+One of the serving men was at once called in, and he hurried off
+with Malcolm.
+
+The young Scotchmen had made themselves very popular with the
+servants by their courtesy and care to avoid giving unnecessary
+trouble, and in a few minutes Malcolm was attired as a serving man,
+and joined the servants who were busy in spreading the tables with
+provisions, and in broaching a large cask of wine to allay the
+passions of the Imperialists.
+
+It was not long before they came. Soon there was a thundering knocking
+at the door, and upon its being opened a number of soldiers burst
+in. Many were bleeding from wounds. All bore signs of the desperate
+strife in which they had been engaged.
+
+"You are welcome," the host said, advancing towards them. "I have
+made preparations for your coming; eat and drink as it pleases
+you."
+
+Rushing to the wine casks, the soldiers appeased their thirst with
+long draughts of wine, and then fell upon the eatables. Other bands
+followed, and the house was soon filled from top to bottom with
+soldiers, who ransacked the cupboards, loaded themselves with such
+things as they deemed worth carrying away, and wantonly broke and
+destroyed what they could not. The servants were all kept busy
+bringing up wine from the cellars. This was of good quality, and
+the soldiers, well satisfied, abstained from personal violence.
+
+All night long pandemonium reigned in the town.  Shrieks and cries,
+oaths and sounds of conflict arose from all quarters, as citizens
+or their wives were slaughtered by drunken soldiers, or the latter
+quarrelled and fought among themselves for some article of plunder.
+Flames broke out in many places, and whole streets were burned, many
+of the drunken soldiers losing their lives in the burning houses;
+but in the morning the bugles rang out, the soldiers desisted from
+their orgies, and such as were able to stand staggered away to join
+their colours.
+
+A fresh party marched into the town; these collected the stragglers,
+and seized all the horses and carts for the carriage of the
+baggage and plunder. The burgomaster had been taken before Tilly
+and commanded to find a considerable sum of money the first thing
+in the morning, under threat that the whole town would be burned
+down, and the inhabitants massacred if it was not forthcoming.
+
+A council of the principal inhabitants was hastily summoned at
+daybreak. The syndics of the various guilds between them contributed
+the necessary sum either in money or in drafts, and at noon Tilly
+marched away with his troops, leaving the smoking and ruined town
+behind him. Many of the inhabitants were forced as drivers to
+accompany the horses and carts taken away. Among these were three
+of the syndic's serving men, Malcolm being one of the number.
+
+It was well that the Pomeranian dialect differed so widely from
+the Bavarian, so Malcolm's German had consequently passed muster
+without suspicion. The Imperialist army, although dragging with
+them an immense train of carts laden with plunder, marched rapidly.
+The baggage was guarded by horsemen who kept the train in motion,
+galloping up and down the line, and freely administering blows
+among their captives whenever a delay or stoppage occurred.
+
+The whole country through which they passed was desolated and wasted,
+and the army would have fared badly had it not been for the herds
+of captured cattle they drove along with them, and the wagons laden
+with flour and wine taken at New Brandenburg and the other towns
+they had stormed. The marches were long, for Tilly was anxious
+to accomplish his object before Gustavus should be aware of the
+direction he was taking.
+
+This object was the capture of the town of Magdeburg, a large and
+important city, and one of the strongholds of Protestantism. Here
+he was resolved to strike a blow which would, he believed, terrify
+Germany into submission.
+
+When Gustavus heard that Tilly had marched west, he moved against
+Frankfort-on-the-Oder, where the Imperialists were commanded by
+Count Schomberg. The latter had taken every measure for the defence
+of the town, destroying all the suburbs, burning the country houses
+and mills, and cutting down the orchards and vineyards.
+
+Gustavus, accompanied by Sir John Hepburn, at once reconnoitred
+the place and posted his troops. The Blue and Yellow Brigades
+were posted among the vineyards on the road to Custrin; the White
+Brigade took post opposite one of the two gates of the town. Hepburn
+and the Green Brigade were stationed opposite the other.
+
+As the Swedes advanced the Imperialist garrison, who were 10,000
+strong, opened fire with musketry and cannon from the walls. The
+weakest point in the defence was assigned by Schomberg to Colonel
+Walter Butler, who commanded a regiment of Irish musketeers in the
+Imperialist service. In the evening Hepburn and some other officers
+accompanied the king to reconnoitre near the walls. A party
+of Imperialists, seeing some officers approaching, and judging by
+their waving plumes they were of importance, sallied quietly out
+of a postern gate unperceived and suddenly opened fire.  Lieutenant
+Munro, of Munro's regiment, was shot in the leg, and Count Teuffel,
+a colonel of the Life Guards, in the arm.  A body of Hepburn's
+regiment, under Major Sinclair, rushed forward and drove in the
+Imperialists, a lieutenant colonel and a captain being captured.
+
+So hotly did they press the Imperialists that they were able to
+make a lodgment, on some high ground near the rampart, on which
+stood an old churchyard surrounded by a wall, and whence their fire
+could sweep the enemy's works.  Some cannon were at once brought
+up and placed in position here, and opened fire on the Guben gate.
+Captain Gunter, of Hepburn's regiment, went forward with twelve
+men, and in spite of a very heavy fire from the walls reconnoitred
+the ditch and approaches to the walls.
+
+The next day all was ready for the assault. It was Palm Sunday,
+the 3d of April, and the attack was to take place at five o'clock
+in the afternoon. Before advancing, Hepburn and several of the
+other officers wished to lay aside their armour, as its weight was
+great, and would impede their movements. The king, however, forbade
+them to do so.
+
+"No," he said; "he who loves my service will not risk life lightly.
+If my officers are killed, who is to command my soldiers?"
+
+Fascines and scaling ladders were prepared. The Green Brigade
+were to head the assault, and Gustavus, addressing them, bade them
+remember New Brandenburg.
+
+At five o'clock a tremendous cannonade was opened on the walls from
+all the Swedish batteries, and under cover of the smoke the Green
+Brigade advanced to the assault.  From the circle of the walls a
+cloud of smoke and fire broke out from cannon and arquebus, muskets,
+and wall pieces.  Sir John Hepburn and Colonel Lumsden, side by
+side, led on their regiments against the Guben gate; both carried
+petards.
+
+In spite of the tremendous fire poured upon them from the wall they
+reached the gate, and the two colonels fixed the petards to it and
+retired a few paces. In a minute there was a tremendous explosion,
+and the gate fell scattered in fragments. Then the Scottish pikemen
+rushed forward. As they did so there was a roar of cannon, and
+a storm of bullets ploughed lanes through the close ranks of the
+pikemen, for the Imperialists, expecting the attack, had placed
+cannon, loaded to the muzzle with bullets, behind the gates.
+
+Munro's regiment now leapt into the moat, waded across, and planting
+their ladders under a murderous fire, stormed the works flanking
+the gate, and then joined their comrades, who were striving to
+make an entrance. Hepburn, leading on the pikemen, was hit on the
+knee, where he had in a former battle been badly wounded.
+
+"Go on, bully Munro," he said jocularly to his old schoolfellow,
+"for I am wounded."
+
+A major who advanced to take his place at the head of the regiment
+was shot dead, and so terrible was the fire that even the pikemen
+of Hepburn's regiment wavered for a moment; but Munro and Lumsden,
+with their vizors down and half pikes in their hands, cheered on
+their men, and, side by side, led the way.
+
+"My hearts!" shouted Lumsden, waving his pike -- "my brave hearts,
+let's enter."
+
+"Forward!" shouted Munro; "advance pikes!"
+
+With a wild cheer the Scots burst forward; the gates were stormed,
+and in a moment the cannon, being seized, were turned, and volleys
+of bullets poured upon the dense masses of the Imperialists. The
+pikemen pressed forward in close column, shoulder to shoulder,
+the pikes levelled in front, the musketeers behind firing on the
+Imperialists in the houses.
+
+In the meantime Gustavus, with the Blue and Yellow Swedish Brigades,
+stormed that part of the wall defended by Butler with his Irishmen.
+These fought with extreme bravery, and continued their resistance
+until almost every man was killed, when the two brigades burst into
+the town, the White Brigade storming the wall in another quarter.
+Twice the Imperialist drums beat a parley, but their sound was
+deadened by the roar of musketry and the boom of cannon from wall
+and battery, and the uproar and shouting in every street and house.
+The Green Brigade, under its commander, maintained its regular order,
+pressing forward with resistless strength. In vain the Austrians
+shouted for quarter. They were met by shouts of -- "Remember New
+Brandenburg!"
+
+Even now, when all was lost, Tilly's veterans fought with extreme
+bravery and resolution; but at last, when Butler had fallen, and
+Schomberg and Montecuculi, and a few other officers had succeeded
+in escaping, all resistance ceased. Four colonels, 36 officers, and
+3000 men were killed. Fifty colours and ten baggage wagons, laden
+with gold and silver plate, were captured.
+
+Many were taken prisoners, and hundreds were drowned in the Oder,
+across which the survivors of the garrison made their escape.
+Plundering at once began, and several houses were set on fire; but
+Gustavus ordered the drums to beat, and the soldiers to repair to
+their colours outside the town, which was committed to the charge
+of Sir John Hepburn, with his regiment.
+
+The rumour that Magdeburg was the next object of attack circulated
+among Tilly's troops the day after they marched west from New
+Brandenburg. It originated in some chance word dropped by a superior
+officer, and seemed confirmed by the direction which they were
+taking which was directly away from the Swedish army. There was a
+report, too, that Count Pappenheim, who commanded a separate army,
+would meet Tilly there, and that every effort would be made to
+capture the town before Gustavus could march to its assistance.
+
+Malcolm could easily have made his escape the first night after
+leaving New Brandenburg; but the distance to be traversed to join the
+Swedish army was great, confusion and disorder reigned everywhere,
+and he had decided that it would be safer to remain with the
+Imperialist army until Gustavus should approach within striking
+distance. On the road he kept with the other two men who had been
+taken with the horses from the syndic of the weavers, and, chatting
+with them when the convoy halted, he had not the least fear of being
+questioned by others. Indeed, none of those in the long train of
+carts and wagons paid much attention to their fellows, all had been
+alike forced to accompany the Imperialists, and each was too much
+occupied by the hardships of his own lot, and by thoughts of the
+home from which he had been torn, to seek for the companionship of
+his comrades in misfortune.
+
+As soon, however, as Malcolm heard the report of Tilly's intentions,
+he saw that it was of the utmost importance that the King of Sweden
+should be informed of the Imperialist plans as early as possible,
+and he determined at once to start and endeavour to make his way
+across the country. At nightfall the train with the baggage and
+plunder was as usual so placed that it was surrounded by the camps
+of the various brigades of the army in order to prevent desertion.
+The previous night an escape would have been comparatively easy, for
+the soldiers were worn out by their exertions at the siege of New
+Brandenburg, and were still heavy from the drink they had obtained
+there; but discipline was now restored, and the sentries were on
+the alert. A close cordon of these was placed around the baggage
+train; and when this was passed, there would still be the difficulty
+of escaping through the camps of soldiery, and of passing the
+outposts. Malcolm waited until the camp became quiet, or rather
+comparatively quiet, for the supplies of wine were far from
+exhausted, and revelling was still going on in various parts of the
+camp, for the rigid discipline in use in modern armies was at that
+time unknown, and except when on duty in the ranks a wide amount
+of license was permitted to the soldiers. The night was fine and
+bright, and Malcolm saw that it would be difficult to get through
+the line of sentries who were stationed some thirty or forty yards
+apart.
+
+After thinking for some time he went up to a group of eight or ten
+horses which were fastened by their bridles to a large store wagon
+on the outside of the baggage camp.  Malcolm unfastened the bridles
+and turned the horses heads outwards. Then he gave two of them a
+sharp prick with his dagger, and the startled animals dashed forward
+in affright, followed by their companions. They passed close to
+one of the sentries, who tried in vain to stop them, and then burst
+into the camp beyond, where their rush startled the horses picketed
+there. These began to kick and struggle desperately to free themselves
+from their fastenings. The soldiers, startled at the sudden noise,
+sprang to their feet, and much confusion reigned until the runaway
+horses were secured and driven back to their lines.
+
+The instant he had thus diverted the attention of the whole line
+of sentries along that side of the baggage camp, Malcolm crept
+quietly up and passed between them. Turning from the direction in
+which the horses had disturbed the camp, he made his way cautiously
+along. Only the officers had tents, the men sleeping on the ground
+around their fires. He had to move with the greatest caution
+to avoid treading upon the sleepers, and was constantly compelled
+to make detours to get beyond the range of the fires, round which
+groups of men were sitting and carousing.
+
+At last he reached the outside of the camp, and taking advantage
+of every clump of bushes he had no difficulty in making his way
+through the outposts, for as the enemy was known to be far away,
+no great vigilance was observed by the sentries. He had still to
+be watchful, for fires were blazing in a score of places over the
+country round, showing that the foragers of the army were at their
+usual work of rapine, and he might at any moment meet one of these
+returning laden with spoil.
+
+Once or twice, indeed, he heard the galloping of bodies of horse,
+and the sound of distant pistol shots and the shrieks of women came
+faintly to his ears. He passed on, however, without meeting with
+any of the foraging parties, and by morning was fifteen miles away
+from Tilly's camp. Entering a wood he threw himself down and slept
+soundly for some hours. It was nearly noon before he started again.
+After an hour's walking he came upon the ruins of a village. Smoke
+was still curling up from the charred beams and rafters of the
+cottages, and the destruction had evidently taken place but the day
+before. The bodies of several men and women lay scattered among the
+houses; two or three dogs were prowling about, and these growled
+angrily at the intruder, and would have attacked him had he not
+flourished a club which he had cut in the woods for self defence.
+
+Moving about through the village he heard a sound of wild laughter,
+and going in that direction saw a woman sitting on the ground. In
+her lap was a dead child pierced through with a lance. The woman
+was talking and laughing to it, her clothes were torn, and her hair
+fell in wild disorder over her shoulders. It needed but a glance
+to tell Malcolm that the poor creature was mad, distraught by the
+horrors of the previous day.
+
+A peasant stood by leaning on a stick, mournfully regarding her.
+He turned suddenly round with the weapon uplifted at the sound of
+Malcolm's approach, but lowered it on seeing that the newcomer was
+a lad.
+
+"I hoped you were a soldier," the peasant said, as he lowered his
+stick. "I should like to kill one, and then to be killed myself. My
+God, what is life worth living for in this unhappy country? Three
+times since the war began has our village been burned, but each
+time we were warned of the approach of the plunderers, and escaped
+in time. Yesterday they came when I was away, and see what they
+have done;" and be pointed to his wife and child, and to the corpses
+scattered about.
+
+"It is terrible," Malcolm replied. "I was taken a prisoner but two
+days since at the sack of New Brandenburg, but I have managed to
+escape. I am a Scot, and am on my way now to join the army of the
+Swedes, which will, I hope, soon punish the villains who have done
+this damage."
+
+"I shall take my wife to her mother," the peasant said, "and leave
+her there. I hope God will take her soon, and then I will go and
+take service under the Swedish king, and will slay till I am slain.
+I would kill myself now, but that I would fain avenge my wife and
+child on some of these murderers of Tilly's before I die."
+
+Malcolm felt that the case was far beyond any attempt at consolation.
+
+"If you come to the Swedish army ask for Ensign Malcolm Graheme of
+Reay's Scottish regiment, and I will take you to one of the German
+corps, where you will understand the language of your comrades."
+So saying he turned from the bloodstained village and continued
+his way.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V MARAUDERS
+
+
+Malcolm had brought with him from Tilly's camp a supply of provisions
+sufficient for three or four days, and a flask of wine. Before he
+started from New Brandenburg the syndic had slipped into his band
+a purse containing ten gold pieces, and whenever he came to a village
+which had escaped the ravages of the war he had no difficulty in
+obtaining provisions.
+
+It was pitiable at each place to see the anxiety with which the
+villagers crowded round him upon his arrival and questioned him as
+to the position of the armies and whether he had met with any parties
+of raiders on the way. Everywhere the cattle had been driven into
+the woods; boys were posted as lookouts on eminences at a distance
+to bring in word should any body of men be seen moving in that
+direction; and the inhabitants were prepared to fly instantly at
+the approach of danger.
+
+The news that Tilly's army was marching in the opposite direction
+was received with a deep sense of thankfulness and relief, for they
+were now assured of a respite from his plunderers, although still
+exposed to danger from the arrival of some of the numerous bands.
+These, nominally fighting for one or other of the parties, were
+in truth nothing but marauders, being composed of deserters and
+desperadoes of all kinds, who lived upon the misfortunes of the
+country, and were even more cruel and pitiless than were the regular
+troops.
+
+At one of these villages Malcolm exchanged his attire as a serving
+man of a rich burgher for that of a peasant lad.  He was in ignorance
+of the present position of the Swedish army, and was making for
+the intrenched camp of Schwedt, on the Oder, which Gustavus had
+not left when he had last heard of him.
+
+On the fourth day after leaving the camp of Tilly, as Malcolm was
+proceeding across a bare and desolate country he heard a sound of
+galloping behind him, and saw a party of six rough looking horsemen
+coming along the road. As flight would have been useless he continued
+his way until they overtook him. They reined up when they reached
+him.
+
+"Where are you going, boy, and where do you belong to?" the leader
+of the party asked.
+
+"I am going in search of work," Malcolm answered. "My village is
+destroyed and my parents killed."
+
+"Don't tell me that tale," the man said, drawing a pistol from his
+holster. "I can tell by your speech that you are not a native of
+these parts."
+
+There was nothing in the appointments of the men to indicate which
+party they favoured, and Malcolm thought it better to state exactly
+who he was, for a doubtful answer might be followed by a pistol
+shot, which would have brought his career to a close.
+
+"You are right," he said quietly; "but in these times it is not safe
+always to state one's errand to all comers. I am a Scotch officer
+in the army of the King of Sweden. I was in New Brandenburg when it
+was stormed by Tilly. I disguised myself, and, passing unnoticed,
+was forced to accompany his army as a teamster. The second night I
+escaped, and am now making my way to Schwedt, where I hope to find
+the army."
+
+The man replaced his pistol.
+
+"You are an outspoken lad," he said laughing, "and a fearless one.
+I believe that your story is true, for no German boor would have
+looked me in the face and answered so quietly; but I have heard
+that the Scotch scarce know what danger is, though they will find
+Tilly and Pappenheim very different customers to the Poles."
+
+"Which side do you fight on?" Malcolm asked.
+
+"A frank question and a bold one!" the leader laughed.  "What say
+you, men? Whom are we for just at present? We were for the Imperialists
+the other day, but now they have marched away, and as it may be
+the Swedes will be coming in this direction, I fancy that we shall
+soon find ourselves on the side of the new religion."
+
+The men laughed. "What shall we do with this boy? To begin with,
+if he is what he says, no doubt he has some money with him."
+
+Malcolm at once drew out his purse. "Here are nine gold pieces,"
+he said. "They are all I have, save some small change."
+
+"That is better than nothing," the leader said, pocketing the purse.
+"And now what shall we do with him?"
+
+"He is a Protestant," one of the men replied; "best shoot him."
+
+"I should say," another said, "that we had best make him our cook.
+Old Rollo is always grumbling at being kept at the work, and his
+cooking gets worse and worse. I could not get my jaws into the meat
+this morning."
+
+A murmur of agreement was raised by the other horsemen.
+
+"So be it," the leader said. "Dost hear, lad? You have the choice
+whether you will be cook to a band of honourable gentlemen or be
+shot at once."
+
+"The choice pleases me not," Malcolm replied. "Still, if it must
+needs be, I would prefer for a time the post of cook to the other
+alternative."
+
+"And mind you," the leader said sharply, "at the first attempt to
+escape we string you up to the nearest bough.  Carl, do you lead
+him back and set him to work, and tell the men there to keep a
+sharp watch upon him."
+
+One of the men turned his horse, and, with Malcolm walking by his
+side, left the party. They soon turned aside from the road, and after
+a ride of five miles across a rough and broken country entered a
+wood.  Another half mile and they reached the foot of an eminence,
+on the summit of which stood a ruined castle.  Several horses were
+picketed among the trees at the foot of the hill, and two men were
+sitting near them cleaning their arms. The sight of these deterred
+Malcolm from carrying into execution the plan which he had formed
+-- namely, to strike down his guard with his club as he dismounted,
+to leap on his horse, and ride off.
+
+"Who have you there, Carl?" one of the men asked as they rose and
+approached the newcomers.
+
+"A prisoner," Carl said, "whom the captain has appointed to the
+honourable office of cook instead of old Rollo, whose food gets
+harder and tougher every day. You are to keep a sharp eye over the
+lad, who says he is a Scotch officer of the Swedes, and to shoot
+him down if he attempts to escape."
+
+"Why, I thought those Scots were very devils to fight," one of the
+men said, "and this is but a boy. How comes he here?"
+
+"He told the captain his story, and he believed it," Carl said
+carelessly, "and the captain is not easily taken in. He was captured
+by Tilly at New Brandenburg, which town we heard yesterday he
+assaulted and sacked, killing every man of the garrison; but it
+seems this boy put on a disguise, and being but a boy I suppose
+passed unnoticed, and was taken off as a teamster with Tilly's
+army. He gave them the slip, but as he has managed to fall into our
+hands I don't know that he has gained much by the exchange. Now,
+youngster, go up to the castle."
+
+Having picketed his horse the man led the way up the steep hill.
+When they reached the castle Malcolm saw that it was less ruined
+than it had appeared to be from below. The battlements had indeed
+crumbled away, and there were cracks and fissures in the upper parts
+of the walls, but below the walls were still solid and unbroken,
+and as the rock was almost precipitous, save at the point at which
+a narrow path wound up to the entrance, it was still capable of
+making a stout defence against attack.
+
+A strong but roughly made gate, evidently of quite recent make,
+hung on the hinges, and passing through it Malcolm found himself
+in the courtyard of the castle.  Crossing this he entered with his
+guide what had once been the principal room of the castle. A good
+fire blazed in the centre; around this half a dozen men were lying
+on a thick couch of straw. Malcolm's guide repeated the history
+of the newcomer, and then passed through with him into a smaller
+apartment, where a man was attending to several sauce pans over a
+fire.
+
+"Rollo," he said, "I bring you a substitute. You have been always
+grumbling about being told off for the cooking, just because you
+happened to be the oldest of the band. Here is a lad who will take
+your place, and tomorrow you can mount your horse and ride with
+the rest of us."
+
+"And be poisoned, I suppose, with bad food when I return," the man
+grumbled -- "a nice lookout truly."
+
+"There's one thing, you old grumbler, it is quite certain he cannot
+do worse than you do. My jaws ache now with trying to eat the food
+you gave us this morning. Another week and you would have starved
+the whole band to death."
+
+"Very well," the man said surlily; "we will see whether you have
+gained by the exchange. What does this boy know about cooking?"
+
+"Very little, I am afraid," Malcolm said cheerfully; "but at least
+I can try. If I must be a cook I will at least do my best to be a
+good one. Now, what have you got in these pots?"
+
+Rollo grumblingly enumerated their contents, and then putting
+on his doublet went out to join his comrades in the hall, leaving
+Malcolm to his new duties.
+
+The latter set to work with a will. He saw that it was best to
+appear contented with the situation, and to gain as far as possible
+the goodwill of the band by his attention to their wants. In this
+way their vigilance would become relaxed, and some mode of escape
+might open itself to him. At dusk the rest of the band returned, and
+Malcolm found that those who had met him with the captain were but
+a portion of the party, as three other companies of equal strength
+arrived at about the same time, the total number mounting up to
+over thirty.
+
+Malcolm was conscious that the supper was far from being a success;
+but for this he was not responsible, as the cooking was well advanced
+when he undertook it; however the band were not dissatisfied, for
+it was much better than they had been accustomed to, as Malcolm
+had procured woodwork from the disused part of the castle, and had
+kept the fire briskly going; whereas his predecessor in the office
+had been too indolent to get sufficient wood to keep the water on
+the boil.
+
+In the year which Malcolm had spent in camp he had learned a good
+deal of rough cookery, for when on active duty the officers had
+often to shift for themselves, and consequently next day he was
+able to produce a dinner so far in advance of that to which the
+band was accustomed that their approbation was warmly and loudly
+expressed.
+
+The stew was juicy and tender, the roast done to a turn, and the
+bread, baked on an iron plate, was pronounced to be excellent.
+The band declared that their new cook was a treasure. Malcolm had
+already found that though he could move about the castle as he
+chose, one of the band was now always stationed at the gate with
+pike and pistols, while at night the door between the room in which
+he cooked and the hall was closed, and two or three heavy logs
+thrown against it.
+
+Under the pretence of getting wood Malcolm soon explored the castle.
+The upper rooms were all roofless and open to the air. There were
+no windows on the side upon which the path ascended, and by which
+alone an attack upon the castle was possible. Here the walls were
+pierced only by narrow loopholes for arrows or musketry. On the
+other sides the windows were large, for here the steepness of the
+rock protected the castle from attack.
+
+The kitchen in which he cooked and slept had no other entrance save
+that into the hall, the doorway into the courtyard being closed by
+a heap of fallen stones from above.  Two or three narrow slits in
+the wall allowed light and air to enter. Malcolm saw that escape
+at night, after he had once been shut in, was impossible, and that
+in the daytime he could not pass out by the gate; for even if by
+a sudden surprise he overpowered the sentry there, he would be met
+at the bottom of the path by the two men who were always stationed
+as guards to the horses, and to give notice of the approach of
+strangers.
+
+The only chance of escape, therefore, was by lowering himself from
+one of the windows behind, down the steep rock. To do this a rope
+of some seventy feet long was necessary, and after a careful search
+through the ruins he failed to discover even the shortest piece of
+rope.
+
+That afternoon some of the band on their return from foraging drove
+in half a dozen cattle, and one of these was with much difficulty
+compelled to climb up the path to the castle, and was slaughtered
+in the yard.
+
+"There, Scot, are victuals for the next week; cut it up, and throw
+the head and offal down the rock behind."
+
+As Malcolm commenced his unpleasant task a thought suddenly struck
+him, and he laboured away cheerfully and hopefully. After cutting
+up the animal into quarters he threw the head, the lower joints
+of the legs, and the offal, from the window. The hide he carried,
+with the four quarters, into his kitchen, and there concealed it
+under the pile of straw which served for his bed.
+
+When the dinner was over, and the usual carousal had begun, and
+he knew there was no chance of any of the freebooters coming into
+the room, he spread out the hide on the floor, cut off the edges,
+and trimmed it up till it was nearly circular in form, and then began
+to cut a strip two inches wide round and round till he reached the
+centre. This gave him a thong of over a hundred feet long. Tying
+one end to a ring in the wall he twisted the long strip until it
+assumed the form of a rope, which was, he was sure, strong enough
+to bear many times his weight.
+
+This part of the work was done after the freebooters had retired to
+rest. When he had finished cutting the hide he went in as usual and
+sat down with them as they drank, as he wished to appear contented
+with his position. The freebooters were discussing an attack upon
+a village some thirty miles away. It lay in a secluded position,
+and had so far escaped pillage either by the armies or wandering
+bands.  The captain said he had learned that the principal farmer
+was a well-to-do man with a large herd of cattle, some good horses,
+and a well stocked house. It was finally agreed that the band
+should the next day carry out another raid which had already been
+decided upon, and that they should on the day following that sack
+and burn Glogau.
+
+As soon as the majority of the band had started in the morning Malcolm
+made his way with his rope to the back of the castle, fastened it
+to the window, and launched himself over the rock, which, although
+too steep to climb, was not perpendicular; and holding by the rope
+Malcolm had no difficulty in lowering himself down. He had before
+starting taken a brace of pistols and a sword from the heap of
+weapons which the freebooters had collected in their raids, and as
+soon as he reached the ground he struck off through the wood.
+
+Enough had been said during the conversation the night before to
+indicate the direction in which Glogau lay, and he determined, in
+the first place, to warn the inhabitants of the village of the fate
+which the freebooters intended for them.
+
+He walked miles before seeing a single person in the deserted fields.
+He had long since left the wood, and was now traversing the open
+country, frequently turning round to examine the country around him,
+for at any moment after he had left, his absence from the castle
+might be discovered, and the pursuit begun. He hoped, however, that
+two or three hours at least would elapse before the discovery was
+made.
+
+He had, before starting, piled high the fire in the hall, and had
+placed plenty of logs for the purpose of replenishing it close at
+hand. He put tankards on the board, and with them a large jug full
+of wine, so that the freebooters would have no occasion to call
+for him, and unless they wanted him they would be unlikely to look
+into the kitchen. Except when occasionally breaking into a walk to
+get breath, he ran steadily on. It was not until he had gone nearly
+ten miles that he saw a goatherd tending a few goats, and from him
+he learned the direction of Glogau, and was glad to find he had
+not gone very far out of the direct line. At last, after asking
+the way several times, he arrived within a short distance of the
+village. The ground had now become undulating, and the slopes were
+covered with trees. The village lay up a valley, and it was evident
+that the road he was travelling was but little frequented, ending
+probably at the village itself.  Proceeding for nearly two miles
+through a wood he came suddenly upon Glogau.
+
+It stood near the head of the valley, which was here free of
+trees, and some cultivated fields lay around it.  The houses were
+surrounded by fruit trees, and an air of peace and tranquillity
+prevailed such as Malcolm had not seen before since he left his
+native country. One house was much larger than the rest; several
+stacks stood in the rick yard, and the large stables and barns gave
+a proof of the prosperity of its owner. The war which had already
+devastated a great part of Germany had passed by this secluded
+hamlet.
+
+No signs of work were to be seen, the village was as still and
+quiet as if it was deserted. Suddenly Malcolm remembered that it
+was the Sabbath, which, though always kept strictly by the Scotch
+and Swedish soldiers when in camp, for the most part passed unobserved
+when they were engaged in active service. Malcolm turned his steps
+towards the house; as he neared it he heard the sound of singing
+within. The door was open, and he entered and found himself on the
+threshold of a large apartment in which some twenty men and twice
+as many women and children were standing singing a hymn which was
+led by a venerable pastor who stood at the head of the room, with
+a powerfully built elderly man, evidently the master of the house,
+near him.
+
+The singing was not interrupted by the entrance of the newcomer.
+Many eyes were cast in his direction, but seeing that their leaders
+went on unmoved, the little congregation continued their hymn with
+great fervour and force. When they had done the pastor prayed for
+some time, and then dismissed the congregation with his blessing.
+They filed out in a quiet and orderly way, but not until the last
+had left did the master of the house show any sign of observing
+Malcolm, who had taken his place near the door.
+
+Then he said gravely, "Strangers do not often find their way
+to Glogau, and in truth we can do without them, for a stranger in
+these times too often means a foe; but you are young, my lad, though
+strong enough to bear weapons, and can mean us no ill. What is it
+that brings you to our quiet village?"
+
+"I have, sir, but this morning escaped from the hands of the
+freebooters at Wolfsburg, and I come to warn you that last night I
+heard them agree to attack and sack your village tomorrow; therefore,
+before pursuing my own way, which is to the camp of the Swedish
+king, in whose service I am, I came hither to warn you of their
+intention."
+
+Exclamations of alarm arose from the females of the farmer's family,
+who were sitting at the end of the room.  The farmer waved his hand
+and the women were instantly silent.
+
+"This is bad news, truly," he said gravely; "hitherto God has
+protected our village and suffered us to worship Him in our own
+way in peace and in quiet in spite of the decrees of emperors and
+princes. This gang of Wolfsburg have long been a scourge to the
+country around it, and terrible are the tales we have heard of
+their violence and cruelty. I have for weeks feared that sooner or
+later they would extend their ravages even to this secluded spot."
+
+"And, indeed, I thank you, brave youth, for the warning you have
+given us, which will enable us to send our womenkind, our cattle and
+horses, to a place of safety before these scourges of God arrive
+here.  Gretchen, place food and wine before this youth who has done
+us so great a service; doubtless he is hungry and thirsty, for `tis
+a long journey from Wolfsburg hither."
+
+"What think you, father, shall I warn the men at once of the coming
+danger, or shall I let them sleep quietly this Sabbath night for
+the last time in their old homes?"
+
+"What time, think you, will these marauders leave their hold?" the
+pastor asked Malcolm.
+
+"They will probably start by daybreak," Malcolm said, "seeing
+that the journey is a long one; but this is not certain, as they
+may intend to remain here for the night, and to return with their
+plunder on the following day to the castle."
+
+"But, sir," he went on, turning to the farmer, "surely you will
+not abandon your home and goods thus tamely to these freebooters.
+You have here, unless I am mistaken, fully twenty stout men capable
+of bearing arms; the marauders number but thirty in all, and they
+always leave at least five to guard the castle and two as sentries
+over the horses; thus you will not have more than twenty-three to
+cope with. Had they, as they expected, taken you by surprise, this
+force would have been ample to put down all resistance here; but
+as you will be prepared for them, and will, therefore, take them
+by surprise, it seems to me that you should be able to make a good
+fight of it, stout men-at-arms though the villains be."
+
+"You speak boldly, sir, for one but a boy in years," the pastor
+said; "it is lawful, nay it is right to defend one's home against
+these lawless pillagers and murderers, but as you say, evil though
+their ways are, these freebooters are stout men-at-arms, and we
+have heard that they have taken a terrible vengeance on the villages
+which have ventured to oppose them."
+
+"I am a Scottish officer in the King of Sweden's army," Malcolm
+said, "and fought at Schiefelbrune and New Brandenburg, and in the
+fight when the Imperialists tried to relieve Colberg, and having,
+I hope, done my duty in three such desperate struggles against
+the Imperialist veterans, I need not shrink from an encounter with
+these freebooters.  If you decide to defend the village I am ready
+to strike a blow at them, for they have held me captive for five
+days, and have degraded me by making me cook for them."
+
+A slight titter was heard among the younger females at the indignant
+tone in which Malcolm spoke of his enforced culinary work.
+
+"And you are truly one of those Scottish soldiers of the Swedish
+hero who fight so stoutly for the Faith and of whose deeds we have
+heard so much!" the pastor said. "Truly we are glad to see you.
+Our prayers have not been wanting night and morning for the success
+of the champions of the Reformed Faith. What say you, my friend?
+Shall we take the advice of this young soldier and venture our
+lives for the defence of our homes?"
+
+"That will we," the farmer said warmly. "He is used to war, and
+can give us good advice. As far as strength goes, our men are not
+wanting. Each has his sword and pike, and there are four or five
+arquebuses in the village. Yes, if there be a chance of success,
+even of the slightest, we will do our best as men in defence of
+our homes."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI THE ATTACK ON THE VILLAGE
+
+
+"And now," the farmer said to Malcolm, "what is your advice? That
+we will fight is settled. When, where, and how? This house is
+strongly built, and we could so strengthen its doors and windows
+with beams that we might hold out for a long time against them."
+
+"No," Malcolm said, "that would not be my advice.  Assuredly we
+might defend the house; but in that case the rest of the village,
+the herds and granaries, would fall into their hands. To do any good,
+we must fight them in the wood on their way hither. But although
+I hope for a favourable issue, I should strongly advise that you
+should have the herds and horses driven away. Send off all your
+more valuable goods in the wagons, with your women and children,
+to a distance. We shall fight all the better if we know that they
+are all in safety. Some of the old men and boys will suffice for
+this work. And now, methinks, you had best summon the men, for
+there will be work for them tonight."
+
+The bell which was used to call the hands from their work in the
+fields and woods at sunset soon sounded, and the men in surprise
+came trooping in at the summons. When they were assembled the farmer
+told them the news he had heard, and the determination which had
+been arrived at to defend the village.
+
+After the first movement of alarm caused by the name of the
+dreaded band of the Wolfsburg had subsided Malcolm was glad to
+see an expression of stout determination come over the faces of
+the assemblage, and all declared themselves ready to fight to the
+last. Four of the elder men were told off at once to superintend
+the placing of the more movable household goods of the village
+in wagons, which were to set out at daybreak with the cattle and
+families.
+
+"Now," Malcolm said, "I want the rest to bring mattocks and shovels
+and to accompany me along the road.  There is one spot which I
+marked as I came along as being specially suited for defence."
+
+This was about half a mile away, and as darkness had now set in
+the men lighted torches, and with their implements followed him.
+At the spot which he had selected there was for the distance of a
+hundred yards a thick growth of underwood bordering the track on
+either side. Across the road, at the end of the passage nearest to
+the farm, Malcolm directed ten of the men to dig a pit twelve feet
+wide and eight feet deep. The rest of the men he set to work to cut
+nearly through the trunks of the trees standing nearest the road
+until they were ready to fall.
+
+Ten trees were so treated, five on either side of the road.
+Standing, as they did, among the undergrowth, the operation which
+had been performed on them was invisible to any one passing by.
+Ropes were now fastened to the upper part of the trees and carried
+across the road, almost hidden from sight by the foliage which met
+over the path. When the pit was completed the earth which had been
+taken from it was scattered in the wood out of sight. Light boughs
+were then placed over the hole. These were covered with earth and
+sods trampled down until the break in the road was not perceptible
+to a casual eye.
+
+This was done by Malcolm himself, as the lightest of the party,
+the boughs sufficing to bear his weight, although they would give
+way at once beneath that of a horse. The men all worked with vigour
+and alacrity as soon as they understood Malcolm's plans. Daylight
+was breaking when the preparations were completed.  Malcolm now
+divided the party, and told them off to their respective posts.
+They were sixteen in all, excluding the pastor.
+
+Eight were placed on each side of the road. Those on one side
+were gathered near the pit which had been dug, those on the other
+were opposite to the tree which was farthest down the valley. The
+freebooters were to be allowed to pass along until the foremost
+fell into the pit. The men stationed there were at once to haul
+upon the rope attached to the tree near it and to bring it down.
+Its fall would bar the road and prevent the horsemen from leaping
+the pit. Those in the rear were, if they heard the crash before
+the last of the marauders had passed through, to wait until they
+had closed up, which they were sure to do when the obstacle was
+reached, and then to fell the tree to bar their retreat.
+
+The instant this was done both parties were to run to other ropes
+and to bring down the trees upon the horsemen gathered on the road,
+and were then to fall upon them with axe, pike, and arquebus.
+
+"If it works as well as I expect," Malcolm said, "not one of them
+will escape from the trap."
+
+Soon after daybreak bowls of milk and trays of bread and meat were
+brought down to the workers by some of the women. As there was
+no immediate expectation of attack, the farmer himself, with the
+pastor, went back to the village to cheer the women before their
+departure.
+
+"You need not be afraid, wife," the farmer said. "I shall keep to
+my plans, because when you have once made a plan it is foolish to
+change it; but I deem not that there is any real need for sending
+you and the wagons and beasts away. This young Scotch lad seems
+made for a commander, and truly, if all his countrymen are like
+himself, I wonder no longer that the Poles and Imperialists have
+been unable to withstand them. Truly he has constructed a trap from
+which this band of villains will have but little chance of escape,
+and I trust that we may slay them without much loss to ourselves.
+What rejoicings will there not be in the fifty villages when the
+news comes that their oppressors have been killed! The good God
+has assuredly sent this youth hither as His instrument in defeating
+the oppressors, even as He chose the shepherd boy David out of
+Israel to be the scourge of the Philistines."
+
+By this time all was ready for a start, and having seen the wagons
+fairly on their way the farmer returned to the wood, the pastor
+accompanying the women. Three hours passed before there were any
+signs of the marauders, and Malcolm began to think that the idea
+might have occurred to them that he had gone to Glogau, and that
+they might therefore have postponed their raid upon that village
+until they could make sure of taking it by surprise, and so capturing
+all the horses and valuables before the villagers had time to remove
+them. Glogau was, however, quite out of Malcolm's direct line for
+the Swedish camp, and it was hardly likely that the freebooters
+would think that their late captive would go out of his way to warn
+the village, in which he had no interest whatever; indeed they would
+scarcely be likely to recall the fact that he had been present when
+they were discussing their proposed expedition against it.
+
+All doubts were, however, set at rest when a boy who had been
+stationed in a high tree near the edge of the wood ran in with
+the news that a band of horsemen were riding across the plain, and
+would be there in a few minutes. Every one fell into his appointed
+place. The farmer himself took the command of the party on one side
+of the road, Malcolm of that on the other. Matches were blown, and
+the priming of the arquebuses looked to; then they gathered round
+the ropes, and listened for the tramp of horses.
+
+Although it was but a few minutes before it came, the time seemed
+long to those waiting; but at last a vague sound was heard, which
+rapidly rose into a loud trampling of horses.  The marauders had
+been riding quietly until they neared the wood, as speed was no
+object; but as they wished to take the village by surprise -- and
+it was just possible that they might have been seen approaching --
+they were now riding rapidly.
+
+Suddenly the earth gave way under the feet of the horses of the
+captain and his lieutenant, who were riding at the head of the
+troop, and men and animals disappeared from the sight of those
+who followed. The two men behind them pulled their horses back on
+their haunches, and checked them at the edge of the pit into which
+their leaders had fallen.
+
+As they did so a loud crack was heard, and a great tree came crashing
+down, falling directly upon them, striking them and their horses
+to the ground. A loud cry of astonishment and alarm rose from those
+behind, followed by curses and exclamations of rage. A few seconds
+after the fall of the tree there was a crash in the rear of the
+party, and to their astonishment the freebooters saw that another
+tree had fallen there, and that a barricade of boughs and leaves
+closed their way behind as in front. Deprived of their leaders,
+bewildered and alarmed at this strange and unexpected occurrence,
+the marauders remained irresolute. Two or three of those in front
+got off their horses and tried to make their way to the assistance
+of their comrades who were lying crushed under the mass of foliage,
+and of their leaders in the pit beyond.
+
+But now almost simultaneously two more crashes were heard, and a tree
+from each side fell upon them.  Panic stricken now the horsemen
+strove to dash through the underwood, but their progress was
+arrested, for among the bushes ropes had been fastened from tree
+to tree; stakes had been driven in, and the bushes interlaced with
+cords. The trees continued to fall till the portion of the road
+occupied by the troop was covered by a heap of fallen wood and
+leaf.  Then for the first time the silence in the wood beyond them
+was broken, the flashes of firearms darted out from the brushwood,
+and then with a shout a number of men armed with pikes and axes
+sprang forward to the attack.
+
+A few only of the marauders were in a position to offer any
+resistance whatever. The greater portion were buried under the mass
+of foliage. Many had been struck down by the trunks or heavy arms
+of the trees. All were hampered and confused by the situation in which
+they found themselves. Under such circumstances it was a massacre
+rather than a fight. Malcolm, seeing the inability of the freebooters
+to oppose any formidable resistance, sheathed his sword, and left
+it to the peasants to avenge the countless murders which the band
+had committed, and the ruin and misery which they had inflicted
+upon the country.
+
+In a few minutes all was over. The brigands were shot down, piked,
+or slain by the heavy axes through the openings in their leafy
+prison. Quarter was neither asked for nor given.  The freebooters
+knew that it would be useless, and died cursing their foes and
+their own fate in being thus slaughtered like rats in a trap. Two
+or three of the peasants were wounded by pistol shots, but this
+was all the injury that their success cost them.
+
+"The wicked have digged a pit, and they have fallen into it
+themselves," the farmer said as he approached the spot where Malcolm
+was standing, some little distance from the scene of slaughter.
+"Verily the Lord hath delivered them into our hands. I understand,
+my young friend, why you as a soldier did not aid in the slaughter
+of these villains. It is your trade to fight in open battle, and
+you care not to slay your enemies when helpless; but with us it is
+different. We regard them as wild beasts, without heart or pity,
+as scourges to be annihilated when we have the chance; just as in
+winter we slay the wolves who come down to attack our herds."
+
+"I blame you not," Malcolm said. "When men take to the life of
+wild beasts they must be slain as such.  Now my task is done, and
+I will journey on at once to join my countrymen; but I will give
+you one piece of advice before I go.
+
+"In the course of a day or two the party left at Wolfsburg will
+grow uneasy, and two of their number are sure to ride hither to
+inquire as to the tarrying of the band. Let your men with arquebuses
+keep watch night and day and shoot them down when they arrive. Were I
+in your place I would then mount a dozen of your men and let them
+put on the armour of these dead robbers and ride to Wolfsburg,
+arriving there about daybreak. If they see you coming they will
+take you to be the band returning. The two men below you will cut
+down without difficulty, and there will then be but three or four
+to deal with in the castle.
+
+"I recommend you to make a complete end of them; and for this
+reason: if any of the band survive they will join themselves with
+some other party and will be sure to endeavour to get them to
+avenge this slaughter; for although these bands have no love for
+each other, yet they would be ready enough to take up each other's
+quarrel as against country folk, especially when there is a hope
+of plunder.  Exterminate them, then, and advise your men to keep
+their secret. Few can have seen the brigands riding hither today.
+When it is found that the band have disappeared the country around
+will thank God, and will have little curiosity as to how they
+have gone. You will of course clear the path again and bury their
+bodies; and were I you I would prepare at once another ambush
+like that into which they have fallen, and when a second band of
+marauders comes into this part of the country set a watch night
+and day. Your men will in future be better armed than hitherto, as
+each of those freebooters carries a brace of pistols. And now, as
+I would fain be off as soon as possible, I would ask you to let
+your men set to work with their axes and cut away the boughs and
+to get me out a horse. Several of them must have been killed by
+the falling trees, and some by the fire of the arquebuses; but no
+doubt there are some uninjured."
+
+In a quarter of an hour a horse was brought up, together with the
+helmet and armour worn by the late captain of the band.
+
+As Malcolm mounted, the men crowded round him and loaded him with
+thanks and blessings for the danger from which he had delivered
+them, their wives and families.
+
+When the fugitives had left the village a store of cooked provisions
+had been left behind for the use of the defenders during the day.
+As the women could not be fetched back before nightfall, the farmer
+had despatched a man for some of this food and the wallets on the
+saddle were filled with sufficient to last Malcolm for three or
+four days.
+
+A brace of pistols were placed in the holsters, and with a last
+farewell to the farmer Malcolm gave the rein to his horse and rode
+away from the village. He travelled fast now and without fear of
+interruption. The sight of armed men riding to join one or other
+of the armies was too common to attract any attention, and avoiding
+large towns Malcolm rode unmolested across the plain.
+
+He presently heard the report that the Swedes had captured
+Frankfort-on-the-Oder, and as he approached that town, after four
+days' riding, heard that they had moved towards Landsberg. Thither
+he followed them, and came up to them outside the walls of that
+place six days after leaving Glogau. The main body of the Swedish
+army had remained in and around Frankfort, Gustavus having marched
+against Landsberg with only 3200 musketeers, 12 pieces of cannon,
+and a strong body of horse. Hepburn and Reay's Scotch regiments
+formed part of the column, and Malcolm with delight again saw the
+green scarves and banners.
+
+As he rode into the camp of his regiment he was unnoticed by the
+soldiers until he reached the tents of the officers, before which
+Colonel Munro was standing talking with several others. On seeing
+an officer approach in full armour they looked up, and a cry of
+astonishment broke from them on recognizing Malcolm.
+
+"Is it you, Malcolm Graheme, or your wraith?" Munro exclaimed.
+
+"It is I in the flesh, colonel, sound and hearty."
+
+"Why, my dear lad," Munro exclaimed, holding out his hand, "we
+thought you had fallen at the sack of New Brandenburg. Innes and
+Lumsden were believed to be the only ones who had escaped."
+
+"I have come through it, nevertheless," Malcolm said; "but it is
+a long story, colonel, and I would ask you first if the king has
+learned what Tilly is doing."
+
+"No, he has received no news whatever of him since he heard of the
+affair at New Brandenburg, and is most anxious lest he should fall
+upon the army at Frankfort while we are away. Do you know aught
+about him?"
+
+"Tilly marched west from New Brandenburg," Malcolm said, "and is
+now besieging Magdeburg."
+
+"This is news indeed," Munro said; "you must come with me at once
+to the king."
+
+Malcolm followed Colonel Munro to the royal tent, which was but a
+few hundred yards away. Gustavus had just returned after visiting
+the advanced lines round the city. On being told that Colonel Munro
+wished to speak to him on important business, he at once came to
+the entrance of his tent.
+
+"Allow me to present to you, sire, Malcolm Graheme, a very gallant
+young officer of my regiment. He was at New Brandenburg, and I
+deemed that he had fallen there; how he escaped I have not yet had
+time to learn, seeing that he has but now ridden into the camp; but
+as he is bearer of news of the whereabouts of Tilly and his army,
+I thought it best to bring him immediately to you."
+
+"Well, sir," Gustavus said anxiously to Malcolm, "what is your
+news?"
+
+"Tilly is besieging Magdeburg, sire, with his whole strength."
+
+"Magdeburg!" Gustavus exclaimed incredulously. "Are you sure of
+your news? I deemed him advancing upon Frankfort."
+
+"Quite sure, sire, for I accompanied his column to within two marches
+of the city, and there was no secret of his intentions. He started
+for that town on the very day after he had captured New Brandenburg."
+
+"This is important, indeed," Gustavus said; "follow me," and he
+turned and entered the tent. Spread out on the table was a large
+map, which the king at once consulted.
+
+"You see, Colonel Munro, that to relieve Magdeburg I must march
+through Kustrin, Berlin, and Spandau, and the first and last are
+strong fortresses. I can do nothing until the Elector of Brandenburg
+declares for us, and gives us leave to pass those places, for
+I dare not march round and leave them in my rear until sure that
+this weak prince will not take sides with the Imperialists. I will
+despatch a messenger tonight to him at Berlin demanding leave to
+march through his territory to relieve Magdeburg. In the meantime
+we will finish off with this place, and so be in readiness to march
+west when his answer arrives. And now, sir," he went on, turning
+to Malcolm, "please to give me the account of how you escaped first
+from New Brandenburg, and then from Tilly."
+
+Malcolm related briefly the manner of his escape from the massacre
+at New Brandenburg, and how, after accompanying Tilly's army
+as a teamster for two days, he had made his escape. He then still
+more briefly related how he had been taken prisoner by a band of
+freebooters, but had managed to get away from them, and had drawn
+them into an ambush by peasants, where they had been slain, by which
+means he had obtained a horse and ridden straight to the army.
+
+Gustavus asked many questions, and elicited many more details than
+Malcolm had deemed it necessary to give in his first recital.
+
+"You have shown great prudence and forethought," the king said
+when he had finished, "such as would not be looked for in so young
+a soldier."
+
+"And he behaved, sire, with distinguished gallantry and coolness
+at Schiefelbrune, and in the destructive fight outside Colberg,"
+Colonel Munro put in. "By the slaughter on the latter day he would
+naturally have obtained his promotion, but he begged to be passed
+over, asserting that it was best that at his age he should remain
+for a time an ensign."
+
+"Such modesty is unusual," the king said, "and pleases me; see the
+next time a step is vacant, colonel, that he has it.  Whatever his
+age, he has shown himself fit to do man's work, and years are of
+no great value in a soldier; why, among all my Scottish regiments
+I have scarcely a colonel who is yet thirty years old."
+
+Malcolm now returned with Colonel Munro to the regiment, and there
+had to give a full and minute account of his adventures, and was
+warmly congratulated by his fellow officers on his good fortune in
+escaping from the dangers which had beset him. The suit of armour
+was a handsome one, and had been doubtless stripped off from the
+body of some knight or noble murdered by the freebooters. The leg
+pieces Malcolm laid aside, retaining only a cuirass, back piece,
+and helmet, as the full armour was too heavy for service on foot.
+
+Two days later the king gave orders that the assault upon Landsberg
+was to be made that night. The place was extremely strong, and
+Gustavus had in his previous campaign twice failed in attempts
+to capture it.  Since that time the Imperialists had been busy in
+strengthening the fortification, and all the peasantry for ten miles
+round had been employed in throwing up earthworks; but its principal
+defence was in the marsh which surrounded it, and which rendered
+the construction of approaches by besiegers almost impossible.
+Its importance consisted in the fact that from its great strength
+its garrison dominated the whole district known as the Marc of
+Brandenburg. It was the key to Silesia, and guarded the approaches
+to Pomerania, and its possession was therefore of supreme importance
+to Gustavus. The garrison consisted of five thousand Imperialist
+infantry and twelve troops of horse, the whole commanded by Count
+Gratz. The principal approach to the town was guarded by a strong
+redoubt armed with numerous artillery.
+
+Colonel Munro had advanced his trenches to within a short distance
+of this redoubt, and had mounted the twelve pieces of cannon to
+play upon it, but so solid was the masonry of the fort that their
+fire produced but little visible effect.  Gustavus had brought from
+Frankfort as guide on the march a blacksmith who was a native of
+Landsberg, and this man had informed him of a postern gate into the
+town which would not be likely to be defended, as to reach it it
+would be necessary to cross a swamp flanked by the advanced redoubt
+and covered with water.
+
+For two days previous to the assault the troops had been at work
+cutting bushes and trees, and preparing the materials for constructing
+a floating causeway across the mud and water. As soon as night fell
+the men were set to work laying down the causeway, and when this
+was finished the column advanced to the attack.  It consisted of
+250 pikemen under Colonel Munro, and the same number of the dragoons
+under Colonel Deubattel. Hepburn with 1000 musketeers followed a
+short distance behind them.
+
+The pikemen led the way, and passed along the floating causeway
+without difficulty, but the causeway swayed and often sank under
+the feet of the cavalry behind them. These, however, also managed
+to get across. Their approach was entirely unobserved, and they
+effected an entrance into the town.
+
+Scarcely had they done so when they came upon a body of three
+hundred Imperialists who were about to make a sally under Colonel
+Gratz, son of the governor. The pikemen at once fell upon them.
+Taken by surprise the Imperialists fought nevertheless stoutly,
+and eighty of the Scots fell under the fire of their musketry. But
+the pikemen charged home; Colonel Gratz was killed, with many of
+his men, and the rest taken prisoners. Hepburn marching on behind
+heard the din of musketry and pressed forward; before reaching the
+town he found a place in the swamp sufficiently firm to enable his
+men to march across it, and, turning off, he led his troops between
+the town and the redoubt, and then attacked the latter in the rear
+where its defences were weak, and after three minutes' fighting
+with its surprised and disheartened garrison the latter surrendered.
+
+The redoubt having fallen, and Munro's men having effected a
+lodgment in the town, while the retreat on one side was cut off by
+the force of Gustavus, and on the other by a strong body of cavalry
+under Marshal Horn, the governor sent a drummer to Colonel Munro
+to say that he was ready to surrender, and to ask for terms. The
+drummer was sent to Gustavus, who agreed that the garrison should
+be allowed to march away with the honours of war, taking their
+baggage and effects with them. Accordingly at eight o'clock the
+Count of Gratz at the head of his soldiers marched out with colours
+flying and drums beating, and retired into Silesia. A garrison was
+placed in Landsberg, and the blacksmith appointed burgomaster of
+the town.  Landsberg fell on the 15th of April, and on the 18th
+the force marched back to Frankfort.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII A QUIET TIME
+
+
+In spite of the urgent entreaties of Gustavus and the pressing
+peril of Magdeburg, the wavering Duke of Brandenburg could not
+bring himself to join the Swedes.  He delivered Spandau over to
+them, but would do no more.  The Swedish army accordingly marched to
+Berlin and invested his capital. The duke sent his wife to Gustavus
+to beseech him to draw off his army and allow him to remain neutral;
+but Gustavus would not listen to his entreaties, and insisted, as
+the only condition upon which he would raise the siege, that the
+duke should ally himself with him, and that the troops of Brandenburg
+should join his army.
+
+These conditions the duke was obliged to accept, but in the meantime
+his long hesitation and delay had caused the loss of Magdeburg,
+which after a gallant defence was stormed by the troops of Pappenheim
+and Tilly on the 10th of May.  The ferocious Tilly had determined
+upon a deed which would, he believed, frighten Germany into submission;
+he ordered that no quarter should be given, and for five days the
+city was handed over to the troops.
+
+History has no record since the days of Attila of so frightful a
+massacre. Neither age nor sex was spared, and 30,000 men, women,
+and children were ruthlessly massacred.  The result for a time
+justified the anticipations of the ferocious leader. The terrible
+deed sent a shudder of horror and terror through Protestant Germany.
+It seemed, too, as if the catastrophe might have been averted had
+the Swedes shown diligence and marched to the relief of the city;
+for in such a time men were not inclined to discuss how much of
+the blame rested upon the shoulders of the Duke of Brandenburg,
+who was, in fact, alone responsible for the delay of the Swedes.
+
+Many of the princes and free towns which had hitherto been staunch
+to the cause of Protestantism at once hastened to make their
+peace with the emperor. For a time the sack of Magdeburg greatly
+strengthened the Imperialist cause. No sooner did the news reach
+the ears of the Duke of Brandenburg than his fears overcame him,
+and he wrote to Gustavus withdrawing from the treaty he had made,
+and saying that as Spandau had only been delivered to him in order
+that he might march to the relief of Magdeburg he was now bound in
+honour to restore it.
+
+Gustavus at once ordered Spandau to be evacuated by his troops,
+and again marched with the army against Berlin, which he had but a
+few days before left. Here he again dictated terms, which the duke
+was forced to agree to.
+
+The Swedish army now marched to Old Brandenburg, thirty-four miles
+west of Berlin, and there remained for some time waiting until some
+expected reinforcements should reach it.
+
+The place was extremely unhealthy, and great numbers died from
+malaria and fever, thirty of Munro's musketeers dying in a single
+week. During this time the king was negotiating with the Elector of
+Saxony and the Landgrave of Hesse. These were the two most powerful
+of the Protestant princes in that part of Germany, and Tilly resolved
+to reduce them to obedience before the army of Gustavus was in a
+position to move forward, for at present his force was too small
+to enable him to take the field against the united armies of Tilly
+and Pappenheim.
+
+He first fell upon the Landgrave of Hesse, and laid Thuringen
+waste with fire and sword. Frankenhausen was plundered and burned
+to the ground. Erfurt saved itself from a similar fate by the
+payment of a large sum of money, and by engaging to supply great
+stores of provisions for the use of the Imperial army. The Landgrave
+of Hesse-Cassel was next summoned by Tilly, who threatened to carry
+fire and sword through his dominions unless he would immediately
+disband his troops, pay a heavy contribution and receive the
+Imperial troops into his cities and fortresses; but the landgrave
+refused to accept the terms.
+
+Owing to the unhealthiness of the district round Old Brandenburg,
+Gustavus raised his camp there, and marched forward to Werben near
+the junction of the Elbe with the Havel. He was joined there by
+his young queen, Maria Eleonora, with a reinforcement of 8000 men,
+and by the Marquis of Hamilton with 6200, for the most part Scotch,
+who had been raised by him with the consent of Charles I, to whom
+the marquis was master of the horse.
+
+Werben was distant but a few miles from Magdeburg, and Pappenheim,
+who commanded the troops in that neighbourhood, seeing that Gustavus
+was now in a position to take the field against him, sent an urgent
+message to Tilly for assistance; and the Imperial general, who was
+on the point of attacking the Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel, at once
+marched with his army and effected a junction with Pappenheim,
+their combined force being greatly superior to that of Gustavus
+even after the latter had received his reinforcements.
+
+Malcolm had not accompanied the army in its march from Old
+Brandenburg. He had been prostrated by fever, and although he shook
+off the attack it left him so weak and feeble that he was altogether
+unfit for duty. The army was still lying in its swampy quarters,
+and the leech who had attended him declared that he could never
+recover his strength in such an unhealthy air. Nigel Graheme, who
+had now rejoined the regiment cured of his wound, reported the
+surgeon's opinion to Munro.
+
+"I am not surprised," the colonel said, "and there are many others
+in the same state; but whither can I send them?  The Elector of
+Brandenburg is so fickle and treacherous that he may at any moment
+turn against us."
+
+"I was speaking to Malcolm," Nigel replied, "and he said that he
+would he could go for a time to recruit his health in that village
+among the hills where he had the fight with the freebooters who
+made him captive. He said he was sure of a cordial welcome there,
+and it is but three days' march from here."
+
+"'Tis an out-of-the-way place," Munro said, "and if we move west we
+shall be still further removed from it.  There are Imperial bands
+everywhere harrying the country unguarded by us, and one of these
+might at any moment swoop down into that neighbourhood."
+
+"That is true; but, after all, it would be better that he should
+run that risk than sink from weakness as so many have done here
+after getting through the first attack of fever."
+
+"That is so, Nigel, and if you and Malcolm prefer that risk to
+the other I will not say you nay; but what is good for him is good
+for others, and I will ask the surgeon to make me a list of twenty
+men who are strong enough to journey by easy stages, and who yet
+absolutely require to get out of this poisonous air to enable them
+to effect their recovery. We will furnish them with one of the
+baggage wagons of the regiment, so that they can ride when they
+choose. Tell the paymaster to give each man in advance a month's
+pay, that they may have money to pay what they need. Horses are
+scarce, so we can give them but two with the wagon, but that will
+be sufficient as they will journey slowly. See that a steady and
+experienced driver is told off with them. They had best start at
+daybreak tomorrow morning."
+
+At the appointed time the wagon was in readiness, and those who had
+to accompany Malcolm gathered round, together with many of their
+comrades who had assembled to wish them Godspeed. The pikes and
+muskets, helmets and breast pieces were placed in the wagon, and
+then the fever stricken band formed up before it.
+
+Munro, Nigel, and most of the officers came down to bid farewell
+to Malcolm, and to wish him a speedy return in good health. Then he
+placed himself at the head of the band and marched off, the wagon
+following in the rear.  Before they had been gone a mile several
+of the men had been compelled to take their places in the wagon,
+and by the time three miles had been passed the rest had one by
+one been forced to give in.
+
+Malcolm was one of the last. He took his seat by the driver, and
+the now heavily freighted wagon moved slowly across the country.
+A store of provisions sufficient for several days had been placed
+in the wagon, and after proceeding fifteen miles a halt was made
+at a deserted village, and two of the houses in the best condition
+were taken possession of, Malcolm and the sergeant of the party, a
+young fellow named Sinclair, occupying the one, and the men taking
+up their quarters in another.
+
+The next morning the benefit of the change and the removal from
+the fever tainted air made itself already apparent. The distance
+performed on foot was somewhat longer than on the preceding day;
+the men were in better spirits, and marched with a brisker step than
+that with which they had left the camp. At the end of the fourth
+day they approached the wood in which the village was situated.
+
+"I will go on ahead," Malcolm said. "Our approach will probably
+have been seen, and unless they know who we are we may meet with
+but a rough welcome. Halt the wagon here until one returns with
+news that you may proceed, for there may be pitfalls in the road."
+
+Malcolm had kept the horse on which he had ridden to Landsberg, and
+it had been tied behind the wagon.  During the last day's march he
+had been strong enough to ride it.  He now dismounted, and taking
+the bridle over his arm he entered the wood. He examined the road
+cautiously as he went along. He had gone about half way when the
+farmer with four of his men armed with pikes suddenly appeared in
+the road before him.
+
+"Who are you," the farmer asked, "and what would you here?"
+
+"Do you not remember me?" Malcolm said. "It is but three months
+since I was here."
+
+"Bless me, it is our Scottish friend! Why, lad, I knew you not
+again, so changed are you. Why, what has happened to you?"
+
+"I have had the fever," Malcolm said, "and have been like to die;
+but I thought that a change to the pure air of your hills and
+woods here would set me up. So I have travelled here to ask your
+hospitality."
+
+By this time the farmer had come up and had grasped Malcolm's hand.
+
+"All that I have is yours," he said warmly. "The lookout saw a wagon
+coming across the plain with three or four men walking beside it,
+and he thought that many more were seated in it; so thinking that
+this might be a ruse of some freebooting band, I had the alarm bell
+rung, and prepared to give them a hot reception."
+
+"I have brought some sick comrades with me," Malcolm said. "I have
+no thought of quartering them on you. That would be nigh as bad as
+the arrival of a party of marauders, for they are getting strength,
+and will, I warrant you, have keen appetites ere long; but we have
+brought tents, and will pay for all we have."
+
+"Do not talk of payment," the farmer said heartily. "As long as there
+is flour in the storehouse and bacon on the beams, any Scottish
+soldier of Gustavus is welcome to it, still more if they be comrades
+of thine."
+
+"Thanks, indeed," Malcolm replied. "I left them at the edge of the
+wood, for I knew not what welcome you might have prepared here;
+and seeing so many men you might have shot at them before waiting
+to ask a question."
+
+"That is possible enough," the farmer said, "for indeed we could
+hardly look for friends. The men are all posted a hundred yards
+further on."
+
+The farmer ordered one of his men to go on and bring up the wagon,
+and then with Malcolm walked on to the village. A call that all was
+right brought out the defenders of the ambush. It had been arranged
+similarly to that which had been so successful before, except that
+instead of the pit, several strong ropes had been laid across the
+road, to be tightened breast high as soon as an enemy came close
+to them.
+
+"These are not as good as the pit," the farmer said as they passed
+them; "but as we have to use the road sometimes we could not keep
+a pit here, which, moreover, might have given way and injured any
+one from a neighbouring village who might be riding hither. We
+have made a strong stockade of beams among the underwood on either
+side, so that none could break through into the wood from the path."
+
+"That is good," Malcolm said; "but were I you I would dig a pit
+across the road some twelve feet wide, and would cover it with
+a stout door with a catch, so that it would bear wagons crossing,
+but when the catch is drawn it should rest only on some light
+supports below, and would give way at once if a weight came on it.
+It would, of course, be covered over with turf. It will take some
+time to make, but it will add greatly to your safety."
+
+"It shall be done," the farmer said. "Wood is in plenty, and some
+of my men are good carpenters. I will set about it at once."
+
+On arriving at the village Malcolm was cordially welcomed by the
+farmer's wife and daughters. The guest chamber was instantly prepared
+for him and refreshments laid on the table, while the maids, under
+the direction of the farmer's wife, at once began to cook a bounteous
+meal in readiness for the arrival of the soldiers. A spot was chosen
+on some smooth turf under the shade of trees for the erection of
+the tents, and trusses of clean straw carried there for bedding.
+
+Malcolm as he sat in the cool chamber in the farm house felt the
+change delightful after the hot dusty journey across the plain.
+There was quite an excitement in the little village when the wagon
+drove up. The men lifted the arms and baggage from the wagon. The
+women offered fruit and flagons of wine, and fresh cool water, to
+the soldiers. There was not only general pleasure throughout the
+village caused by the novelty of the arrival of the party from the
+outer world, but a real satisfaction in receiving these men who
+had fought so bravely against the oppressors of the Protestants of
+Germany. There was also the feeling that so long as this body of
+soldiers might remain in the village they would be able to sleep
+in peace and security, safe from the attacks of any marauding band.
+The tents were soon pitched by the peasants under the direction
+of Sergeant Sinclair, straw was laid down in them, and the canvas
+raised to allow the air to sweep through them.
+
+Very grateful were the weary men for the kindness with which they
+were received, and even the weakest felt that they should soon
+recover their strength.
+
+In an hour two men came up from the farm house carrying a huge
+pot filled with strong soup. Another brought a great dish of stew.
+Women carried wooden platters, bowls of stewed fruit, and loaves
+of bread; and the soldiers, seated upon the grass, fell to with
+an appetite such as they had not experienced for weeks.  With the
+meal was an abundant supply of the rough but wholesome wine of the
+country.
+
+To the Scottish soldiers after the hardships they had passed
+through, this secluded valley seemed a perfect paradise. They had
+nought to do save to eat their meals, to sleep on the turf in the
+shade, or to wander in the woods and gardens free to pick what
+fruit they fancied. Under these circumstances they rapidly picked
+up strength, and in a week after their arrival would hardly have
+been recognized as the feeble band who had left the Swedish camp
+at Old Brandenburg.
+
+On Sunday the pastor arrived. He did not live permanently at the
+village, but ministered to the inhabitants of several villages
+scattered among the hills, holding services in them by turns, and
+remaining a few days in each. As the congregation was too large for
+the room in the farm house the service was held in the open air.
+The Scotch soldiers were all present, and joined heartily in the
+singing, although many of them were ignorant of the language, and
+sang the words of Scotch hymns to the German tunes.
+
+Even the roughest of them, and those who had been longest away from
+their native country, were much moved by the service. The hush and
+stillness, the air of quiet and peace which prevailed, the fervour
+with which all joined in the simple service, took them back in
+thought to the days of their youth in quiet Scottish glens, and many
+a hand was passed hastily across eyes which had not been moistened
+for many a year.
+
+The armour and arms were now cleaned and polished, and for a short
+time each day Malcolm exercised them. The martial appearance and
+perfect discipline of the Scots struck the villagers with admiration
+the first time they saw them under arms, and they earnestly begged
+Malcolm that they might receive from him and Sergeant Sinclair some
+instruction in drill.
+
+Accordingly every evening when work was done the men of the village
+were formed up and drilled.  Several of the soldiers took their
+places with them in the ranks in order to aid them by their example.
+After the drill there was sword and pike exercise, and as most of
+the men had already some knowledge of the use of arms they made
+rapid progress, and felt an increased confidence in their power
+to defend the village against the attacks of any small bands
+of plunderers.  To Malcolm the time passed delightfully. His kind
+hosts vied with each other in their efforts to make him comfortable,
+and it was in vain that he assured them that he no longer needed
+attention and care. A seat was always placed for him in the coolest
+nook in the room, fresh grapes and other fruit stood in readiness
+on a table hard by. The farmer's daughters, busy as they were in
+their household avocations, were always ready to sit and talk with
+him when he was indoors, and of an evening to sing him the country
+melodies.
+
+At the end of a fortnight the men were all fit for duty again, but
+the hospitable farmer would not hear of their leaving, and as news
+from time to time reached them from the outer world, and Malcolm
+learned that there was no chance of any engagement for a time
+between the hostile armies, he was only too glad to remain.
+
+Another fortnight passed, and Malcolm reluctantly gave the word that
+on the morrow the march must be recommenced. A general feeling of
+sorrow reigned in the village when it was known that their guests
+were about to depart, for the Scottish soldiers had made themselves
+extremely popular. They were ever ready to assist in the labours
+of the village. They helped to pick the apples from the heavily
+laden trees, they assisted to thrash out the corn, and in every
+way strove to repay their entertainers for the kindness they had
+shown them.
+
+Of an evening their camp had been the rendezvous of the whole
+village. There alternately the soldiers and the peasants sang their
+national songs, and joined in hearty choruses. Sometimes there were
+dances, for many of the villagers played on various instruments;
+and altogether Glogau had never known such a time of festivity and
+cheerfulness before.
+
+Late in the evening of the day before they had fixed for their
+departure the pastor rode into the village.
+
+"I have bad news," he said. "A party of Pappenheim's dragoons, three
+hundred strong, are raiding in the district on the other side of
+the hills. A man came in just as I mounted my horse, saying that
+it was expected they would attack Mansfeld, whose count is a sturdy
+Protestant. The people were determined to resist to the last, in
+spite of the fate of Magdeburg and Frankenhausen, but I fear that
+their chance of success is a small one; but they say they may as
+well die fighting as be slaughtered in cold blood."
+
+"Is Mansfeld fortified?" Malcolm asked.
+
+"It has a wall," the pastor replied, "but of no great strength. The
+count's castle, which stands on a rock adjoining it, might defend
+itself for some time, but I question whether it can withstand
+Pappenheim's veterans.
+
+"Mansfeld itself is little more than a village. I should not say
+it had more than a thousand inhabitants, and can muster at best
+about two hundred and fifty men capable of bearing arms."
+
+"How far is it from here?" Malcolm asked after a pause.
+
+"Twenty-four miles by the bridle path across the hills."
+
+"When were the Imperialists expected to arrive?"
+
+"They were ten miles away this morning," the pastor replied; "but
+as they were plundering and burning as they went they will not
+probably arrive before Mansfeld before the morning. Some of the
+more timid citizens were leaving, and many were sending away their
+wives and families."
+
+"Then," Malcolm said, "I will march thither at once.  Twenty good
+soldiers may make all the difference, and although I have, of course,
+no orders for such an emergency, the king can hardly blame me even
+if the worst happens for striking a blow against the Imperialists
+here. Will you give me a man," he asked the farmer, "to guide us
+across the hills?"
+
+"That will I right willingly," the farmer said; "but it seems to me
+a desperate service to embark in. These townspeople are of little
+good for fighting, and probably intend only to make a show of
+resistance in order to procure better terms.  The count himself
+is a brave nobleman, but I fear that the enterprise is a hopeless
+one."
+
+"Hopeless or not," Malcolm said, "I will undertake it, and will at
+once put the men under arms. The wagon and horses with the baggage
+I will leave here till I return, that is if we should ever come
+back again."
+
+A tap of the drum and the soldiers came running in hastily from
+various cottages where they were spending their last evening with
+their village friends, wondering at the sudden summons to arms. As
+soon as they had fallen in, Malcolm joined them.
+
+"Men," he said, "I am sorry to disturb you on your last evening
+here, but there is business on hand. A party of Pappenheim's dragoons
+are about to attack the town of Mansfeld, where the people are of
+the Reformed Religion.  The siege will begin in the morning, and
+ere that time we must be there. We have all got fat and lazy, and
+a little fighting will do us good."
+
+The thought of a coming fray reconciled the men to their departure
+from their quiet and happy resting place.  Armour was donned,
+buckles fastened, and arms inspected, and in half an hour, after
+a cordial adieu from their kind hosts, the detachment marched off,
+their guide with a lighted torch leading the way. The men were in
+light marching order, having left everything superfluous behind
+them in the wagon; and they marched briskly along over hill and
+through forest without a halt, till at three o'clock in the morning
+the little town of Mansfeld, with its castle rising above it, was
+visible before them in the first light of morning.
+
+As they approached the walls a musketoon was fired, and the alarm
+bell of the church instantly rang out.  Soon armed men made their
+appearance on the walls. Fearing that the burghers might fire
+before waiting to ascertain who were the newcomers, Malcolm halted
+his band, and advanced alone towards the walls.
+
+"Who are you who come in arms to the peaceful town of Mansfeld?"
+an officer asked from the wall.
+
+"I am an officer of his Swedish Majesty, Gustavus, and hearing that
+the town was threatened with attack by the Imperialists, I have
+marched hither with my detachment to aid in the defence."
+
+A loud cheer broke from the walls. Not only was the reinforcement
+a most welcome one, small as it was, for the valour of the Scottish
+soldiers of the King of Sweden was at that time the talk of all
+Germany, but the fact that a detachment of these redoubted troops
+had arrived seemed a proof that the main army of the Swedish king
+could not be far away. The gates were at once opened, and Malcolm
+with his band marched into Mansfield.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII THE SIEGE OF MANSFELD
+
+
+"Will it please your worship at once to repair to the castle?" the
+leader of the townspeople said. "The count has just sent down to
+inquire into the reason of the alarm."
+
+"Yes," Malcolm replied, "I will go at once. In the meantime, sir,
+I pray you to see to the wants of my soldiers, who have taken a
+long night march and will be none the worse for some refreshment.
+Hast seen aught of the Imperialists?"
+
+"They are at a village but a mile distant on the other side of the
+town," the citizen said. "Yesterday we counted eighteen villages
+in flames, and the peasants who have come in say that numbers have
+been slain by them."
+
+"There is little mercy to be expected from the butchers of Magdeburg,"
+Malcolm replied; "the only arguments they will listen to are steel
+and lead, and we will not be sparing of these."
+
+A murmur of assent rang through the townsfolk who had gathered
+round, and then the burgomaster himself led Malcolm up the ascent
+to the castle. The news that the newcomers were a party of Scots
+had already been sent up to the castle, and as Malcolm entered the
+gateway the count came forward to welcome him.
+
+"You are welcome indeed, fair sir," he said. "It seems almost as
+if you had arrived from the clouds to our assistance, for we had
+heard that the Swedish king and his army were encamped around Old
+Brandenburg.
+
+"His majesty has moved west, I hear," Malcolm said; "but we have
+been a month away from the camp. My detachment consisted of a body
+of invalids who came up among the hills to get rid of the fever which
+was playing such havoc among our ranks. I am glad to say that all
+are restored, and fit as ever for a meeting with the Imperialists.
+I heard but yestereven that you were expecting an attack, and have
+marched all night to be here in time. My party is a small one, but
+each man can be relied upon; and when it comes to hard fighting
+twenty in good soldiers may turn the day."
+
+"You are heartily welcome, sir, and I thank you much for coming to
+our aid. The townspeople are determined to do their best, but most
+of them have little skill in arms. I have a score or two of old
+soldiers here in the castle, and had hoped to be able to hold this
+to the end; but truly I despaired of a successful defence of the
+town. But enter, I pray you; the countess will be glad to welcome
+you.
+
+Malcolm accompanied the count to the banquet hall of the castle.
+The countess, a gentle and graceful woman, was already there; for
+indeed but few in Mansfeld had closed an eye that night, for it
+was possible that the Imperialists might attack without delay. By
+her side stood her daughter, a girl of about fourteen years old.
+Malcolm had already stated his name to the count, and the latter
+now presented him to his wife.
+
+"We have heard so much of the Scottish soldiers," she said as she
+held out her hand, over which Malcolm bent deeply, "that we have
+all been curious to see them, little dreaming that a band of them
+would appear here like good angels in our hour of danger."
+
+"It was a fortunate accident which found me within reach when I
+heard of the approach of the Imperialists.  The names of the Count
+and Countess of Mansfeld are so well known and so highly esteemed
+through Protestant Germany that I was sure that the king would
+approve of my hastening to lend what aid I might to you without
+orders from him."
+
+"I see you have learned to flatter," the countess said smiling.
+"This is my daughter Thekla."
+
+"I am glad to see you," the girl said; "but I am a little disappointed.
+I had thought that the Scots were such big fierce soldiers, and
+you are not very big -- not so tall as papa; and you do not look
+fierce at all -- not half so fierce as my cousin Caspar, who is
+but a boy."
+
+"That is very rude, Thekla," her mother said reprovingly, while
+Malcolm laughed gaily.
+
+"You are quite right, Fraulein Thekla. I know I do not look very
+fierce, but I hope when my moustache grows I shall come up more
+nearly to your expectations. As to my height, I have some years to
+grow yet, seeing that I am scarce eighteen, and perhaps no older
+than your cousin."
+
+"Have you recently joined, sir?" the countess asked.
+
+"I have served through the campaign," Malcolm replied, "and have
+seen some hard knocks given, as you may imagine when I tell you
+that I was at the siege of New Brandenburg."
+
+"When your soldiers fought like heroes, and, as I heard, all died
+sword in hand save two or three officers who managed to escape."
+
+"I was one of the three, countess; but the tale is a long one, and
+can be told after we have done with the Imperialists.  Now, sir,"
+he went on, turning to the count, "I am at your orders, and will
+take post with my men at any point that you may think fit."
+
+"Before doing that," the count said, "you must join us at breakfast.
+You must be hungry after your long march, and as I have been all
+night in my armour I shall do justice to it myself. You will, of
+course, take up your abode here. As to other matters I have done
+my best, and the townspeople were yesterday all told off to their
+places on the walls. I should think it were best that your band
+were stationed in the marketplace as a reserve, they could then
+move to any point which might be seriously threatened. Should the
+Imperialists enter the town the citizens have orders to fall back
+here fighting. All their most valuable goods were sent up here
+yesterday, together with such of their wives and families as have
+not taken flight, so that there will be nothing to distract them
+from their duty."
+
+"That is good," Malcolm said. "The thought that one is fighting
+for home and family must nerve a man in the defence, but when the
+enemy once breaks in he would naturally think of home first and
+hasten away to defend it to the last, instead of obeying orders
+and falling back with his comrades in good order and discipline."
+
+The meal was a cheerful one. Malcolm related more in detail how he
+and his detachment happened to be so far removed from the army.
+
+Just as the meal came to an end a drum beat in the town and the
+alarm bells began to ring. The count and Malcolm sallied out at
+once to the outer wall, and saw a small party of officers riding
+from the village occupied by the Imperialists towards the town.
+
+"Let us descend," the count said. "I presume they are going to
+demand our surrender."
+
+They reached the wall of the town just as the Imperialist officers
+approached the gate.
+
+"In the name of his majesty the emperor," one of them cried out,
+"I command you to open the gate and to surrender to his good will
+and pleasure."
+
+"The smoking villages which I see around me," Count Mansfeld
+replied, "are no hopeful sign of any good will or pleasure on the
+part of his majesty towards us. As to surrendering, we will rather
+die. But I am willing to pay a fair ransom for the town if you will
+draw off your troops and march away."
+
+"Beware, sir!" the officer said. "I have a force here sufficient
+to compel obedience, and I warn you of the fate which will befall
+all within these walls if you persist in refusing to admit us."
+
+"I doubt not as to their fate," the count replied; "there are plenty
+of examples before us of the tender mercy which your master's troops
+show towards the towns you capture.
+
+"Once again I offer you a ransom for the town. Name the sum, and
+if it be in reason such as I and the townspeople can pay, it shall
+be yours; but open the gates to you we will not."
+
+"Very well," the officer said; "then your blood be on your own
+heads." And turning his horse he rode with his companions back
+towards the village.
+
+On their arrival there a bustle was seen to prevail. A hundred
+horsemen rode off and took post on an eminence near the town, ready
+to cut off the retreat of any who might try to escape, and to enter
+the town when the gates were forced open. The other two hundred
+men advanced on foot in a close body towards the principal gate.
+
+"They will try and blow it open with petards," Malcolm said. "Half
+of my men are musketeers and good shots, and I will, with your
+permission, place them on the wall to aid the townsfolk there, for
+if the gate is blown open and the enemy force their way in it will
+go hard with us."
+
+The count assented, and Malcolm posted his musketeers on the wall,
+ordering Sergeant Sinclair with the remainder to set to work to
+erect barricades across the street leading from the gate, so that,
+in case this were blown in, such a stand might be made against the
+Imperialists as would give the townspeople time to rally from the
+walls and to gather there.
+
+The Imperialists heralded their advance by opening fire with pistols
+and musketoons against the wall, and the defenders at once replied.
+So heavy was the fire that the head of the column wavered, many of
+the leading files being at once shot down, but, encouraged by their
+officers, they rallied, and pushed forward at a run. The fire of
+the townspeople at once became hurried and irregular, but the Scots
+picked off their men with steady aim. The leader of the Imperialists,
+who carried a petard, advanced boldly to the edge of the ditch. The
+fosse was shallow and contained but little water, and he at once
+dashed into it and waded across, for the drawbridge had, of course,
+been raised. He climbed up the bank, and was close to the gate,
+when Malcolm, leaning far over the wall, discharged his pistol at
+him. The ball glanced from the steel armour.
+
+Malcolm drew his other pistol and again fired, this time more
+effectually, for the ball struck between the shoulder and the neck
+at the junction of the breast and back pieces, and passed down into
+the body of the Austrian, who, dropping the petard, fell dead; but
+a number of his men were close behind him.
+
+"Quick, lads!" Malcolm cried. "Put your strength to this parapet.
+It is old and rotten. Now, all together!  Shove!"
+
+The soldiers bent their strength against the parapet, while some
+of the townspeople, thrusting their pikes into the rotten mortar
+between the stones, prised them up with all their strength. The
+parapet tottered, and then with a tremendous crash fell, burying
+five or six of the Imperialists and the petard beneath the ruins.
+
+A shout of exultation rose from the defenders, and the Imperialists
+at once withdrew at full speed. They halted out of gunshot, and
+then a number of men were sent back to the village, whence they
+returned carrying ladders, some of which had been collected the
+day before from the neighbouring villages and others manufactured
+during the night. The enemy now divided into three parties, which
+advanced simultaneously against different points of the wall.
+
+Notwithstanding the storm of shot poured upon them as they advanced,
+they pressed forward until they reached the wall and planted their
+ladders, and then essayed to climb; but at each point the stormers
+were stoutly met with pike and sword, while the musketeers from
+the flanking towers poured their bullets into them.
+
+The troops proved themselves worthy of their reputation, for it
+was not until more than fifty had fallen that they desisted from
+the attempt and drew off.
+
+"Now we shall have a respite," Malcolm said. "If there are no more
+of them in the neighbourhood methinks they will retire altogether,
+but if they have any friends with cannon anywhere within reach they
+will probably send for them and renew the attack."
+
+The day passed quietly. Parties of horsemen were seen leaving the
+village to forage and plunder the surrounding country, but the main
+body remained quietly there. The next day there was still no renewal
+of the attack, but as the enemy remained in occupation of the
+village Malcolm guessed that they must be waiting for the arrival
+of reinforcements. The following afternoon a cloud of dust was seen
+upon the plain, and presently a column of infantry some four hundred
+strong, with three cannon, could be made out. The townspeople now
+wavered in their determination.  A few were still for resistance,
+but the majority held that they could not attempt to withstand an
+assault by so strong a force, and that it was better to make the
+best terms they could with the enemy.
+
+A parlementaire was accordingly despatched to the Imperialists
+asking what terms would be granted should the place surrender.
+
+"We will grant no terms whatever," the colonel in command of the
+Imperialists said. "The town is at our mercy, and we will do as we
+will with it and all within it; but tell Count Mansfeld that if he
+will surrender the castle as well as the town at once, and without
+striking another blow, his case shall receive favourable consideration."
+
+"That will not do," the count said. "They either guarantee our
+lives or they do not. I give not up my castle on terms like these,
+but I will exercise no pressure on the townspeople. If they choose
+to defend themselves till the last I will fight here with them; if
+they choose to surrender they can do so; and those who differ from
+their fellows and put no faith in Tilly's wolves can enter the
+castle with me."
+
+The principal inhabitants of the town debated the question hotly.
+Malcolm lost patience with them, and said:  "Are you mad as well
+as stupid? Do you not see the smoking villages round you? Do you
+not remember the fate of Magdeburg, New Brandenburg, and the other
+towns which have made a resistance?  You have chosen to resist. It
+was open to you to have fled when you heard the Imperialists were
+coming.  You could have opened the gates then with some hope at
+least of your lives; but you decided to resist.  You have killed
+some fifty or sixty of their soldiers. You have repulsed them from
+a place which they thought to take with scarce an effort. You have
+compelled them to send for reinforcements and guns. And now you
+are talking of opening the gates without even obtaining a promise
+that your lives shall be spared. This is the extremity of folly,
+and all I can say is, if you take such a step you will well deserve
+your fate."
+
+Malcolm's indignant address had its effect, and after a short
+discussion the townspeople again placed themselves at the count's
+disposal, and said that they would obey his orders.
+
+"I will give no orders," the count said. "My Scottish friend here
+agrees with me that it is useless to try to defend the town. We
+might repulse several attacks, but in the end they would surely
+break in, for the walls are old and weak, and will crumble before
+their cannon. Were there any hope of relief one would defend them
+to the last, but as it is it would be but a waste of blood, for many
+would be slain both in the defence and before they could retreat
+to the castle; therefore we propose at once to withdraw. We doubt
+not that we can hold the castle. Any who like to remain in their
+houses and trust to the tender mercy of Tilly's wolves can do so."
+
+There was no more hesitation, and a cannonball, the first which the
+Imperialists had fired, at that moment crashed into a house hard
+by, and sharpened their decision wonderfully.
+
+"I have no great store of provisions in the castle," the count said,
+"and although I deem it not likely that we shall have to stand a
+long siege we must be prepared for it. There are already more than
+700 of your wives and children there, therefore while half of the
+force continue to show themselves upon the walls, and so deter
+the enemy from attempting an assault until they have opened some
+breaches, let the rest carry up provisions to the castle. Any houses
+from which the women have fled are at once to be broken open. All
+that we leave behind the enemy will take, and the less we leave
+for them the better; therefore all stores and magazines of food and
+wine must be considered as public property. Let the men at once be
+divided into two bodies -- the one to guard the walls, the other
+to search for and carry up provisions.  They can be changed every
+three or four hours."
+
+The resolution was taken and carried into effect without delay. Most
+of the horses and carts in the town had left with the fugitives,
+those that remained were at once set to work.  The carts were
+laden with large barrels of wine and sacks of flour, while the men
+carried sides of bacon, kegs of butter, and other portable articles
+on their heads. The Imperialists, seeing the movement up the steep
+road to the castle gate, opened fire with their arquebuses, but
+the defenders of the wall replied so hotly that they were forced
+to retire out of range. The cannon played steadily all day, and by
+nightfall two breaches had been effected in the wall and the gate
+had been battered down.
+
+But by this time an ample store of provisions had been collected
+in the castle and as the Imperialists were seen to form up for the
+assault the trumpet was sounded, and at the signal the whole of
+the defenders of the walls left their posts and fell back to the
+castle, leaving the deserted town at the mercy of the enemy. The
+Imperialists raised a shout of triumph as they entered the breaches
+and found them undefended, and when once assured that the town was
+deserted they broke their ranks and scattered to plunder.
+
+It was now quite dark, and many of them dragging articles of furniture
+into the streets made great bonfires to light them at their work
+of plunder. But they had soon reason to repent having done so, for
+immediately the flames sprang up and lighted the streets, flashes
+ran round the battlements of the castle, and a heavy fire was
+opened into the streets, killing many of the soldiers. Seeing the
+danger of thus exposing the men to the fire from the castle, the
+Imperialist commander issued orders at once that all fires should
+be extinguished, that anyone setting fire to a house should be
+instantly hung, and that no lights were to be lit in the houses
+whose windows faced the castle.
+
+Foreseeing the possibility of an attack from the castle, the
+Austrians placed a hundred men at the foot of the road leading up
+to it, and laid their three cannon loaded to the muzzle to command
+it.
+
+"Have you not," Malcolm asked the count, "some means of exit from
+the castle besides the way into the town?"
+
+"Yes," the count said, "there is a footpath down the rock on the
+other side."
+
+"Then," Malcolm said, "as soon as they are fairly drunk, which
+will be before midnight, let us fall upon them from the other side.
+Leave fifty of your oldest men with half a dozen veteran soldiers
+to defend the gateway against a sudden attack; with the rest we
+can issue out, and marching round, enter by the gate and breaches,
+sweeping the streets as we go, and then uniting, burst through any
+guard they may have placed to prevent a sortie, and so regain the
+castle."
+
+The count at once assented. In a short time shouts, songs, the
+sound of rioting and quarrels, arose from the town, showing that
+revelry was general. At eleven o'clock the men in the castle were
+mustered, fifty were told off to the defence with five experienced
+soldiers, an officer of the count being left in command. The
+rest sallied through a little door at the back of the castle and
+noiselessly descended the steep path. On arriving at the bottom they
+were divided into three bodies. Malcolm with his Scots and fifty
+of the townspeople formed one. Count Mansfeld took the command
+of another, composed of his own soldiers and fifty more of the
+townspeople. The third consisted of eighty of the best fighting
+men of the town under their own leaders. These were to enter by
+the gate, while the other two parties came in by the breaches. The
+moment the attack began the defenders of the castle were to open
+as rapid a fire as they could upon the foot of the road so as to
+occupy the attention of the enemy's force there, and to lead them
+to anticipate a sortie.
+
+The breach by which Malcolm was to enter was the farthest from the
+castle, and his command would, therefore, be the last in arriving
+at its station. When he reached it he ordered the trumpeters who
+accompanied him to sound, and at the signal the three columns rushed
+into the town uttering shouts of "Gustavus! Gustavus!"
+
+The Imperialists in the houses near were slaughtered with scarcely
+any resistance. They were for the most part intoxicated, and such
+as retained their senses were paralysed at the sudden attack, and
+panic stricken at the shouts, which portended the arrival of a
+relieving force from the army of the King of Sweden. As the bands
+pressed forward, slaying all whom they came upon, the resistance
+became stronger; but the three columns were all headed by parties
+of pikemen who advanced steadily and in good order, bearing down
+all opposition, and leaving to those behind them the task of slaying
+all found in the houses.
+
+Lights flashed from the windows and partly lit up the streets,
+and the Imperialist officers attempted to rally their men; but the
+Scottish shouts, "A Hepburn! A Hepburn!" and the sight of their
+green scarves added to the terror of the soldiers, who were convinced
+that the terrible Green Brigade of the King of Sweden was upon
+them.
+
+Hundreds were cut down after striking scarce a blow in their defence,
+numbers fled to the walls and leapt over. The panic communicated
+itself to the party drawn up to repel a sortie. Hearing the yells,
+screams, and shouts, accompanied by the musketry approaching from
+three different quarters of the town, while a steady fire from the
+castle indicated that the defenders there might, at any moment,
+sally out upon them, they stood for a time irresolute; but as the
+heads of the three columns approached they lost heart, quitted their
+station, and withdrew in a body by a street by which they avoided
+the approaching columns. On arriving at the spot Malcolm found the
+guns deserted.
+
+"The town is won now," he said. "I will take my post here with my
+men in case the Austrians should rally; do you with the rest scatter
+over the town and complete the work, but bid them keep together in
+parties of twenty."
+
+The force broke up and scattered through the town in their work
+of vengeance. House after house was entered and searched, and all
+who were found there put to the sword; but by this time most of
+those who were not too drunk to fly had already made for the gates.
+
+In half an hour not an Imperialist was left alive in the town. Then
+guards were placed at the gate and breaches, and they waited till
+morning. Not a sign of an Imperialist was to be seen on the plain,
+and parties sallying out found that they had fled in the utmost
+disorder. Arms, accoutrements, and portions of plunder lay scattered
+thickly about, and it was clear that in the belief that the Swedish
+army was on them, the Imperialists had fled panic stricken, and
+were now far away. Upwards of two hundred bodies were found in the
+streets and houses.
+
+A huge grave was dug outside the walls, and here the fallen foes
+were buried. Only three or four of the defenders of the town were
+killed and a score or so wounded in the whole affair. Although there
+was little fear of a return, as the Imperialists would probably
+continue their headlong flight for a long distance, and would then
+march with all haste to rejoin their main army with the news that
+a strong Swedish force was at Mansfeld, the count set the townspeople
+at once to repair the breaches.
+
+The people were overjoyed with their success, and delighted at
+having preserved their homes from destruction, for they knew that
+the Imperialists would, if unsuccessful against the castle, have
+given the town to the flames before retiring. The women and children
+flocked down to their homes again, and although much furniture had
+been destroyed and damage done, this was little heeded when so much
+was saved.
+
+All vied in the expression of gratitude towards Malcolm and his
+Scots, but Malcolm modestly disclaimed all merit, saying that he
+and his men had scarcely struck a blow.
+
+"It is not so much the fighting," the count said, "as the example
+which you set the townsmen, and the spirit which the presence of
+you and your men diffused among them.  Besides, your counsel and
+support to me have been invaluable; had it not been for you the
+place would probably have been carried at the first attack, and
+if not the townspeople would have surrendered when the enemy's
+reinforcements arrived; and in that case, with so small a force at
+my command I could not have hoped to defend the castle successfully.
+Moreover, the idea of the sortie which has freed us of them and
+saved the town from destruction was entirely yours. No, my friend,
+say what you will I feel that I am indebted to you for the safety
+of my wife and child, and so long as I live I shall be deeply your
+debtor."
+
+The following day Malcolm with his party marched away.  The count had
+presented him with a suit of magnificent armour, and the countess
+with a gold chain of great value.  Handsome presents were also made
+to Sergeant Sinclair, who was a cadet of good family, and a purse
+of gold was given to each of the soldiers, so in high spirits the
+band marched away over the mountains on their return to the village.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX THE BATTLE OF BREITENFELD
+
+
+Great joy was manifested as Malcolm's band marched into the village
+and it was found that they had accomplished the mission on which
+they went, had saved Mansfeld, and utterly defeated the Imperialists,
+and had returned in undiminished numbers, although two or three
+had received wounds more or less serious, principally in the first
+day's fighting. They only remained one night in the village.
+
+On the following morning the baggage was placed in the wagons with
+a store of fruit and provisions for their march, and after another
+hearty adieu the detachment set out in high spirits. After marching
+for two days they learned that the Swedish army had marched to
+Werben, and that Tilly's army had followed it there.
+
+After the receipt of this news there was no more loitering; the
+marches were long and severe, and after making a detour to avoid the
+Imperialists the detachment entered the royal camp without having
+met with any adventure on the way. His fellow officers flocked round
+Malcolm to congratulate him on his safe return and on his restored
+health.
+
+"The change has done wonders for you, Malcolm," Nigel Graheme said.
+"Why, when you marched out you were a band of tottering scarecrows,
+and now your detachment looks as healthy and fresh as if they had
+but yesterday left Scotland; but come in, the bugle has just sounded
+to supper, and we are only waiting for the colonel to arrive. He
+is at present in council with the king with Hepburn and some more.
+Ah! here he comes."
+
+Munro rode up and leapt from his horse, and after heartily greeting
+Malcolm led the way into the tent where supper was laid out.
+Malcolm was glad to see by the faces of his comrades that all had
+shaken off the disease which had played such havoc among them at
+Old Brandenburg.
+
+"Is there any chance of a general engagement?" he asked Nigel.
+
+"Not at present," Nigel said. "We are expecting the reinforcements
+up in a few days. As you see we have fortified the camp too strongly
+for Tilly to venture to attack us here.  Only yesterday he drew
+up his army and offered us battle; but the odds were too great,
+and the king will not fight till his reinforcements arrive.  Some
+of the hotter spirits were sorry that he would not accept Tilly's
+invitation, and I own that I rather gnashed my teeth myself; but I
+knew that the king was right in not risking the whole cause rashly
+when a few days will put us in a position to meet the Imperialists
+on something like equal terms. Is there any news, colonel?" he
+asked, turning to Munro.
+
+"No news of importance," the colonel replied; "but the king is
+rather puzzled. A prisoner was taken today --one of Pappenheim's
+horsemen -- and he declares that a force of horse and foot have
+been defeated at Mansfeld by a Swedish army with heavy loss. He
+avers that he was present at the affair, and arrived in camp with
+the rest of the beaten force only yesterday. We cannot make it
+out, as we know that there are no Swedish troops anywhere in that
+direction."
+
+Malcolm burst into a hearty laugh, to the surprise of his fellow
+officers.
+
+"I can explain the matter, colonel," he said. "It was my detachment
+that had the honour of representing the Swedish army at Mansfeld."
+
+"What on earth do you mean, Malcolm?" the colonel asked.
+
+"Well, sir, as you know I went with a detachment to the village
+where I had before been well treated, and had earned the gratitude
+of the people by teaching them how to destroy a party of marauders.
+After having been there for a month I was on the point of marching,
+for the men were all perfectly restored to health; and indeed I
+know I ought to have returned sooner, seeing that the men were fit
+for service; but as I thought you were still at Old Brandenburg,
+and could well dispense with our services, I lingered on to the
+last. But just as I was about to march the news came that a party
+of Imperialist horse, three hundred strong, was about to attack
+Mansfeld, a place of whose existence I had never heard; but hearing
+that its count was a staunch Protestant, and that the inhabitants
+intended to make a stout defence, I thought that I could not be
+doing wrong in the service of the king by marching to aid them,
+the place being but twenty-four miles away across the hills. We
+got there in time, and aided the townspeople to repulse the first
+assault. After two days they brought up a reinforcement of four
+hundred infantry and some cannon. As the place is a small one, with
+but about two hundred and fifty fighting men of all ages, we deemed
+it impossible to defend the town, and while they were breaching
+the walls fell back to the castle. The Imperialists occupied it
+at sunset, and at night, leaving a party to hold the castle, we
+sallied out from the other side, and marching round, entered by the
+breaches, and, raising the Swedish war cry fell upon the enemy, who
+were for the most part too drunk to offer any serious resistance.
+We killed two hundred and fifty of them, and the rest fled in terror,
+thinking they had the whole Swedish army upon them. The next day I
+started on my march back here, and though we have not spared speed,
+it seems that the Imperialists have arrived before us."
+
+A burst of laughter and applause greeted the solution of the mystery.
+
+"You have done well, sir," Munro said cordially, "and have rendered
+a great service not only in the defeat of the Imperialists, but in
+its consequences here, for the prisoner said that last night five
+thousand men were marched away from Tilly's army to observe and
+make head against this supposed Swedish force advancing from the
+east. When I have done my meal I will go over to the king with the
+news, for his majesty is greatly puzzled, especially as the prisoner
+declared that he himself had seen the Scots of the Green Brigade
+in the van of the column, and had heard the war cry, 'A Hepburn!
+A Hepburn!'
+
+"Hepburn himself could make neither head nor tail of it, and was
+half inclined to believe that this avenging force was led by the
+ghosts of those who had been slain at New Brandenburg. Whenever we
+can't account for a thing, we Scots are inclined to believe it's
+supernatural.
+
+"Now tell me more about the affair, Malcolm. By the way do you
+know that you are a lieutenant now? Poor Foulis died of the fever
+a few days after you left us, and as the king had himself ordered
+that you were to have the next vacancy, I of course appointed you
+at once. We must drink tonight to your promotion."
+
+Malcolm now related fully the incidents of the siege.
+
+"By my faith, Malcolm Graheme," Munro said when he had finished,
+"you are as lucky as you are brave.  Mansfeld is a powerful nobleman,
+and has large possessions in various parts of Germany and much
+influence, and the king will be grateful that you have thus rendered
+him such effective assistance and so bound him to our cause. I
+believe he has no children."
+
+"He has a daughter," Malcolm said, "a pretty little maid some
+fourteen years old."
+
+"In faith, Malcolm, 'tis a pity that you and she are not some four
+or five years older. What a match it would be for you, the heiress
+of Mansfeld; she would be a catch indeed!  Well, there's time enough
+yet, my lad, for there is no saying how long this war will last."
+
+There was a general laugh, and the colonel continued:
+
+"Malcolm has the grace to colour, which I am afraid the rest of us
+have lost long ago. Never mind, Malcolm, there are plenty of Scotch
+cadets have mended their fortune by means of a rich heiress before
+now, and I hope there will be many more. I am on the lookout for a
+wealthy young countess myself, and I don't think there is one here
+who would not lay aside his armour and sword on such inducement.
+And now, gentlemen, as we have all finished, I will leave you to
+your wine while I go across with our young lieutenant to the king. I
+must tell him tonight, or he will not sleep with wondering over the
+mystery. We will be back anon and will broach a cask of that famous
+wine we picked up the other day, in honour of Malcolm Graheme's
+promotion."
+
+Sir John Hepburn was dining with Gustavus, and the meal was just
+concluded when Colonel Munro was announced.
+
+"Well, my brave Munro, what is it?" the king said heartily, "and whom
+have you here? The young officer who escaped from New Brandenburg
+and Tilly, unless I am mistaken."
+
+"It is, sir, but I have to introduce him in a new character
+tonight, as the leader of your majesty's army who have defeated
+the Imperialists at Mansfeld."
+
+"Say you so?" exclaimed the king. "Then, though I understand you not,
+we shall hear a solution of the mystery which has been puzzling us.
+Sit down, young sir; fill yourself a flagon of wine, and expound
+this riddle to us."
+
+Malcolm repeated the narrative as he had told it to his colonel,
+and the king expressed his warm satisfaction.
+
+"You will make a great leader some day if you do not get killed in
+one of these adventures, young sir.  Bravery seems to be a common
+gift of the men of your nation; but you seem to unite with it
+a surprising prudence and sagacity, and, moreover, this march of
+yours to Mansfeld shows that you do not fear taking responsibility,
+which is a high and rare quality. You have done good service to
+the cause, and I thank you, and shall keep my eye upon you in the
+future."
+
+The next day Malcolm went round the camp, and was surprised at
+the extensive works which had been erected.  Strong ramparts and
+redoubts had been thrown up round it, faced with stone, and mounted
+with 150 pieces of cannon.  In the centre stood an inner entrenchment
+with earthworks and a deep fosse. In this stood the tents of the
+king and those of his principal officers. The Marquis of Hamilton
+had, Malcolm heard, arrived and gone. He had lost on the march
+many of the soldiers he had enlisted in England, who had died from
+eating German bread, which was heavier, darker coloured, and more
+sour than that of their own country. This, however, did not disagree
+with the Scotch, who were accustomed to black bread.
+
+"I wonder," Malcolm said to Nigel Graheme, "that when the king has
+in face of him a force so superior to his own he should have sent
+away on detached service the four splendid regiments which they
+say the marquis brought."
+
+"Well, the fact was," Nigel said laughing, "Hamilton was altogether
+too grand for us here. We all felt small and mean so long as he
+remained. Gustavus himself, who is as simple in his tastes as any
+officer in the army, and who keeps up no ostentatious show, was
+thrown into the shade by his visitor. Why, had he been the Emperor
+of Germany or the King of France he could not have made a braver
+show. His table was equipped and furnished with magnificence; his
+carriages would have created a sensation in Paris; the liveries of
+his attendants were more splendid than the uniforms of generals;
+he had forty gentlemen as esquires and pages, and 200 yeomen,
+splendidly mounted and armed, rode with him as his bodyguard.
+
+"Altogether he was oppressive; but the Hamiltons have ever been
+fond of show and finery. So Gustavus has sent him and his troops
+away to guard the passages of the Oder and to cover our retreat
+should we be forced to fall back."
+
+Tilly, finding that the position of Gustavus was too strong to be
+forced, retired to Wolmirstadt, whence he summoned the Elector of
+Saxony to admit his army into his country, and either to disband
+the Saxon army or to unite it to his own. Hitherto the elector
+had held aloof from Gustavus, whom he regarded with jealousy and
+dislike, and had stood by inactive although the slightest movement
+of his army would have saved Magdeburg. To disband his troops, however,
+and to hand over his fortresses to Tilly, would be equivalent to
+giving up his dominions to the enemy; rather than do this he determined
+to join Gustavus, and having despatched Arnheim to treat with the
+King of Sweden for alliance, he sent a point blank refusal to Tilly.
+
+The Imperialist general at once marched towards Leipzig, devastating
+the country as he advanced. Terms were soon arranged between the
+elector and Gustavus, and on the 3d of September, 1631, the Swedish
+army crossed the Elbe, and the next day joined the Saxon army at
+Torgau. By this time Tilly was in front of Leipzig, and immediately
+on his arrival burned to the ground Halle, a suburb lying beyond
+the wall, and then summoned the city to surrender.
+
+Alarmed at the sight of the conflagration of Halle, and with the
+fate of Magdeburg in their minds, the citizens of Leipzig opened
+their gates at once on promise of fair treatment. The news of this
+speedy surrender was a heavy blow to the allies, who, however, after
+a council of war, determined at once to march forward against the
+city, and to give battle to the Imperialists on the plain around
+it.
+
+Leipzig stands on a wide plain which is called the plain of
+Breitenfeld, and the battle which was about to commence there has
+been called by the Germans the battle of Breitenfeld, to distinguish
+it from the even greater struggles which have since taken place
+under the walls of Leipzig.
+
+The baggage had all been left behind, and the Swedish army lay down
+as they stood. The king occupied his travelling coach, and passed
+the night chatting with Sir John Hepburn, Marshal Horn, Sir John
+Banner, Baron Teuffel, who commanded the guards, and other leaders.
+The lines of red fires which marked Tilly's position on the slope
+of a gentle eminence to the southwest were plainly to be seen. The
+day broke dull and misty on the 7th of September, and as the light
+fog gradually rose the troops formed up for battle.  Prayers were
+said in front of every regiment, and the army then moved forward.
+Two Scottish brigades had the places of honour in the van, where
+the regiments of Sir James Ramsay, the Laird of Foulis, and Sir
+John Hamilton were posted, while Hepburn's Green Brigade formed part
+of the reserve -- a force composed of the best troops of the army,
+as on them the fate of the battle frequently depends. The Swedish
+cavalry were commanded by Field Marshal Horn, General Banner, and
+Lieutenant General Bauditzen.
+
+The king and Baron Teuffel led the main body of infantry; the
+King of Saxony commanded the Saxons, who were on the Swedish left.
+The armies were not very unequal in numbers, the allies numbering
+35,000, of whom the Swedes and Scots counted 20,000, the Saxons
+15,000. The Imperialists numbered about 40,000. Tilly was fighting
+unwillingly, for he had wished to await the arrival from Italy
+of 12,000 veterans under General Altringer, and who were within a
+few days' march; but he had been induced, against his own better
+judgment, by the urgency of Pappenheim, Furstenberg, and the younger
+generals, to quit the unassailable post he had taken up in front of
+Leipzig, and to move out on to the plain of Breitenfeld to accept
+the battle which the Swedes offered.
+
+A short distance in his front was the village of Podelwitz.  Behind
+his position were two elevations, on which he placed his guns,
+forty in number. In rear of these elevations was a very thick wood.
+The Imperialist right was commanded by Furstenberg, the left by
+Pappenheim, the centre by Tilly himself.  Although he had yielded
+to his generals so far as to take up a position on the plain, Tilly
+was resolved, if possible, not to fight until the arrival of the
+reinforcements; but the rashness of Pappenheim brought on a battle. To
+approach the Austrian position the Swedes had to cross the little
+river Loder, and Pappenheim asked permission of Tilly to charge them
+as they did so. Tilly consented on condition that he only charged
+with two thousand horse and did not bring on a general engagement.
+Accordingly, as the Scottish brigade under Sir James Ramsay crossed
+the Loder, Pappenheim swept down upon them.
+
+The Scots stood firm, and with pike and musket repelled the attack;
+and after hard fighting Pappenheim was obliged to fall back,
+setting fire as he retired to the village of Podelwitz.  The smoke
+of the burning village drifted across the plain, and was useful to
+the Swedes, as under its cover the entire army passed the Loder,
+and formed up ready for battle facing the Imperialists position,
+the movement being executed under a heavy fire from the Austrian
+batteries on the hills.
+
+The Swedish order of battle was different from that of the
+Imperialists. The latter had their cavalry massed together in one
+heavy, compact body, while the Swedish regiments of horse were placed
+alternately with the various regiments or brigades of infantry.
+The Swedish centre was composed of four brigades of pikemen. Guns
+were behind the first line, as were the cavalry supporting the
+pikemen. The regiments of musketeers were placed at intervals among
+the brigades of pikemen.
+
+Pappenheim on his return to the camp ordered up the whole of his
+cavalry, and charged down with fury upon the Swedes, while at the
+same moment Furstenberg dashed with seven regiments of cavalry on
+the Saxons. Between these and the Swedes there was a slight interval,
+for Gustavus had doubts of the steadiness of his allies, and was
+anxious that in case of their defeat his own troops should not be
+thrown into confusion. The result justified his anticipations.
+
+Attacked with fury on their flank by Furstenberg's horse, while
+his infantry and artillery poured a direct fire into their front,
+the Saxons at once gave way. Their elector was the first to set
+the example of flight, and, turning his horse, galloped without
+drawing rein to Torgau, and in twenty minutes after the commencement
+of the fight the whole of the Saxons were in utter rout, hotly
+pursued by Furstenberg's cavalry.
+
+Tilly now deemed the victory certain, for nearly half of his opponents
+were disposed of, and he outnumbered the remainder by two to one;
+but while Furstenberg had gained so complete a victory over the
+Saxons, Pappenheim, who had charged the Swedish centre, had met
+with a very different reception.
+
+In vain he tried to break through the Swedish spears.  The wind was
+blowing full in the faces of the pikemen, and the clouds of smoke
+and dust which rolled down upon them rendered it impossible for
+them to see the heavy columns of horse until they fell upon them
+like an avalanche, yet with perfect steadiness they withstood the
+attacks.
+
+Seven times Pappenheim renewed his charge; seven times he fell back
+broken and disordered.
+
+As be drew off for the last time Gustavus, seeing the rout of the
+Saxons, and knowing that he would have the whole of Tilly's force
+upon him in a few minutes, determined to rid himself altogether of
+Pappenheim, and launched the whole of his cavalry upon the retreating
+squadrons with overwhelming effect. Thus at the end of half an
+hour's fighting Tilly had disposed of the Saxons, and Gustavus had
+driven Pappenheim's horse from the field.
+
+Three of the Scottish regiments were sent from the centre to
+strengthen Horn on the left flank, which was now exposed by the
+flight of the Saxons. Scarcely had the Scottish musketeers taken
+their position when Furstenberg's horse returned triumphant from
+their pursuit of the Saxons, and at once fell upon Horn's pikemen.
+These, however, stood as firmly as their comrades in the centre
+had done; and the Scottish musketeers, six deep, the three front
+ranks kneeling, the three in rear standing, poured such heavy
+volleys into the horsemen that these fell back in disorder; the
+more confused perhaps, since volley firing was at that time peculiar
+to the Swedish army, and the crashes of musketry were new to the
+Imperialists.
+
+As the cavalry fell back in disorder, Gustavus led his horse, who
+had just returned from the pursuit of Pappenheim, against them.
+The shock was irresistible, and Furstenberg's horse were driven
+headlong from the field.  But the Imperialist infantry, led by
+Tilly himself, were now close at hand, and the roar of musketry
+along the whole line was tremendous, while the artillery on both
+sides played unceasingly.
+
+Just as the battle was at the hottest the Swedish reserve came up
+to the assistance of the first line, and Sir John Hepburn led the
+Green Brigade through the intervals of the Swedish regiments into
+action. Lord Reay's regiment was in front, and Munro, leading it
+on, advanced against the solid Imperialist columns, pouring heavy
+volleys into them.  When close at hand the pikemen passed through
+the intervals of the musketeers and charged furiously with levelled
+pikes, the musketeers following them with clubbed weapons.
+
+The gaps formed by the losses of the regiment at New Brandenburg and
+the other engagements had been filled up, and two thousand strong
+they fell upon the Imperialists.  For a few minutes there was a
+tremendous hand-to-hand conflict, but the valour and strength of
+the Scotch prevailed, and the regiment was the first to burst its
+way through the ranks of the Imperialists, and then pressed on to
+attack the trenches behind, held by the Walloon infantry. While the
+battle was raging in the plain the Swedish cavalry, after driving
+away Furstenberg's horse, swept round and charged the eminence in
+the rear of the Imperialists, cutting down the artillerymen and
+capturing the cannon there.
+
+These were at once turned upon the masses of Imperialist infantry,
+who thus, taken between two fires --pressed hotly by the pikemen
+in front, mown down by the cannon in their rear -- lost heart and
+fled precipitately, four regiments alone, the veterans of Furstenberg's
+infantry, holding together and cutting their way through to the
+woods in the rear of their position.
+
+The slaughter would have been even greater than it was, had not the
+cloud of dust and smoke been so thick that the Swedes were unable
+to see ten yards in front of them.  The pursuit was taken up by
+their cavalry, who pressed the flying Imperialists until nightfall.
+So complete was the defeat that Tilly, who was badly wounded, could
+only muster 600 men to accompany him in his retreat, and Pappenheim
+could get together but 1400 of his horsemen. Seven thousand of the
+Imperialists were killed, 5000 were wounded or taken prisoners.
+The Swedes lost but 700 men, the Saxons about 2000.
+
+The Swedes that night occupied the Imperial tents, making great
+bonfires of the broken wagons, pikes, and stockades. A hundred
+standards were taken. Tilly had fought throughout the battle with
+desperate valour.  He was ever in the van of his infantry, and
+three times was wounded by bullets and once taken prisoner, and
+only rescued after a desperate conflict.
+
+At the conclusion of the day Cronenberg with 600 Walloon cavalry threw
+themselves around him and bore him from the field. The fierce old
+soldier is said to have burst into a passion of tears on beholding
+the slaughter and defeat of his infantry. Hitherto he had been
+invincible, this being the first defeat he had suffered in the
+course of his long military career. Great stores of provision and
+wine had been captured, and the night was spent in feasting in the
+Swedish camp.
+
+The next morning the Elector of Saxony rode on to the field to
+congratulate Gustavus on his victory. The latter was politic enough
+to receive him with great courtesy and to thank him for the services
+the Saxons had rendered. He intrusted to the elector the task of
+recapturing Leipzig, while he marched against Merseburg, which he
+captured with its garrison of five hundred men.
+
+After two or three assaults had been made on Leipzig the garrison
+capitulated to the Saxons, and on the 11th of September the army was
+drawn up and reviewed by Gustavus.  When the king arrived opposite
+the Green Brigade he dismounted and made the soldiers an address,
+thanking them for their great share in winning the battle of Leipzig.
+
+Many of the Scottish officers were promoted, Munro being made a
+full colonel, and many others advanced a step in rank. The Scottish
+brigade responded to the address of the gallant king with hearty
+cheers.  Gustavus was indeed beloved as well as admired by his
+soldiers. Fearless himself of danger, he ever recognized bravery
+in others, and was ready to take his full share of every hardship
+as well as every peril.
+
+He had ever a word of commendation and encouragement for his
+troops, and was regarded by them as a comrade as well as a leader.
+In person he was tall and rather stout, his face was handsome,
+his complexion fair, his forehead lofty, his hair auburn, his eyes
+large and penetrating, his cheeks ruddy and healthy. He had an air
+of majesty which enabled him to address his soldiers in terms of
+cheerful familiarity without in the slightest degree diminishing
+their respect and reverence for him as their monarch.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X THE PASSAGE OF THE RHINE
+
+
+"I suppose," Nigel Graheme said, as the officers of the regiment
+assembled in one of the Imperialist tents on the night after the
+battle of Leipzig, "we shall at once press forward to Vienna;"
+and such was the general opinion throughout the Swedish army; but
+such was not the intention of Gustavus. Undoubtedly the temptation
+to press forward and dictate peace in Vienna was strong, but the
+difficulties and disadvantages of such a step were many. He had but
+20,000 men, for the Saxons could not be reckoned upon; and indeed
+it was probable that their elector, whose jealousy and dislike of
+Gustavus would undoubtedly be heightened by the events of the battle
+of Breitenfeld, would prove himself to be a more than a doubtful
+ally were the Swedish army to remove to a distance.
+
+Tilly would soon rally his fugitives, and, reinforced by the numerous
+Imperialist garrisons from the towns, would be able to overrun North
+Germany in his absence, and to force the Saxons to join him even if
+the elector were unwilling to do so. Thus the little Swedish force
+would be isolated in the heart of Germany; and should Ferdinand
+abandon Vienna at his approach and altogether refuse to treat
+with him -- which his obstinacy upon a former occasion when in the
+very hands of his enemy rendered probable -- the Swedes would find
+themselves in a desperate position, isolated and alone in the midst
+of enemies.
+
+There was another consideration. An Imperialist diet was at
+that moment sitting at Frankfort, and Ferdinand was using all his
+influence to compel the various princes and representatives of the
+free cities to submit to him. It was of the utmost importance that
+Gustavus should strengthen his friends and overawe the waverers
+by the approach of his army.  Hitherto Franconia and the Rhine
+provinces had been entirely in the hands of the Imperialists, and
+it was needful that a counterbalancing influence should be exerted.
+These considerations induced Gustavus to abandon the tempting idea
+of a march upon Vienna. The Elector of Saxony was charged with
+carrying the war into Silesia and Bohemia, the Electors of Hesse
+and Hesse-Cassel were to maintain Lower Saxony and Westphalia, and
+the Swedish army turned its face towards the Rhine.
+
+On the 20th of September it arrived before Erfurt, an important
+fortified town on the Gera, which surrendered at discretion. Gustavus
+granted the inhabitants, who were for the most part Catholics, the
+free exercise of their religion, and nominated the Duke of Saxe-Weimar
+to be governor of the district and of the province of Thuringen,
+and the Count of Lowenstein to be commander of the garrison, which
+consisted of Colonel Foulis's Scottish regiment, 1500 strong.
+
+Travelling by different routes in two columns the army marched
+to Wurtzburg, the capital of Franconia, a rich and populous city,
+the Imperialist garrison having withdrawn to the strong castle
+of Marienburg, on a lofty eminence overlooking the town, and only
+separated from it by the river Maine. The cathedral at Wurtzburg
+is dedicated to a Scottish saint, St. Kilian, a bishop who with two
+priests came from Scotland in the year 688 to convert the heathen
+of Franconia.  They baptized many at Wurtzburg, among them Gospert,
+the duke of that country. This leader was married to Geilana, the
+widow of his brother; and Kilian urging upon him that such a marriage
+was contrary to the laws of the Christian church, the duke promised
+to separate from her. Geilana had not, like her lord, accepted
+Christianity, and, furious at this interference of Kilian, she
+seized the opportunity when the latter had gone with his followers
+on an expedition against the pagan Saxons to have Kilian and his
+two companions murdered.
+
+The cathedral was naturally an object of interest to the Scotch
+soldiers in the time of Gustavus, and there was an animated argument
+in the quarters of the officers of Munro's regiment on the night of
+their arrival as to whether St. Kilian had done well or otherwise
+in insisting upon his new convert repudiating his wife.  The general
+opinion, however, was against the saint, the colonel summing up
+the question.
+
+"In my opinion," he said, "Kilian was a fool. Here was no less a
+matter at stake than the conversion of a whole nation, or at least
+of a great tribe of heathens, and Kilian imperilled it all on a
+question of minor importance; for in the first place, the Church
+of Rome has always held that the pope could grant permission for
+marriage within interdicted degrees; in the second place, the marriage
+had taken place before the conversion of the duke to Christianity,
+and they were therefore innocently and without thought of harm
+bona fide man and wife. Lastly, the Church of Rome is opposed to
+divorce; and Kilian might in any case have put up with this small
+sin, if sin it were, for the sake of saving the souls of thousands
+of pagans. My opinion is that St. Kilian richly deserved the fate
+which befell him. And now to a subject much more interesting to us
+-- viz, the capture of Marienburg.
+
+"I tell you, my friends, it is going to be a warm business; the
+castle is considered impregnable, and is strong by nature as well
+as art, and Captain Keller is said to be a stout and brave soldier.
+He has 1000 men in the garrison, and all the monks who were in the
+town have gone up and turned soldiers. But if the task is a hard
+one the reward will be rich; for as the Imperialists believe the
+place cannot be taken, the treasures of all the country round are
+stored up there. And I can tell you more, in the cellars are sixty
+gigantic tuns of stone, the smallest of which holds twenty-five
+wagon loads of wine, and they say some of it is a hundred years
+old.  With glory and treasure and good wine to be won we will outdo
+ourselves tomorrow; and you may be sure that the brunt of the affair
+will fall upon the Scots."
+
+"Well, there is one satisfaction," said Nigel Graheme -- who after
+Leipzig had been promoted to the rank of major -- "if we get the
+lion's share of the fighting, we shall have the lion's share of
+the plunder and wine."
+
+"For shame, Graheme! You say nothing of the glory."
+
+"Ah! well," Graheme laughed, "we have already had so large share
+of that, that I for one could do without winning any more just at
+present. It's a dear commodity to purchase, and neither fills our
+belly nor our pockets."
+
+"For shame, Graheme! for shame!" Munro said laughing.  "It is a
+scandal that such sentiments should be whispered in the Scottish
+brigade; and now to bed, gentlemen, for we shall have, methinks,
+a busy day tomorrow."
+
+Sir James Ramsay was appointed to command the assault. The river
+Maine had to be crossed, and he sent off Lieutenant Robert Ramsay
+of his own regiment to obtain boats from the peasantry. The disguise
+in which he went was seen through, and he was taken prisoner and
+carried to the castle. A few boats were, however, obtained by the
+Swedes.
+
+The river is here 300 yards wide, and the central arch of the bridge
+had been blown up by the Imperialists, a single plank remaining
+across the chasm over the river 48 feet below. The bridge was swept
+by the heaviest cannon in the fortress, and a passage appeared well
+nigh hopeless. On the afternoon of the 5th of October the party
+prepared to pass, some in boats, others by the bridge. A tremendous
+fire was opened by the Imperialists from cannon and musketry,
+sweeping the bridge with a storm of missiles and lashing the river
+to foam around the boats. The soldiers in these returned the fire
+with their muskets, and the smoke served as a cover to conceal them
+from the enemy.
+
+In the meantime Major Bothwell of Ramsay's regiment led a company
+across the bridge. These, in spite of the fire, crossed the plank
+over the broken arch and reached the head of the bridge, from whence
+they kept up so heavy a fire upon the gunners and musketeers in
+the lower works by the river that they forced them to quit their
+posts, and so enabled Sir James Ramsay and Sir John Hamilton to
+effect a landing.
+
+Major Bothwell, his brother, and the greater part of his followers
+were, however, slain by the Imperialists' fire from above. The
+commandant of the castle now sallied out and endeavoured to recapture
+the works by the water, but the Scotch repelled the attack and drove
+the enemy up the hill to the castle again. The Scottish troops
+having thus effected a lodgment across the river, and being protected
+by the rocks from the enemy's fire, lay down for the night in the
+position they had won.
+
+Gustavus during the night caused planks to be thrown across the broken
+bridge and prepared to assault at daybreak.  Just as morning was
+breaking, a Swedish officer with seven men climbed up the hill to
+reconnoitre the castle, and found to his surprise that the drawbridge
+was down, but a guard of 200 men were stationed at the gate. He
+was at once challenged, and, shouting "Sweden!" sprang with his men
+on to the end of the drawbridge. The Imperialists tried in vain to
+raise it; before they could succeed some companions of the Swedes
+ran up, and, driving in the guard, took possession of the outer
+court.
+
+Almost at the same moment Ramsay's and Hamilton's regiments commenced
+their assault on a strong outwork of the castle, which, after two
+hours' desperate fighting, they succeeded in gaining. They then
+turned its guns upon the gate of the keep, which they battered
+down, and were about to charge in when they received orders from the
+king to halt and retire, while the Swedish regiment of Axel-Lilly
+and the Blue Brigade advanced to the storm.
+
+The Scottish regiments retired in the deepest discontent, deeming
+themselves affronted by others being ordered to the post of honour
+after they had by their bravery cleared the way. The Swedish
+troops forced their way in after hard fighting; and the Castle of
+Marienburg, so long deemed impregnable, was captured after a few
+hours' fighting. The quantity of treasure found in it was enormous,
+and there were sufficient provisions to have lasted its garrison
+for twenty years.
+
+Immediately the place was taken, Colonel Sir John Hamilton advanced
+to Gustavus and resigned his commission on the spot; nor did the
+assurances of the king that he intended no insult to the Scotch
+soldiers mollify his wrath, and quitting the Swedish service he
+returned at once to Scotland.  Munro's regiment had taken no part
+in the storming of Marienburg, but was formed up on the north side
+of the river in readiness to advance should the first attack be
+repelled, and many were wounded by the shot of the enemy while thus
+inactive.
+
+Malcolm while binding up the arm of his sergeant who stood next to
+him felt a sharp pain shoot through his leg, and at once fell to
+the ground. He was lifted up and carried to the rear, where his
+wound was examined by the doctor to the regiment.
+
+"Your luck has not deserted you," he said after probing the wound.
+"The bullet has missed the bone by half an inch, and a short rest
+will soon put you right again."
+
+Fortunately for a short time the army remained around Wurtzburg.
+Columns scoured the surrounding country, capturing the various
+towns and fortresses held by the Imperialists, and collecting large
+quantities of provisions and stores. Tilly's army lay within a few
+days' march; but although superior in numbers to that of Gustavus,
+Tilly had received strict orders not to risk a general engagement
+as his army was now almost the only one that remained to the
+Imperialists, and should it suffer another defeat the country would
+lie at the mercy of the Swedes.
+
+One evening when Malcolm had so far recovered as to be able to walk
+for a short distance, he was at supper with Colonel Munro and some
+other officers, when the door opened and Gustavus himself entered.
+All leapt to their feet.
+
+"Munro," he said, "get the musketeers of your brigade under arms
+with all haste, form them up in the square before the town hall,
+and desire Sir John Hepburn to meet me there."
+
+
+The drum was at once beaten, and the troops came pouring from their
+lodgings, and in three or four minutes the musketeers, 800 strong,
+were formed up with Hepburn and Munro at their head. Malcolm had
+prepared to take his arms on the summons, but Munro said at once:
+
+"No, Malcolm, so sudden a summons augurs desperate duty, maybe a
+long night march; you would break down before you got half a mile;
+besides, as only the musketeers have to go, half the officers must
+remain here."
+
+Without a word the king placed himself at the head of the men,
+and through the dark and stormy night the troops started on their
+unknown mission. Hepburn and Munro were, like their men, on foot,
+for they had not had time to have their horses saddled.
+
+After marching two hours along the right bank of the Maine the
+tramp of horses was heard behind them, and they were reinforced by
+eighty troopers whom Gustavus before starting had ordered to mount
+and follow. Hitherto the king had remained lost in abstraction,
+but he now roused himself.
+
+"I have just received the most serious news, Hepburn.  Tilly has
+been reinforced by 17,000 men under the Duke of Lorraine, and is
+marching with all speed against me. Were my whole army collected
+here he would outnumber us by two to one, but many columns are
+away, and the position is well nigh desperate.
+
+"I have resolved to hold Ochsenfurt. The place is not strong, but
+it lies in a sharp bend of the river and may be defended for a
+time. If any can do so it is surely you and your Scots. Tilly is
+already close to the town; indeed the man who brought me the news
+said that when he left it his advanced pickets were just entering,
+hence the need for this haste.
+
+"You must hold it to the last, Hepburn, and then, if you can, fall
+back to Wurtzburg; even a day's delay will enable me to call in
+some of the detachments and to prepare to receive Tilly."
+
+Without halting, the little column marched sixteen miles, and then,
+crossing the bridge over the Maine, entered Ochsenfurt.
+
+It was occupied by a party of fifty Imperialist arquebusiers, but
+these were driven headlong from it. The night was extremely dark,
+all were ignorant of the locality, and the troops were formed up
+in the marketplace to await either morning or the attack of Tilly.
+Fifty troopers were sent half a mile in advance to give warning
+of the approach of the enemy. They had scarcely taken their place
+when they were attacked by the Imperialists, who had been roused by
+the firing in the town. The incessant flash of fire and the heavy
+rattle of musketry told Gustavus that they were in force, and
+a lieutenant of Lumsden's regiment with fifty musketeers was sent
+off to reinforce the cavalry. The Imperialists were, however, too
+strong to be checked, and horse and foot were being driven in when
+Colonel Munro sallied out with a hundred of his own regiment, and
+the Imperialists after a brisk skirmish, not knowing what force
+they had to deal with, fell back.
+
+As soon as day broke the king and Hepburn made a tour of the walls,
+which were found to be in a very bad condition and ill calculated
+to resist an assault. The Imperialists were not to be seen, and the
+king, fearing they might have marched by some other route against
+Wurtzburg, determined to return at once, telling Hepburn to mine
+the bridge, and to blow it up if forced to abandon the town.
+
+Hepburn at once set to work to strengthen the position, to demolish
+all the houses and walls outside the defences, cut down and destroy
+all trees and hedges which might shelter an enemy, and to strengthen
+the walls with banks of earth and platforms of wood. For three days
+the troops laboured incessantly; on the third night the enemy were
+heard approaching. The advanced troopers and a half company of
+infantry were driven in, contesting every foot of the way. When they
+reached the walls heavy volleys were poured in by the musketeers
+who lined them upon the approaching enemy, and Tilly, supposing
+that Gustavus must have moved forward a considerable portion of
+his army, called off his troops and marched away to Nuremberg.  Two
+days later Hepburn was ordered to return with his force to Wurtzburg.
+
+The king now broke up his camp near Wurtzburg, and leaving a garrison
+in the castle of Marienburg and appointing Marshal Horn to hold
+Franconia with 8000 men, he marched against Frankfort-on-the-Maine,
+his troops capturing all the towns and castles on the way, levying
+contributions, and collecting great booty.  Frankfort opened its
+gates without resistance, and for a short time the army had rest
+in pleasant quarters.
+
+The regiments were reorganized, in some cases two of those which
+had suffered most being joined into one.  Gustavus had lately been
+strengthened by two more Scottish regiments under Sir Frederick
+Hamilton and Alexander Master of Forbes, and an English regiment
+under Captain Austin. He had now thirteen regiments of Scottish
+infantry, and the other corps of the army were almost entirely
+officered by Scotchmen. He had five regiments of English and Irish,
+and had thus eighteen regiments of British infantry.
+
+At Frankfort he was joined by the Marquis of Hamilton, who had done
+splendid service with the troops under his command. He had driven
+the Imperialists out of Silesia, and marching south, struck such
+fear into them that Tilly was obliged to weaken his army to send
+reinforcements to that quarter. By the order of Gustavus he left
+Silesia and marched to Magdeburg. He had now but 3500 men with him,
+2700 having died from pestilence, famine, and disease.  He assisted
+General Banner in blockading the Imperialist garrison of Magdeburg,
+and his losses by fever and pestilence thinned his troops down to
+two small regiments; these were incorporated with the force of the
+Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and the Marquis of Hamilton joined the staff
+of Gustavus as a simple volunteer.
+
+The king now determined to conquer the Palatinate, which was held
+by a Spanish army. He drove them before him until he reached the
+Rhine, where they endeavoured to defend the passage by burning
+every vessel and boat they could find, and for a time the advance
+of the Swedes was checked. It was now the end of November, the snow
+lay thick over the whole country, and the troops, without tents or
+covering, were bivouacked along the side of the river, two miles
+below Oppenheim. The opposite bank was covered with bushes to the
+water's edge, and on an eminence a short distance back could be
+seen the tents of the Spaniards.
+
+"If it were summer we might swim across," Nigel Graheme said to
+Malcolm; "the river is broad, but a good swimmer could cross it
+easily enough."
+
+"Yes," Malcolm agreed, "there would be no difficulty in swimming if
+unencumbered with arms and armour, but there would be no advantage
+in getting across without these; if we could but get hold of a boat
+or two, we would soon wake yonder Spaniards up."
+
+The next morning Malcolm wandered along the bank closely examining
+the bushes as he went, to see if any boats might be concealed among
+them, for the fishermen and boatmen would naturally try to save
+their craft when they heard that the Imperialists were destroying
+them. He walked three miles up the river without success. As he
+returned he kept his eyes fixed on the bushes on the opposite bank.
+When within half a mile of the camp he suddenly stopped, for his
+eye caught something dark among them. He went to the water's edge
+and stooped, the better to see under the bushes, and saw what
+he doubted not to be the stern of a boat hauled up and sheltered
+beneath them. He leapt to his feet with a joyful exclamation. Here
+was the means of crossing the river; but the boat had to be brought
+over. Once afloat this would be easy enough, but he was sure that
+his own strength would be insufficient to launch her, and that he
+should need the aid of at least one man. On returning to camp he
+called aside the sergeant of his company, James Grant, who was from
+his own estate in Nithsdale, and whom he knew to be a good swimmer.
+
+
+"Sergeant," he said, "I want you to join me in an enterprise tonight.
+I have found a boat hauled up under the bushes on the opposite
+shore, and we must bring her across. I cannot make out her size;
+but from the look of her stern I should say she was a large boat.
+You had better therefore borrow from the artillerymen one of their
+wooden levers, and get a stout pole two or three inches across,
+and cut half a dozen two foot lengths from it to put under her
+as rollers. Get also a plank of four inches wide from one of the
+deserted houses in the village behind us, and cut out two paddles;
+we may find oars on board, but it is as well to be prepared in case
+the owner should have removed them."
+
+"Shall I take my weapons, sir?"
+
+"We can take our dirks in our belts, sergeant, and lash our swords
+to the wooden lever, but I do not think we shall have any fighting.
+The night will be dark, and the Spaniards, believing that we have
+no boats, will not keep a very strict watch. The worst part of the
+business is the swim across the river, the water will be bitterly
+cold; but as you and I have often swum Scotch burns when they were
+swollen by the melting snow I think that we may well manage to get
+across this sluggish stream."
+
+"At what time will we be starting, sir?"
+
+"Be here at the edge of the river at six o'clock, sergeant.  I can
+get away at that time without exciting comment, and we will say
+nothing about it unless we succeed."
+
+Thinking it over, however, it occurred to Malcolm that by this
+means a day would be lost -- and he knew how anxious the king was
+to press forward. He therefore abandoned his idea of keeping his
+discovery secret, and going to his colonel reported that he had
+found a boat, and could bring it across from the other side by
+seven o'clock.
+
+The news was so important that Munro at once went to the king.
+Gustavus ordered three hundred Swedes and a hundred Scots of each
+of the regiments of Ramsay, Munro, and the Laird of Wormiston, the
+whole under the command of Count Brahe, to form up after dark on
+the river bank and prepare to cross, and he himself came down to
+superintend the passage. By six it was perfectly dark. During the
+day Malcolm had placed two stones on the edge of the water, one
+exactly opposite the boat, the other twenty feet behind it in an
+exact line. When Gustavus arrived at the spot where the troops were
+drawn up, Malcolm was taken up to him by his colonel.
+
+"Well, my brave young Graheme," the king said, "so you are going
+to do us another service; but how will you find the boat in this
+darkness? Even were there no stream you would find it very difficult
+to strike the exact spot on a dark night like this."
+
+"I have provided against that, sir, by placing two marks on the
+bank. When we start lanterns will be placed on these.  We shall
+cross higher up so as to strike the bank a little above where I
+believe the boat to be, then we shall float along under the bushes
+until the lanterns are in a line one with another, and we shall
+know then that we are exactly opposite the boat."
+
+"Well thought of!" the king exclaimed. "Munro, this lieutenant of
+yours is a treasure. And now God speed you, my friend, in your cold
+swim across the stream!"
+
+Malcolm and the sergeant now walked half a mile up the river, a
+distance which, judging from the strength of the current and the
+speed at which they could swim, would, they thought, take them
+to the opposite bank at about the point where the boat was lying.
+Shaking hands with Colonel Munro, who had accompanied them,
+Malcolm entered the icy cold water without delay. Knowing that it
+was possible that their strength might give out before they reached
+the opposite side, Malcolm had had two pairs of small casks lashed
+two feet apart. These they fastened securely, so that as they began
+to swim the casks floated a short distance behind each shoulder,
+giving them perfect support. The lever and paddles were towed behind
+them. The lights in the two camps afforded them a means of directing
+their way.  The water was intensely cold, and before they were
+halfway across Malcolm congratulated himself upon having thought
+of the casks. Had it not been for them he would have begun to doubt
+his ability to reach the further shore, for although he would have
+thought nothing of the swim at other times his limbs were fast
+becoming numbed with the extreme cold.  The sergeant kept close to
+him, and a word or two was occasionally exchanged.
+
+"I think it is colder than our mountain streams, Grant?"
+
+"It's no colder, your honour, but the water is smooth and still,
+and we do not have to wrestle with it as with a brook in spate.
+It's the stillness which makes it feel so cold. The harder we swim
+the less we will feel it."
+
+It was with a deep feeling of relief that Malcolm saw something
+loom just in front of him from the darkness, and knew that he was
+close to the land.  A few more strokes and he touched the bushes.
+Looking back he saw that the two lights were nearly in a line.
+Stopping swimming he let the stream drift him down.  Two or three
+minutes more and one of the tiny lights seemed exactly above the
+other.
+
+"This is the spot, Grant," he said in a low voice; "land here as
+quietly as you can."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI THE CAPTURE OF OPPENHEIM
+
+
+The two swimmers dragged themselves on shore, but for a minute or
+two could scarce stand, so numbed were their limbs by the cold.
+Malcolm took from his belt a flask of brandy, took a long draught,
+and handed it to his companion, who followed his example.
+
+The spirit sent a glow of warmth through their veins, and they
+began to search among the bushes for the boat, one proceeding each
+way along the bank. They had not removed their leathern doublets
+before entering the water, as these, buoyed up as they were, would
+not affect their swimming, and would be a necessary protection when
+they landed not only against the cold of the night air but against
+the bushes.
+
+Malcolm's beacon proved an accurate guide, for he had not proceeded
+twenty yards before he came against a solid object which he at once
+felt to be the boat. A low whistle called the sergeant to his side,
+bringing with him the rollers and paddles from the spot where they
+had landed. They soon felt that the boat was a large one, and that
+their strength would have been wholly insufficient to get her into
+the water without the aid of the lever and rollers. Taking the
+former they placed its end under the stern post, and placing a
+roller under its heel to serve as a pivot they threw their weight
+on the other end of the lever and at once raised the boat some
+inches in the air.
+
+Grant held the lever down and Malcolm slid a roller as far up
+under the keel as it would go; the lever was then shifted and the
+boat again raised, and the process was continued until her weight
+rested upon three rollers. She was now ready to be launched, and
+as the bank was steep they had no doubt of their ability to run her
+down. An examination had already shown that their paddles would be
+needless, as the oars were inside her. They took their places one
+on each side of the bow, and applying their strength the boat glided
+rapidly down.
+
+"Gently, Grant," Malcolm said, "don't let her go in with a splash.
+There may be some sentries within hearing."
+
+They continued their work cautiously, and the boat noiselessly
+entered the water. Getting out the oars they gave her a push, and
+she was soon floating down the stream. The rowlocks were in their
+places, and rowing with extreme care so as to avoid making the
+slightest sound they made their way across the river. They were
+below the camp when they landed, but there were many men on the
+lookout, for the news of the attempt had spread rapidly.
+
+Leaping ashore amidst a low cheer from a group of soldiers, Malcolm
+directed them to tow the boat up at once to the place where the
+troops were formed ready for crossing, while he and the sergeant,
+who were both chilled to the bone, for their clothes had frozen stiff
+upon them, hurried to the spot where the regiment was bivouacked.
+Here by the side of a blazing fire they stripped, and were rubbed
+with cloths by their comrades till a glow of warmth again began
+to be felt, the external heat and friction being aided by the
+administration of two steaming flagons of spiced wine. Dry clothes
+were taken from their knapsacks and warmed before the fire, and
+when these were put on they again felt warm and comfortable.
+
+Hurrying off now to the spot where the troops were drawn up, they
+found that the boat had already made two passages. She rowed four
+oars, and would, laden down to the water's edge, carry twenty-five
+men. The oars had been muffled with cloths so as to make no sound
+in the rowlocks.  A party of Munro's Scots had first crossed, then
+a party of Swedes. Malcolm and the sergeant joined their company
+unnoticed in the darkness. Each detachment sent over a boat load
+in turns, and when six loads had crossed it was again the turn of
+the men of Munro's regiment, and Malcolm entered the boat with the
+men. The lights still burned as a signal, enabling the boat to
+land each party almost at the same spot. Malcolm wondered what was
+going on. A perfect stillness reigned on the other side, and it
+was certain that the alarm had not yet been given.
+
+On ascending the bank he saw in front of him some dark figures
+actively engaged, and heard dull sounds.  On reaching the spot he
+found the parties who had preceded him hard at work with shovels
+throwing up an intrenchment.  In the darkness he had not perceived
+that each of the soldiers carried a spade in addition to his arms.
+The soil was deep and soft, and the operations were carried on
+with scarce a sound. As each party landed they fell to work under
+the direction of their officers. All night the labour continued,
+and when the dull light of the winter morning began to dispel the
+darkness a solid rampart of earth breast high rose in a semicircle,
+with its two extremities resting on the riverbank.
+
+The last boat load had but just arrived across, and the 600 men
+were now gathered in the work, which was about 150 feet across, the
+base formed by the river. The earth forming the ramparts had been
+taken from the outside, and a ditch 3 feet deep and 6 feet wide
+had been thus formed.
+
+The men, who, in spite of the cold were hot and perspiring from
+their night's work, now entered the intrenched space, and sat down
+to take a meal, each man having brought two days' rations in his
+havresack.  It grew rapidly lighter, and suddenly the sound of a
+trumpet, followed by the rapid beating of drums, showed that the
+Spaniards had, from their camp on the eminence half a mile away,
+discovered the work which had sprung up during the night as if by
+magic on their side of the river.
+
+In a few minutes a great body of cavalry was seen issuing from the
+Spanish camp, and fourteen squadrons of cuirassiers trotted down
+towards the intrenchments. Soon the word was given to charge, and,
+like a torrent, the mass of cavalry swept down upon it.
+
+Two-thirds of those who had crossed were musketeers, the remainder
+pikemen. The latter formed the front line behind the rampart,
+their spears forming a close hedge around it, while the musketeers
+prepared to fire between them. By the order of Count Brahe not a
+trigger was pulled until the cavalry were within fifty yards, then
+a flash of flame swept round the rampart, and horses and men in
+the front line of the cavalry tumbled to the ground. But half the
+musketeers had fired, and a few seconds later another volley was
+poured into the horsemen. The latter, however, although many had
+fallen, did not check their speed, but rode up close to the rampart,
+and flung themselves upon the hedge of spears.
+
+Nothing could exceed the gallantry with which the Spaniards fought.
+Some dismounted, and, leaping into the ditch, tried to climb the
+rampart; others leapt the horses into it, and standing up in their
+saddles, cut at the spearmen with their swords, and fired their
+pistols among them. Many, again, tried to leap their horses over
+ditch and rampart, but the pikemen stood firm, while at short
+intervals withering volleys tore into the struggling mass.
+
+For half an hour the desperate fight continued, and then, finding
+that the position could not be carried by horsemen, the Spanish
+commander drew off his men, leaving no less than 600 lying dead
+around the rampart of earth.  There were no Spanish infantry within
+some miles of the spot, and the cavalry rode away, some to Maintz,
+but the greater part to Oppenheim, where there was a strong garrison
+of 1000 men.
+
+A careful search among the bushes brought three more boats to light,
+and a force was soon taken across the river sufficient to maintain
+itself against any attack. Gustavus himself was in one of the first
+boats that crossed.
+
+"Well done, my brave hearts!" he said as he landed, just as the
+Spanish horsemen had ridden away. "You have fought stoutly and
+well, and our way is now open to us. Where are Lieutenant Graheme
+and the sergeant who swam across with him?"
+
+Malcolm and his companion soon presented themselves.
+
+"I sent for you to your camp," the king said, "but found that you
+but waited to change your clothes, and had then joined the force
+crossing. You had no orders to do so."
+
+"We had no orders not to do so, sire, but having begun the affair
+it was only natural that we should see the end of it."
+
+"You had done your share and more," the king said, "and I thank
+you both heartily for it, and promote you, Graheme, at once to the
+rank of captain, and will request Colonel Munro to give you the
+first company which may fall vacant in his regiment. If a vacancy
+should not occur shortly I will place you in another regiment
+until one may happen in your own corps. To you, sergeant, I give
+a commission as officer. You will take that rank at once, and will
+be a supernumerary in your regiment till a vacancy occurs. Such
+promotion has been well and worthily won by you both."
+
+Without delay an advance was ordered against Oppenheim. It lay on
+the Imperialist side of the Rhine.  Behind the town stood a strong
+and well fortified castle upon a lofty eminence. Its guns swept not
+only the country around it, but the ground upon the opposite side
+of the river. There, facing it, stood a strong fort surrounded by
+double ditches, which were deep and broad and full of water. They
+were crossed only by a drawbridge on the side facing the river,
+and the garrison could therefore obtain by boats supplies or
+reinforcements as needed from the town.
+
+The Green and Blue Brigades at once commenced opening trenches
+against this fort, and would have assaulted the place without delay
+had not a number of boats been brought over by a Protestant well
+wisher of the Swedes from the other side of the river. The assault
+was therefore delayed in order that the attack might be delivered
+simultaneously against the positions on both sides of the river.
+The brigade of guards and the White Brigade crossed in the boats at
+Gernsheim, five miles from the town, and marched against it during
+the night.
+
+The Spaniards from their lofty position in the castle of Oppenheim
+saw the campfires of the Scots around their fort on the other side
+of the river, and opened a heavy cannonade upon them. The fire was
+destructive, and many of the Scots were killed, Hepburn and Munro
+having a narrow escape, a cannonball passing just over their heads
+as they were sitting together by a fire.
+
+The defenders of the fort determined to take advantage of the fire
+poured upon their assailants, and two hundred musketeers made a
+gallant sortie upon them; but Hepburn led on his pikemen who were
+nearest at hand, and, without firing a shot, drove them back again
+into the fort. At daybreak the roar of cannon on the opposite side
+of the river commenced, and showed that the king with the divisions
+which had crossed had arrived at their posts. The governor of the
+fort, seeing that if, as was certain, the lower town were captured
+by the Swedes, he should be cut off from all communication with
+the castle and completely isolated, surrendered to Sir John Hepburn.
+
+The town had, indeed, at once opened its gates, and two hundred men
+of Sir James Ramsay's regiment were placed there. Hepburn prepared
+to cross the river with the Blue and Green Brigades to aid the
+king in reducing the castle -- a place of vast size and strength
+-- whose garrison composed of Spaniards and Italians were replying
+to the fire of Gustavus. A boat was lying at the gate of the fort.
+
+"Captain Graheme," Hepburn said to Malcolm, "take with you two
+lieutenants and twenty men in the boat and cross the river; then send
+word by an officer to the king that the fort here has surrendered,
+and that I am about to cross, and let the men bring over that
+flotilla of boats which is lying under the town wall."
+
+Malcolm crossed at once. After despatching the message to the king
+and sending the officer back with the boats he had for the moment
+nothing to do, and made his way into the town to inquire from the
+officers of Ramsay's detachment how things were going. He found
+the men drawn up.
+
+"Ah! Malcolm Graheme," the major in command said, "you have arrived
+in the very nick of time to take part in a gallant enterprise."
+
+"I am ready," Malcolm said; "what is to be done?"
+
+"We are going to take the castle, that is all," the major said.
+
+"You are joking," Malcolm laughed, looking at the great castle and
+the little band of two hundred men.
+
+"That am I not," the major answered; "my men have just discovered
+a private passage from the governor's quarters here up to the very
+gate of the outer wall. As you see we have collected some ladders,
+and as we shall take them by surprise, while they are occupied with
+the king, we shall give a good account of them."
+
+"I will go with you right willingly," Malcolm said; but he could
+not but feel that the enterprise was a desperate one, and wished
+that the major had waited until a few hundred more men had crossed.
+Placing himself behind the Scottish officer, he advanced up the
+passage which had been discovered. Ascending flight after flight of
+stone stairs, the column issued from the passage at the very foot
+of the outer wall before the garrison stationed there were aware
+of their approach. The ladders were just placed when the Italians
+caught sight of them and rushed to the defence, but it was too
+late. The Scotch swarmed up and gained a footing on the wall.
+
+Driving the enemy before them they cleared the outer works, and
+pressed so hotly upon the retiring Imperialists that they entered
+with them into the inner works of the castle, crossing the drawbridge
+over the moat which separated it from its outer works before the
+garrison had time to raise it.
+
+Now in the very heart of the castle a terrible encounter took place.
+The garrison, twelve hundred strong, ran down from their places on
+the wall, and seeing how small was the force that had entered fell
+upon them with fury. It was a hand to hand fight. Loud rose the
+war cries of the Italian and Spanish soldiers, and the answering
+cheers of the Scots mingled with the clash of sword on steel armour
+and the cries of the wounded, while without the walls the cannon
+of Gustavus thundered incessantly.
+
+Not since the dreadful struggle in the streets of New Brandenburg
+had Malcolm been engaged in so desperate a strife. All order and
+regularity was lost, and man to man they fought with pike, sword,
+and clubbed musket. There was no giving of orders, for no word
+could be heard in such a din, and the officers with their swords
+and half pikes fought desperately in the melee with the rest.
+
+Gradually, however, the strength and endurance of Ramsay's veterans
+prevailed over numbers. Most of the officers of the Imperialists
+had been slain, as well as their bravest men, and the rest began
+to draw off and to scatter through the castle, some to look for
+hiding places, many to jump over the walls rather than fall into
+the hands of the terrible Scots.
+
+The astonishment of Gustavus and of Hepburn, who was now marching
+with his men towards the castle, at hearing the rattle of musketry
+and the din of battle within the very heart of the fortress was
+great indeed, and this was heightened when, a few minutes later,
+the soldiers were seen leaping desperately from the walls, and a
+great shout arose from the troops as the Imperial banner was seen
+to descend from its flagstaff on the keep. Gustavus with his staff
+rode at once to the gate, which was opened for him; and on entering
+he found Ramsay's little force drawn up to salute him as he entered.
+It was reduced nearly half in strength, and not a man but was
+bleeding from several wounds, while cleft helms and dinted armour
+showed how severe had been the fray.
+
+"My brave Scots," he exclaimed, "why were you too quick for me?"
+
+The courtyard of the castle was piled with slain, who were also
+scattered in every room throughout it, five hundred having been
+slain there before the rest threw down their arms and were given
+quarter. This exploit was one of the most valiant which was performed
+during the course of the whole war. Four colours were taken, one
+of which was that of the Spanish regiment, this being the first of
+that nationality which had ever been captured by Gustavus.
+
+After going over the castle, whose capture would have tasked his
+resources and the valour of his troops to the utmost had he been
+compelled to attack it in the usual way, Gustavus sent for the
+officers of Ramsay's companies and thanked them individually for
+their capture.
+
+"What! you here, Malcolm Graheme!" Gustavus said as he came in at
+the rear of Ramsay's officers. "Why, what had you to do with this
+business?"
+
+"I was only a volunteer, sire," Malcolm said. "I crossed with the
+parties who fetched the boats; but as my instructions ended there
+I had nought to do, and finding that Ramsay's men were about to
+march up to the attack of the castle, I thought it best to join
+them, being somewhat afraid to stop in the town alone."
+
+"And he did valiant service, sire," the major said. "I marked him
+in the thick of the fight, and saw more than one Imperialist go
+down before his sword."
+
+"You know the story of the pitcher and the well, Captain Graheme,"
+the king said, smiling. "Some day you will go once too often, and
+I shall have to mourn the loss of one of the bravest young officers
+in my army."
+
+There was no rest for the soldiers of Gustavus, and no sooner had
+Oppenheim fallen than the army marched against Maintz. This was
+defended by two thousand Spanish troops under Don Philip de Sylvia,
+and was a place of immense strength. It was at once invested, and
+trenches commenced on all sides, the Green Brigade as usual having
+the post of danger and honour facing the citadel. The investment
+began in the evening, but so vigorously did the Scotch work all
+night in spite of the heavy musketry and artillery fire with which
+the garrison swept the ground that by morning the first parallel
+was completed, and the soldiers were under shelter behind a thick
+bank of earth.
+
+All day the Imperialists kept up their fire, the Scots gradually
+pushing forward their trenches. In the evening Colonel Axel Lily,
+one of the bravest of the Swedish officers, came into the trenches
+to pay a visit to Hepburn. He found him just sitting down to dinner
+with Munro by the side of a fire in the trench. They invited him to
+join them, and the party were chatting gaily when a heavy cannonball
+crashed through the earthen rampart behind them, and, passing between
+Hepburn and Munro, carried off the leg of the Swedish officer.
+
+Upon the following day the governor, seeing that the Swedes had
+erected several strong batteries, and that the Green Brigade, whose
+name was a terror to the Imperialists, was preparing to storm,
+capitulated, and his soldiers were allowed to march out with all
+their baggage, flying colours, and two pieces of cannon. Eighty
+pieces of cannon fell into the hands of the Swedes. The citizens
+paid 220,000 dollars as the ransom of their city from pillage, and
+the Jews 180,000 for the protection of their quarters and of their
+gorgeous synagogue, whose wealth and magnificence were celebrated;
+and on the 14th of December, 1631, on which day Gustavus completed
+his thirty-seventh year, he entered the city as conqueror.
+
+Here he kept Christmas with great festivity, and his court was
+attended by princes and nobles from all parts of Germany. Among them
+were six of the chief princes of the empire and twelve ambassadors
+from foreign powers. Among the nobles was the Count of Mansfeld,
+who brought with him his wife and daughter. Three days before
+Christmas Hepburn's brigade had been moved in from their bivouac
+in the snow covered trenches, and assigned quarters in the town,
+and the count, who arrived on the following day, at once repaired
+to the mansion inhabited by the colonel and officers of Munro's
+regiment, and inquired for Malcolm Graheme.
+
+"You will find Captain Graheme within," the Scottish soldier on
+sentry said.
+
+"It is not Captain Graheme I wish to see," the count said, "but
+Malcolm Graheme, a very young officer."
+
+"I reckon that it is the captain," the soldier said; "he is but
+a boy; but in all the regiment there is not a braver soldier; not
+even the colonel himself. Donald," he said, turning to a comrade,
+"tell Captain Graheme that he is wanted here."
+
+In a short time Malcolm appeared at the door.
+
+"Ah! it is you, my young friend!" the count exclaimed; "and you
+have won the rank of captain already by your brave deeds! Right
+glad am I to see you again. I have come with my wife, to attend the
+court of this noble king of yours. Can you come with me at once?
+The countess is longing to see you, and will be delighted to hear
+that you have passed unscathed through all the terrible contests
+in which you have been engaged. My daughter is here too; she is
+never tired of talking about her young Scottish soldier; but now
+that you are a captain she will have to be grave and respectful."
+
+Malcolm at once accompanied the count to his house, and was most
+kindly received by the countess.
+
+"It is difficult to believe," she said, "that 'tis but four months
+since we met, so many have been the events which have been crowded
+into that time. Scarce a day has passed but we have received news
+of some success gained, of some town or castle captured, and your
+Green Brigade has always been in the van. We have been constantly
+in fear for you, and after that terrible battle before Leipzig Thekla
+scarcely slept a wink until we obtained a copy of the Gazette with
+the names of the officers killed."
+
+"You are kind indeed to bear me so in remembrance," Malcolm said,
+"and I am indeed grateful for it. I have often wondered whether
+any fresh danger threatened you; but I hoped that the advance of
+the Marquis of Hamilton's force would have given the Imperialists
+too much to do for them to disturb you."
+
+"Yes, we have had no more trouble," the countess replied. "The
+villages which the Imperialists destroyed are rising again; and as
+after the flight of the enemy the cattle and booty they had captured
+were all left behind, the people are recovering from their visit.
+What terrible havoc has the war caused! Our way here led through
+ruined towns and villages, the country is infested by marauders, and
+all law and order is at an end save where there are strong bodies
+of troops. We rode with an escort of twenty men; but even then we
+did not feel very safe until we were fairly through Franconia. And
+so you have passed unwounded through the strife?"
+
+"Yes, countess," Malcolm replied. "I had indeed a ball through my
+leg at Wurtzburg; but as it missed the bone, a trifle like that is
+scarcely worth counting. I have been most fortunate indeed."
+
+"He is a captain now," the count said, "and to obtain such promotion
+he must have greatly distinguished himself.  I do not suppose that
+he will himself tell us his exploits; but I shall soon learn all
+about them from others. I am to meet his colonel this evening at
+a dinner at the palace, and shall be able to give you the whole
+history tomorrow."
+
+"But I want the history now," Thekla said. "It is much nicer to
+hear a thing straight from some one who has done it, than from any
+one else."
+
+"There is no story to tell," Malcolm said. "I had been promised my
+lieutenancy at the first vacancy before I was at Mansfeld, and on
+my return found that the vacancy had already occurred, and I was
+appointed. I got my company the other day for a very simple matter,
+namely, for swimming across the Rhine with a barrel fixed on each
+side of me to prevent my sinking. Nothing very heroic about that,
+you see, young lady."
+
+"For swimming across the Rhine!" the count said. "Then you must
+have been the Scottish officer who with a sergeant swam and fetched
+the boat across which enabled the Swedes to pass a body of troops
+over, and so open the way into the Palatinate. I heard it spoken
+of as a most gallant action."
+
+"I can assure you," Malcolm said earnestly, "that there was no
+gallantry about it. It was exceedingly cold, I grant, but that was
+all."
+
+"Then why should the king have made you a captain for it? You can't
+get over that."
+
+"That was a reward for my luck," Malcolm laughed. "`Tis better to
+be lucky than to be rich, it is said, and I had the good luck to
+discover a boat concealed among the bushes just at the time when
+a boat was worth its weight in gold."
+
+For an hour Malcolm sat chatting, and then took his leave, as he
+was going on duty, promising to return the next day, and to spend
+as much of his time as possible with them while they remained in
+the city.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII THE PASSAGE OF THE LECH
+
+
+For the next two months the Green Brigade remained quietly at
+Maintz, a welcome rest after their arduous labours. The town was
+very gay, and every house was occupied either by troops or by the
+nobles and visitors from all parts of Northern Europe. Banquets
+and balls were of nightly occurrence; and a stranger who arrived
+in the gay city would not have dreamt that a terrible campaign had
+just been concluded, and that another to the full as arduous was
+about to commence.
+
+During this interval of rest the damages which the campaign had
+effected in the armour and accoutrements of men and officers were
+repaired, the deep dents effected by sword, pike, and bullet were
+hammered out, the rust removed, and the stains of blood and bivouac
+obliterated; fresh doublets and jerkins were served out from the
+ample stores captured from the enemy, and the army looked as gay
+and brilliant as when it first landed in North Germany.
+
+Malcolm spent much of his spare time with the Count and Countess of
+Mansfeld, who, irrespective of their gratitude for the assistance
+he had rendered them in time of need, had taken a strong liking to
+the young Scotchman.
+
+"You are becoming quite a court gallant, Graheme," one of
+his comrades said at a court ball where Malcolm had been enjoying
+himself greatly, having, thanks to the Countess of Mansfeld, no
+lack of partners, while many of the officers were forced to look
+on without taking part in the dancing, the number of ladies being
+altogether insufficient to furnish partners to the throng of officers,
+Swedish, German, and Scottish. Beyond the scarf and feathers which
+showed the brigade to which officers belonged, there was, even when
+in arms, but slight attempt at uniformity in their attire, still
+less so when off duty. The scene at these balls was therefore gay
+in the extreme, the gallants being all attired in silk, satin, or
+velvet of brilliant colours slashed with white or some contrasting
+hue. The tailors at Maintz had had a busy time of it, for in so
+rapid a campaign much baggage had been necessarily lost, and many
+of the officers required an entirely new outfit before they could
+take part in the court festivities.
+
+There was, however, no lack of money, for the booty and treasure
+captured had been immense, and each officer having received a fixed
+share, they were well able to renew their wardrobes. Some fresh
+reinforcements arrived during their stay here, and the vacancies
+which battle and disease had made in the ranks were filled up.
+
+But although the Green Brigade did not march from Maintz till the
+5th of March, 1632, the whole army did not enjoy so long a rest. In
+February Gustavus despatched three hundred of Ramsay's regiment under
+Lieutenant Colonel George Douglas against the town of Creutzenach,
+together with a small party of English volunteers under Lord Craven.
+Forty-seven of the men were killed while opening the trenches, but
+the next day they stormed one of the gates and drove the garrison,
+which was composed of six hundred Walloons and Burgundians, out
+of the town into the castle of Kausemberg, which commanded it. Its
+position was extremely strong, its walls and bastions rising one
+behind another, and their aspect was so formidable that they were
+popularly known as the "Devil's Works." From these the garrison
+opened a very heavy fire into the town, killing many of the Scots.
+Douglas, however, gave them but short respite, for gathering his
+men he attacked the castle and carried bastion after bastion by
+storm until the whole were taken.
+
+About the same time the important town of Ulm on the Danube opened
+its gates to the Swedes, and Sir Patrick Ruthven was appointed
+commandant with 1200 Swedes as garrison, Colonel Munro with two
+companies of musketeers marched to Coblentz and aided Otto Louis
+the Rhinegrave, who with a brigade of twenty troops of horse was
+expecting to be attacked by 10,000 Spaniards and Walloons from
+Spires.  Four regiments of Spanish horse attacked the Rhinegrave's
+quarters, but were charged so furiously by four troops of Swedish
+dragoons under Captain Hume that 300 of them were killed and the
+Elector of Nassau taken prisoner; after this the Spaniards retired
+beyond the Moselle.
+
+In other parts of Germany the generals of Gustavus were equally
+successful. General Horn defeated the Imperialists at Heidelberg
+and Heilbronn. General Lowenhausen scoured all the shores of
+the Baltic, and compelled Colonel Graham, a Scotch soldier in the
+Imperial service, to surrender the Hanse town of Wismar. Graham
+marched out with his garrison, 3000 strong, with the honours of
+war en route for Silesia, but having, contrary to terms, spiked
+the cannon, plundered the shipping, and slain a Swedish lieutenant,
+Lowenhausen pursued him, and in the battle which ensued 500 of
+Graham's men were slain and the colonel himself with 2000 taken
+prisoner.
+
+General Ottentodt was moving up the Elbe carrying all before him with
+a force of 14,000 men, among whom were five battalions of Scots and
+one of English. This force cleared the whole duchy of Mecklenburg,
+capturing all the towns and fortresses in rapid succession. Sir
+Patrick Ruthven advanced along the shores of Lake Constance, driving
+the Imperialists before him into the Tyrol. Magdeburg was captured
+by General Banner, the Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel reduced all
+Fulda-Paderborn and the adjacent districts, the Elector of Saxony
+overran Bohemia, and Sir Alexander Leslie threatened the Imperialists
+in Lower Saxony.
+
+Thus the campaign of 1632 opened under the most favourable auspices.
+The Green Brigade marched on the 5th of March to Aschaffenburg,
+a distance of more than thirty miles, a fact which speaks volumes
+for the physique and endurance of the troops, for this would in
+the present day be considered an extremely long march for troops,
+and the weight of the helmet and armour, musket and accoutrements,
+of the troops of those days was fully double that now carried by
+European soldiers. Here they were reviewed by the king.
+
+By the 10th the whole army, 23,000 strong, were collected at Weinsheim
+and advanced towards Bavaria, driving before them the Imperialists
+under the Count de Bucquio. The Chancellor Oxenstiern had been left
+by the king with a strong force to guard his conquests on the Rhine.
+
+No sooner had the king marched than the Spaniards again crossed
+the Moselle. The chancellor and the Duke of Weimar advanced against
+them. The Dutch troops, who formed the first line of the chancellor's
+army, were unable to stand the charge of the Spanish and fled in
+utter confusion; but the Scottish regiment of Sir Roderick Leslie,
+who had succeeded Sir John Hamilton on his resignation, and the
+battalion of Sir John Ruthven, charged the Spaniards with levelled
+pikes so furiously that these in turn were broken and driven off
+the field.
+
+On the 26th of March Gustavus arrived before the important town and
+fortress of Donauworth, being joined on the same day by the Laird
+of Foulis with his two regiments of horse and foot. Donauworth
+is the key to Swabia; it stands on the Danube, and was a strongly
+fortified place, its defences being further covered by fortifications
+upon a lofty eminence close by, named the Schellemberg. It was held
+by the Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg with two thousand five hundred men.
+The country round Donauworth is fertile and hilly, and Gustavus at
+once seized a height which commanded the place. The Bavarians were
+at work upon entrenchments here as the Swedes advanced, but were
+forced to fall back into the town. From the foot of the hill a
+suburb extended to the gates of the city. This was at once occupied
+by five hundred musketeers, who took up their post in the houses
+along the main road in readiness to repel a sortie should the
+garrison attempt one; while the force on the hillside worked all
+night, and by daybreak on the 27th had completed and armed a twenty
+gun battery.
+
+In this was placed a strong body of infantry under Captain Semple,
+a Scotchman. As this battery commanded the walls of the town, and
+flanked the bridge across the Danube, the position of the defenders
+was now seriously menaced, but the Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg refused
+the demand of Gustavus to surrender. The battery now opened fire,
+first demolishing a large stone building by the river occupied by
+a force of Imperialists, and then directing its fire upon the city
+gates.
+
+The cannonade continued after nightfall, but in the darkness a
+body of Imperialist horsemen under Colonel Cronenberg dashed out at
+full speed through the gate, cut a passage through the musketeers
+in the suburb, galloped up the hill, and fell upon the infantry
+and artillery in the battery.  So furious was their charge that
+the greater part of the defenders of the battery were cut down.
+The guns were spiked, and the cavalry, having accomplished their
+purpose, charged down the hill, cut their way through the suburb,
+and regained the town.
+
+This gallant exploit deranged the plans of the Swedes.  Gustavus
+reconnoitred the town accompanied by Sir John Hepburn, and by the
+advice of that officer decided upon a fresh plan of operations.
+Hepburn pointed out to him that by taking possession of the angle
+formed by the confluence of the Wermitz and Danube to the west of
+the town the bridge crossing from Donauworth into Bavaria would be
+completely commanded, and the garrison would be cut off from all
+hope of escape and of receiving relief from Bavaria.
+
+The plan being approved, Hepburn drew off his brigade with its
+artillery, and marching five miles up the Danube crossed the river
+at the bridge of Hassfurt, and descended the opposite bank until he
+faced Donauworth. He reached his position at midnight, and placed
+his cannon so as to command the whole length of the bridge, and
+then posted his musketeers in the gardens and houses of a suburb
+on the river, so that their crossfire also swept it.
+
+The pikemen were drawn up close to the artillery at the head of
+the bridge. Quietly as these movements were performed the garrison
+took the alarm, and towards morning the duke, finding his retreat
+intercepted, sallied out at the head of eight hundred musketeers
+to cut his way through; but as the column advanced upon the bridge
+the Green Brigade opened fire, the leaden hail of their musketeers
+smote the column on both sides, while the cannon ploughed lanes
+through it from end to end. So great was the destruction that the
+Bavarians retreated in confusion back into the town again, leaving
+the bridge strewn with their dead.
+
+Alone the gallant Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg charged through the hail
+of fire across the bridge, fell upon the pikemen sword in hand,
+and cutting his way through them rode away, leaving his garrison
+to their fate. The roar of artillery informed Gustavus what was
+going on, and he immediately opened fire against the other side of
+the town and led his men to the assault of the gate.
+
+The instant the Scotch had recovered from their surprise at the
+desperate feat performed by the duke, Hepburn, calling them together,
+placed himself at their head and led them across the bridge. The
+panic stricken fugitives had omitted to close the gate, and the Scotch
+at once entered the town. Here the garrison resisted desperately;
+their pikemen barred the streets, and from every window and roof
+their musketeers poured their fire upon the advancing column.
+
+The day was breaking now, and the roar of battle in the city mingled
+with that at the gates, where the Swedes were in vain striving to
+effect an entrance. Gradually the Scotch won their way forward;
+500 of the Bavarians were killed, in addition to 400 who had fallen
+on the bridge. The rest now attempted to fly. Great numbers were
+drowned in the Danube, and the remainder were taken prisoners. The
+streets were encumbered by the heavily laden baggage wagons, and a
+vast amount of booty fell into the hands of the Scotch, who thus
+became masters of the town before Gustavus and his Swedes had
+succeeded in carrying the gate.
+
+The king now entered the town, and as soon as order was restored
+Hepburn's brigade recrossed the Danube and threw up a strong work
+on the other side of the bridge; for Tilly was on the Lech, but
+seven miles distant, and might at any moment return. He had just
+struck a severe blow at Marshal Horn, who had recently taken Bamberg.
+His force, 9000 strong, had been scattered to put down a rising of
+the country people, when Tilly with 16,000 fell upon them.
+
+A column under Bauditzen was attacked and defeated, and Tilly's
+horsemen pursued them hotly to the bridge leading to the town.
+Marshal Horn threw a barricade across this and defended it until
+nightfall. Tilly had then fallen back before the advance of Gustavus
+to a very strong position on the Lech. This was an extremely rapid
+river, difficult to cross and easily defensible. Tilly had broken
+down the bridges, and was prepared to dispute till the last the
+further advance of the Swedes. He placed his army between Rain,
+where the Lech falls into the Danube, and Augsburg, a distance of
+sixteen miles -- all the assailable points being strongly occupied,
+with small bodies of cavalry in the intervals to give warning
+of the approach of the enemy. He had been joined by Maximilian of
+Bavaria, and his force amounted to 40,000 men.
+
+Gustavus gave his army four days' rest at Donauworth, and then
+advanced with 32,000 men against the Lech. His dragoons, who had
+been pushed forward, had found the bridges destroyed. He first
+attempted to repair that at Rain, but the fire of the artillery
+and musketry was so heavy that he was forced to abandon the idea.
+He then made a careful reconnaissance of the river, whose course
+was winding and erratic.
+
+Finding that at every point at which a crossing could be easily
+effected Tilly's batteries and troops commanded the position, he
+determined to make his attack at a point where the river made a
+sharp bend in the form of a semicircle, of which he occupied the
+outer edge. He encamped the bulk of his army at the village of
+Nordheim, a short distance in the rear, and erected three powerful
+batteries mounting seventy-two guns. One of these faced the centre
+of the loop, the others were placed opposite the sides.
+
+The ground on the Swedish bank of the river was higher than that
+facing it; and when the Swedish batteries opened they so completely
+swept the ground inclosed by the curve of the river that the
+Imperialists could not advance across it, and were compelled to
+remain behind a rivulet called the Ach, a short distance in the
+rear of the Lech. They brought up their artillery, however, and
+replied to the cannonade of the Swedes.
+
+For four days the artillery duel continued, and while it was going
+on a considerable number of troops were at work in the village of
+Oberndorf, which lay in a declivity near the river, hidden from
+the sight of the Imperialists, constructing a bridge. For that
+purpose a number of strong wooden trestles of various heights and
+with feet of unequal length for standing in the bed of the river
+were prepared, together with a quantity of piles to be driven in
+among and beside them to enable them to resist the force of the
+current.
+
+On the night of the fourth day the king caused a number of fires
+to be lighted near the river, fed with green wood and damp straw.
+A favourable wind blew the smoke towards the enemy, and thus concealed
+the ground from them. At daybreak on the 5th of April, a thousand
+picked men crossed the river in two boats, and having reached the
+other side at once proceeded to throw up intrenchments to cover
+the head of the bridge, while at the same time the workmen began
+to place the trestles in position.
+
+As soon as day broke Tilly became aware of what was being done, and
+two batteries opened fire upon the work at the head of the bridge
+and against the bridge itself; but the low and swampy nature of the
+ground on the Imperialist side of the river prevented his placing
+the batteries in a position from which they could command the works,
+and their fire proved ineffective in preventing the construction
+of the bridge. Seeing this, Tilly at once commenced preparations
+for arresting the further advance of the Swedes.
+
+To reach his position they would be obliged to cross the swampy
+ground exposed to the fire of his troops, and to render their
+progress still more difficult he proceeded to cut down large trees,
+lopping and sharpening their branches to form a chevaux-de-frise
+before his troops. All the morning a heavy cannonade was kept up
+on both sides, but by noon the bridge was completed and the advance
+guard of the Swedes, led by Colonels Wrandel and Gassion, advanced
+across it. As the other brigades were following, Tilly directed
+General Altringer to lead his cavalry against them.
+
+Altringer led his troops round the end of the marsh and charged
+with great bravery down upon the Swedes.  These, however, had time
+to form up, and a tremendous fire of musketry was poured into the
+Imperialist horse, while the round shot from the three Swedish
+batteries ploughed their ranks in front and on both flanks. Under
+such circumstances, although fighting with reckless bravery, the
+Imperialist cavalry were repulsed. Altringer, however, rallied them
+and led them back again to the charge, but a cannonball grazed his
+temple and he was carried senseless from the field. His men, shaken
+by the tremendous fire and deprived of their leader, fell back in
+confusion.
+
+Tilly at once placed himself at the head of a chosen body of troops
+and advanced to the attack, fighting with the ardour and bravery
+which always distinguished him. He was short in stature and remarkable
+for his ugliness as well as his bravery. Lean and spare in figure,
+he had hollow cheeks, a long nose, a broad wrinkled forehead, heavy
+moustaches, and a sharp pointed chin. He had from his boyhood been
+fighting against the Protestants. He had learned the art of war under
+the cruel and pitiless Spanish general Alva in the Netherlands, of
+which country he was a native, and had afterwards fought against
+them in Bavaria, in Bohemia, and the Palatinate, and had served in
+Hungary against the Turks.
+
+Until he met Gustavus at Breitenfeld he had never known a reverse.
+A bigoted Catholic, he had never hesitated at any act of cruelty
+which might benefit the cause for which he fought, or strike terror
+into the Protestants; and the singularity of his costume and the
+ugliness of his appearance heightened the terror which his deeds
+inspired among them.  When not in armour his costume was modelled
+upon that of the Duke of Alva, consisting of a slashed doublet of
+green silk, with an enormously wide-brimmed and high conical hat
+adorned with a large red ostrich feather. In his girdle he carried
+a long dagger and a Toledo sword of immense length.  His personal
+bravery was famous, and never did he fight more gallantly than when
+he led his veterans to the attack of the Swedes.
+
+For twenty minutes a furious hand to hand conflict raged, and
+the result was still uncertain when a shot from a falconet struck
+Tilly on the knee and shattered the bone, and the old general fell
+insensible to the ground. He was carried off the field, and his
+troops, now without a leader, gave way, the movement being hastened
+by two bodies of Swedish horse, who, eager for action, swam their
+horses across the river and threatened to cut off the retreat. By
+this time evening was at hand. The Swedes had secured the passage
+of the river, but the Imperialist army still held its intrenched
+position in the wood behind the Lech. Gustavus brought the rest of
+his army across and halted for the night.
+
+The Imperialist position was tremendously strong, being unassailable
+on the right and covered in the front by the marshy ground. It
+could still have been defended with every prospect of success by
+a determined general, but the two best Imperialist commanders were
+hors de combat, and Maximilian of Bavaria, the nominal generalissimo,
+had no military experience. The army, too, was disheartened by the
+first success of the Swedes and by the loss of the general whom
+they regarded as well nigh invincible.
+
+Tilly had now recovered his senses, but was suffering intense agony
+from his wound, and on being consulted by Maximilian he advised
+him to fall back, as the destruction of his army would leave the
+whole country open to the Swedes.
+
+The Imperialists accordingly evacuated their position and fell back
+in good order during the night on Neuberg, and then to Ingolstadt.
+Rain and Neuberg were occupied the next day by the Swedes. Gustavus
+despatched Marshal Horn to follow the retreating enemy to Ingolstadt,
+and he himself with the rest of his army marched up the Lech to
+Augsburg, which was held by Colonel Breda with four thousand five
+hundred men.
+
+The Imperialists had broken down the bridge, but Gustavus immediately
+built two others, one above and the other below the city, and
+summoned it to surrender. Breda, hearing that Tilly was dying,
+Altringer severely wounded, and that no help was to be expected
+from Maximilian, considered it hopeless to resist, and surrendered
+the town, which Gustavus, attended by the titular King of Bohemia and
+many other princes, entered in triumph on the following day, April
+14th. The capture of Augsburg was hailed with peculiar satisfaction,
+as the city was regarded as the birthplace of the Reformation in
+Germany. Leaving a garrison there the king retraced his steps along
+the Lech to Neuberg, and marched thence to join Marshal Horn in
+front of Ingolstadt.
+
+This town was one of the strongest places in Germany and had
+never been captured. It was now held by a formidable garrison, and
+the Imperialist army covered it on the north. Tilly had implored
+Maximilian to defend it and Ratisbon at all hazards, as their
+possession was a bar to the further advance of Gustavus.
+
+The king arrived before it on the 19th, and on the following day
+advanced to reconnoitre it closely. The gunners of the town, seeing
+a number of officers approaching, fired, and with so good an aim
+that a cannonball carried off the hindquarters of the horse the
+king was riding. A cry of alarm and consternation burst from the
+officers, but their delight was great when the king rose to his
+feet, covered with dust and blood indeed, but otherwise unhurt.
+
+On the following day a cannonball carried off the head of the
+Margrave of Baden-Durlach, and on the same day Tilly expired. With
+his last breath he urged Maximilian never to break his alliance
+with the emperor, and to appoint Colonel Cratz, an officer of great
+courage and ability, to the command of his army.
+
+Gustavus remained eight days before Ingolstadt, and then, finding
+that the reduction of the place could not be effected without the
+loss of much valuable time, he raised the siege. On his march he
+took possession of Landshut and forced it to pay a ransom of 100,000
+thalers and to receive a garrison, and then continued his way to
+Munich.
+
+The Bavarian capital surrendered without a blow on the 17th of May.
+Gustavus made a triumphal entry into the town, where he obtained
+possession of a vast quantity of treasure and stores. Here he
+remained some little time reducing the country round and capturing
+many cities and fortresses. The Green Brigade had suffered severely
+at Ingolstadt. On the evening of the 19th of April the king,
+expecting a sally, had ordered Hepburn to post the brigade on some
+high ground near the gate and the soldiers remained under arms the
+whole night.
+
+The glow of their matches enabled the enemy to fire with precision,
+and a heavy cannonade was poured upon them throughout the whole night.
+Three hundred men were killed as they stood, Munro losing twelve
+men by one shot; but the brigade stood their ground unflinchingly,
+and remained until morning in steady line in readiness to repel
+any sortie of the enemy.
+
+The army suffered greatly on the march from the Lech to Ingolstadt,
+and thence to Munich, from the attacks of the country people, who
+were excited against them by the priests.  Every straggler who fell
+into their hands was murdered with horrible cruelty, the hands and
+feet being cut off, and other savage mutilations being performed
+upon them, in revenge for which the Swedes and Scots shot all the
+Bavarians who fell into their hands, and burned two hundred towns
+and villages.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII CAPTURED BY THE PEASANTS
+
+
+Malcolm Graheme was not present at the siege of Ingolstadt. The orders
+after crossing the Lech had been very strict against straggling,
+so soon as the disposition of the country people was seen; but it
+is not easy to keep a large column of troops in a solid body. The
+regiments in the march indeed, under the eye of the officers, can
+be kept in column, but a considerable number of troops are scattered
+along the great convoy of wagons containing the tents, stores, and
+ammunition of the army, and which often extends some miles in length.
+Even if the desire for plunder does not draw men away, many are
+forced to fall behind either from sickness, sore feet, or other
+causes.
+
+The number of these was comparatively small in the army of Gustavus,
+for discipline was strict and the spirit of the troops good.  As
+soon, however, as it was found that every straggler who fell into
+the hands of the peasantry was murdered under circumstances of
+horrible atrocity it became very difficult for the officers to keep
+the men together, so intense was their fury and desire for vengeance
+against the savage peasantry, and on every possible occasion when
+a village was seen near the line of march men would slip away and
+slay, plunder, and burn.
+
+Gustavus endeavoured to repress these proceedings. He shared the
+indignation of his troops at the barbarous conduct of the peasantry,
+but throughout the war he always tried to carry on hostilities
+so as to inflict as little loss and suffering as possible upon
+noncombatants. This state of warfare too between his troops and the
+country people added to his difficulties, for the peasantry drove
+off their cattle and burned their stacks, and rendered it necessary
+for provisions and forage to be carried with the army. Parties
+were therefore sent out on the flanks of the column for the double
+purpose of preventing soldiers stealing off to plunder and burn,
+and of picking up stragglers and saving them from the fury of the
+peasants.
+
+A strong rear guard followed a short distance behind the army. It
+was accompanied by some empty wagons, in which those who fell out
+and were unable to keep up with the march were placed. Two days
+after the advance from the Lech, Malcolm was in charge of a small
+party on the right flank of the column. There was no fear of an
+attack from the enemy, for the Swedish horsemen were out scouring
+the country, and the Imperialists were known to have fallen back to
+Ingolstadt. The villages were found deserted by the male inhabitants,
+the younger women too had all left, but a few old crones generally
+remained in charge. These scowled at the invaders, and crossing
+themselves muttered curses beneath their breath upon those whom their
+priests had taught them to regard as devils. There was nothing to
+tempt the cupidity of the soldiers in these villages. Malcolm's
+duty was confined to a casual inspection, to see that no stragglers
+had entered for the purpose of procuring wine.
+
+The day's march was nearly over when he saw some flames rise from
+a village a short distance away.  Hurrying forward with his men he
+found a party of ten of the Swedish soldiers who had stolen away
+from the baggage guard engaged in plundering. Two peasants lay dead
+in the street, and a house was in flames.
+
+Malcolm at once ordered his detachment, who were twenty strong,
+to arrest the Swedes and to march them back to the columns. While
+they were doing this he went from house to house to see that none
+of the party were lurking there. At the door of the last house of
+the village three women were standing.
+
+"Are any of the soldiers here?" he asked.
+
+The women gave him an unintelligible answer in the country patois,
+and passing between them he entered the cottage. On the table stood
+a large jug of water, and lifting it he took a long draught. There
+was a sudden crash, and he fell heavily, struck down from behind
+with a heavy mallet by one of the women. He was stunned by the
+blow, and when he recovered his senses he found that he was bound
+hand and foot, a cloth had been stuffed tightly into his mouth,
+and he was covered thickly with a heap of straw and rubbish.  He
+struggled desperately to free himself, but so tightly were the
+cords bound that they did not give in the slightest.
+
+A cold perspiration broke out on his forehead as he reflected that
+he was helpless in the power of these savage peasants, and that
+he should probably be put to death by torture. Presently he could
+hear the shouts of his men, who, on finding that he did not return,
+had scattered through the village in search of him. He heard the
+voice of his sergeant.
+
+"These old hags say they saw an officer walk across to the left.
+The captain may have meant us to march the prisoners at once to the
+column, and be waiting just outside the village for us, but it is
+not likely. At any rate, lads, we will search every house from top
+to bottom before we leave. So set to work at once; search every
+room, cupboard, and shed.  There may be foul play; though we see
+no men about, some may be in hiding."
+
+Malcolm heard the sound of footsteps, and the crashing of planks as
+the men searched the cottages, wrenched off the doors of cupboards,
+and ransacked the whole place.  Gradually the sound ceased, and
+everything became quiet.  Presently he heard the sound of drums,
+and knew that the regiment which formed the rear guard was passing.
+
+It was bitterness indeed to know that his friends were within sound
+of a call for aid, and that he was bound and helpless. The halting
+place for the night was, he knew, but a mile or two in advance, and
+his only hope was that some band of plunderers might in the night
+visit the village; but even then his chances of being discovered
+were small indeed, for even should they sack and burn it he would
+pass unnoticed lying hidden in the straw yard. His captors were
+no doubt aware of the possibility of such a visit, for it was not
+until broad daylight, when the army would again be on its forward
+march, that they uncovered him.
+
+Brave as Malcolm was he could scarce repress a shudder as he looked
+at the band of women who surrounded him.  All were past middle
+age, some were old and toothless, but all were animated by a spirit
+of ferocious triumph. Raising him into a sitting position, they
+clustered round him, some shook their skinny hands in his face,
+others heaped curses upon him, some of the most furious assailed
+him with heavy sticks, and had he not still been clothed in his
+armour, would then and there have killed him.
+
+This, however, was not their intention, for they intended to put
+him to death by slow torture. He was lifted and carried into the
+cottage. There the lacings of his armour were cut, the cords loosened
+one by one, sufficient to enable them to remove the various pieces
+of which it was composed, then he was left to himself, as the hags
+intended to postpone the final tragedy until the men returned from
+the hills.
+
+This might be some hours yet, as the Swedish cavalry would still be
+scouring the country, and other bodies of troops might be marching
+up. From the conversation of the women, which he understood
+but imperfectly, Malcolm gathered that they thought the men would
+return that night. Some of the women were in favour of executing
+the vengeance themselves, but the majority were of opinion that
+the men should have their share of the pleasure.
+
+All sorts of fiendish propositions were made as to the manner in
+which his execution should be carried out, but even the mildest
+caused Malcolm to shudder in anticipation.  His arms were bound
+tightly to his side at the elbows, and the wrists were fastened in
+front of him, his legs were tied at the knees and ankles.  Sometimes
+he was left alone as the women went about their various avocations
+in the village, but he was so securely bound that to him as to them
+his escape appeared altogether impossible. The day passed heavily
+and slowly. The cloth had been removed from his mouth, but he was
+parched with thirst, while the tightly bound cords cut deeply into
+his flesh.
+
+He had once asked for water, but his request had been answered with
+such jeers and mockery that he resolved to suffer silently until
+the last. At length the darkness of the winter evening began to
+fall when a thought suddenly struck him. On the hearth a fire was
+burning; he waited until the women had again left the hut. He could
+hear their voices without as they talked with those in the next
+cottage. They might at any moment return, and it was improbable
+that they would again go out, for the cold was bitter, and they
+would most likely wait indoors for the return of the men.
+
+This then was his last opportunity. He rolled himself to the fire,
+and with his teeth seized the end of one of the burning sticks.
+He raised himself into a sitting position, and with the greatest
+difficulty laid the burning end of the stick across the cords which
+bound his wrists. It seemed to him that they would never catch
+fire.  The flesh scorched and frizzled, and the smoke rose up with
+that of the burning rope. The agony was intense, but it was for
+life, and Malcolm unflinchingly held the burning brand in its place
+until the cords flew asunder and his hands were free. Although
+almost mad with the pain, Malcolm set to work instantly to undo
+the other ropes. As soon as one of his arms was free he seized a
+hatchet, which lay near him, and rapidly cut the rest. He was not
+a moment too soon, for as he cut the last knot he heard the sound
+of steps, and two women appeared at the door.
+
+On seeing their prisoner standing erect with an axe in his hand
+they turned and fled shrieking loudly. It was well for Malcolm that
+they did so, for so stiff and numbed were his limbs that he could
+scarcely hold the axe, and the slightest push would have thrown
+him to the ground.
+
+Some minutes passed before, by stamping his feet and rubbing his
+legs he restored circulation sufficiently to totter across the
+room. Then he seized a brand and thrust it into the thatch of the
+house, having first put on his helmet and placed his sword and
+pistols in his belt. His hands were too crippled and powerless to
+enable him to fasten on the rest of his armour. He knew that he
+had no time to lose.  Fortunately the women would not know how weak
+and helpless he was, for had they returned in a body they could
+easily have overpowered him; but at any moment the men might arrive,
+and if he was found there by them his fate was sealed.
+
+Accordingly as soon as he had fired the hut he made his way from
+the village as quickly as he could crawl along.  He saw behind him
+the flames rising higher and higher. The wind was blowing keenly,
+and the fire spread rapidly from house to house, and by the time
+he reached the road along which the army had travelled the whole
+village was in flames.  He felt that he could not travel far, for
+the intense sufferings which he had endured for twenty-four hours
+without food or water had exhausted his strength.
+
+His limbs were swollen and bruised from the tightness of the cords,
+the agony of his burned wrists was terrible, and after proceeding
+slowly for about a mile he drew off from the broad trampled track
+which the army had made in passing, and dragging himself to a clump
+of trees a short distance from the road, made his way through some
+thick undergrowth and flung himself down. The night was intensely
+cold, but this was a relief to him rather than otherwise, for it
+alleviated the burning pain of his limbs while he kept handfuls of
+snow applied to his wrists.
+
+Two hours after he had taken refuge he heard a number of men come
+along the road at a run. Looking through the bushes he could see
+by their figures against the snow that they were peasants, and had
+no doubt that they were the men of the village who had returned
+and at once started in pursuit of him.
+
+An hour later, feeling somewhat relieved, he left his hiding place
+and moved a mile away from the road, as he feared that the peasants,
+failing to overtake him, might, as they returned, search every
+possible hiding place near it.  He had no fear of the track being
+noticed, for the surface of the snow was everywhere marked by
+parties going and returning to the main body. He kept on until he
+saw a small shed. The door was unfastened; opening it he found that
+the place was empty, though there were signs that it was usually
+used as a shelter for cattle.
+
+A rough ladder led to a loft. This was nearly full of hay.  Malcolm
+threw himself down on this, and covering himself up thickly, felt
+the blood again begin to circulate in his limbs.  It brought,
+however, such a renewal of his pain, that it was not until morning
+that fatigue overpowered his sufferings and he fell asleep.
+
+It was late in the afternoon when he woke at the sound of shouts and
+holloaing. Springing to his feet he looked out between the cracks
+in the boards and saw a party of forty or fifty peasants passing
+close by the shed. They were armed with hatchets, scythes, and
+pikes. On the heads of four of the pikes were stuck gory heads,
+and in the centre of the party were three prisoners, two Swedes
+and a Scot. These were covered with blood, and were scarcely able
+to walk, but were being urged forward with blows and pike thrusts
+amid the brutal laughter of their captors.
+
+Malcolm retired to his bed full of rage and sorrow. It would have
+been madness to have followed his first impulse to sally out sword
+in hand and fall upon the ruffians, as such a step would only have
+ensured his own death without assisting the captives.
+
+"Hitherto," he said to himself, "I have ever restrained my men, and
+have endeavoured to protect the peasants from violence; henceforward,
+so long as we remain in Bavaria, no word of mine shall be uttered
+to save one of these murderous peasants. However, I am not with my
+company yet. The army is two marches ahead, and must by this time
+be in front of Ingolstadt. I have been two days without food, and
+see but little chance of getting any until I rejoin them, and the
+whole country between us is swarming with an infuriated peasantry.
+The prospect is certainly not a bright one. I would give a year's
+pay to hear the sound of a Swedish trumpet."
+
+When darkness had fairly set in Malcolm started on his way again.
+Although his limbs still smarted from the weals and sores left
+by the cords they had now recovered their lissomeness; but he was
+weak from want of food, and no longer walked with the free elastic
+stride which distinguished the Scottish infantry. His wrists gave
+him great pain, being both terribly burned, and every movement of
+the hand sent a thrill of agony up the arm. He persisted, however,
+in frequently opening and clenching his hands, regardless of the
+pain, for he feared that did he not do so they would stiffen and
+he would be unable to grasp a sword.  Fortunately the wounds were
+principally on the upper side of the thumbs, where the flesh was
+burned away to the bone, but the sinews and muscles of the wrists
+had to a great extent escaped.
+
+He had not journeyed very far when he saw a light ahead and presently
+perceived the houses of a village. A fire was lit in the centre,
+and a number of figures were gathered round it.
+
+"Something is going on," Malcolm said to himself; "as likely as not
+they have got some unfortunate prisoner.  Whatever it be, I will
+steal in and try to get some food. I cannot go much further without
+it; and as their attention is occupied, I may find a cottage empty."
+
+Making his way round to the back of the houses, he approached one
+of the cottages in the rear. He lifted the latch of the door and
+opened it a little. All was still. With his drawn sword he entered.
+The room was empty; a fire burned on the hearth, and on the table
+were some loaves which had evidently been just baked.  Malcolm
+fell upon one of them and speedily devoured it, and, taking a long
+draught of rough country wine from a skin hanging against the wall,
+he felt another man.
+
+He broke another loaf in two and thrust the pieces into his doublet,
+and then sallied out from the cottage again.  Still keeping behind
+the houses he made his way until he got within view of the fire.
+Here he saw a sight which thrilled him with horror. Some eight or
+ten peasants and forty or fifty women were yelling and shouting.
+Fastened against a post in front of the fire were the remains of
+a prisoner. He had been stripped, his ears, nose, hands, and feet
+cut off, and he was slowly bleeding to death.
+
+Four other men, bound hand and foot, lay close to the fire. By its
+flames Malcolm saw the green scarves that told they were Scotchmen
+of his own brigade, and he determined at once to rescue them or
+die in the attempt. He crept forward until he reached the edge of
+the road; then he raised a pistol and with a steady aim fired at
+one of the natives, who fell dead across the fire.
+
+Another shot laid another beside him before the peasants recovered
+from their first surprise. Then with a loud shout in German, "Kill
+-- kill! and spare none!" Malcolm dashed forward. The peasants,
+believing that they were attacked by a strong body, fled precipitately
+in all directions.  Malcolm, on reaching the prisoners, instantly
+severed their bonds.
+
+"Quick, my lads!" he exclaimed; "we shall have them upon us again
+in a minute."
+
+The men in vain tried to struggle to their feet -- their limbs were
+too numbed to bear them.
+
+"Crawl to the nearest cottage!" Malcolm exclaimed; "we can hold it
+until your limbs are recovered."
+
+He caught up from the ground some pikes and scythes which the
+peasants had dropped in their flight, and aided the men to make
+their way to the nearest cottage. They were but just in time; for
+the peasants, finding they were not pursued, had looked round, and
+seeing but one opponent had gained courage and were beginning to
+approach again.  Malcolm barred the door, and then taking down a
+skin of wine bade his companions take a drink. There were loaves
+on the shelves, and these he cut up and handed to them.
+
+"Quick, lads!" he said; "stamp your legs and swing your arms, and
+get the blood in motion. I will keep these fellows at bay a few
+minutes longer."
+
+He reloaded his pistols and fired through the door, at which the
+peasants were now hewing with axes. A cry and a heavy fall told
+him that one of the shots had taken effect.  Suddenly there was a
+smell of smoke.
+
+"They have fired the roof," Malcolm said. "Now, lads, each of you
+put a loaf of bread under his jerkin.  There is no saying when we
+may get more. Now get ready and sally out with me. There are but
+six or eight men in the village, and they are no match for us. They
+only dared to attack us because they saw that you couldn't walk."
+
+The door was opened, and headed by Malcolm the four Scotchmen
+dashed out. They were assailed by a shower of missiles by the crowd
+as they appeared, but as soon as it was seen that the men were on
+foot again the peasants gave way.  Malcolm shot one and cut down
+another, and the rest scattered in all directions.
+
+"Now, lads, follow me while we may," and Malcolm again took to
+the fields. The peasants followed for some distance, but when the
+soldiers had quite recovered the use of their limbs Malcolm suddenly
+turned on his pursuers, overtaking and killing two of them. Then he
+and his men again continued their journey, the peasants no longer
+following.  When at some distance from the village he said:
+
+"We must turn and make for the Lech again. It is no farther than it
+is to Ingolstadt, and we shall find friends there.  These peasants
+will go on ahead and raise all the villagers against us, and we
+should never get through. What regiment do you belong to, lads?"
+for in the darkness he had been unable to see their faces.
+
+"Your own, Captain Graheme. We were in charge of one of the wagons
+with sick. The wheel came off, and we were left behind the convoy
+while we were mending it. As we were at work, our weapons laid on
+the ground, some twenty men sprang out from some bushes hard by
+and fell upon us.  We killed five or six of them, but were beaten
+down and ten of our number were slain. They murdered all the sick
+in the wagons and marched us away, bound, to this village where
+you found us. Sandy McAlister they had murdered just as you came
+up, and we should have had a like horrible fate had you been a few
+minutes later. Eh, sir! but it's an awful death to be cut in pieces
+by these devils incarnate!"
+
+"Well, lads," Malcolm said, "we will determine that they shall not
+take us alive again. If we are overtaken or met by any of these
+gangs of peasants we will fight till we die. None of us, I hope, are
+afraid of death in fair strife, but the bravest might well shrink
+from such a death as that of your poor comrade. Now let us see what
+arms we have between us."
+
+Malcolm had his sword and pistols, two of the men had pikes, the
+other two scythes fastened to long handles.
+
+"These are clumsy weapons," Malcolm said. "You had best fit short
+handles to them, so as to make them into double handed swords."
+
+They were unable to travel far, for all were exhausted with the
+sufferings they had gone through, but they kept on until they came
+upon a village which had been fired when the troops marched through.
+The walls of a little church were alone standing. It had, like the
+rest of the village, been burned, but the shell still remained.
+
+"So far as I can see," Malcolm said, "the tower has escaped. Had it
+been burned we should see through the windows. We may find shelter
+in the belfry."
+
+On reaching the church they found that the entrance to the belfry
+tower was outside the church, and to this, no doubt, it owed its
+escape from the fire which had destroyed the main edifice. The door
+was strong and defied their efforts to break it in.
+
+"I must fire my pistol through the lock," Malcolm said.  "I do not
+like doing so, for the sound may reach the ears of any peasants in
+the neighbourhood; but we must risk it, for the cold is extreme,
+and to lie down in the snow would be well nigh certain death."
+
+He placed his pistol to the keyhole and fired. The lock at once
+yielded and the party entered the door.
+
+"Before we mount," Malcolm said, "let each pick up one of these
+blocks of stone which have fallen from the wall.  We will wedge
+the door from behind, and can then sleep secure against a surprise."
+
+When the door was closed one of the men, who was a musketeer,
+struck some sparks from a flint and steel on to a slow match which
+he carried in his jerkin, and by its glow they were enabled to look
+around them.  The stone steps began to ascend close to the door,
+and by laying the stones between the bottom step and the door
+they wedged the latter firmly in its place. They then ascended the
+stairs, and found themselves in a room some ten feet square, in
+which hung the bell which had called the village to prayers. It
+hung from some beams which were covered with a boarded floor, and
+a rough ladder led to a trapdoor, showing that there was another
+room above. The floor of the room in which they stood was of stone.
+
+"Now, lads," Malcolm said, "two of you make your way up that ladder
+and rip up some of the planks of the flooring.  See if there are
+any windows or loopholes in the chamber above, and if so stuff your
+jerkins into them; we will close up those here. In a few minutes
+we will have a roaring fire; but we must beware lest a gleam of
+light be visible without, for this belfry can be seen for miles
+round.
+
+Some of the boards were soon split up into fragments; but before
+the light was applied to them Malcolm carefully examined each window
+and loophole to be sure that they were perfectly stopped. Then the
+slow match was placed in the centre of a number of pieces of dry
+and rotten wood.  One of the men kneeling down blew lustily, and
+in a few seconds a flame sprang up. The wood was now heaped on,
+and a bright fire was soon blazing high.
+
+A trapdoor leading out on to the flat top of the tower was opened
+for the escape of the smoke, and the party then seated themselves
+round the fire, under whose genial warmth their spirits speedily
+rose. They now took from their wallets the bread which they had
+brought away with them.
+
+"If we had," one of the soldiers said, "but a few flasks of Rhine
+wine with us we need not envy a king."
+
+"No," Malcolm replied, "we are better off at present than our
+comrades who are sleeping in the snow round the watchfires; but
+for all that I would that we were with them, for we have a long and
+dangerous march before us. And now, lads, you can sleep soundly.
+There will be no occasion to place a watch, for the door is securely
+fastened; but at the first dawn of light we must be on our feet;
+for although I do not mean to march until nightfall, we must remove
+the stoppings from the windows, for should the eye of any passing
+peasant fall upon them, he will guess at once that some one is
+sheltering here, and may proceed to find out whether it be friend
+or foe."
+
+Having finished half their bread, for Malcolm had warned them to
+save the other half for the next day, the men lay down round the
+fire, and soon all were sound asleep.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV IN THE CHURCHTOWER
+
+
+Malcolm was the first to awake, and was vexed to find by a stream
+of light pouring down through the half open trapdoor above that it
+was broad day.  He roused the men, and the stoppings were at once
+removed from the loopholes. The sun was already high, for the party,
+overpowered with fatigue, had slept long and soundly.
+
+Malcolm looked cautiously from the window; no one was in sight,
+and the ruins of the village below lay black and deserted. The men
+resumed the clothes which had been used for blocking the loopholes,
+and sat down to pass the long hours which would elapse before the
+time for action arrived. It was exceedingly cold, for there were
+loopholes on each side of the chamber, and the wind blew keenly
+through.
+
+"Sergeant," Malcolm said, "we will risk a bit of fire again, for
+the cold pierces to the bone; only be sure that you use perfectly
+dry wood. Examine each piece to see that no drip from the roof has
+penetrated it. If it is dry it will give but little smoke, and a
+slight vapour is not likely to be observed rising from the top of
+the tower."
+
+The fire was again lighted, and the smoke was so slight that Malcolm
+had little fear of its being observed.
+
+An hour later, as the men were talking, Malcolm suddenly held up
+his hand for silence, and the murmur of voices was heard without.
+Malcolm rose to his feet to reconnoitre, standing far back from the
+loophole as he did so. A group of some eight or ten peasants were
+standing looking at the tower, while a woman was pointing to it
+and talking eagerly.
+
+It was towards the windows that she was pointing, and Malcolm
+guessed at once that, having returned in the early morning to see
+what remained of her home, she had happened to notice the garments
+stuffed in the windows, and had carried the news to some of her
+companions.  Malcolm regretted bitterly now that he had not set
+a watch, so that at the first gleam of daylight the windows might
+have been unblocked; but it was now too late.
+
+"We shall have to fight for it, lads," he said, turning round.
+"Our clothes must have been seen early this morning, and there is
+a party of peasants watching the tower. Of course they cannot know
+at present whether we are friends or foes; but no doubt the news
+of last evening's doings has travelled through the country, and the
+peasants are on the lookout for us, so they may well guess that we
+are here. However, we shall soon see. Sergeant, place one of your
+men on sentry at the foot of the stairs, but do not let him speak
+or give any signs of his presence if the door is tried."
+
+One of the soldiers was placed on guard. Scarcely had he taken
+his station when there was a knocking at the door, and shouts were
+heard outside from the peasants calling on those within, if they
+were friends, to come out. No answer was returned.
+
+"It's fortunate for you," Malcolm muttered, "that we don't come
+out, or we should make short work of you; but I know you would fly
+like hares if you saw us, and would bring the whole country down
+on us. No; we must hold out here.  Our only hope is to escape at
+night, or to hold this place till some of our troops come along.
+At any moment some regiments from the Lech may be marching forward
+to join the king.
+
+"We must make our bread last, lads," he said cheerfully to the men,
+"for we may have to stand a long siege.  Methinks we can hold this
+stone staircase against all the peasants of this part of Bavaria;
+and we must do so until we hear the sound of the Swedish drums;
+they may come along at any time. If the worst comes to the worst
+one of us must start at night and carry news of our peril to the
+Lech. We made a good supper last night, and can fast for a bit. If
+we cut our bread up into small portions we can hold out for days.
+There should be snow enough on the tower top to furnish us with
+drink."
+
+After hammering at the door for some time, the peasants retired
+convinced that there were none of their own people within the tower,
+and that those who had slept there were the fugitives of whom they
+had been in search during the night. These might, indeed, have
+departed in the interval between the time when the woman first saw
+the traces of their presence and her return with them; but they did
+not think that this was so, for in that case they could not have
+fastened the door behind them. The peasants accordingly withdrew
+a short distance from the church, and three of their number were
+sent off in different directions to bring up reinforcements. As soon
+as Malcolm saw this movement he knew that concealment was useless,
+and began to make preparations for the defence. First, he with the
+sergeant ascended to the roof of the tower. To his disappointment
+he saw that the heat of the flames had melted the snow, and that
+most of the water had run away. Some, however, stood in the hollows
+and inequalities of the stone platform, where it had again frozen
+into ice.
+
+As the supply would be very precious, Malcolm directed that before
+any moved about on the platform every piece of ice should be
+carefully taken up and carried below. Here it was melted over the
+fire in one of the iron caps, and was found to furnish three quarts
+of water. The appearance of Malcolm and his companion on the tower
+had been hailed by a shout of hatred and exultation by the peasants;
+but the defenders had paid no attention to the demonstration, and
+had continued their work as if regardless of the presence of their
+enemies.
+
+On his return to the platform Malcolm found, looking over the low
+parapet, that on the side farthest from the church great icicles
+hung down from the mouth of the gutter, the water having frozen
+again as it trickled from the platform.  These icicles were three
+or four inches in diameter and many feet in length. They were
+carefully broken off, and were laid down on the platform where they
+would remain frozen until wanted.  Malcolm now felt secure against
+the attacks of thirst for some days to come. The stones of the
+parapet were next tried, and were without much trouble moved from
+their places, and were all carried to the side in which the door
+was situated, in readiness to hurl down upon any who might assault
+it. Some of the beams of the upper flooring were removed from their
+places, and being carried down, were wedged against the upper part
+of the door, securing it as firmly as did the stones below. These
+preparations being finished, Malcolm took a survey of the situation
+outside.
+
+The group of peasants had increased largely, some thirty or forty
+men armed with pikes, bills, and scythes being gathered in a body,
+while many more could be seen across the country hurrying over the
+white plain towards the spot.  The windows of the lower apartment
+had been barricaded with planks, partly to keep out missiles,
+partly for warmth.  A good fire now blazed in the centre, and the
+soldiers, confident in themselves and their leader, cracked grim
+jokes as, their work being finished, they sat down around it and
+awaited the attack, one of their number being placed on the summit
+of the tower to give warning of the approach of the enemy.
+
+"I would that we had a musket or two," Malcolm said; "for we might
+then keep them from the door. I have only some twenty charges for
+my pistols, and the most of these, at any rate, I must keep for
+the defence of the stairs."
+
+Presently the sentry from above called out that the peasants were
+moving forward to the attack.
+
+"Sergeant," Malcolm said, "do you fasten my green scarf to a long
+strip of plank and fix it to the top of the tower. We cannot fight
+under a better banner. Now let us mount to the roof and give them
+a warm reception."
+
+"Look out, sir," the sentry exclaimed as Malcolm ascended the stair,
+"three or four of them have got muskets."
+
+"Then we must be careful," Malcolm said. "I don't suppose they are
+much of marksmen, but even a random shot will tell at times, and I
+want to take you all back safe with me; so keep low when you get on
+the roof, lads, and don't show your heads more than you can help."
+
+Heralding their attack by a discharge from their muskets, whose
+balls whistled harmlessly round the tower, the peasants rushed
+forward to the door and commenced an assault upon it with hatchets
+and axes.
+
+Malcolm and his men each lifted a heavy stone and rolled it over
+the parapet, the five loosing the missiles simultaneously. There
+was a dull crash, and with a terrible cry the peasants fled from
+the door. Looking over, Malcolm saw that six or seven men had
+been struck down. Five of these lay dead or senseless; two were
+endeavouring to drag themselves away.
+
+"That is lesson number one," he said. "They will be more prudent
+next time."
+
+The peasants, after holding a tumultuous council, scattered, most
+of them making for a wood a short distance off.
+
+"They are going to cut down a tree and use it as a battering ram,"
+Malcolm observed. "They know that these large stones are too heavy
+for us to cast many paces from the foot of the wall. We must get
+to work and break some of them up. That will not be difficult, for
+the wind and weather have rotted many of them half through."
+
+The stones were for the most part from two to three feet long and
+nine or ten inches square. Two were laid down on the platform some
+eighteen inches apart and another placed across them. The four men
+then lifted another stone, and holding it perpendicularly brought
+it down with all their strength upon the unsupported centre of
+the stone, which broke in half at once. To break it again required
+greater efforts, but it yielded to the blows. Other stones were
+similarly treated, until a large pile was formed of blocks of some
+ten inches each way, besides a number of smaller fragments.
+
+In half an hour the peasants reappeared with a slight well grown
+tree some forty feet long which had been robbed of its branches.
+It was laid down about fifty yards from the church, and then twenty
+men lifted it near the butt and advanced to use it as a battering
+ram, with the small end forward; but before they were near enough
+to touch the door the bearers were arrested by a cry from the crowd
+as the defenders appeared on the tower, and poising their blocks
+of stone above their heads, hurled them down. Three of them flew
+over the heads of the peasants, but the others crashed down among
+them, slaying and terribly mutilating two of the bearers of the
+tree and striking several others to the ground. The battering ram
+was instantly dropped, and before the Scotchmen had time to lift
+another missile the peasants were beyond their reach.
+
+"Lesson number two," Malcolm said. "What will our friends do next,
+I wonder?"
+
+The peasants were clearly at a loss. A long consultation was held,
+but this was not followed by any renewal of the attack.
+
+"I think they must have made up their minds to starve us out,
+sir," the sergeant remarked as the hours went slowly by without
+any renewal of the attack.
+
+"Yes; either that, sergeant, or a night attack. In either case I
+consider that we are safe for a time, but sooner or later our fate
+is sealed unless aid comes to us, and therefore I propose that one
+of you should tonight try and bear a message to the Lech. We can
+lower him down by the bell rope from this window in the angle where
+the tower touches the church. Keeping round by the church he will
+be in deep shadow until he reaches the other end, and will then be
+close to the ruins of the village. Before morning he could reach
+our camp."
+
+"I will undertake it myself, sir, if you will allow me," the sergeant
+said, while the other men also volunteered for the duty.
+
+"You shall try first, sergeant," Malcolm said. "It will be dangerous
+work, for as the news of our being here spreads the peasants will
+be coming in from all quarters. Their numbers are already greatly
+increased since they commenced the attack, and there must be at
+least three or four hundred men around us. They will be sure to
+keep a sharp lookout against our escaping, and it will need all
+your care and caution to get through them."
+
+"Never fear, sir," the man replied confidently. "I have stalked
+the deer scores of times, and it will be hard if I cannot crawl
+through a number of thick witted Bavarian peasants."
+
+"Even beyond the village you will have to keep your eyes open, as
+you may meet parties of peasants on their way here. Fortunately you
+will have no difficulty in keeping the road, so well beaten is it
+by the march of the army. If by tomorrow night no rescue arrives
+I shall consider that you have been taken or killed, and shall try
+with the others to make my way through. It would be better to die
+sword in hand while we have still the strength to wield our arms
+than to be cooped up here until too weak any longer to defend
+ourselves, and then to be slowly tortured to death."
+
+As soon as it was dusk a sentry was placed on the top of the
+tower, with orders to report the slightest sound or stir.  During
+the day this had not been necessary, for a view could be obtained
+from the windows, and the men with firearms, who had now considerably
+increased in numbers, kept up a constant fire at the tower.
+
+An hour later the sentry reported that he could hear the sound of
+many feet in the darkness, with the occasional snapping as of dry
+twigs.
+
+"They are going to burn down the door," Malcolm said.  "That is
+what I expected. Now, sergeant, is your time. They are all busy
+and intent upon their purpose. You could not have a better time."
+
+The rope was fastened round the sergeant's waist, and with some
+difficulty he squeezed himself through the narrow window, after
+listening attentively to discover if any were below.
+
+All seemed perfectly still on this side, and he was gradually and
+steadily lowered down. Presently those above felt the rope slack.
+Another minute and it swung loosely. It was drawn up again, and
+Malcolm, placing one of the men at the loophole, with instructions
+to listen intently for any sound of alarm or conflict, turned his
+attention to the other side.
+
+Soon he saw a number of dark figures bearing on their heads great
+bundles which he knew to be faggots approaching across the snow.
+
+As they approached a brisk fire suddenly opened on the tower.
+Malcolm at once called the sentry down.
+
+"It is of no use exposing yourself," he said, "and we could not
+do much harm to them did we take to stoning them again. We have
+nothing to do now but to wait."
+
+Soon a series of dull heavy crashes were heard as the faggots were
+thrown down against the door. Malcolm descended the stairs until
+he reached the lowest loophole which lighted them, and which was
+a few feet above the top of the door. He took one of the men with
+him.
+
+"Here are my flask and bullet pouch," he said. "Do you reload my
+pistols as I discharge them."
+
+For some minutes the sound of the faggots being thrown down continued,
+then the footsteps were heard retreating, and all was quiet again.
+
+"Now it is our turn again," Malcolm said. "It is one thing to
+prepare a fire and another to light it, my fine fellows.  I expect
+that you have forgotten that there are firearms here."
+
+Presently a light was seen in the distance, and two men with blazing
+brands approached. They advanced confidently until within twenty
+yards of the tower, then there was the sharp crack of a pistol,
+and one of them fell forward on his face, the other hesitated and
+stood irresolute, then, summoning up courage, he sprang forward.
+
+As he did so another shot flashed out, and he, too, fell prostrate,
+the brand hissing and spluttering in the snow a few feet from the
+pile of brushwood. A loud yell of rage and disappointment arose
+on the night air, showing how large was the number of peasants who
+were watching the operations. Some time elapsed before any further
+move was made on the part of the assailants, then some twenty points
+of light were seen approaching.
+
+"Donald," Malcolm said to the soldier, "go up to the top of the
+tower with your comrades. They are sure to light the pile this
+time, but if it is only fired in one place you may possibly dash
+out the light with a stone."
+
+The lights rapidly approached, but when the bearers came within
+forty yards they stopped. They were a wild group, as, with their
+unkempt hair and beards, and their rough attire, they stood holding
+the lighted brands above their heads. A very tall and powerful man
+stood at their head.
+
+"Come on," he said, "why do you hesitate? Let us finish with them."
+And he rushed forward.
+
+Malcolm had his pistol lying on the sill of the loophole covering
+him, and when the peasant had run ten paces he fired, and the man
+fell headlong. The others stopped, and a second shot took effect
+among them.  With a yell of terror they hurled the brands towards
+the pile and fled. Most of the brands fell short, others missed
+their aim, but from his loophole Malcolm saw that one had fallen
+on to the outside faggot of the pile.
+
+Almost instantly a heavy stone fell in the snow close by, another,
+and another. Malcolm stood with his eyes fixed on the brand. The
+twigs against which it leaned were catching, and the flames began
+to shoot up.  Higher and higher they rose, and a shout of triumph
+from the peasants told how keenly they were also watching. Still
+the heavy stones continued to fall. The flames rose higher, and
+half the faggot was now alight. Another minute and the fire would
+communicate with the pile. Then there was a crash. A shower of
+sparks leapt up as the faggot, struck by one of the heavy stones,
+was dashed from its place and lay blazing twenty feet distant from
+the pile. There it burnt itself out, and for a time the tower was
+safe.
+
+For an hour the defenders watched the peasants, who had now lighted
+great fires just out of pistol shot from the tower, and were gathered
+thickly round them, the light flashing redly from pike head and
+scythe.
+
+The uproar of voices was loud; but though the defenders guessed
+that they were discussing the next plan of attack they could catch
+no meaning from such words as reached them, for the patois of the
+Bavarian peasants was unintelligible. At last a large number seized
+brands, some approached as before towards the pile, the others
+scattered in various directions, while the men with muskets again
+opened fire at the top of the tower.
+
+Malcolm took his post at the loophole awaiting attack, but the
+men in front of him did not advance.  Suddenly a light sprang up
+beneath him. There was a sound of falling stones, but the light
+grew brighter and brighter, and he knew that this time the pile had
+been fired. As he ran upstairs he was met by one of the soldiers
+from above.
+
+"They crept round by the back of the church, sir, and round at the
+foot of the tower, and they had fired the pile before we saw that
+they were there."
+
+"It cannot be helped," Malcolm said, "they were sure to succeed
+sooner or later. Call the others down from the roof."
+
+The door at the top of the stairs was now closed, and the crevices
+were stuffed tightly with strips torn from the men's clothes so
+as to prevent the smoke from entering when the door below gave way
+to the flames. A broad glare of light now lit up the scene, and
+showers of sparks, and an occasional tongue of flame were visible
+through the window.
+
+"Shut down the trapdoor in the roof," Malcolm said, "that will
+check the draught through the windows."
+
+The wood was dry, and what smoke made its way in through the window
+found its way out through the loopholes of the upper chamber without
+seriously incommoding those below.
+
+"We can take it easy, now," Malcolm said as he set the example by
+sitting down against the wall. "It will be hours before the stonework
+below will be cool enough to permit them to attack."
+
+"They are lighting a circle of fires all round the church," one of
+the soldiers said looking out.
+
+"They think we shall be trying to escape, now that our door is
+burned. They are too late; I trust our messenger is miles away by
+this time."
+
+In half an hour the flames died away, but a deep red glow showed
+that the pile of embers was still giving out an intense heat.
+One of the men was now placed on the top of the tower again, as a
+measure of precaution, but it was certain that hours would elapse
+before an attack could be made.  The peasants, indeed, secure
+of their prey, evinced no hurry to commence the attack, but spent
+the night in shouting and singing round their fires, occasionally
+yelling threats of the fate which awaited them against the defenders
+of the tower.
+
+Towards daylight Malcolm commenced his preparations for defence.
+The door was taken off its hinges and was laid on the stone stairs.
+These were but two feet wide, the door itself being some three
+inches less. The rope was fastened round its upper end to prevent
+it from sliding down.
+
+"I wish we had some grease to pour over it," Malcolm said, "but dry
+as it is it will be next to impossible for anyone to walk up that
+sharp incline, and we four should be able to hold it against the
+peasants till doomsday."
+
+It was not until broad daylight that the peasants prepared for
+the attack. So long as the operation had been a distant one it had
+seemed easy enough, but as in a confused mass they approached the
+open doorway they realized that to ascend the narrow staircase,
+defended at the top by desperate men, was an enterprise of no common
+danger, and that the work which they had regarded as finished was
+in fact scarcely begun.
+
+The greater part then hung back, but a band of men, who by their
+blackened garments and swarthy faces Malcolm judged to be charcoal
+burners, armed with heavy axes, advanced to the front, and with an
+air of dogged resolution approached the door. The defenders gave
+no sign of their presence, no pistol flashed out from window or
+loophole.
+
+Striding through the still hot ashes the leader of the woodmen
+passed through the doorway and advanced up the stairs. These ran in
+short straight flights round the tower, lighted by narrow loopholes.
+No resistance was encountered until he reached the last turning,
+where a broader glare of light came from the open doorway, where
+two of the soldiers, pike in hand, stood ready to repel them. With
+a shout to his followers to come on, the peasant sprang forward.
+He ascended three steps, and then, as he placed his foot upon the
+sharply inclined plane of the door, which he had not noticed, he
+stumbled forward. His companions, supposing he had been pierced
+with a spear, pressed on after him, but each fell when they trod
+upon the door until a heap of men cumbered the stair. These were
+not unharmed, for with their long pikes the Scottish spearmen ran
+them through and through as they lay.
+
+Their bodies afforded a foothold to those who followed, but these
+could make but little way, for as but one could advance at a time,
+each as he came on was slain by the pikes.  Finding that two were
+well able to hold the door, Malcolm with the other ran up to the
+top of the tower, and toppled over the stones of the parapet upon
+the mass gathered around the door. These at once scattered, and
+those on the stairs, finding themselves unable to get forward, for
+the narrow passage was now completely choked with the dead, made
+their way out again and rejoined their comrades.
+
+"I expect they will send their musketeers first next time," Malcolm
+said as he rejoined those below, leaving the soldier on the watch.
+"Now let us get the door up again, and bring the dead here; we can
+form a barrier with them breast high."
+
+The door was quickly shifted on one side, and then the troopers
+brought up the dead, who were eleven in number.
+
+"Now replace the door," Malcolm ordered; "fill your iron caps with
+blood -- there is plenty flowing from these fellows -- and pour it
+over the door, it will be as good as oil."
+
+This was done, and the bodies were then piled shoulder high across
+the door.
+
+"They can fire as much as they like now," Malcolm said, "they will
+be no nearer, and I defy anyone to climb up that door now."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV A TIMELY RESCUE
+
+
+Although unaware how much more formidable the task before them
+had become, the peasants were disheartened by their defeat, and
+even the boldest hesitated at the thought of again attacking foes
+so formidably posted. None of those who had returned were able
+to explain what was the obstacle which had checked their advance.
+All that they could tell was, that those before them had fallen,
+in some cases even before they were touched by the spears of the
+defenders. This mystery added to the dread which the assault of so
+difficult a position naturally inspired, and some hours were spent
+in discussing how the next attack should be made. Many indeed
+were strongly in favour of remaining quietly around the tower and
+starving its defenders into surrendering.
+
+Others advocated an attempt to stifle them by heaping green wood
+and damp straw round the tower; but the more timid pointed out
+that many would be killed in carrying out the task by the firearms
+of the besieged, and that even were the combustibles placed in
+position and lighted the success of the experiment would be by no
+means certain, as the besieged might stuff up all the orifices, or
+at the worst might obtain sufficient fresh air on the top of the
+tower to enable them to breathe.
+
+"You are forgetting," one of the peasants exclaimed, "the powder
+wagon which broke down as Count Tilly retreated from the Lech. Did
+we not carry off the powder barrels and hide them, partly to prevent
+them falling into the hands of these accursed Swedes, partly because
+the powder would last us for years for hunting the wolf and wild
+boar? We have only to stow these inside the tower to blow it into
+the air."
+
+The idea was seized with shouts of acclamation. Most of the peasants
+who had assisted in carrying off the contents of the wagon were
+present, and these started instantly to dig up the barrels which they
+had taken as their share of the booty. The shouts of satisfaction
+and the departure of forty or fifty men at full speed in various
+directions did not pass unnoticed by the garrison of the tower.
+
+"They have got a plan of some sort," Malcolm said; "what it is I
+have no idea, but they certainly seem confident about it. Look at
+those fellows throwing up their caps and waving their arms. I do
+not see how we can be attacked, but I do not like these signs of
+confidence on their part, for they know now how strong our position
+is.  It seems to me that we are impregnable except against artillery."
+
+Unable to repress his uneasiness Malcolm wandered from window to
+window watching attentively what was going on without, but keeping
+himself as far back as possible from the loopholes; for the men
+with muskets kept up a dropping fire at the openings, and although
+their aim was poor, bullets occasionally passed in and flattened
+themselves against the opposite walls.
+
+"There is a man returning," he said in about half an hour; "he is
+carrying something on his shoulder, but I cannot see what it is."
+
+In another ten minutes the man had reached the group of peasants
+standing two or three hundred yards from the church, and was greeted
+with cheers and waving of hats.
+
+"Good heavens!" Malcolm exclaimed suddenly, "it is a barrel of
+powder. They must have stripped some broken down ammunition wagon.
+This is a danger indeed."
+
+The men grasped their weapons and rose to their feet at the news,
+prepared to take any steps which their young officer might command,
+for his promptitude and ingenuity had inspired them with unbounded
+confidence in him.
+
+"We must at all hazards," he said after a few minutes thought,
+"prevent them from storing these barrels below.  Remove the barricade
+of bodies and then carry the door down the stairs. We must fix it
+again on the bottom steps.  The bottom stair is but a foot or two
+inside the doorway; if you place it there it will hinder their
+rushing up to attack you, and your pikes, as you stand above it,
+will prevent any from placing their barrels inside.
+
+"I will take my place at the loophole as before. We cannot prevent
+their crawling round from behind as they did to light the faggots;
+but if they pile them outside, they may blow in a hole in the wall
+of the tower, but it is possible that even then it may not fall.
+Two will be sufficient to hold the stairs, at any rate for the
+present.  Do you, Cameron, take your place on the tower, and drop
+stones over on any who may try to make their way round from behind;
+even if you do no harm you will make them careful and delay the
+operation, and every hour now is of consequence."
+
+Malcolm's instructions were carried out, and all was in readiness
+before the peasants, some of whom had to go considerable distances,
+had returned with the powder.
+
+The lesson of the previous evening had evidently not been lost upon
+the peasants, for Malcolm saw a tall man who was acting as their
+leader wave his hand, and those who had brought the powder started
+to make a detour round the church. Malcolm, finding that no movement
+was being made towards the front, and that at present he could do
+nothing from his loophole, ran up to the top of the tower and took
+his place by the soldier who was lying down on the roof and looking
+over the edge.
+
+Presently the first of the peasants appeared round the corner of
+the main building, and dashed rapidly across to the angle of the
+tower. Two heavy stones were dropped, but he had passed on long
+before they had reached the bottom.  Man after man followed, and
+Malcolm, seeing that he could do nothing to stop them, again ran
+down. As he did so he heard a scream of agony. The leading peasants
+had reached the doorway, but as they dashed in to place their
+barrels of powder they were run through and through by the spears
+of the pikemen. They fell half in and half out of the doorway, and
+the barrels rolled some distance away.  Those behind them stopped
+panic stricken at their sudden fall. Several of them dropped their
+barrels and fled, while others ran round the angle of the tower
+again, coming in violent contact with those following them; all
+then hurried round behind the church. Malcolm stamped his feet with
+vexation.
+
+"What a fool I am," he muttered, "not to have thought of a sortie!
+If we had all held ourselves in readiness to spring out, we might
+have cut down the whole of them; at any rate none would have got
+off with their barrels."
+
+This unexpected failure greatly damped the spirit of the peasants,
+and there was much consultation among them before any fresh move
+was made. As he saw that they were fully occupied, and paying no
+heed to the tower, Malcolm said to his men:
+
+"I am going outside; prepare to help me up over the door again
+quickly if necessary.
+
+Leaving his sword behind him, he took a leap from the step above
+the inclined plane and landed at the bottom, and at once threw
+himself down outside. With his dagger he removed the hoops of one
+of the barrels, and scattered the contents thickly along the front
+of the tower. None of the peasants perceived him, for there were
+many bodies lying round the foot of the tower; and even had any
+looked that way they would not have noticed that one prone figure
+had been added to the number.
+
+Crawling cautiously along Malcolm pushed two other barrels before
+him, and opening them as before, spread the contents of one upon
+the ground near the side of the tower, and the other by the hinder
+face. The thick black layer on the snow would have told its tale
+instantly to a soldier, but Malcolm had little fear of the peasants
+in their haste paying attention to it. When his task was completed
+he crawled back again to the door and laid a train from the foot
+of the slide to the powder without.
+
+"I will remain here," he said, "for the present. Do one of you take
+your place in the belfry. Tell Cameron to shout down to you what
+is passing behind, and do you run instantly down the stairs to tell
+me."
+
+The peasants advanced next time accompanied by a strong force
+of their armed comrades. As before they came round from behind,
+intending to stack their barrels in the angle there.  As the bearers
+of the first two or three powder barrels came round the corner
+Cameron shouted the news, and the soldier below ran down to Malcolm,
+who fired his pistol into the train. A broad flash of fire rose
+round the tower followed instantaneously by two heavy explosions.
+There was silence for an instant, and then a chorus of shrieks and
+yells.
+
+The powder barrels borne by the two first men had exploded, their
+heads having been knocked in previously to admit of their ignition.
+Some thirty of the peasants were killed or terribly mutilated by
+the explosion, and the rest took to their heels in terror, leaving
+their wounded comrades on the ground.
+
+The echoes of the explosion had scarce died away when a shout of
+terror broke from the main body of peasants, and Malcolm saw them
+flying in all directions. An instant afterwards the ringing sound
+of the Swedish trumpets was heard, and a squadron of horse galloped
+down full speed.  The peasants attempted no resistance, but fled
+in all directions, hotly pursued by the Swedes, who broke up into
+small parties and followed the fugitives cross the country cutting
+down great numbers of them. The Swedish leader at once rode up to
+the foot of the tower, where Malcolm had already sallied out.
+
+"I am glad indeed I am in time, Captain Graheme; we have ridden
+without drawing rein since your messenger arrived at four o'clock
+this morning."
+
+"Thanks indeed, Captain Burgh," Malcolm replied.  Your coming is
+most welcome; though I think we have given the peasants so hot a
+lesson that they would not have attacked us again, and by tightening
+our waistbelts we could have held on for another three or four
+days."
+
+"I see that you have punished them heavily," the Swedish officer
+said, looking round at the bodies; "but what was the explosion I
+heard?"
+
+"You will see its signs behind the tower," Malcolm said as he
+led the way there. "They tried to blow us up, but burnt their own
+fingers."
+
+The scene behind the tower was ghastly. Some thirty peasants lay
+with their clothes completely burned from their bodies, the greater
+portion of them dead, but some still writhing in agony. Malcolm
+uttered an exclamation of horror.
+
+"It were a kindness to put these wretches out of their misery," the
+Swede said, and dismounting he passed his sword through the bodies
+of the writhing men. "You know I am in favour of carrying on the
+war as mercifully as may be," he continued turning to Malcolm,
+"for we have talked the matter over before now; and God forbid that
+I should strike a fallen foe; but these poor wretches were beyond
+help, and it is true mercy to end their sufferings."
+
+"They have had a heavy lesson," Malcolm said; "there are eleven
+more dead up in the belfry, which they tried to carry by storm,
+and a dozen at least crushed by stones.
+
+"You and your three men have indeed given a good account of
+yourselves," Captain Burgh exclaimed; "but while I am talking you
+are fasting. Here is a bottle of wine, a cold chicken, and a manchet
+of bread which I put in my wallet on starting; let us breakfast,
+for though I do not pretend to have been fasting as you have, the
+morning ride has given me an appetite. I see your fellows are hard
+at work already on the viands which my orderly brought for them in
+his havresack; but first let us move away to the tree over yonder,
+for verily the scent of blood and of roasted flesh is enough to take
+away one's appetite, little squeamish as these wars have taught us
+to be."
+
+Captain Burgh asked no questions until Malcolm had finished his
+meal. "I have plenty more food," he said, "for we have brought three
+led horses well laden; but it were better that you eat no more at
+present, tis ill overloading a fasting stomach. My men will not be
+back from the pursuit for a couple of hours yet, for they will not
+draw rein so long as their horses can gallop, so excited are they
+over the tales of the horrible cruelties which have been perpetrated
+on all our men who have fallen into the hands of the peasants, so
+now you can tell me in full the tale of your adventures. I had no
+time to ask any questions of your sergeant, for we were called up
+and sent off five minutes after he arrived with the news that you
+with three men were beleaguered here by a party of peasants."
+
+Malcolm related the whole incidents which had befallen him since
+he had been suddenly felled and made captive by the women in the
+hut in the village. The Swede laughed over this part of the adventure.
+
+"To think," he said, "of you, a dashing captain of the Green Brigade,
+being made captive by a couple of old women. There is more than one
+gallant Scot, if reports be true, has fallen a captive to German
+maidens, but of another sort; to be taken prisoner and hid in a
+straw yard is too good."
+
+"It was no laughing matter, I can tell you," Malcolm said, "though
+doubtless it will serve as a standing jest against me for a long
+time; however, I am so thankful I have got out of the scrape that
+those may laugh who will."
+
+When Malcolm finished his story Captain Burgh said:  "You have
+managed marvellously well indeed, Graheme, and can well afford to
+put up with a little laughter anent that matter of the women, for
+in truth there are few who would with three men have held a post
+against four or five hundred, as you have done --ay, and fairly
+defeated them before I came on the scene. That thought of yours of
+laying the door upon the stairs was a masterly one, and you rarely
+met and defeated every device of the enemy.
+
+"Now, if you will, I will mount this stronghold of yours with you,
+and see exactly how it stands, for I shall have to tell the tale
+a score of times at least when I get back to camp, and I can do it
+all the better after I have seen for myself the various features
+of the place."
+
+By the time they had mounted the top of the tower and Captain Burgh
+had fully satisfied himself as to the details of the defence the
+troopers began to return. Their horses were far too fatigued with
+the long ride from the camp and the subsequent pursuit to be able
+to travel farther. Fires were accordingly lit, rations distributed,
+and a halt ordered till the following morning, when, at daybreak,
+they returned to the Lech.
+
+Two days later Malcolm and his men marched forward with a brigade
+which was advancing to reinforce the army under Gustavus, and
+reached Ingolstadt on the day when the king raised the siege, and
+accompanied him on his march to Munich.
+
+Malcolm on rejoining was greeted with great pleasure by his comrades,
+who had made up their minds that he had in some way fallen a victim
+to the peasants. The noncommissioned officers and men of his party
+had been severely reprimanded for leaving the village without finding
+him.  In their defence they declared that they had searched every
+house and shed, and, having found no sign of him, or of any struggle
+having taken place, they supposed that he must have returned alone.
+But their excuses were not held to be valid, the idea of Malcolm
+having left his men without orders being so preposterous that it was
+held it should never have been entertained for a moment by them.
+
+"I shall never be anxious about you again," Nigel Graheme said, when
+Malcolm finished the narrative of his adventures to the officers
+of his regiment as they sat round the campfire on the evening when
+he rejoined them. "This is the third or fourth time that I have
+given you up for dead.  Whatever happens in the future, I shall
+refuse to believe the possibility of any harm having come to you,
+and shall be sure that sooner or later you will walk quietly into
+camp with a fresh batch of adventures to tell us. Whoever of us
+may be doomed to lay our bones in this German soil, it will not be
+you. Some good fairy has distinctly taken charge of you, and there
+is no saying what brilliant destiny may await you."
+
+"But he must keep clear of the petticoats, Graheme," Colonel Munro
+laughed; "evidently danger lurks for him there, and if he is caught
+napping again some Delilah will assuredly crop the hair of this
+young Samson of ours."
+
+"There was not much of Delilah in that fury who felled me with a
+mallet, colonel," Malcolm laughed; "however, I will be careful in
+future, and will not give them a chance."
+
+"Ah! it may come in another form next time, Malcolm," Munro said;
+"this time it was an old woman, next time it may be a young one.
+Beware, my boy! they are far the most dangerous, innocent though
+they may look."
+
+A laugh ran round the circle.
+
+"Forewarned forearmed, colonel," Malcolm said sturdily, "I will be
+on my guard against every female creature, young or old, in future.
+But I don't think that in this affair the woman has had much to
+boast about -- she and her friends had best have left me alone."
+
+"That is so, Malcolm," the colonel said warmly. "You have borne
+yourself well and bravely, and you have got an old head on those
+young shoulders of yours. You are as full of plans and stratagems
+as if you had been a campaigner for the last half century; and no
+man, even in the Green Brigade, no, not Hepburn himself, could have
+held that church tower more ably than you did. It will be a good
+tale to tell the king as we ride on the march tomorrow, for he
+loves a gallant deed, and the more so when there is prudence and
+good strategy as well as bravery. He has more than once asked if
+you have been getting into any new adventures, and seemed almost
+surprised when I told him that you were doing your duty with your
+company. He evidently regards it as your special mission to get
+into harebrained scrapes. He regards you, in fact, as a pedagogue
+might view the pickle of the school."
+
+There was a general laugh at Malcolm's expense.
+
+"I don't know how it is I am always getting into scrapes," the lad
+said half ruefully when the laugh subsided. "I am sure I don't want
+to get into them, colonel, and really I have never gone out of my
+way to do so, unless you call my march to help the Count of Mansfeld
+going out of my way. All the other things have come to me without
+any fault of my own."
+
+"Quite so, Graheme," the colonel said smiling; "that's always the
+excuse of the boy who gets into scrapes.  The question is, Why do
+these things always happen to you and to nobody else? If you can
+explain that your whole case is made out. But don't take it seriously,
+Malcolm," he continued, seeing that the lad looked really crestfallen.
+
+"You know I am only laughing, and there is not a man here, including
+myself, who does not envy you a little for the numerous adventures
+which have fallen to your lot, and for the courage and wisdom which
+you have shown in extricating yourself from them."
+
+"And now, please, will you tell me, colonel," Malcolm said more
+cheerfully, "why we are turning our backs upon Ingolstadt and are
+marching away without taking it? I have been away for ten days, you
+know, and it is a mystery to me why we are leaving the only enemy
+between us and Vienna, after having beaten him so heartily a
+fortnight since, without making an effort to rout him thoroughly."
+
+"Maximilian's position is a very strong one, my lad, and covered
+as he is by the guns of Ingolstadt it would be even a harder task
+to dislodge him than it was to cross the Lech in his teeth. But
+you are wrong; his is not the only army which stands between us
+and Vienna. No sooner is old Tilly dead than a greater than Tilly
+appears to oppose us.  Wallenstein is in the field again.  It has
+been known that he has for some time been negotiating with the
+emperor, who has been imploring him to forgive the slight that was
+passed upon him before, and to again take the field.
+
+"Wallenstein, knowing that the game was in his hands, and that the
+emperor must finally agree to any terms which he chose to dictate,
+has, while he has been negotiating, been collecting an army; and
+when the emperor finally agreed to his conditions, that he was at
+the conclusion of the peace to be assured a royal title and the
+fief of a sovereign state, he had an army ready to his hand, and
+is now on the point of entering Bohemia with 40,000 men."
+
+"What his plans may be we cannot yet say, but at any rate it would
+not do to be delaying here and leaving Germany open to Wallenstein
+to operate as he will. It was a stern day at Leipzig, but, mark
+my words, it will be sterner still when we meet Wallenstein; for,
+great captain as Tilly undoubtedly was, Wallenstein is far greater,
+and Europe will hold its breath when Gustavus and he, the two
+greatest captains of the age, meet in a pitched battle."
+
+At Munich the regiments of Munro and Spynie were quartered in the
+magnificent Electoral Palace, where they fared sumptuously and
+enjoyed not a little their comfortable quarters and the stores of
+old wines in the cellar. Sir John Hepburn was appointed military
+governor of Munich.
+
+In the arsenal armour, arms, and clothing sufficient for 10,000
+infantry were found, and a hundred and forty pieces of cannon were
+discovered buried beneath the floors of the palace. Their carriages
+were ready in the arsenal, and they were soon put in order for battle.
+For three weeks the army remained at Munich, Gustavus waiting to
+see what course Wallenstein was taking. The Imperialist general
+had entered Bohemia, had driven thence, with scarcely an effort,
+Arnheim and the Saxons, and formed a junction near Eger with
+the remnants of the army which had been beaten on the Lech; then,
+leaving a strong garrison in Ratisbon, he had marched on with an
+army of sixty thousand men.
+
+He saw that his best plan to force Gustavus to loose his hold of
+Bavaria was to march on some important point lying between him and
+North Germany. He therefore selected a place which Gustavus could
+not abandon, and so would be obliged to leave Bavaria garrisoned
+only by a force insufficient to withstand the attacks of Pappenheim,
+who had collected a considerable army for the recovery of the
+territories of Maximilian. Such a point was Nuremberg, the greatest
+and strongest of the free cities, and which had been the first to
+open its gates to Gustavus. The Swedish king could hardly abandon
+this friendly city to the assaults of the Imperialists, and indeed
+its fall would have been followed by the general defection from his
+cause of all that part of Germany, and he would have found himself
+isolated and cut off from the North.
+
+As soon as Gustavus perceived that Nuremberg was the point towards
+which Wallenstein was moving, he hastened at once from Munich to
+the assistance of the threatened city.  The forces at his disposal
+had been weakened by the despatch of Marshal Horn to the Lower
+Palatinate, and by the garrisons left in the Bavarian cities,
+and he had but 17,000 men disposable to meet the 60,000 with whom
+Wallenstein was advancing. He did not hesitate, however, but sent
+off messengers at once to direct the corps in Swabia under General
+Banner, Prince William of Weimar, and General Ruthven, to join him,
+if possible, before Nuremberg.
+
+Marching with all haste he arrived at Nuremberg before Wallenstein
+reached it, and prepared at once for the defence of the city.
+He first called together the principal citizens of Nuremberg and
+explained to them his position. He showed them that were he to fall
+back with his army he should be able to effect a junction with the
+troops under his generals, and would ere long be in a position to
+offer battle to Wallenstein upon more equal terms, but that were
+he to do so he would be forced to abandon the city to the vengeance
+of the Imperialists. He told them that did he remain before the
+city he must to a great extent be dependent upon them for food and
+supplies, as he would be beleaguered by Wallenstein, and should be
+unable to draw food and forage from the surrounding country; he
+could therefore only maintain himself by the aid of the cordial
+goodwill and assistance of the citizens.
+
+The people of Nuremberg were true to the side they had chosen,
+and placed the whole of their resources at his disposal. Gustavus
+at once set his army to work to form a position in which he could
+confront the overwhelming forces of the enemy. Round the city, at
+a distance of about thirteen hundred yards from it, he dug a ditch,
+nowhere less than twelve feet wide and eight deep, but, where most
+exposed to an attack, eighteen feet wide and twelve deep. Within the
+circuit of this ditch he erected eight large forts and connected them
+with a long and thick earthen parapet strengthened with bastions.
+On the ramparts and forts three hundred cannon, for the most part
+supplied by the city of Nuremberg, were placed in position. As the
+camp between the ramparts and the town was traversed by the river
+Pegnitz numerous bridges were thrown across it, so that the whole
+force could concentrate on either side in case of attack. So
+vigorously did the army, assisted by the citizens, labour at these
+works, that they were completed in fourteen days after Gustavus
+reached Nuremberg.
+
+It was on the 19th of June that the Swedish army arrived there, and
+on the 30th Wallenstein and Maximilian of Bavaria appeared before
+it with the intention of making an immediate assault. The works,
+however, although not yet quite completed, were so formidable that
+Wallenstein saw at once that the success of an assault upon them
+would be extremely doubtful, and, in spite of the earnest entreaties
+of Maximilian to lead his army to the assault, he decided to
+reduce the place by starvation. This method appeared at once easy
+and certain. The whole of the surrounding country belonged to the
+Bishop of Bamberg, who was devoted to the Imperialist cause, and
+he possessed all the towns, and strong places in the circle of
+country around Nuremberg. Wallenstein had brought with him vast
+stores of provisions, and could draw upon the surrounding country
+for the further maintenance of his army. It was only necessary then
+to place himself in a position where the Swedes could not attack
+him with a hope of success.
+
+Such a position lay at a distance of three miles from Nuremberg,
+where there was a wooded hill known as the Alte Veste. Round this
+Wallenstein threw up a circle of defences, consisting of a ditch
+behind which was an interlacement of forest trees, baggage wagons,
+and gabions, forming an almost insurpassable obstacle to an attacking
+force. Within this circle he encamped his army, formed into eight
+divisions, each about seven thousand strong, while two considerable
+bodies of troops in the diocese of Bamberg and the Upper Palatinate
+prepared to oppose any forces approaching to the aid of Nuremberg,
+and the Croats, horse and foot, scoured the country day and night
+to prevent any supplies entering the city. Having thus adopted every
+means for starving out the beleaguered army and city, Wallenstein
+calmly awaited the result.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI THE SIEGE OF NUREMBERG
+
+
+Drearily passed the days in the beleaguered camp, varied only
+by an occasional raid by small parties to drive in cattle from
+the surrounding country, or to intercept convoys of provisions on
+their way to the Imperialists' camp. So active and watchful were
+the Croats that these enterprises seldom succeeded, although, to
+enable his men to move with celerity, Gustavus mounted bodies of
+infantry on horseback. Thus they were enabled to get over the ground
+quickly, and if attacked they dismounted and fought on foot.
+
+To these mounted infantry the name of dragoons was given, and so
+useful were they found that the institution was adopted in other
+armies, and dragoons became a recognized portion of every military
+force.  In time the custom of dismounting and fighting on foot was
+gradually abandoned, and dragoons became regular cavalry; but in
+modern times the utility of Gustavus's invention of mounted infantry
+has been again recognized, and in all the small wars in which England
+has been engaged bodies of mounted infantry have been organized.
+Ere long mounted infantry will again become a recognized arm of
+the service.
+
+But these raids in search of provisions occupied but a small portion
+of the army. The rest passed their time in enforced idleness.
+There was nothing to be done save to clean and furbish their arms
+and armour; to stand on the ramparts and gaze on the distant heights
+of the Alte Veste, to watch the solid columns of the Imperial army,
+which from time to time Wallenstein marched down from his stronghold
+and paraded in order of battle, as a challenge to the Swedes
+to come out and fight, or to loiter through the narrow streets of
+Nuremberg, and to talk to the citizens, whose trade and commerce
+were now entirely at a standstill.  Malcolm, with the restlessness
+of youth, seldom stayed many hours quiet in camp. He did not care
+either for drinking or gambling; nor could he imitate the passive
+tranquillity of the old soldiers, who were content to sleep away
+the greater part of their time.  He therefore spent many hours
+every day in the city, where he speedily made many acquaintances.
+
+In the city of Nuremberg time dragged as slowly as it did in the
+camp. At ordinary times the centre of a quiet and busy trade, the
+city was now cut off from the world. The shops were for the most part
+closed; the artisans stood idle in the streets, and the townsfolk
+had nought to do, save to gather in groups and discuss the times,
+or to take occasional excursions beyond the gates into the camp
+of their allies.  The advances then of the young Scottish officer
+were willingly responded to, and he soon became intimate in the
+houses of all the principal citizens; and while the greater part
+of his comrades spent their evenings in drinking and gambling, he
+enjoyed the hours in conversation and music in the houses of the
+citizens of Nuremberg.
+
+The long inaction brought its moral consequences, and the troops
+became demoralized and insubordinate from their enforced idleness.
+Plundering and acts of violence became so common that Gustavus was
+obliged to issue the most stringent ordinances to restore discipline;
+and an officer and many men had to be executed before the spirit
+of insubordination was quelled. In order to pass some of the hours
+of the days Malcolm obtained leave from one of the great clockmakers
+of the town -- for Nuremberg was at that time the centre of the
+craft of clockmaking -- to allow him to work in his shop, and to
+learn the mysteries of his trade.
+
+Most of the establishments were closed, but Malcolm's acquaintance
+was one of the wealthiest of the citizens, and was able to keep
+his craftsmen at work, and to store the goods he manufactured until
+better times should return. Malcolm began the work purely to occupy
+his time, but he presently came to take a lively interest in it,
+and was soon able to take to pieces and put together again the
+cumbrous but simple machines which constituted the clocks of the
+period.
+
+Workshops were not in those days factories. The master of a craft
+worked, surrounded by his craftsmen and apprentices. Every wheel
+and spring were made upon the premises, fashioned and finished with
+chisel and file; and there was an interest in the work far beyond
+any which it possesses in the present day, when watches are turned
+out wholesale, the separate parts being prepared by machinery,
+and the work of the artisan consisting solely in the finishing and
+putting them together.
+
+Laying aside his armour and gay attire, and donning a workman's
+apron, Malcolm sat at the bench by the side of the master, shaping
+and filing, and listening to his stories connected with the trade
+and history of Nuremberg. He anticipated no advantage from the
+knowledge he was gaining, but regarded it simply as a pleasant way
+of getting through a portion of the day.
+
+Thus for three months the armies confronted each other. Provisions
+were becoming terribly scarce, the magazines of the city were
+emptying fast, and although working night and day, the mills of
+the place did not suffice to grind flour for the needs of so many
+mouths. The population of the city itself was greatly swollen by
+the crowds of Protestant fugitives who had fled there for refuge
+on the approach of the Imperialists, and the magazines of the city
+dwindled fast under the demands made upon them by this addition,
+and that of the Swedish army, to the normal population. Fever broke
+out in the city and camp. The waters of the Pegnitz were tainted
+by the carcasses of dead horses and other animals. The supplies
+of forage had long since been exhausted, and the baggage and troop
+animals died in vast numbers.
+
+Still there was no sign of a change. Wallenstein would not attack,
+Gustavus could not. The Swedish king waited to take advantage of some
+false move on the part of the Imperial commander; but Wallenstein
+was as great a general as himself, and afforded him no opening,
+turning a deaf ear to the entreaties and importunities of Maximilian
+that he would end the tedious siege by an attack upon the small
+and enfeebled army around Nuremberg.
+
+All this time Gustavus was in constant communication with
+his generals outside, his messengers making their way by speed or
+stratagem through the beleaguering Croats, and kept up the spirits
+of his men by daily reviews and by the cheerful countenance which
+he always wore.
+
+The Swedish columns were gradually closing in towards Nuremberg.
+One was led by the chancellor Oxenstiern, to whom had been committed
+the care of the Middle Rhine and the Lower Palatinate, where he
+had been confronted by the Spanish troops under Don Philip de Sylva.
+
+On the 11th July, leaving Horn with a small force to oppose the
+Spaniards, the chancellor set out to join his master. On the way he
+effected a junction with the forces of the Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel.
+This general had been opposed in Westphalia by Pappenheim, but
+he seized the opportunity when the latter had marched to relieve
+Maestricht, which was besieged by Frederic of Nassau, to march away
+and join Oxenstiern.
+
+The Scotch officers Ballandine and Alexander Hamilton were with
+their regiment in the Duchy of Magdeburg. When the news of the
+king's danger reached them without waiting for instructions they
+marched to Halle and joining a portion of the division of the Duke
+of Saxe-Weimar, to which they were attached, pushed on to Zeitz,
+and were there joined by the duke himself, who had hurried on from
+the Lake of Constance, attended only by his guards, but, picking
+up five Saxon regiments in Franconia. Together they passed
+on to Wurtzburg, where they joined Oxenstiern and the Landgrave
+of Hesse-Cassel. General Banner, with the fourth corps, was at
+Augsburg, opposed to Cratz, who was at the head of the remains of
+Tilly's old army.
+
+Slipping away from his foes he marched to Windsheim, and was there
+joined by a body of troops under Bernhard of Weimar. The force from
+Wurtzburg soon afterwards came up, and the whole of the detached
+corps, amounting to 49,000 men, being now collected, they marched
+to Bruck, ten miles north of Nuremberg. Three days later, on the
+16th of August, Gustavus rode into their camp, and on the 21st
+marched at their head into Nuremberg, unhindered by the Imperialists.
+
+Gustavus probably calculated that the Imperialists would now move
+down and offer battle; but Wallenstein, who had detached 10,000 men
+to bring up supplies, could not place in the field a number equal
+to those of the reinforcements, and preferred to await an attack
+in the position which he had prepared with such care.  He knew the
+straits to which Nuremberg and its defenders were reduced, and the
+impossibility there would be of feeding the new arrivals.
+
+The country round for a vast distance had been long since stripped
+of provisions, and Gustavus had no course open to him but to march
+away with his army and leave the city to its fate, or to attack
+the Imperialists in their stronghold.
+
+On the day after his arrival, the 21st of August, Gustavus marched
+out and opened a cannonade upon the Imperialists' position, in order
+to induce Wallenstein to come down and give battle. Wallenstein was
+not, however, to be tempted, but kept his whole army busy with the
+spade and axe further intrenching his position. The next day the
+king brought his guns nearer to the enemy's camp, and for twenty-four
+hours kept up a heavy fire. The only result, however, was that
+Wallenstein fell back a few hundred yards on to two ridges, on one
+of which was the ruined castle called the Alte Veste; the other was
+known as the Altenburg. The ascent to these was steep and craggy,
+and they were covered by a thick forest.  Here Wallenstein formed
+in front of his position a threefold barrier of felled trees woven
+and interlaced with each other, each barrier rising in a semicircle
+one above the other. Before the Swedish cannon ceased to fire the
+new position of the Imperialists had been made impregnable.
+
+Unfortunately for Gustavus he had at this moment lost the services
+of the best officer in his army, Sir John Hepburn, whom he had
+always regarded as his right hand. The quarrel had arisen from some
+trifling circumstance, and Gustavus in the heat of the moment made
+some disparaging allusion to the religion of Hepburn, who was a
+Catholic and also to that officer's love of dress and finery. The
+indignant Hepburn at once resigned his commission and swore never
+again to draw his sword in the service of the king -- a resolution
+to which he adhered, although Gustavus, when his anger cooled,
+endeavoured in every way to appease the angry soldier.
+
+As he persisted in his resolution Colonel Munro was appointed to
+the command of the Green Brigade. It is probable that the quarrel
+was the consummation of a long standing grievance. Hepburn as well
+as the other Scottish officers had shared the indignation of Sir
+John Hamilton when the latter resigned in consequence of the Swedish
+troop being placed in the post of honour at the storm of the castle
+of Marienburg after the Scots had done all the work. There had,
+too, been much discontent among them concerning the Marquis of
+Hamilton, whom they considered that Gustavus had treated ungenerously;
+and still more concerning Lieutenant Colonel Douglas, whom Gustavus
+had committed to a common prison for a slight breach of etiquette,
+a punishment at which the English ambassador, Sir Harry Vane,
+remonstrated, and which the whole Scottish officers considered an
+insult to them and their country.
+
+There were probably faults on both sides. The Scottish troops were
+the backbone of the Swedish army, and to them were principally
+due almost the whole of the successes which Gustavus had gained.
+Doubtless they presumed upon the fact, and although Gustavus recognized
+his obligations, as is shown by the immense number of commands and
+governorships which he bestowed upon his Scottish officers, he may
+well have been angered and irritated by the insistance with which
+they asserted their claims and services. It was, however, a most
+unfortunate circumstance that just at this critical moment he should
+have lost the services of an officer whose prudence was equal to
+his daring, and who was unquestionably one of the greatest military
+leaders of his age.
+
+It is probable that had Hepburn remained by his side the king would
+not have undertaken the attack upon the impregnable position of
+the Imperialists. Deprived of the counsellor upon whose advice he
+had hitherto invariably relied, Gustavus determined to attempt to
+drive Wallenstein from his position, the decision being finally
+induced by a ruse of the Imperialist commander, who desired nothing
+so much as that the Swedes should dash their forces against the
+terrible position he had prepared for them. Accordingly on the 24th
+of August he directed a considerable portion of his force to march
+away from the rear of his position as if, alarmed at the superior
+strength of the Swedes, he had determined to abandon the heights
+he had so long occupied and to march away.
+
+Gustavus fell into the trap, and prepared at once to assault the
+position. Two hundred pieces of artillery heralded the advance,
+which was made by the whole body of the musketeers of the army,
+drafted from the several brigades and divided into battalions 500
+strong, each commanded by a colonel. It was a terrible position
+which they were advancing to storm. Each of the lines of intrenchments
+was surmounted by rows of polished helmets, while pikes and arquebuses
+glittered in the sunshine; but it was not long that the scene was
+visible, for as the battalions approached the foot of the Altenburg
+80 pieces of artillery opened from its summit and from the ridge
+of the Alte Veste, while the smoke of the arquebuses drifted up in
+a cloud from the lines of intrenchments.
+
+Steadily and in good order the Scotch and Swedish infantry pressed
+forward, and forcing the lower ditch strove to climb the rocky
+heights; but in vain did they strive. Over and over again they reached
+the intrenchments, but were unable to force their way through the
+thickly bound fallen trees, while their lines were torn with a
+storm of iron and lead. Never did the Scottish soldiers of Gustavus
+fight with greater desperation and valour. Scores of them rolled
+lifeless down the slope, but fresh men took their places and strove
+to hack their way through the impenetrable screen through which
+the Imperialist bullets whistled like hail.
+
+At last, when nigh half their number had fallen, the rest, exhausted,
+broken, and in disorder, fell suddenly back.  Gustavus in person
+then led on his Finlanders, but these, after a struggle as obstinate
+and heroic as that of their predecessors, in their turn fell back
+baffled. The Livonians next made the attempt, but in vain.
+
+In the meantime a sharp conflict had taken place between the Imperial
+cavalry and the Swedish left wing.  Wallenstein's cuirassiers, hidden
+by the smoke, charged right through a column of Swedish infantry;
+but this success was counterbalanced by the rout of Cronenberg's
+Invincibles, a magnificent regiment of 1500 horsemen, by 200 Finland
+troopers. The troops of Duke Bernhard of Weimar, among whom were
+still the Scottish regiments of Hamilton and Douglas, marched
+against the heights which commanded the Alte Veste, and drove back
+the Imperialists with great loss. Five hundred musketeers of the
+Green Brigade under Colonel Munro then pushed gallantly forward
+and posted themselves far in advance, resisting all attempts of the
+Imperialists to drive them back, until Lieutenant Colonel Sinclair,
+who was now in command of Munro's own regiment, brought it forward
+to his assistance. Until the next morning this body of one thousand
+men maintained the ground they had won in spite of all the efforts
+of the Imperialists to dislodge them.
+
+Colonel Munro was severely wounded in the left side.  Lieutenant
+Colonel Maken, Capt. Innis, and Capt.  Traill were killed, and an
+immense number of other Scottish officers were killed and wounded.
+The news was brought down to Gustavus of the advantage gained by
+Duke Bernhard, but he was unable to take advantage of it by moving
+his army round to that position, as he would have exposed himself
+to a counter attack of the enemy while doing so. He therefore
+launched a fresh column of attack against the Alte Veste.
+
+This was followed by another and yet another, until every regiment
+in the army had in its turn attempted to storm the position, but
+still without success.
+
+The battle had now raged for ten hours, and nightfall put an end
+to the struggle. Hepburn had all day ridden behind the king as a
+simple cavalier, and had twice carried messages through the thick
+of the fire when there were no others to bear them, so great had
+been the slaughter round the person of the king.
+
+It was the first time that Gustavus had been repulsed, and he could
+hardly yet realize the fact; but as messenger after messenger came
+in from the different divisions he discovered how terrible had
+been his loss. Most of his generals and superior officers had been
+killed or wounded, 2000 men lay dead on the field, and there were
+nigh three times that number of wounded.
+
+The Imperialists on their side lost 1000 killed and 1500 wounded;
+but the accounts of the losses on both sides differ greatly, some
+placing the Imperial loss higher than that of the Swedes, a palpably
+absurd estimate, as the Imperialists, fighting behind shelter, could
+not have suffered anything like so heavily as their assailants,
+who were exposed to their fire in the open.
+
+Hepburn bore the order from the king for Munro's troops and those
+of Duke Bernhard to retire from the position they had won, as
+they were entirely cut off from the rest of the army, and would
+at daylight have had the whole of the Imperialists upon them. The
+service was one of great danger, and Hepburn had to cut his way
+sword in hand through the Croats who intervened between him and his
+comrades of the Green Brigade. He accomplished his task in safety,
+and before daylight Munro's men and the regiments of Duke Bernhard
+rejoined the army in the plain. But though repulsed Gustavus was
+not defeated. He took up a new position just out of cannon shot of
+the Altenburg, and then offered battle to Wallenstein, the latter,
+however, well satisfied with his success, remained firm in his
+policy of starving out the enemy, and resisted every device of the
+king to turn him from his stronghold.
+
+For fourteen days Gustavus remained in position. Then he could hold
+out no longer. The supplies were entirely exhausted. The summer had
+been unusually hot. The shrunken waters of the Pegnitz were putrid
+and stinking, the carcasses of dead horses poisoned the air, and
+fever and pestilence raged in the camp.  Leaving, then, Kniphausen
+with eight thousand men to aid the citizens of Nuremberg to defend
+the city should Wallenstein besiege it, Gustavus marched on the 8th
+of September by way of Neustadt to Windsheim, and there halted to
+watch the further movements of the enemy.
+
+Five days later Wallenstein quitted his camp and marched to Forsheim.
+So far the advantage of the campaign lay with him.  His patience
+and iron resolution had given the first check to the victorious
+career of the Lion of the North.
+
+Munro's regiment, as it was still called -- for he was now its full
+colonel, although Lieutenant Colonel Sinclair commanded it in the
+field -- had suffered terribly, but less, perhaps, than some of
+those who had in vain attempted to force their way up the slopes
+of the Alte Veste; and many an eye grew moist as at daybreak the
+regiment marched into its place in the ranks of the brigade and saw
+how terrible had been the slaughter among them. Munro's soldiers
+had had but little of that hand to hand fighting in which men's
+blood becomes heated and all thought of danger is lost in the
+fierce desire to kill. Their losses had been caused by the storm
+of cannonball and bullet which had swept through them, as, panting
+and breathless, they struggled up the steep slopes, incapable of
+answering the fire of the enemy. They had had their triumph, indeed,
+as the Imperial regiments broke and fled before their advance;
+but although proud that they at least had succeeded in a day when
+failure was general, there was not a man but regretted that he had
+not come within push of pike of the enemy.
+
+Malcolm Graheme had passed scatheless through the fray -- a good
+fortune that had attended but few of his brother officers. His uncle
+was badly wounded, and several of his friends had fallen. Of the
+men who had marched from Denmark but a year before scarce a third
+remained in the ranks, and although the regiment had been strengthened
+by the breaking up of two or three of the weaker battalions and
+their incorporation with the other Scottish regiments, it was now
+less than half its former strength. While Gustavus and Wallenstein
+had been facing each other at Nuremberg the war had continued without
+interruption in other parts, and the Swedes and their allies had
+gained advantages everywhere except in Westphalia and Lower Saxony,
+where Pappenheim had more than held his own against Baudissen, who
+commanded for Gustavus; and although Wallenstein had checked the
+king he had gained no material advantages and had wrested no single
+town or fortress from his hands.  Gustavus was still in Bavaria,
+nearer to Munich than he was, his garrisons still holding Ulm,
+Nordlingen, and Donauworth, its strongest fortresses.
+
+He felt sure, however, that it would be impossible for Gustavus
+to maintain at one spot the army which he had at Windsheim, and
+that with so many points to defend he would soon break it up into
+separate commands. He resolved then to wait until he did so, and
+then to sweep down upon Northern Germany, and so by threatening
+the king's line of retreat to force him to abandon Bavaria and the
+south and to march to meet him.
+
+At present he was in no position to risk a battle, for he had already
+detached 4000 men to reinforce Holk, whom he had sent with 10,000
+to threaten Dresden. The 13,000 Bavarians who were with him under
+Maximilian had separated from him on his way to Forsheim, and
+on arriving at that place his army numbered but 17,000 men, while
+Gustavus had more than 40,000 gathered at Windsheim.
+
+Gustavus, on his part, determined to carry out his former projects,
+to march against Ingolstadt, which he had before failed to capture,
+and thence to penetrate into Upper Austria. But fearful lest
+Wallenstein, released from his presence, should attempt to recover
+the fortresses in Franconia, he despatched half his force under Duke
+Bernhard to prevent the Imperial general from crossing the Rhine.
+Could he succeed in doing this he would be in a position to dictate
+terms to the emperor in Vienna.
+
+On the 12th of October he reached Neuberg, on the Danube, and halted
+there, awaiting the arrival of his siege train from Donauworth.
+While making the most vigorous exertions to press on the necessary
+arrangements for his march against Vienna he received the most
+urgent messages to return to Saxony. Not only, as he was told, had
+Wallenstein penetrated into that province, but he was employing
+all his influence to detach its elector from the Protestant cause,
+and there was great fear that the weak prince would yield to the
+solicitations of Wallenstein and to his own jealousy of the King
+of Sweden.
+
+No sooner, in fact, had Gustavus crossed the Danube than Wallenstein
+moved towards Schweinfurt, and by so doing drew to that place the
+Swedish army under the command of Duke Bernhard. He then suddenly
+marched eastward at full speed, capturing Bamberg, Baireuth, and
+Culmbach, and pushed on to Colberg.
+
+The town was captured, but the Swedish Colonel Dubatel, who
+was really a Scotchman, by name M'Dougal, a gallant and brilliant
+officer, threw himself with his dragoons into the castle, which
+commanded the town, and defended it so resolutely against the
+assaults of Wallenstein that Duke Bernhard had time to march to
+within twenty miles of the place. Wallenstein then raised the siege,
+marched east to Kronach, and then north to Weida, on the Elster.
+Thence he pressed on direct to Leipzig, which he besieged at once;
+and while the main body of his troops were engaged before the city,
+others took possession of the surrounding towns and fortresses.
+
+Leipzig held out for only two days, and after its capture
+Wallenstein marched to Merseburg, where he was joined by the army
+under Pappenheim. Thus reinforced he was in a position to capture
+the whole of Saxony. The elector, timid and vacillating, was fully
+conscious of his danger and the solicitations of Wallenstein to
+break off from his alliance with the King of Sweden and to join
+the Imperialists were strongly seconded by Marshal Von Arnheim,
+his most trusted councillor, who was an intimate friend of the
+Imperialist general.
+
+It was indeed a hard decision which Gustavus was called upon
+to make. On the one hand Vienna lay almost within his grasp, for
+Wallenstein was now too far north to interpose between him and
+the capital. On the other hand, should the Elector of Saxony join
+the Imperialists, his position after the capture of Vienna would
+be perilous in the extreme. The emperor would probably leave his
+capital before he arrived there, and the conquest would, therefore,
+be a barren one.  Gustavus reluctantly determined to abandon his
+plan, and to march to the assistance of Saxony.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII THE DEATH OF GUSTAVUS
+
+
+The determination of Gustavus to march to the assistance of Saxony
+once taken, he lost not a moment in carrying it into effect. General
+Banner, whom he greatly trusted, was unfortunately suffering from a
+wound, and until he should recover he appointed the Prince Palatine
+of Burkenfeldt to command a corps 12,000 strong which he determined
+to leave on the Danube; then strengthening the garrisons of Augsburg,
+Rain, and Donauworth, he set out with the remainder of his army on
+his march to Saxony.
+
+From Donauworth he marched to Nuremberg, stayed there forty-eight
+hours to recover the fortress of Lauf, and, having forced the
+garrison of that place to surrender at discretion, pushed on with all
+possible speed to Erfurt, which he had fixed upon as the point of
+junction for his several corps. The Green Brigade formed a portion
+of the force which Gustavus left behind him in Bavaria under the
+Prince Palatine. So terribly weakened were the Scottish regiments
+by the various battles of the campaign, in all of which they had
+borne the brunt of the fighting, that Gustavus determined reluctantly
+to leave them behind for rest and reorganization.
+
+Hepburn, Sir James Hamilton, Sir James Ramsay, and the Marquis of
+Hamilton, who like Hepburn had quarrelled with Gustavus, left the
+Swedish army the day after they arrived at Neustadt, after marching
+away from Nuremberg.  All the Scottish officers in the Swedish army
+accompanied Hepburn and his three companions along the road for a
+long German mile from Neustadt, and then parted with great grief
+from the gallant cavalier who had led them so often to victory.
+
+Malcolm Graheme did not remain behind in Bavaria with his comrades
+of the Green Brigade. Gustavus, who had taken a great fancy to the
+young Scotch officer, whose spirit of adventure and daring were
+in strong harmony with his own character, appointed him to ride on
+his own personal staff.  Although he parted with regret from his
+comrades, Malcolm was glad to accompany the king on his northward
+march, for there was no probability of any very active service in
+Bavaria, and it was certain that a desperate battle would be fought
+when Gustavus and Wallenstein met face to face in the open field.
+
+At Erfurt Gustavus was joined by Duke Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar with
+his force, which raised his army to a strength of 20,000. The news
+of his approach had again revived the courage of the Elector of
+Saxony, who had occupied the only towns where the Elbe could be
+crossed, Dresden, Torgau, and Wittenberg -- he himself, with his
+main army of 15,000 men, lying at Torgau. From him Gustavus learned
+that the Imperial army was divided into three chief corps -- that
+of Wallenstein 12,000 strong, that of Pappenheim 10,000, those of
+Gallas and Holk united 16,000, making a total of 38,000 men.
+
+So great was the speed with which Gustavus had marched to Erfurt that
+Wallenstein had received no notice of his approach; and believing
+that for some time to come he should meet with no serious opposition,
+he had on the very day after the Swedes reached Erfurt despatched
+Gallas with 12,000 men into Bohemia. A division of his troops was at
+the same time threatening Naumburg, whose possession would enable
+him to block the only easy road with which Gustavus could enter
+the country held by him.
+
+But Gustavus at Erfurt learned that Naumburg had not yet fallen,
+and marching with great rapidity reached the neighbourhood of that
+town before the Imperialists were aware that he had quitted Erfurt,
+and cutting up a small detachment of the enemy who lay in his way,
+entered the town and at once began to intrench it.  Wallenstein first
+learned from the fugitives of the beaten detachment that Gustavus
+had arrived at Naumburg, but as his own position lay almost centrally
+between Naumburg and Torgau, so long as he could prevent the Swedes
+and Saxons from uniting, he felt safe; for although together they
+would outnumber him, he was superior in strength to either if
+alone. The Imperialist general believed that Gustavus intended to
+pass the winter at Naumburg, and he had therefore no fear of an
+immediate attack.
+
+In order to extend the area from which he could draw his supplies
+Wallenstein despatched Pappenheim to secure the fortress of Halle;
+for although that town had been captured the fortress held out,
+and barred the main road to the north. From Halle Pappenheim was
+to proceed to the relief of Cologne, which was menaced by the enemy.
+
+Having done this, Wallenstein withdrew from the line of the Saale
+and prepared to distribute his army in winter quarters in the towns
+of the district, he himself with a portion of the force occupying
+the little town of Lutzen. But Gustavus had no idea of taking up his
+quarters for the winter at Naumburg; and he proposed to the Elector
+of Saxony that if he would march to Eilenberg, midway to Leipzig,
+he himself would make a detour to the south round Wallenstein's
+position and join him there. Without waiting to receive the answer
+of the elector, Gustavus, leaving a garrison in Naumburg, set out
+at one o'clock in the morning on the 5th of November on his march;
+but before he had proceeded nine miles he learned from a number
+of gentlemen and peasants favourable to the cause that Pappenheim
+had started for Halle, that the remainder of the Imperial army lay
+dispersed among the towns and villages of the neighbourhood, and
+that Wallenstein himself was at Lutzen.
+
+Gustavus called his generals together and informed them of the
+news. Learning that Lutzen was but five miles distant -- as it
+turned out, a mistaken piece of information, as it was nearly twice
+as far -- he ordered that the men should take some food, and then
+wheeling to the left, push on towards Lutzen.
+
+It was not until some time later that Wallenstein learned from the
+Imperial scouts that Gustavus was upon him. It was then nearly five
+o'clock in the evening, and darkness was at hand. Considering the
+heavy state of the roads, and the fact that Gustavus would have in
+the last three miles of his march to traverse a morass crossed by
+a bridge over which only two persons could pass abreast, he felt
+confident that the attack could not be made until the following
+morning.
+
+Mounted messengers were sent in all directions to bring up his troops
+from the villages in which they were posted, and in the meantime
+the troops stationed around Lutzen were employed in preparing
+obstacles to hinder the advance of the Swedes. On either side of
+the roads was a low swampy country intersected with ditches, and
+Wallenstein at once set his men to work to widen and deepen these
+ditches, which the troops as they arrived on the ground were to
+occupy. All night the troops laboured at this task.
+
+In the meantime Gustavus had found the distance longer and the
+difficulties greater than he had anticipated; the roads were so
+heavy that it was with difficulty that the artillery and ammunition
+wagons could be dragged along them, and the delay caused by the
+passage of the morass was very great.
+
+Indeed the passage would have been scarcely possible had the men
+of an Imperial regiment of cuirassiers and a battalion of Croats,
+who were posted in a village on the further side of the morass,
+defended it; but instead of doing so they fell back to an eminence
+in the rear of the village, and remained there quietly until, just
+as the sun set, the whole Swedish army got across. The cuirassiers
+and Croats were at once attacked and put to flight; but as darkness
+was now at hand it was impossible for Gustavus to make any further
+advance, and the army was ordered to bivouac as it stood.  The
+state of the roads had defeated the plans of Gustavus.  Instead
+of taking the enemy by surprise, as he had hoped, and falling upon
+them scattered and disunited, the delays which had occurred had
+given Wallenstein time to bring up all his forces, and at daybreak
+Gustavus would be confronted by a force nearly equal to his own,
+and occupying a position very strongly defended by natural obstacles.
+
+Before the day was won, Pappenheim, for whom Wallenstein would
+have sent as soon as he heard of the Swedish advance, might be on
+the field, and in that case the Imperialists would not only have the
+advantage of position but also that of numbers. It was an anxious
+night, and Gustavus spent the greater part of it in conversation
+with his generals, especially Kniphausen and Duke Bernhard.
+
+The former strongly urged that the army should repass the morass
+and march, as originally intended, to effect a junction with the
+Saxons. He pointed out that the troops were fatigued with their
+long and weary march during the day, and would have to fight without
+food, as it had been found impossible to bring up the wagons with
+the supplies; he particularly urged the point that Pappenheim would
+arrive on the field before the victory could be won. But Gustavus
+was of opinion that the disadvantages of retreat were greater than
+those of action. The troops, hungry, weary, and dispirited, would
+be attacked as they retired, and he believed that by beginning the
+action early the Imperialists could be defeated before Pappenheim
+could return from Halle.
+
+Gustavus proposed to move forward at two o'clock in the morning;
+but fate was upon this occasion against the great Swedish leader.
+Just as on the previous day the expected length of the march
+and the heavy state of the roads had prevented him from crushing
+Wallenstein's scattered army, so now a thick fog springing up, making
+the night so dark that a soldier could not see the man standing
+next to him, prevented the possibility of movement, and instead of
+marching at two o'clock in the morning it was nine before the sun
+cleared away the fog sufficiently to enable the army to advance.
+Then, after addressing a few stirring words to his men, Gustavus
+ordered the advance towards Chursitz, the village in front of them.
+
+The king himself led the right wing, consisting of six regiments
+of Swedes, supported by musketeers intermingled with cavalry. The
+left, composed of cavalry and infantry intermixed, was commanded by
+Duke Bernhard. The centre, consisting of four brigades of infantry
+supported by the Scottish regiments under Henderson, was commanded
+by Nicholas Brahe, Count of Weissenburg.
+
+The reserves behind each of these divisions were formed entirely
+of cavalry, commanded on the right by Bulach, in the centre by
+Kniphausen, and on the left by Ernest, Prince of Anhalt. The field
+pieces, twenty in number, were disposed to the best advantage between
+the wings. Franz Albert of Lauenburg, who had joined the army the
+day before, rode by the king. A short halt was made at Chursitz,
+where the baggage was left behind, and the army then advanced
+against the Imperialists, who at once opened fire.
+
+Wallenstein had posted his left so as to be covered by a canal,
+while his right was protected by the village of Lutzen.  On some
+rising ground to the left of that village, where there were several
+windmills, he planted fourteen small pieces of cannon, while
+to support his front, which was composed of the musketeers in the
+ditches on either side of the road, he planted a battery of seven
+heavy pieces of artillery.
+
+The main body of his infantry he formed into four massive brigades,
+which were flanked on both sides by musketeers intermixed with
+cavalry. Count Coloredo commanded on the left, Holk on the right,
+Terzky in the centre.
+
+As the Swedish army advanced beyond Chursitz the seven heavy pieces
+of artillery on the side of the road opened upon them, doing much
+execution, while their own lighter guns could not reply effectively.
+The Swedes pressed forward to come to close quarters. The left
+wing, led by Duke Bernhard, was the first to arrive upon the scene
+of action.  Gallantly led by the duke his men forced the ditches,
+cleared the road, charged the deadly battery, killed or drove away
+the gunners, and rushed with fury on the Imperialist right.
+
+Holk, a resolute commander, tried in vain to stem the assault;
+the ardour of the Swedes was irresistible, and they scattered, one
+after the other, his three brigades. The battle seemed already lost
+when Wallenstein himself took his place at the head of the fourth
+brigade, and fell upon the Swedes, who were disordered by the
+rapidity and ardour of their charge, while at the same moment he
+launched three regiments of cavalry on their flanks.
+
+The Swedes fought heroically but in vain; step by step they were
+driven back, the battery was recaptured, and the guns, which in the
+excitement of the advance the captors had omitted to spike, were
+retaken by the Imperialists.
+
+In the meantime on the right the king had also forced the road,
+and had driven from the field the Croats and Poles opposed to him,
+and he was on the point of wheeling his troops to fall on the flank
+of the Imperialist centre when one of Duke Bernhard's aides-de-camp
+dashed up with the news that the left wing had fallen back broken
+and in disorder.
+
+Leaving to Count Stalhaus to continue to press the enemy, Gustavus,
+accompanied by his staff, rode at full gallop to the left at the
+head of Steinboch's regiment of dragoons.  Arrived on the spot
+he dashed to the front at a point where his men had not yet been
+forced back across the road, and riding among them roused them to
+fresh exertions. By his side were Franz Albert of Lauenberg and a few
+other followers. But his pace had been so furious that Steinboch's
+dragoons had not yet arrived. As he urged on his broken men
+Gustavus was struck in the shoulder by a musketball.  He reeled in
+his saddle, but exclaimed, "It is nothing," and ordered them to
+charge the enemy with the dragoons.  Malcolm Graheme and others
+on his staff hesitated, but the king exclaimed, "Ride all, the
+duke will see to me." The cavalry dashed forward, and the king,
+accompanied only by Franz Albert, Duke of Lauenberg, turned to leave
+the field, but he had scarcely moved a few paces when he received
+another shot in the back. Calling out to Franz Albert that it was
+all over with him, the mortally wounded king fell to the ground.
+
+Franz Albert, believing the battle lost, galloped away; the king's
+page alone remained with the dying man.  A minute later three
+Austrian cuirassiers rode up, and demanded the name of the dying
+man. The page Leubelfing refused to give it, and firing their pistols
+at him they stretched him mortally wounded beside the dying king.
+Gustavus then, but with difficulty, said who he was. The troopers
+leapt from their horses and stripped his rich armour from him, and
+then, as they saw Steinboch's dragoons returning from their charge,
+they placed their pistols close to the king's head and fired, and
+then leaping on their horses fled.
+
+Great was the grief when Malcolm, happening to ride near the body,
+recognized it as that of the king. An instant later a regiment of
+Imperialist cavalry charged down, and a furious fight took place
+for some minutes over the king's body. It was, however, at last
+carried off by the Swedes, so disfigured by wounds and by the
+trampling of the horses in the fray as to be unrecognizable.
+
+The news of the fall of their king, which spread rapidly through
+the ranks, so far from discouraging the Swedes, inspired them with
+a desperate determination to avenge his death, and burning with fury
+they advanced against the enemy, yet preserving the most perfect
+steadiness and order in their ranks.
+
+In vain did Wallenstein and his officers strive to stem the attack of
+the left wing, their bravery and skill availed nothing to arrest
+that furious charge. Regiment after regiment who strove to bar their
+way were swept aside, the guns near the windmills were captured
+and turned against the enemy. Step by step the Imperial right wing
+was forced back, and the centre was assailed in flank by the guns
+from the rising ground, while Stalhaus with the right wing of the
+Swedes attacked them on their left.
+
+Hopeless of victory the Imperialist centre was giving way, when the
+explosion of one of their powder wagons still further shook them.
+Attacked on both flanks and in front the Imperialist centre wavered,
+and in a few minutes would have been in full flight. The Swedish
+victory seemed assured, when a mighty trampling of horse was heard,
+and emerging from the smoke Pappenheim with eight regiments of
+Imperial cavalry dashed into the fray.
+
+Pappenheim had already captured the citadel of Halle when Wallenstein's
+messenger reached him. To wait until his infantry, who were engaged
+in plundering, could be collected, and then to proceed at their
+pace to the field of battle, would be to arrive too late to be of
+service, and Pappenheim instantly placed himself at the head of
+his eight regiments of magnificent cavalry, and galloped at full
+speed to the battlefield eighteen miles distant. On the way he
+met large numbers of flying Poles and Croats, the remnants of the
+Austrian left, who had been driven from the field by Gustavus; these
+he rallied, and with them dashed upon the troops of Stalhaus who
+were pursuing them, and forced them backward. The relief afforded
+to the Imperialists by this opportune arrival was immense, and
+leaving Pappenheim to deal with the Swedish right, Wallenstein
+rallied his own right on the centre, and opposed a fresh front to
+the advancing troops of Duke Bernhard and Kniphausen.  Inspirited
+by the arrival of the reinforcements, and burning to turn what had
+just appeared a defeat into a victory, the Imperialists advanced
+with such ardour that the Swedes were driven back, the guns on
+the hills recaptured, and it seemed that in this terrible battle
+victory was at last to declare itself in favour of the Imperialists.
+
+It needed only the return of Pappenheim from the pursuit of the
+Swedish right to decide the day, but Pappenheim was not to come.
+Though driven back by the first impetuous charge of the Imperial
+cavalry, the Swedes under Stalhaus, reinforced by the Scottish
+regiments under Henderson, stubbornly opposed their further attacks.
+
+While leading his men forward Pappenheim fell with two musketballs
+through his body. While lying there the rumour for the first time
+reached him that Gustavus had been killed. When upon inquiry the
+truth of the rumour was confirmed, the eyes of the dying man lighted
+up.
+
+"Tell Wallenstein," he said to the officer nearest to him, "that I
+am lying here without hope of life, but I die gladly, knowing, as
+I now know, that the irreconcilable enemy of my faith has fallen
+on the same day."
+
+The Imperialists, discouraged by the fall of their general, could
+not withstand the ardour with which the Swedes and Scottish infantry
+attacked them, and the cavalry rode from the field. Elsewhere the
+battle was still raging.  Wallenstein's right and centre had driven
+Count Bernhard, the Duke of Brahe, and Kniphausen across that
+desperately contested road, but beyond this they could not force
+them, so stubbornly and desperately did they fight. But Stalhaus
+and his men, refreshed and invigorated by their victory over
+Pappenheim's force, again came up and took their part in the fight.
+Wallenstein had no longer a hope of victory, he fought now only to
+avoid defeat. The sun had already set, and if he could but maintain
+his position for another half hour darkness would save his army.
+
+He fell back across the road again, fighting stubbornly and in good
+order, and extending his line to the left to prevent Stalhaus from
+turning his flank; and in this order the terrible struggle continued
+till nightfall.  Both sides fought with splendid bravery. The
+Swedes, eager for the victory once again apparently within their
+grasp, pressed on with fury, while the Imperialists opposed them
+with the most stubborn obstinacy.
+
+Seven times did Piccolomini charge with his cavalry upon the advancing
+Swedes. Seven times was his horse shot under him, but remounting
+each time, he drew off his men in good order, and in readiness to
+dash forward again at the first opportunity. The other Imperialist
+generals fought with equal courage and coolness, while Wallenstein,
+present wherever the danger was thickest, animated all by his
+courage and coolness. Though forced step by step to retire, the
+Imperialists never lost their formation, never turned their backs
+to the foe; and thus the fight went on till the darkness gathered
+thicker and thicker, the combatants could no longer see each other,
+and the desperate battle came to an end.
+
+In the darkness, Wallenstein drew off his army and fell back to
+Leipzig, leaving behind him his colours and all his guns. In thus
+doing he threw away the opportunity of turning what his retreat
+acknowledged to be a defeat into a victory on the following
+morning, for scarcely had he left the field when the six regiments
+of Pappenheim's infantry arrived from Halle. Had he held his ground
+he could have renewed the battle in the morning, with the best
+prospects of success, for the struggle of the preceding day had
+been little more than a drawn battle, and the accessions of fresh
+troops should have given him a decided advantage over the weary
+Swedes.  The newcomers, finding the field deserted, and learning from
+the wounded lying thickly over it that Wallenstein had retreated,
+at once marched away.
+
+In the Swedish camp there was no assurance whatever that a victory
+had been gained, for nightfall had fallen on the Imperialists
+fighting as stubbornly as ever. The loss of the king, the master
+spirit of the war, dispirited and discouraged them, and Duke Bernhard
+and Kniphausen held in the darkness an anxious consultation as to
+whether the army should not at once retreat to Weissenburg. The
+plan was not carried out, only because it was considered that it
+was impracticable -- as the army would be exposed to destruction
+should the Imperialists fall upon them while crossing the terrible
+morass in their rear.
+
+The morning showed them that the Imperialists had disappeared,
+and that the mighty struggle had indeed been a victory for them --
+a victory won rather by the superior stubbornness with which the
+Swedish generals held their ground during the night, while Wallenstein
+fell back, than to the splendid courage with which the troops had
+fought on the preceding day. But better far would it have been
+for the cause which the Swedes championed, that they should have
+been driven a defeated host from the field of Lutzen, than that
+they should have gained a barren victory at the cost of the life
+of their gallant monarch -- the soul of the struggle, the hope of
+Protestantism, the guiding spirit of the coalition against Catholicism
+as represented by Ferdinand of Austria.
+
+The losses in the battle were about equal, no less than 9000
+having fallen upon each side -- a proportion without precedent in
+any battle of modern times, and testifying to the obstinacy and
+valour with which on both sides the struggle was maintained from
+early morning until night alone terminated it.
+
+It is said, indeed, that every man, both of the yellow regiments
+of Swedish guards and of the blue regiments, composed entirely of
+English and Scotchmen, lay dead on the field. On both sides many
+men of high rank were killed.  On the Swedish side, besides Gustavus
+himself, fell Count Milo, the Count of Brahe, General Uslar,
+Ernest Prince of Anhalt, and Colonels Gersdorf and Wildessein. On
+the Imperialist side Pappenheim, Schenk, Prince and Abbot of Fulda,
+Count Berthold Wallenstein, General Brenner, Issolani, general of
+the Croats, and six colonels were killed.  Piccolomini received
+ten wounds, but none of them were mortal.
+
+Holk was severely wounded, and, indeed, so close and desperate
+was the conflict, that it is said there was scarcely a man in the
+Imperial army who escaped altogether without a wound.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII WOUNDED
+
+
+A controversy, which has never been cleared up, has long raged as
+to the death of Gustavus of Sweden; but the weight of evidence is
+strongly in favour of those who affirm that he received his fatal
+wound, that in the back, at the hand of Franz Albert of Lauenburg. The
+circumstantial evidence is, indeed, almost overwhelming. By birth
+the duke was the youngest of four sons of Franz II, Duke of Lauenburg.
+On his mother's side he was related to the Swedish royal family,
+and in his youth lived for some time at the court of Stockholm.
+
+Owing to some impertinent remarks in reference to Gustavus he fell
+into disfavour with the queen, and had to leave Sweden. On attaining
+manhood he professed the Catholic faith, entered the Imperial army,
+obtained the command of a regiment, attached himself with much
+devotion to Wallenstein, and gained the confidence of that general.
+While the negotiations between the emperor and Wallenstein were
+pending Franz Albert was employed by the latter in endeavouring to
+bring about a secret understanding with the court of Dresden.
+
+When Gustavus was blockaded in Nuremberg by Wallenstein Franz
+Albert left the camp of the latter and presented himself in that
+of Gustavus as a convert to the Reformed Religion and anxious to
+serve as a volunteer under him. No quarrel or disagreement had, so
+far as is known, taken place between him and Wallenstein, nor has
+any explanation ever been given for such an extraordinary change
+of sides, made, too, at a moment when it seemed that Gustavus was
+in a position almost desperate. By his profession of religious
+zeal he managed to win the king's heart, but Oxenstiern, when he
+saw him, entertained a profound distrust of him, and even warned
+the king against putting confidence in this sudden convert.
+
+Gustavus, however, naturally frank and open in disposition, could
+not believe that treachery was intended, and continued to treat him
+with kindness. After the assault made by Gustavus upon Wallenstein's
+position Franz Albert quitted his camp, saying that he was desirous
+of raising some troops for his service in his father's territory.
+He rejoined him, however, with only his personal followers, on the
+very day before the battle of Lutzen, and was received by Gustavus
+with great cordiality, although the absence of his retainers
+increased the general doubts as to his sincerity.
+
+He was by the king's side when Gustavus received his first wound.
+He was riding close behind him when the king received his second
+and fatal wound in the back, and the moment the king had fallen
+he rode away from the field, and it is asserted that it was he who
+brought the news of the king's death to Wallenstein.
+
+Very soon after the battle he exchanged the Swedish service for
+the Saxon, and some eighteen months later he re-embraced the Roman
+Catholic faith and re-entered the Imperial army.
+
+A stronger case of circumstantial evidence could hardly be put
+together, and it would certainly seem as if Lauenburg had entered
+the Swedish service with the intention of murdering the king. That
+he did not carry out his purpose during the attack on the Altenburg
+was perhaps due to the fact that Gustavus may not have been in such
+a position as to afford him an opportunity of doing so with safety
+to himself.
+
+It is certainly curious that after that fight he should have absented
+himself, and only rejoined on the eve of the battle of Lutzen.
+The only piece of evidence in his favour is that of Truchsess, a
+chamberlain of the king, who, affirmed that he saw the fatal shot
+fired at a distance of ten paces from the king by an Imperial
+officer, Lieutenant General Falkenberg, who at once turned and
+fled, but was pursued and cut down by Luckau, master of horse of
+Franz Albert.
+
+The general opinion of contemporary writers is certainly to the
+effect that the King of Sweden was murdered by Franz Albert; but
+the absolute facts must ever remain in doubt.
+
+On the morning after the battle Wallenstein, having been joined
+by Pappenheim's infantry, sent a division of Croats back to the
+battlefield to take possession of it should they find that the
+Swedes had retired; but on their report that they still held the
+ground he retired at once from Leipzig, and, evacuating Saxony,
+marched into Bohemia, leaving the Swedes free to accomplish their
+junction with the army of the Elector, thus gaining the object for
+which they had fought at Lutzen.
+
+After the death of the king, Malcolm Graheme, full of grief and
+rage at the loss of the monarch who was loved by all his troops,
+and had treated him with special kindness, joined the soldiers
+of Duke Bernhard, and took part in the charge which swept back
+the Imperialists and captured the cannon on the hill. At the very
+commencement of the struggle his horse fell dead under him, and he
+fought on foot among the Swedish infantry; but when the arrival of
+Pappenheim on the field enabled the Imperialists again to assume
+the offensive, Malcolm, having picked up a pike from the hands
+of a dead soldier, fought shoulder to shoulder in the ranks as
+the Swedes, contesting stubbornly every foot of the ground, were
+gradually driven back towards the road.
+
+Suddenly a shot struck him; he reeled backwards a few feet, strove
+to steady himself and to level his pike, and then all consciousness
+left him, and he fell prostrate. Again and again, as the fortune
+of the desperate fray wavered one way or the other, did friend and
+foe pass over the place where he lay.
+
+So thickly strewn was the field with dead that the combatants in
+their desperate struggle had long ceased to pick their way over
+the fallen, but trampled ruthlessly upon and over them as, hoarsely
+shouting their battle cry, they either pressed forward after the
+slowly retreating foe or with obstinate bravery strove to resist
+the charges of the enemy.  When Malcolm recovered his consciousness
+all was still, save that here and there a faint moan was heard from
+others who like himself lay wounded on the battlefield. The night
+was intensely dark, and Malcolm's first sensation was that of bitter
+cold.
+
+It was indeed freezing severely, and great numbers of the wounded
+who might otherwise have survived were frozen to death before morning;
+but a few, and among these were Malcolm, were saved by the frost.
+Although unconscious of the fact, he had been wounded in two places.
+The first ball had penetrated his breastpiece and had entered his
+body, and a few seconds later another ball had struck him in the
+arm. It was the first wound which had caused his insensibility;
+but from the second, which had severed one of the principal veins
+in the arm, he would have bled to death had it not been for the
+effects of the cold. For a time the life blood had flowed steadily
+away; but as the cold increased it froze and stiffened on his
+jerkin, and at last the wound was staunched.
+
+It was none too soon, for before it ceased to flow Malcolm had lost a
+vast quantity of blood. It was hours before nature recovered from
+the drain. Gradually and slowly he awoke from his swoon. It was
+some time before he realized where he was and what had happened,
+then gradually his recollection of the fight returned to him.
+
+"I remember now," he murmured to himself, "I was fighting with the
+Swedish infantry when a shot struck me in the body, I think, for I
+seemed to feel a sudden pain like a red hot iron. Who won the day,
+I wonder?  How bitterly cold it is! I feel as if I were freezing
+to death."
+
+So faint and stiff was he, partly from loss of blood, partly from
+being bruised from head to foot by being trampled on again and
+again as the ranks of the combatants swept over him, that it was
+some time before he was capable of making the slightest movement.
+His left arm was, he found, entirely useless; it was indeed firmly
+frozen to the ground; but after some difficulty he succeeded in
+moving his right, and felt for the flask which had hung from his
+girdle.
+
+So frozen and stiff were his fingers that he was unable to unbuckle
+the strap which fastened it; but, drawing his dagger, he at last
+cut through this, and removing the stopper of the flask, took a long
+draught of the wine with which it was filled. The relief which it
+afforded him was almost instantaneous, and he seemed to feel life
+again coursing in his veins.
+
+After a while he was sufficiently restored to be enabled to get
+from his havresack some bread and meat which he had placed there
+after finishing his breakfast on the previous morning. He ate a few
+mouthfuls, took another long draught of wine, and then felt that
+he could hope to hold on until morning. He was unable to rise even
+into a sitting position, nor would it have availed him had he been
+able to walk, for he knew not where the armies were lying, nor could
+he have proceeded a yard in any direction without falling over the
+bodies which so thickly strewed the ground around him.
+
+Though in fact it wanted but two hours of daylight when he recovered
+consciousness, the time appeared interminable; but at last, to his
+delight, a faint gleam of light spread across the sky. Stronger
+and stronger did it become until the day was fairly broken. It was
+another hour before he heard voices approaching.  Almost holding
+his breath he listened as they approached, and his heart gave a
+throb of delight as he heard that they were speaking in Swedish. A
+victory had been won, then, for had it not been so, it would have
+been the Imperialists, not the Swedes, who would have been searching
+the field of battle.
+
+"There are but few alive," one voice said, "the cold has finished
+the work which the enemy began."
+
+Malcolm, unable to rise, lifted his arm and held it erect to call
+the attention of the searchers; it was quickly observed.
+
+"There is some one still alive," the soldier exclaimed, "an officer,
+too; by his scarf and feathers he belongs to the Green Brigade."
+
+"These Scotchmen are as hard as iron," another voice said; "come,
+bring a stretcher along."
+
+They were soon by the side of Malcolm.
+
+"Drink this, sir," one said, kneeling beside him and placing a flask
+of spirits to his lips; "that will warm your blood, I warrant, and
+you must be well nigh frozen."
+
+Malcolm took a few gulps at the potent liquor, then he had strength
+to say:
+
+"There is something the matter with my left arm, I can't move it,
+and I think I am hit in the body."
+
+"You are hit in the body, sure enough," the man said, "for there
+is a bullet hole through your cuirass, and your jerkin below it
+is all stained with blood. You have been hit in the left arm too,
+and the blood is frozen to the ground; but we will soon free that
+for you. But before trying to do that we will cut open the sleeve
+of your jerkin and bandage your arm, or the movement may set it
+off bleeding again, and you have lost a pool of blood already."
+
+Very carefully the soldiers did their work, and then placing Malcolm
+on the stretcher carried him away to the camp. Here the surgeons
+were all hard at work attending to the wounded who were brought
+in. They had already been busy all night, as those whose hurts had
+not actually disabled them found their way into the camp. As he was
+a Scotch officer he was carried to the lines occupied by Colonel
+Henderson with his Scotch brigade. He was known to many of the
+officers personally, and no time was lost in attending to him.  He
+was nearly unconscious again by the time that he reached the camp,
+for the movement had caused the wound in his body to break out
+afresh.
+
+His armour was at once unbuckled, and his clothes having been cut
+the surgeons proceeded to examine his wounds. They shook their heads
+as they did so. Passing a probe into the wound they found that the
+ball, breaking one of the ribs in its course, had gone straight
+on. They turned him gently over.
+
+"Here it is," the surgeon said, producing a flattened bullet. The
+missile indeed had passed right through the body and had flattened
+against the back piece, which its force was too far spent to
+penetrate.
+
+"Is the case hopeless, doctor?" one of the officers who was looking
+on asked.
+
+"It is well nigh hopeless," the doctor said, "but it is just
+possible that it has not touched any vital part. The lad is young,
+and I judge that he has not ruined his constitution, as most of
+you have done, by hard drinking, so that there is just a chance
+for him. There is nothing for me to do but to put a piece of lint
+over the two holes, bandage it firmly, and leave it to nature. Now
+let me look at his arm.
+
+"Ah!" he went on as he examined the wound, "he has had a narrow
+escape here. The ball has cut a vein and missed the principal artery
+by an eighth of an inch. If that had been cut he would have bled
+to death in five minutes.  Evidently the lad has luck on his side,
+and I begin to think we may save him if we can only keep him quiet."
+
+At the earnest request of the surgeons tents were brought up and a
+hospital established on some rising ground near the field of battle
+for the serious cases among the wounded, and when the army marched
+away to join the Saxons at Leipzig a brigade was left encamped
+around the hospital.
+
+Here for three weeks Malcolm lay between life and death. The quantity
+of blood he had lost was greatly in his favour, as it diminished
+the risk of inflammation, while his vigorous constitution and the
+life of fatigue and activity which he had led greatly strengthened
+his power. By a miracle the bullet in its passage had passed
+through without injuring any of the vital parts; and though his
+convalescence was slow it was steady, and even at the end of the
+first week the surgeons were able to pronounce a confident opinion
+that he would get over it.
+
+But it was not until the end of the month that he was allowed to
+move from his recumbent position. A week later and he was able to
+sit up. On the following day, to his surprise, the Count of Mansfeld
+strode into his tent.
+
+"Ah! my young friend," he exclaimed, "I am glad indeed to see you
+so far recovered. I came to Leipzig with the countess and my daughter;
+for Leipzig at present is the centre where all sorts of political
+combinations are seething as in a cooking pot. It is enough to make
+one sick of humanity and ashamed of one's country when one sees
+the greed which is displayed by every one, from the highest of the
+princes down to petty nobles who can scarce set twenty men in the
+field.
+
+"Each and all are struggling to make terms by which he may better
+himself, and may add a province or an acre, as the case may be,
+to his patrimony at the expense of his neighbours. Truly I wonder
+that the noble Oxenstiern, who represents Sweden, does not call
+together the generals and troops of that country from all parts
+and march away northward, leaving these greedy princes and nobles
+to fight their own battles, and make the best terms they may with
+their Imperial master.
+
+"But there, all that does not interest you at present; but I am so
+full of spleen and disgust that I could not help letting it out. We
+arrived there a week since, and of course one of our first inquiries
+was for you, and we heard to our grief that the Imperialists had
+shot one of their bullets through your body and another through your
+arm. This, of course, would have been sufficient for any ordinary
+carcass; but I knew my Scotchman, and was not surprised when they
+told me you were mending fast.
+
+"I had speech yesterday with an officer who had ridden over
+from this camp, and he told me that the doctors said you were now
+convalescent, but would need repose and quiet for some time before
+you could again buckle on armour. The countess, when I told her,
+said at once, 'Then we will take him away back with us to Mansfeld.'
+Thekla clapped her hands and said, `That will be capital! we will
+look after him, and he shall tell us stories about the wars.'
+
+"So the thing was settled at once. I have brought over with me a
+horse litter, and have seen your surgeon, who says that although it
+will be some weeks before you can sit on a horse without the risk
+of your wound bursting out internally, there is no objection to
+your progression in a litter by easy stages; so that is settled,
+and the doctor will write to your colonel saying that it will be
+some months before you are fit for duty, and that he has therefore
+ordered you change and quiet.
+
+"You need not be afraid of neglecting your duty or of getting out
+of the way of risking your life in harebrained ventures, for there
+will be no fighting till the spring.  Everyone is negotiating at
+present, and you will be back with your regiment before fighting
+begins again. Well, what do you say?"
+
+"I thank you, indeed," Malcolm replied. "It will of all things be
+the most pleasant; the doctor has told me that I shall not be fit
+for duty until the spring, and I have been wondering how ever I
+should be able to pass the time until then."
+
+"Then we will be off without a minute's delay," the count said.
+"I sent off the litter last night and started myself at daybreak,
+promising the countess to be back with you ere nightfall, so we
+have no time to lose."
+
+The news soon spread that Malcolm Graheme was about to leave the
+camp, and many of the Scottish officers came in to say adieu to
+him; but time pressed, and half an hour after the arrival of the
+count he started for Leipzig with Malcolm in a litter swung between
+two horses. As they travelled at a foot pace Malcolm did not find
+the journey uneasy, but the fresh air and motion soon made him
+drowsy, and he was fast asleep before he had left the camp an hour,
+and did not awake until the sound of the horses' hoofs on stone
+pavements told him that they were entering the town of Leipzig.
+
+A few minutes later he was lying on a couch in the comfortable
+apartments occupied by the count, while the countess with her own
+hands was administering refreshments to him, and Thekla was looking
+timidly on, scarce able to believe that this pale and helpless
+invalid was the stalwart young Scottish soldier of whose adventures
+she was never weary of talking.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX A PAUSE IN HOSTILITIES
+
+
+Never had Malcolm Graheme spent a more pleasant time than the two
+months which he passed at Mansfeld. Travelling by very easy stages
+there he was so far convalescent upon his arrival that he was able
+to move about freely and could soon ride on horseback. For the time
+the neighbourhood of Mansfeld was undisturbed by the peasants or
+combatants on either side, and the count had acted with such vigour
+against any parties of brigands and marauders who might approach
+the vicinity of Mansfeld, or the country under his control, that
+a greater security of life and property existed than in most other
+parts of Germany. The ravages made by war were speedily effaced,
+and although the peasants carried on their operations in the fields
+without any surety as to who would gather the crops, they worked
+free from the harassing tyranny of the petty bands of robbers.
+
+As soon as he was strong enough Malcolm rode with the count on his
+visits to the different parts of his estates, joined in several
+parties got up to hunt the boar in the hills, or to make war on a small
+scale against the wolves which, since the outbreak of the troubles,
+had vastly increased in number, committing great depredations upon
+the flocks and herds, and rendering it dangerous for the peasants
+to move between their villages except in strong parties.
+
+The evenings were passed pleasantly and quietly. The countess would
+read aloud or would play on the zither, with which instrument she
+would accompany herself while she sang. Thekla would sit at her
+embroidery and would chat merrily to Malcolm, and ask many questions
+about Scotland and the life which the ladies led in that, as she
+asserted, "cold and desolate country." Sometimes the count's chaplain
+would be present and would gravely discuss theological questions
+with the count, wearying Malcolm and Thekla so excessively, that
+they would slip away from the others and play checkers or cards
+on a little table in a deep oriel window where their low talk and
+laughter did not disturb the discussions of their elders.
+
+Once Malcolm was absent for two days on a visit to the village
+in the mountains he had so much aided in defending.  Here he was
+joyfully received, and was glad to find that war had not penetrated
+to the quiet valley, and that prosperity still reigned there.
+Malcolm lingered at Mansfeld for some time after he felt that his
+strength was sufficiently restored to enable him to rejoin his
+regiment; but he knew that until the spring commenced no great
+movement of troops would take place, and he was so happy with his
+kind friends, who treated him completely as one of the family, that
+he was loath indeed to tear himself away. At last he felt that he
+could no longer delay, and neither the assurances of the count that
+the Protestant cause could dispense with his doughty services for
+a few weeks longer, or the tears of Thekla and her insistance that
+he could not care for them or he would not be in such a hurry to
+leave, could detain him longer, and mounting a horse with which
+the count had presented him he rode away to rejoin his regiment.
+
+No military movements of importance had taken place subsequent
+to the battle of Lutzen. Oxenstiern had laboured night and day to
+repair as far as possible the effects of the death of Gustavus. He
+had been left by the will of the king regent of Sweden until the
+king's daughter, now a child of six years old, came of age, and he
+at once assumed the supreme direction of affairs. It was essential
+to revive the drooping courage of the weaker states, to meet the
+secret machinations of the enemy, to allay the jealousy of the more
+powerful allies, to arouse the friendly powers, France in particular,
+to active assistance, and above all to repair the ruined edifice
+of the German alliance and to reunite the scattered strength of
+the party by a close and permanent bond of union.
+
+Had the emperor at this moment acted wisely Oxenstiern's efforts
+would have been in vain. Wallenstein, farseeing and broad minded,
+saw the proper course to pursue, and strongly urged upon the emperor
+the advisability of declaring a universal amnesty, and of offering
+favourable conditions to the Protestant princes, who, dismayed at
+the loss of their great champion, would gladly accept any proposals
+which would ensure the religious liberty for which they had fought;
+but the emperor, blinded by this unexpected turn of fortune and
+infatuated by Spanish counsels, now looked to a complete triumph
+and to enforce his absolute will upon the whole of Germany.
+
+Instead, therefore, of listening to the wise counsels of Wallenstein
+he hastened to augment his forces. Spain sent him considerable
+supplies, negotiated for him with the ever vacillating Elector of
+Saxony, and levied troops for him in Italy. The Elector of Bavaria
+increased his army, and the Duke of Lorraine prepared again to
+take part in the struggle which now seemed to offer him an easy
+opportunity of increasing his dominions.  For a time the Elector
+of Saxony, the Duke of Brunswick, and many others of the German
+princes wavered; but when they saw that Ferdinand, so far from
+being disposed to offer them favourable terms to detach them from
+the league, was preparing with greater vigour than ever to overwhelm
+them, they perceived that their interest was to remain faithful to
+their ally, and at a great meeting of princes and deputies held at
+Heilbronn the alliance was re-established on a firmer basis.
+
+Before, however, the solemn compact was ratified scarce one of the
+German princes and nobles but required of Oxenstiern the gratification
+of private greed and ambition, and each bargained for some possession
+either already wrested or to be afterwards taken from the enemy. To
+the Landgrave of Hesse the abbacies of Paderborn, Corvey, Munster,
+and Fulda were promised, to Duke Bernhard of Weimar the Franconian
+bishoprics, to the Duke of Wurtemburg the ecclesiastical domains
+and the Austrian counties lying within his territories, all to be
+held as fiefs of Sweden.
+
+Oxenstiern, an upright and conscientious man, was disgusted at
+the greed of these princes and nobles who professed to be warring
+solely in defence of their religious liberties, and he once
+exclaimed that he would have it entered in the Swedish archives as
+an everlasting memorial that a prince of the German empire made a
+request for such and such territory from a Swedish nobleman, and
+that the Swedish noble complied with the request by granting him
+German lands. However, the negotiations were at last completed, the
+Saxons marched towards Lusatia and Silesia to act in conjunction
+with Count Thurn against the Austrians in that quarter, a part of
+the Swedish army was led by the Duke of Weimar into Franconia, and
+the other by George, Duke of Brunswick, into Westphalia and Lower
+Saxony.
+
+When Gustavus had marched south from Ingolstadt on the news of
+Wallenstein's entry into Saxony he had left the Count Palatine of
+Birkenfeld and General Banner to maintain the Swedish conquests in
+Bavaria.  These generals had in the first instance pressed their
+conquests southward as far as Lake Constance; but towards the end
+of the year the Bavarian General Altringer pressed them with so
+powerful an army that Banner sent urgent requests to Horn to come
+to his assistance from Alsace, where he had been carrying all before
+him. Confiding his conquests to the Rhinegrave Otto Ludwig, Horn
+marched at the head of seven thousand men towards Swabia. Before
+he could join Banner, however, Altringer had forced the line of the
+Lech, and had received reinforcements strong enough to neutralize
+the aid brought to Banner by Horn.  Deeming it necessary above all
+things to bar the future progress of the enemy, Horn sent orders
+to Otto Ludwig to join him with all the troops still remaining in
+Alsace; but finding himself still unable to resist the advance of
+Altringer, he despatched an urgent request to Duke Bernhard, who
+had captured Bamberg and the strong places of Kronach and Hochstadt
+in Franconia, to come to his assistance. The duke at once quitted
+Bamberg and marched southward, swept a strong detachment of the
+Bavarian army under John of Werth from his path, and pressing on
+reached Donauwurth in March 1633.
+
+Malcolm had rejoined his regiment, which was with Duke Bernhard,
+just before it advanced from Bamberg and was received with a hearty
+welcome by his comrades, from whom he had been separated nine months,
+having quitted them three months before the battle of Lutzen.
+
+The officers were full of hope that Duke Bernhard was going to strike
+a great blow. Altringer was away on the shore of Lake Constance
+facing Horn, Wallenstein was in Bohemia.  Between Donauworth and
+Vienna were but the four strong places of Ingolstadt, Ratisbon,
+Passau, and Linz. Ingolstadt was, the duke knew, commanded by
+a traitor who was ready to surrender. Ratisbon had a Protestant
+population who were ready to open their gates. It seemed that the
+opportunity for ending the war by a march upon Vienna, which had
+been snatched by Wallenstein from Gustavus just when it appeared
+in his grasp, was now open to Duke Bernhard. But the duke was
+ambitious, his demands for Franconia had not yet been entirely
+complied with by Oxenstiern, and he saw an opportunity to obtain
+his own terms. The troops under his orders were discontented, owing
+to the fact that their pay was many months in arrear, and private
+agents of the duke fomented this feeling by assuring the men
+that their general was with them and would back their demands.
+Accordingly they refused to march further until their demands were
+fully satisfied. The Scotch regiments stood apart from the movement,
+though they too were equally in arrear with their pay. Munro and
+the officers of the Brigade chafed terribly at this untimely mutiny
+just when the way to Vienna appeared open to them. Duke Bernhard
+forwarded the demands of the soldiers to Oxenstiern, sending at
+the same time a demand on his own account, first that the territory
+of the Franconian bishoprics should at once be erected into a
+principality in his favour, and secondly, that he should be nominated
+commander-in-chief of all the armies fighting in Germany for the
+Protestant cause with the title of generalissimo.
+
+Oxenstiern was alarmed by the receipt of the mutinous demands of the
+troops on the Danube, and was disgusted when he saw those demands
+virtually supported by their general. His first thought was to
+dismiss Duke Bernhard from the Swedish service; but he saw that if
+he did so the disaffection might spread, and that the duke might
+place himself at the head of the malcontents and bring ruin upon
+the cause. He therefore agreed to bestow at once the Franconian
+bishoprics upon him, and gave a pledge that Sweden would defend
+him in that position.
+
+He declined to make him generalissimo of all the armies, but appointed
+him commander-in-chief of the forces south of the Maine. The duke
+accepted this modification, and had no difficulty in restoring
+order in the ranks of his army. But precious months had been wasted
+before this matter was brought to a conclusion, and the month of
+October arrived before the duke had completed all his preparations
+and was in a position to move forward.
+
+While the delays had been going on Altringer, having been joined
+by the army of the Duke of Feria, quitted the line of the Danube,
+in spite of Wallenstein's absolute order not to do so, and, evading
+Horn and Birkenfeldt, marched into Alsace. The Swedish generals,
+however, pressed hotly upon him, and finally drove him out of
+Alsace. Ratisbon being left open by Altringer's disobedience to
+Wallenstein's orders, Duke Bernhard marched upon that city without
+opposition, and laid siege to it. Maximilian of Bavaria was himself
+there with a force sufficient to defend the city had he been
+supported by the inhabitants; but a large majority of the people
+were Protestants, and, moreover, bitterly hated the Bavarians, who
+had suppressed their rights as a free city.
+
+Maximilian wrote urgently to the emperor and to Wallenstein, pledging
+himself to maintain Ratisbon if he could receive a reinforcement
+of 5000 men. The emperor was powerless; he had not the men to
+send, but he despatched to Wallenstein, one after another, seven
+messengers, urging him at all hazards to prevent the fall of so
+important a place. Wallenstein replied to the order that he would
+do all in his power, and in presence of the messengers ordered the
+Count of Gallas to march with 12,000 men on Ratisbon, but privately
+furnished the general with absolute orders, forbidding him on any
+account to do anything which might bring on an action with the
+duke.
+
+Wallenstein's motives in so acting were, as he afterwards assured
+the emperor, that he was not strong enough to divide his army, and
+that he could best cover Vienna by maintaining a strong position
+in Bohemia, a policy which was afterwards justified by the event.
+Ratisbon resisted for a short time; but, finding that the promised
+relief did not arrive, it capitulated on the 5th of November,
+Maximilian having left the town before the surrender.
+
+The duke now pushed on towards Vienna, and captured Straubing and
+Plattling. John of Werth, who was posted here, not being strong
+enough to dispute the passage of the Isar, fell back towards the
+Bohemian frontier, hoping to meet the troops which the emperor had
+urged Wallenstein to send to his aid, but which never came. Duke
+Bernhard crossed the Isar unopposed, and on the 12th came within
+sight of Passau.
+
+So far Wallenstein had not moved; he had seemed to comply with the
+emperor's request to save Ratisbon, but had seemed only, and had
+not set a man in motion to reinforce John of Werth. He refused,
+in fact, to fritter away his army.  Had he sent Gallas with 12,000
+men to join John of Werth, and had their united forces been, as was
+probable, attacked and defeated by the Swedes, Wallenstein would
+have been too weak to save the empire. Keeping his army strong he
+had the key of the position in his hands.
+
+He had fixed upon Passau as the point beyond which Duke Bernhard
+should not be allowed to advance, and felt that should he attack
+that city he and his army were lost. In front of him was the Inn,
+a broad and deep river protected by strongly fortified places;
+behind him John of Werth, a bitterly hostile country, and the river
+Isar. On his left would be Wallenstein himself marching across the
+Bohemian forest.  When, therefore, he learned that Duke Bernhard
+was hastening on from the Isar towards Passau he put his army in
+motion and marched southward, so as to place himself in the left
+rear of the duke. This movement Duke Bernhard heard of just when he
+arrived in sight of Passau, and he instantly recognized the extreme
+danger of his position, and perceived with his usual quickness
+of glance that to be caught before Passau by Wallenstein and John
+of Werth would be absolute destruction. A moment's hesitation and
+the Swedish army would have been lost. Without an hour's delay he
+issued the necessary orders, and the army retraced its steps with
+all speed to Ratisbon, and not stopping even there marched northward
+into the Upper Palatinate, to defend that conquered country against
+Wallenstein even at the cost of a battle.
+
+But Wallenstein declined to fight a battle there. He had but one army,
+and were that army destroyed, Duke Bernhard, with the prestige of
+victory upon him, could resume his march upon Vienna, which would
+then be open to him. Therefore, having secured the safety of the
+capital, he fell back again into winter quarters in Bohemia. Thus
+Ferdinand again owed his safety to Wallenstein, and should have
+been the more grateful since Wallenstein had saved him in defiance
+of his own orders.
+
+At the time he fully admitted in his letters to Wallenstein that
+the general had acted wisely and prudently, nevertheless he was
+continually listening to the Spaniards, the Jesuits, and the many
+envious of Wallenstein's great position, and hoping to benefit by
+his disgrace, and, in spite of all the services his great general
+had rendered him, was preparing to repeat the humiliation which he
+had formerly laid upon him and again to deprive him of his command.
+
+Wallenstein was not ignorant of the intrigue against him.  Vast as
+were his possessions, his pride and ambition were even greater. A
+consciousness of splendid services rendered and of great intellectual
+power, a belief that the army which had been raised by him and
+was to a great extent paid out of his private funds, and which he
+had so often led to victory, was devoted to him, and to him alone,
+excited in his mind the determination to resist by force the
+intriguers who dominated the bigoted and narrow minded emperor,
+and, if necessary, to hurl the latter from his throne.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX FRIENDS IN TROUBLE
+
+
+One day in the month of December, when Malcolm Graheme was with
+his regiment on outpost duty closely watching the Imperialists, a
+countryman approached.
+
+"Can you direct me to Captain Malcolm Graheme, who, they tell me,
+belongs to this regiment?"
+
+"You have come to the right man," Malcolm said. "I am Captain
+Graheme -- what would you with me?"
+
+"I am the bearer of a letter to you," the man said, and taking off
+his cap he pulled out the lining and brought out a letter hidden
+beneath it.
+
+"I am to ask for some token from you by which it may be known that
+it has been safely delivered."
+
+Malcolm cut with his dagger the silk with which the letter was
+fastened. It began:
+
+"From the Lady Hilda, Countess of Mansfeld, to Captain Malcolm
+Graheme of Colonel Munro's Scottish regiment. -- My dear friend,
+-- I do not know whether you have heard the misfortune which has
+fallen upon us. The town and castle of Mansfeld were captured two
+months since by a sudden assault of the Imperialists, and my dear
+husband was grievously wounded in the defence. He was brought hither
+a prisoner, and Thekla and I also carried here. As the count still
+lies ill with his wounds he is not placed in a prison, but we are
+treated as captives and a close watch is kept upon us. The count
+is threatened with the forfeiture of all his possessions unless
+he will change sides and join the Imperialists, and some of his
+estates have been already conferred upon other nobles as a punishment
+for the part he has taken.
+
+"Were my husband well and free he would treat the offers with
+scorn, believing that the tide will turn and that he will recover
+his possessions. Nor even were he certain of their perpetual
+forfeiture would he desert the cause of Protestantism. Moreover,
+the estates which I brought him in marriage lie in the north of
+Pomerania, and the income there from is more than ample for our needs.
+But the emperor has ordered that if the count remain contumacious
+Thekla shall be taken from us and placed in a convent, where she
+will be forced to embrace Catholicism, and will, when she comes
+of age, be given in marriage to some adherent of the emperor, who
+will with her receive the greater portion of her father's lands.
+
+"She is now sixteen years old, and in another year will be deemed
+marriageable. My heart is broken at the thought, and I can scarce
+see the paper on which I write for weeping.  I know not why I send
+to you, nor does the count know that I am writing, nor does it seem
+possible that any aid can come to us, seeing that we are here in
+the heart of Bohemia, and that Wallenstein's army lies between us
+and you. But somehow in my heart I have a hope that you may aid us,
+and at any rate I know that you will sympathize with us greatly.
+I feel sure that if there be any mode in which we may be aided it
+will be seized by your ready wit. And now adieu! This letter will
+be brought to you by a messenger who will be hired by a woman who
+attends us, and who has a kind heart as well as an eye to her own
+interests. Send back by the messenger some token which she may
+pass on to me, that I may know that you have received it. Send no
+written answer, for the danger is too great."
+
+Malcolm twisted off two or three links of the chain which had long
+before been presented to him by the count, and then, until relieved
+from duty, paced up and down, slowly revolving in his mind what
+could best be done to aid his friends. His mind was at last made
+up, and when his company was called in he went to his colonel and
+asked for leave of absence, stating his reasons for wishing to
+absent himself from the regiment.
+
+"It is a perilous business, Malcolm," Colonel Munro said.  "I have
+scarce a handful of the friends with whom I joined Gustavus but
+three years and a half ago remaining, and I can ill spare another;
+nevertheless I will not stay you in your enterprise. The Count of
+Mansfeld has been a steady ally of ours, and is one of the few who
+has appeared to have at heart the cause of Protestantism rather
+than of personal gain.
+
+"Moreover, he is as you say a friend of yours, and has shown you
+real kindness in time of need. Therefore go, my boy, and Heaven
+be with you! It is not likely that there will be any more serious
+fighting this year.  Wallenstein lies inactive, negotiating now with
+Saxony, now with Oxenstiern.  What are his aims and plans Heaven
+only knows; but at any rate we have no right to grumble at the great
+schemer, for ever since Lutzen he has kept the emperor's best army
+inactive. Make it a point, Malcolm, to find out, so far as you can,
+what is the public opinion in Bohemia as to his real intentions.
+If you can bring back any information as to his plans you will have
+done good service to the cause, however long your absence from the
+camp may be."
+
+That evening Malcolm packed up his armour, arms, court suits, and
+valuables, and sent them away to the care of his friend the syndic
+of the clockmakers of Nuremberg, with a letter requesting him
+to keep them in trust for him until he returned; and in the event
+of his not arriving to claim them in the course of six months, to
+sell them, and to devote the proceeds to the assistance of sick
+or wounded Scottish soldiers.  Then he purchased garments suitable
+for a respectable craftsman, and having attired himself in these, with
+a stout sword banging from his leathern belt, a wallet containing
+a change of garments and a number of light tools used in clockmaking,
+with a long staff in his hand, and fifty ducats sewed in the lining
+of the doublet, he set out on foot on his journey.
+
+It was nigh three weeks from the time when he started before he
+arrived at Prague, for not only had he to make a very long detour
+to avoid the contending armies, but he was forced to wait at each
+considerable town until he could join a company of travellers going
+in the same direction, for the whole country so swarmed with disbanded
+soldiers, plunderers, and marauding bands that none thought of
+traversing the roads save in parties sufficiently strong to defend
+themselves and their property. None of those with whom he journeyed
+suspected Malcolm to be aught but what he professed himself -- a
+craftsman who had served his time at a clockmaker's in Nuremberg,
+and who was on his way to seek for employment in Vienna.
+
+During his three years and a half residence in Germany he had come
+to speak the language like a native, and, indeed, the dialect of
+the different provinces varied so widely, that, even had he spoken
+the language with less fluency, no suspicion would have arisen of
+his being a foreigner. Arrived at Prague, his first care was to hire
+a modest lodging, and he then set to work to discover the house in
+which the Count of Mansfeld was lying as a prisoner.
+
+This he had no difficulty in doing without exciting suspicion, for
+the count was a well known personage, and he soon found that he
+and his family had apartments in a large house, the rest of which
+was occupied by Imperialist officers and their families. There
+was a separate entrance to the portion occupied by the count, and
+a sentry stood always at the door.
+
+The day after his arrival Malcolm watched the door from a distance
+throughout the whole day, but none entered or came out. The next
+morning he resumed his watch at a much earlier hour, and presently
+had the satisfaction of seeing a woman in the attire of a domestic
+issue from the door. She was carrying a basket, and was evidently
+bent upon purchasing the supplies for the day. He followed her to
+the market, and, after watching her make her purchases, he followed
+her until, on her return, she entered a street where but few people
+were about. There he quickened his pace and overtook her.
+
+"You are the attendant of the Countess of Mansfeld, are you not?"
+he said.
+
+"I am," she replied; "but what is that to you?"
+
+"I will tell you presently," Malcolm replied, "but in the first
+place please inform me whether you are her only attendant, and in
+the next place how long you have been in her service. I can assure
+you," he went on, as the woman, indignant at thus being questioned
+by a craftsman who was a stranger to her, tossed her head indignantly,
+and was about to move on, "that I ask not from any impertinent
+curiosity.  Here is a ducat as a proof that I am interested in my
+questions."
+
+The woman gave him a quick and searching glance; she took the piece
+of money, and replied more civilly.  "I am the only attendant on
+the countess. I cannot be said to be in her service, since I have
+been placed there by the commandant of the prison, whither the
+count will be moved in a few days, but I have been with them since
+their arrival there, nigh three months since."
+
+"Then you are the person whom I seek. I am he to whom a certain
+letter which you wot of was sent, and who returned by the messenger
+as token that he received it two links of this chain."
+
+The woman started as he spoke, and looked round anxiously to see
+that they were not observed; then she said hurriedly:
+
+"For goodness sake, sir, if you be he, put aside that grave and
+earnest look, and chat with me lightly and laughingly, so that
+if any observe us speaking they will think that you are trying to
+persuade me that my face has taken your admiration. Not so very
+difficult a task, methinks," she added coquettishly, acting the
+part she had indicated.
+
+"By no means," Malcolm replied laughing, for the girl was really
+good looking, "and were it not that other thoughts occupy me at
+present you might well have another captive to look after; and now
+tell me, how is it possible for me to obtain an interview with the
+count?"
+
+"And the countess, and the Fraulein Thekla," the girl said laughing,
+"for I suppose you are the young Scottish officer of whom the young
+countess is always talking. I don't see that it is possible."
+
+"Twenty ducats are worth earning," Malcolm said quietly.
+
+"Very well worth earning," the woman replied, "but a costly day's
+work if they lead to a prison and flogging, if not to the gallows."
+
+"But we must take care that you run no risk," Malcolm said. "Surely
+such a clever head as I see you have can contrive some way for me
+to get in."
+
+"Yes; it might be managed," the girl said thoughtfully.  "The orders
+were strict just at first, but seeing that the count cannot move
+from his couch, and that the countess and the fraulein have no
+motive in seeking to leave him, the strictness has been relaxed.
+The orders of the sentry are stringent that neither of the ladies
+shall be allowed to set foot outside the door, but I do not think
+they have any orders to prevent others from going in and out had
+they some good excuse for their visit."
+
+"Then it is not so impossible after all," Malcolm said with a smile,
+"for I have an excellent excuse.
+
+"What is that?" the woman asked.
+
+"The clock in the count's chamber has stopped, and it wearies him
+to lie there and not know how the time passes, so he has requested
+you to fetch in a craftsman to set it going again."
+
+"A very good plan," the girl said. "There is a clock, and it shall
+stop this afternoon. I will find out from the sentry as I go in
+whether he has any orders touching the admission of strangers. If
+he has I will go across to the prison and try and get a pass for
+you. I shall come to market in the morning."
+
+So saying, with a wave of her hand she tripped on towards the
+house, which was now near at hand, leaving Malcolm to arrange his
+plans for next day. His first care was to purchase a suit of clothes
+such as would be worn by a boy of the class to which he appeared
+to belong. Then he went to one of the small inns patronized by the
+peasants who brought their goods into market, and without difficulty
+bargained with one of them for the purchase of a cart with two oxen,
+which were to remain at the inn until he called for them.  Then
+he bought a suit of peasant's clothes, after which, well satisfied
+with the day's work, he returned to his lodging.  In the morning
+he again met the servant.
+
+"It was well I asked," she said, "for the sentry had orders to
+prevent any, save nobles and officers, from passing in.  However,
+I went to the prison, and saw one of the governor's deputies, and
+told him that the count was fretting because his clock had stopped,
+and, as while I said so I slipped five ducats the countess had
+given me for the purpose into his hand, he made no difficulty about
+giving me the pass. Here it is.  Now," she said, "I have earned my
+twenty ducats."
+
+"You have earned them well," Malcolm replied, handing them to her.
+
+"Now mind," she said, "you must not count on me farther. I don't
+know what you are going to do, and I don't want to know. I have
+run quite a risk enough as it is, and mean, directly the count is
+lodged in the prison, to make my way home, having collected a dowry
+which will enable me to buy a farm and marry my bachelor, who has
+been waiting for me for the last three years. His father is an old
+curmudgeon, who has declared that his son shall never marry except
+a maid who can bring as much money as he will give him. I told
+Fritz that if he would trust to my wits and wait I would in five
+years produce the dowry. Now I have treble the sum, and shall go
+off and make Fritz happy."
+
+"He is a lucky fellow," Malcolm said laughing. "It is not every
+one who gets beauty, wit, and wealth all together in a wife."
+
+"You are a flatterer," the girl laughed; "but for all that I think
+myself that Fritz is not unfortunate."
+
+"And now tell me," Malcolm asked, "at what time is the sentry
+generally changed?"
+
+"At sunrise, at noon, at sunset, and at midnight," the girl replied;
+"but what is that to you?"
+
+"Never mind;" Malcolm laughed; "you know you don't want to be told
+what I'm going to do. I will tell you if you like."
+
+"No, no," the girl replied hurriedly. "I would rather be able to
+always take my oath on the holy relics that I know nothing about
+it."
+
+"Very well," Malcolm replied; "then this afternoon I will call."
+
+Having hidden away under his doublet the suit of boy's clothes, and
+with the tools of his trade in a small basket in his hand, Malcolm
+presented himself at three o'clock in the afternoon to the sentry
+at the door leading to the count's apartments. The soldier glanced
+at the pass and permitted him to enter without remark.
+
+The waiting maid met him inside and conducted him upstairs, and
+ushered him into a spacious apartment, in which the count was lying
+on a couch, while the countess and Thekla sat at work beside him.
+She then retired and closed the door after her. The count and
+Thekla looked with surprise at the young artisan, but the countess
+ran to meet him, and threw her arms round his neck as if she had
+been his mother, while Thekla gave a cry of delight as she recognized
+him.
+
+"Welcome a thousand times! Welcome, my brave friend!" the countess
+exclaimed. "What dangers must you not have encountered on your way
+hither to us! The count and Thekla knew not that I had written to
+you, for I feared a failure; and when I learned yesterday that you
+had arrived I still kept silence, partly to give a joyful surprise
+to my lord today, partly because, if the governor called, I was
+sure that this child's telltale face would excite his suspicion
+that something unusual had happened."
+
+"How imprudent!" the count said, holding out his hand to Malcolm.
+"Had I known that my wife was sending to you I would not have
+suffered her to do so, for the risk is altogether too great, and
+yet, indeed, I am truly glad to see you again."
+
+Thekla gave Malcolm her hand, but said nothing. She had now reached
+an age when girls feel a strange shyness in expressing their
+feelings; but her hand trembled with pleasure as she placed it in
+Malcolm's, and her cheek flushed hotly as, in accordance with the
+custom of the times, she presented it to his kiss.
+
+"Now," the count said, "do not let us waste time; tell us quickly
+by what miracle you have arrived here, and have penetrated to what
+is really my prison. You must be quick, for we have much to say,
+and your visit must be a short one for every third day the governor
+of the prison pays me a visit to see how I am getting on, and I
+expect that he will be here ere long."
+
+"Then," Malcolm said, "I had best prepare for his coming, for
+assuredly I am not going to hurry away."
+
+So saying, he lifted down the great clock which stood on a bracket
+on the wall, and placed it on a side table.  "I am a clockmaker,"
+he said, "and am come to put this machine, whose stopping has
+annoyed you sadly, into order."
+
+So saying, he took some tools from his basket, removed the works
+of the clock, and, taking them in pieces, laid them on the table.
+
+"I spent much of my time at Nuremberg," he said, in answer to the
+surprised exclamations of the count, "in learning the mysteries of
+horology, and can take a clock to pieces and can put it together
+again with fair skill. There, now, I am ready, and if the governor
+comes he will find me hard at work. And now I will briefly tell you
+how I got here; then I will hear what plans you may have formed,
+and I will tell you mine."
+
+"For myself, I have no plans," the count said. "I am helpless, and
+must for the present submit to whatever may befall me. That I will
+not renounce the cause of my religion you may be sure; as for my
+wife, we know not yet whether, when they remove me to the fortress,
+they will allow her to accompany me or not. If they do, she will
+stay with me, but it is more likely that they will not. The emperor
+is merciless to those who oppose him. They will more likely keep
+her under their eye here or in Vienna.  But for ourselves we care
+little; our anxiety is for Thekla.  It is through her that they
+are striking us. You know what they have threatened if I do not
+abandon the cause of Protestantism.  Thekla is to be placed in
+a convent, forced to become a Catholic, and married to the man on
+whom the emperor may please to bestow my estates."
+
+"I would rather die, father, than become a Catholic," Thekla
+exclaimed firmly.
+
+"Yes, dear!" the count said gently, "but it is not death you have
+to face; with a fresh and unbroken spirit, it were comparatively
+easy to die, but it needs an energy and a spirit almost superhuman to
+resist the pressure which may be placed on those who are committed
+to a convent. The hopelessness, the silence, the gloom, to say
+nothing of threats, menaces, and constant and unremitting pressure,
+are sufficient to break down the firmest resolution. The body
+becomes enfeebled, the nerves shattered, and the power of resistance
+enfeebled. No, my darling, brave as you are in your young strength,
+you could not resist the influence which would be brought to bear
+upon you."
+
+"Then it is clear," Malcolm said cheerfully, "that we must get your
+daughter out of the clutches of the emperor and the nuns."
+
+"That is what I have thought over again and again as I have lain
+here helpless, but I can see no means of doing so.  We have no
+friends in the city, and, could the child be got safely out of this
+place, there is nowhere whither she could go."
+
+"And it is for that I have sent for you," the countess said. "I knew
+that if it were in any way possible you would contrive her escape
+and aid her to carry it out."
+
+"Assuredly I will, my dear countess," Malcolm said. "You only wanted
+a friend outside, and now you have got one. I see no difficulty
+about it."
+
+At this moment the door suddenly opened; the waiting maid put in
+her head and exclaimed, "The governor is alighting at the door."
+Malcolm at once seated himself at the side table and began oiling
+the wheels of the clock, while the countess and Thekla took up
+their work again and seated themselves, as before, by the couch of
+the count.  A moment later the attendant opened the door and in a
+loud voice announced the Baron of Steinburg.
+
+The governor as he entered cast a keen glance at Malcolm, and then
+bowing ceremoniously approached the count and inquired after his
+health, and paid the usual compliments to the countess. The count
+replied languidly that he gained strength slowly, while the countess
+said quietly that he had slept but badly and that his wound troubled
+him much.  It was well for Thekla that she was not obliged to take
+part in the conversation, for she would have found it impossible to
+speak quietly and indifferently, for every nerve was tingling with
+joy at Malcolm's last words.  The prospect had seemed so hopeless
+that her spirits had sunk to the lowest ebb.  Her mother had done
+her best to cheer her, but the count, weakened by pain and illness,
+had all along taken the most gloomy view.  He had told himself that
+it was better for the girl to submit to her fate than to break her
+heart like a wild bird beating out its life against the bars of
+its cage, and he wished to show her that neither he nor the world
+would blame her for yielding to the tremendous pressure which would
+be put upon her.
+
+For himself, he would have died a thousand times rather than renounce
+his faith; but he told himself that Thekla was but a child, that
+women cared little for dogmas, and that she would learn to pray as
+sincerely in a Catholic as in a Protestant church, without troubling
+her mind as to whether there were gross abuses in the government
+of the church, in the sale of absolutions, or errors in abstruse
+doctrines. But to Thekla it had seemed impossible that she could
+become a Catholic.
+
+The two religions stood in arms against each other; Catholics and
+Protestants differed not only in faith but in politics.  In all
+things they were actively and openly opposed to each other, and the
+thought that she might be compelled to abjure her faith was most
+terrible to the girl; and she was firmly resolved that, so long as
+her strength lasted and her mind was unimpaired, she would resist
+whatever pressure might be placed upon her, and would yield neither
+to menaces, to solitary confinement, or even to active cruelty.  The
+prospect, however; had weighed heavily upon her mind.  Her father
+had appeared to consider any escape impossible; her mother had
+said nothing of her hopes; and the words which Malcolm had spoken,
+indicating something like a surety of freeing her from her terrible
+position, filled her with surprise and delight.
+
+"Whom have you here?" the governor asked, indicating Malcolm by a
+motion of the head.
+
+"It is a craftsman from Nuremberg.  The clock had stopped, and the
+count, with whom the hours pass but slowly, fretted himself at not
+being able to count them; so I asked our attendant to bring hither
+a craftsman to put it in order, first sending her with a note to
+you asking for permission for him to come; as you were out your
+deputy signed the order."
+
+"He should not have done so," the baron said shortly, "for the
+orders are strict touching the entry of any here.  However, as
+he has taken the clock to pieces, he can put it together again."
+So saying he went over to the table where Malcolm was at work and
+stood for a minute or two watching him. The manner in which Malcolm
+fitted the wheels into their places, filing and oiling them wherever
+they did not run smoothly, satisfied him that the youth was what
+he seemed.
+
+"You are young to have completed your apprenticeship," he said.
+
+"It is expired but two months, sir," Malcolm said, standing up
+respectfully.
+
+"Under whom did you learn your trade?" the governor asked; "for I
+have been in Nuremberg and know most of the guild of clockmakers
+by name."
+
+"Under Jans Boerhoff, the syndic of the guild," Malcolm replied.
+
+"Ah!" the baron said shortly; "and his shop is in -- "
+
+"The Cron Strasse," Malcolm said promptly in answer to the implied
+question.
+
+Quite satisfied now, the baron turned away and conversed a few
+minutes with the count, telling him that as the surgeon said he
+could now be safely removed he would in three days be transferred
+to an apartment in the fortress.
+
+"Will the countess be permitted to accompany me?" the count asked.
+
+"That I cannot tell you," the baron replied. "We are expecting
+a messenger with his majesty's orders on the subject tomorrow or
+next day. I have already informed you that, in his solicitude for
+her welfare, his majesty has been good enough to order that the
+young countess shall be placed in the care of the lady superior of
+the Convent of St.  Catherine."
+
+A few minutes later he left the room. Not a word was spoken in
+the room until the sound of horse's hoofs without told that he had
+ridden off.
+
+As the door closed the countess and Thekla had dropped their work
+and sat anxiously awaiting the continuance of the conversation.
+The count was the first to speak.
+
+"How mean you, Malcolm? How think you it possible that Thekla can
+escape, and where could she go?"
+
+"I like not to make the proposal," Malcolm said gravely, "nor under
+any other circumstances should I think of doing so; but in a desperate
+position desperate measures must be adopted. It is impossible that
+in your present state you can escape hence, and the countess will
+not leave you; but what is absolutely urgent is that your daughter
+should be freed from the strait.  Save myself you have no friends
+here; and therefore, count, if she is to escape it must be through
+my agency and she must be committed wholly to my care.  I know it
+is a great responsibility; but if you and the countess can bring
+yourselves to commit her to me I swear to you, as a Scottish
+gentleman and a Protestant soldier, that I will watch over her as
+a brother until I place her in all honour in safe hands."
+
+The count looked at the countess and at Thekla, who sat pale and
+still.
+
+"We can trust you, Malcolm Graheme," he said after a pause. "There
+are few, indeed, into whose hands we would thus confide our daughter;
+but we know you to be indeed, as you say, a Scottish gentleman
+and a Protestant soldier.  Moreover, we know you to be faithful,
+honourable, and true.  Therefore we will, seeing that there is no
+other mode of escape from the fate which awaits her, confide her
+wholly to you. And now tell us what are your plans?"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI FLIGHT
+
+
+I THANK you, count, and you, dear lady," Malcolm said gratefully,
+"for the confidence you place in me, and will carry out my trust
+were it to cost me my life. My plan is a simple one. The guard will
+be changed in half an hour's time. I have brought hither a suit
+of boy's garments, which I must pray the Countess Thekla to don,
+seeing that it will be impossible for her to sally out in her own
+garb. I show my pass to the sentry, who will deem that my companion
+entered with me, and is my apprentice, and will suppose that, since
+the sentry who preceded him suffered him to enter with me he may
+well pass him out without question. In the town I have a wagon in
+readiness, and shall, disguised as a peasant, start with it this
+evening. Thekla will be in the bottom covered with straw. We shall
+travel all night.
+
+"Tomorrow, when your attendant discovers that your daughter has
+escaped, she will at once take the news to the governor. The sentries
+will all be questioned, and it will be found that, whereas but one
+clockmaker came in two went out. The city will be searched and the
+country round scoured but if the horsemen overtake me they will be
+looking for a craftsman and his apprentice, and will not suspect
+a solitary peasant with a wagon.
+
+"The first danger over I must be guided by circumstances; but in
+any case Thekla must travel as a boy to the end of the journey, for
+in such troubled times as these it were unsafe indeed for a young
+girl to travel through Germany except under a strong escort of
+men-at-arms. I design to make my way to Nuremberg, and shall then
+place her in the hands of my good friend Jans Boerhoff, whose wife
+and daughters will, I am sure, gladly receive and care for her until
+the time, which I hope is not far off, that peace be made and you
+can again rejoin her."
+
+"The plan is a good one," the count said when Malcolm had concluded,
+"and offers every prospect of success. `Tis hazardous, but there
+is no escape from such a strait as ours without risk. What say you,
+wife?"
+
+"Assuredly I can think of nothing better. But what say you, Thekla?
+Are you ready to run the risks, the danger, and the hardships of
+such a journey under the protection only of this brave Scottish
+gentleman?"
+
+"I am ready, mother," Thekla said quickly, "but I wish -- I wish"
+-- and she hesitated.
+
+"You wish you could go in your own garments, Thekla, with jewels
+on your fingers and a white horse to carry you on a pillion behind
+your protector," the count said with a smile, for his spirits had
+risen with the hope of his daughter's escape from the peril in
+which she was placed. "It cannot be, Thekla.  Malcolm's plan must
+be carried out to the letter, and I doubt not that you will pass
+well as a `prentice boy. But your mother must cut off that long
+hair of yours; I will keep it, my child, and will stroke it often
+and often in my prison as I have done when it has been on your
+head; your hair may be long again before I next see you."
+
+His eyes filled with tears as he spoke, and Thekla and the countess
+both broke into a fit of crying. Leaving them by themselves,
+Malcolm returned to his work, and in half an hour had replaced the
+machinery of the clock and had set it in motion, while a tender
+conversation went on between the count and countess and their
+daughter. By this time the sun had set, and the attendant entered
+and lighted the candles in the apartment, saying, as she placed one
+on the table by Malcolm, "You must need a light for your work." No
+sooner had she left the room than Malcolm said:
+
+"I would not hurry your parting, countess, but the sooner we are
+off now the better."
+
+Without a word the countess rose, and, taking the clothes which
+Malcolm produced from his doublet, retired to her chamber, followed
+by Thekla.
+
+"Malcolm Graheme," the count said, "it may be that we shall not
+meet again. The emperor is not tender with obstinate prisoners, and
+I have no strength to support long hardships. Should aught happen
+to me I beseech you to watch over the happiness of my child. Had
+she been a year older, and had you been willing, I would now have
+solemnly betrothed her to you, and should then have felt secure of
+her future whatever may befall me. Methinks she will make a good
+wife, and though my estates may be forfeited by the emperor her
+mother's lands will make a dowry such as many a German noble would
+gladly accept with his wife.
+
+"I might betroth her to you now, for many girls are betrothed at
+a far younger age, but I would rather leave it as it is. You are
+young yet, and she in most matters is but a child, and it would
+be better in every way did she start on this adventure with you
+regarding you as a brother than in any other light. Only remember
+that if we should not meet again, and you in future years should
+seek the woman who is now a child as your wife, you have my fullest
+approval and consent -- nay, more, that it is my dearest wish."
+
+"I thank you most deeply for what you have said, count," Malcolm
+replied gravely. "As I have seen your daughter growing up from a
+child I have thought how sweet a wife she would make, but I have
+put the thought from me, seeing that she is heiress to broad lands
+and I a Scottish soldier of fortune, whose lands, though wide
+enough for me to live in comfort at home, are yet but a mere farm
+in comparison with your broad estates. I have even told myself that
+as she grew up I must no longer make long stays in your castle,
+for it would be dishonourable indeed did I reward your kindness and
+hospitality by winning the heart of your daughter; but after what
+you have so generously said I need no longer fear my heart, and
+will, when the time comes, proudly remind you of your promise. For
+this journey I will put all such thoughts aside, and will regard
+Thekla as my merry playfellow of the last three years. But after I
+have once placed her in safety I shall thenceforward think of her
+as my wife who is to be, and will watch over her safety as over
+my greatest treasure, trusting that in some happy change of times
+and circumstances you yourself and the dear countess, whom I already
+regard almost as my parents, will give her to me."
+
+"So be it," the count said solemnly. "My blessing on you both should
+I ne'er see you again. I can meet whatever fate may be before me
+with constancy and comfort now that her future is assured -- but
+here they come."
+
+The door opened, and the countess appeared, followed by Thekla,
+shrinking behind her mother's skirts in her boyish attire.
+
+"You will pass well," the count said gravely, for he knew that jest
+now would jar upon her. "Keep that cap well down over your eyes,
+and try and assume a little more of the jaunty and impudent air
+of a boy.  Fortunately it will be dark below, and the sentry will
+not be able to mark how fair is your skin and how delicate your
+hands. And now farewell, my child.  Let us not stand talking, for
+the quicker a parting is over the better. May God in heaven bless
+you and keep you! Malcolm knows all my wishes concerning you, and
+when I am not with you trust yourself to his advice and guidance as
+you would to mine. There, my darling, do not break down. You must
+be brave for all our sakes. Should the emperor hold me in durance
+your mother will try and join you ere long at Nuremberg."
+
+While the count was embracing Thekla, as she bravely but in vain
+tried to suppress her tears, the countess opened the door, and glanced
+into the anteroom to see that all was clear and the attendant in
+her own apartment. Then she returned, kissed her daughter fondly,
+and placed her hand in Malcolm's, saying to the latter, "God bless
+you, dear friend!  Take her quickly away for her sake and ours."
+One last adieu and Malcolm and Thekla stood alone in the anteroom.
+
+"Now, Thekla," he said firmly, "be brave, the danger is at hand,
+and your safety and escape from your fate, and my life, depend upon
+your calmness. Do you carry this basket of tools and play your part
+as my apprentice. Just as we open the door drop the basket and I
+will rate you soundly for your carelessness. Keep your head down,
+and do not let the light which swings over the door fall upon your
+face.''
+
+For a minute or two Thekla stood struggling to master her emotions.
+Then she said, in a quiet voice, "I am ready now," and taking up
+the basket of tools she followed Malcolm down the stairs. Malcolm
+opened the door, and as he did so Thekla dropped the basket.
+
+"How stupid you are!" Malcolm exclaimed sharply.  "How often have
+I told you to be careful! You don't suppose that those fine tools
+can stand being knocked about in that way without injury? Another
+time an' you are so careless I will give you a taste of the strap,
+you little rascal."
+
+"What is all this?" the sentry asked, barring the way with his
+pike, "and who are you who are issuing from this house with so much
+noise? My orders are that none pass out here without an order from
+the governor."
+
+"And such an order have I," Malcolm said, producing the document.
+"There's the governor's seal. I have been sent for to repair the
+clock in the Count of Mansfeld's apartment, and a rare job it has
+been."
+
+The sentry was unable to read, but he looked at the seal which he
+had been taught to recognize.
+
+"But there is only one seal," he said, "and there are two of you."
+
+"Pooh!" Malcolm said scornfully. "Dost think that when ten persons
+are admitted to pass in together the governor puts ten seals
+on the pass? You see for yourself that it is but a young boy, my
+apprentice. Why, the governor himself left scarce an hour ago, and
+was in the apartment with me while I was at work. Had it not been
+all right he would have hauled me to the prison quickly enough."
+
+As the sentry knew that the governor had left but a short time
+before he came on guard this convinced him, and, standing aside,
+he allowed Malcolm and his companion to pass. Malcolm made his
+way first to the apartment he had occupied, where he had already
+settled for his lodging.
+
+Leaving Thekla below he ran upstairs, and hastily donned the suit
+of peasant's clothes, and then making the others into a bundle
+descended again, and with Thekla made his way to the quiet spot
+outside the city gates where the wagon was standing ready for
+a start. He had already paid the peasant half the sum agreed, and
+now handed him the remainder.
+
+"I should scarce have known you," the peasant said, examining
+Malcolm by the light of his pinewood torch.  "Why, you look like
+one of us instead of a city craftsman."
+
+"I am going to astonish them when I get home," Malcolm said, "and
+shall make the old folks a present of the wagon. So I am going to
+arrive just as I was when I left them."
+
+The peasant asked no farther questions, but, handing the torch to
+Malcolm, and telling him that he would find half a dozen more in
+the wagon, he took his way back to the town, where be intended to
+sleep in the stables and to start at daybreak for his home.
+
+He thought that the transaction was a curious one; but, as he had
+been paid handsomely for his wagon, he troubled not his head about
+any mystery there might be in the matter.  As soon as he had gone
+Malcolm arranged the straw in the bottom of the wagon so as to form
+a bed; but Thekla said that for the present she would rather walk
+with him.
+
+"It is weeks since I have been out, and I shall enjoy walking for
+a time; besides, it is all so strange that I should have no chance
+to sleep were I to lie down."
+
+Malcolm at once consented, and taking his place at the head of the
+oxen, he started them, walking ahead to light the way and leading
+them by cords passed through their nostrils. He had not the least
+fear of pursuit for the present, for it had been arranged that
+the countess should inform their attendant that Thekla was feeling
+unwell, and had retired to bed, and the woman, whatever she might
+suspect, would take care not to verify the statement, and it would
+be well on in the following morning before her absence was discovered.
+
+Malcolm tried his best to distract Thekla's thoughts from her
+parents, and from the strange situation in which she was placed,
+and chatted to her of the events of the war since he had last seen
+her, of the route which he intended to adopt, and the prospects
+of peace. In two hours' time the girl, unaccustomed to exercise,
+acknowledged that she was tired; she therefore took her place in
+the wagon.
+
+Malcolm covered her up with straw and threw some sacks lightly over
+her, and then continued his journey.  He travelled all night, and
+in the morning stopped at a wayside inn, where his arrival at that
+hour excited no surprise, as the peasants often travelled at night,
+because there was then less chance of their carts being seized and
+requisitioned by the troops. He only stopped a short time to water
+and feed the oxen, and to purchase some black bread and cheese. This
+he did, not because he required it, for he had an ample supply of
+provisions in the cart far more suited for Thekla's appetite than
+the peasant's fare, but to act in the usual manner, and so avoid
+any comment. Thekla was still asleep under the covering, which
+completely concealed her.  Malcolm journeyed on until two miles
+further he came to a wood, then, drawing aside from the road, he
+unyoked the oxen and allowed them to lie down, for they had already
+made a long journey.  Then he woke Thekla, who leaped up gaily on
+finding that it was broad daylight.  Breakfast was eaten, and after
+a four hours' halt they resumed their way, Thekla taking her place
+in the wagon again, and being carefully covered up in such a manner
+that a passerby would not suspect that anyone was lying under the
+straw and sacks at one end of the wagon. Just at midday Malcolm
+heard the trampling of horses behind him and saw a party of cavalry
+coming along at full gallop. The leader drew rein when he overtook
+the wagon.
+
+"Have you seen anything," he asked Malcolm, "of two seeming craftsmen,
+a man and a boy, journeying along the road?"
+
+Malcolm shook his head. "I have seen no one on foot since I started
+an hour since."
+
+Without a word the soldiers went on. They had no reason, indeed,
+for believing that those for whom they were in search had taken
+that particular road. As soon as Thekla's disappearance had been
+discovered by the waiting woman she had hurried to the governor, and
+with much perturbation and many tears informed him that the young
+countess was missing, and that her couch had not been slept on. The
+governor had at once hurried to the spot. The count and countess
+resolutely refused to state what had become of their daughter.
+
+The sentries had all been strictly questioned, and it was found
+that the mender of clocks had, when he left, been accompanied
+by an apprentice whom the sentry previously on duty asserted had
+not entered with him.  The woman was then closely questioned; she
+asserted stoutly that she knew nothing whatever of the affair.  The
+count had commissioned her to obtain a craftsman to set the clock
+in order, and she had bethought her of a young man whose acquaintance
+she had made some time previously, and who had informed her in the
+course of conversation that he had come from Nuremberg, and was a
+clockmaker by trade, and was at present out of work. She had met
+him, she said, on several occasions, and as he was a pleasant youth
+and comely, when he had spoken to her of marriage she had not been
+averse, now it was plain he had deceived her; and here she began
+to cry bitterly and loudly.
+
+Her story seemed probable enough, for any friend of the count who
+had intended to carry off his daughter would naturally have begun by
+ingratiating himself with her attendant. She was, however, placed
+in confinement for a time. The count and countess were at once
+removed to the fortress. Orders were given that the town should be
+searched thoroughly, and any person answering to the description
+which the governor was able to give of the supposed clockmaker should
+be arrested, while parties of horse were despatched along all the
+roads with orders to arrest and bring to Prague any craftsman or
+other person accompanied by a young boy whom they might overtake
+by the way. Several innocent peasants with their sons were pounced
+upon on the roads and hauled to Prague; but no news was obtained
+of the real fugitives, who quietly pursued their way undisturbed
+further by the active search which was being made for them.  The
+anger of the emperor when he heard of the escape of the prize he had
+destined for one of his favourite officers was extreme. He ordered
+the count to be treated with the greatest rigour, and declared all
+his estates and those of his wife forfeited, the latter part of
+the sentence being at present inoperative, her estates being in a
+part of the country far beyond the range of the Imperialist troops.
+The waiting maid was after some weeks' detention released, as there
+was no evidence whatever of her complicity in the affair.
+
+Malcolm continued his journey quietly towards the frontier of
+Bavaria; but, on arriving at a small town within a few miles of
+Pilsen, he learned that Wallenstein had fallen back with his army
+to that place. Much alarmed at the news he determined to turn off
+by a cross road and endeavour to avoid the Imperialists. He had
+not, however, left the place before a party of Imperialist horse
+rode in.
+
+Malcolm was at once stopped, and was told that he must accompany
+the troops to Pilsen, as they had orders to requisition all carts
+for the supply of provisions for the army.  Malcolm knew that it
+was of no use to remonstrate, but, with many loud grumblings at
+his hard lot, he moved to the marketplace, where he remained until
+all the wagons in the place and in the surrounding country had been
+collected.
+
+Loud and bitter were the curses which the peasants uttered at
+finding themselves taken from their homes and compelled to perform
+service for which the pay, if received at all, would be scanty in
+the extreme.  There was, however, no help for it; and when all were
+collected they started in a long procession guarded by the cavalry
+for Pilsen. On arriving there they were ordered to take up their
+station with the great train of wagons collected for the supply of
+the army.
+
+Thekla had from her hiding place heard the conversation, and was
+greatly alarmed at finding that they were again in the power of
+the Imperialists. No one, however, approached the wagon, and it
+was not until darkness had set in that she heard Malcolm's voice
+whispering to her to arise quietly.
+
+"We must leave the wagon; it will be impossible for you to remain
+concealed here longer, for tomorrow I may be sent out to bring
+in supplies. For the present we must remain in Pilsen. The whole
+country will be scoured by the troops, and it will not be safe to
+traverse the roads. Here in Pilsen no one will think of looking
+for us.
+
+"Wallenstein's headquarters are the last place where we should
+be suspected of hiding, and you may be sure that, however close
+the search may be elsewhere, the governor of Prague will not have
+thought of informing Wallenstein of an affair so foreign to the
+business of war as the escape from the emperor's clutches of a young
+lady. I have donned my craftsman dress again, and we will boldly
+seek for lodgings."
+
+They soon entered the town, which was crowded with troops, searching
+about in the poorer quarters.
+
+Malcolm presently found a woman who agreed to let him two rooms.
+He accounted for his need for the second room by saying that his
+young brother was ill and needed perfect rest and quiet, and that
+the filing and hammering which was necessary in his craft prevented
+the lad from sleeping. As Malcolm agreed at once to the terms
+she asked for the rooms, the woman accepted his statement without
+doubt. They were soon lodged in two attics at the top of the house,
+furnished only with a table, two chairs, and a truckle bed in each;
+but Malcolm was well contented with the shelter he had found.
+
+Seeing that it would be extremely difficult at present to journey
+further, he determined to remain some little time in the town,
+thinking that he might be able to carry out the instructions which
+he had received from Colonel Munro, and to obtain information as
+to the plans of Wallenstein and the feelings of the army.
+
+"You will have to remain a prisoner here, Thekla, I am afraid,
+almost as strictly as at Prague, for it would not do to risk the
+discovery that you are a girl by your appearing in the streets
+in daylight, and after dark the streets of the town, occupied by
+Wallenstein's soldiers, are no place for any peaceful persons.
+
+"I may as well be here as at Nuremberg," Thekla said, "and as I
+shall have you with me instead of being with strangers, the longer
+we stay here the better."
+
+The next morning Malcolm sallied out into the town to see if he
+could find employment. There was, however, but one clockmaker in
+Pilsen, and the war had so injured his trade that he had discharged
+all his journeymen, for clocks were still comparatively rare luxuries,
+and were only to be seen in the houses of nobles and rich citizens.
+Knowing that Wallenstein was devoted to luxury and magnificence,
+always taking with him, except when making the most rapid marches,
+a long train of baggage and furniture, Malcolm thought it possible
+that he might obtain some employment in his apartments. He accordingly
+went boldly to the castle where the duke had established himself,
+and, asking for his steward, stated that he was a clockmaker from
+the workshop of the celebrated horologist, Master Jans Boerhoff,
+and could repair any clocks or watches that might be out of order.
+
+"Then you are the very man we need," the steward said.  "My master,
+the duke, is curious in such matters, and ever carries with him
+some half dozen clocks with his other furniture; and, use what care
+I will in packing them, the shaking of the wagons is constantly
+putting them out of repair. It was but this morning the duke told
+me to bring a craftsman, if one capable of the work could be found
+in the town, and to get the clocks put in order, for it displeases
+him if they do not all keep the time to the same minute. Follow
+me."
+
+He led the way into the private apartments of the duke.  These were
+magnificently furnished, the walls being covered with rich velvet
+hangings. Thick carpets brought from the East covered the floors.
+Indeed, in point of luxury and magnificence, Wallenstein kept up
+a state far surpassing that of his Imperial master.
+
+There were several clocks standing on tables and on brackets, for
+Wallenstein, although in most respects of a clear and commanding
+intellect, was a slave to superstition. He was always accompanied
+by an astrologer, who read for him the course of events from the
+movements of the stars, who indicated the lucky and unlucky days,
+and the hours at which it was not propitious to transact important
+business. Hence it was that he placed so great an importance on
+the exact observance of the hour by his numerous time pieces.
+
+"Here are some of the clocks," the steward said, indicating them.
+"Of course you cannot work here, and they are too heavy to be
+removed, besides being too costly to intrust out of my charge, I
+will have a room prepared in the castle where you can work. Come
+again at noon with your tools, and all shall be in readiness."
+
+At the hour appointed Malcolm again presented himself.
+
+"The duke has given personal instructions," he said, "that a closet
+close by shall be fitted up for you, in order that he himself if
+he chooses may see you at work."
+
+Malcolm was conducted to a small room near at hand.  Here one of
+the clocks which had stopped had been placed on the table, and he
+at once set to work. He soon discovered that one of the wheels had
+been shaken from its place by the jolting of the wagons, and that
+the clock could be set going by a few minutes work.  As, however,
+his object was to prolong his visit to the castle as long as
+possible, he set to work and took it entirely to pieces. Two hours
+later the door opened and a tall handsome man of commanding presence
+entered.  Malcolm rose and bowed respectfully, feeling that he was
+in the presence of the great general.
+
+"You come from Nuremberg," Wallenstein said, "as I am told, and
+have learned your craft in the workshop of Master Jans Boerhoff,
+who is well known as being the greatest master of his craft."
+
+Malcolm bowed silently.
+
+"It is strange," Wallenstein muttered to himself, "that this young
+man's destiny should be connected with mine; and yet the astrologer
+said that he who should present himself at the castle nearest to
+the stroke of nine this morning would be a factor in my future,
+and, as my steward tells me, the clock sounded nine as this young
+man addressed him." He then asked Malcolm several questions as to
+the work upon which he was engaged, and then said abruptly:  "Dost
+know the day and hour on which you were born?"
+
+Malcolm was somewhat surprised at the question, for he had not heard
+the muttered words of Wallenstein, but he at once replied that he
+had heard that he was born at the stroke of midnight on the last
+day in the year.
+
+The duke said no more, but left the closet and proceeded at once
+to an apartment near his own bed chamber, which, although he had
+arrived but a few hours previously, had already been fitted up for
+the use of his astrologer. The walls were hidden by a plain hanging
+of scarlet cloth; a large telescope stood at the window, a chart of
+the heavens was spread out on the table, and piles of books stood
+beside it. On the ceiling the signs of the zodiac had been painted,
+and some mystical circles had been marked out on the floor. A tall
+spare old man with a long white beard was seated at the table. He
+rose when Wallenstein entered.
+
+"I cannot but think," the duke said, "that your calculations must
+for once have been mistaken, and that there must have been an error
+in the hour, for I see not how the destiny of this craftsman, who
+seems to be a simple lad, can in any way be connected with mine."
+
+"I have made the calculation three times, your grace," the old man
+replied, "and am sure there is no error."
+
+"He was born," Wallenstein said, "at midnight on December 31st, 1613.
+Work out his nativity, and see what stars were in the ascendant,
+and whether there are any affinities between us."
+
+"I will do so at once," the astrologer said; "by tonight I shall
+be able to give your grace the information you require."
+
+"Tonight," the duke said, "we will go over your calculations together
+as to our great enterprise. It is all important that there should
+be no mistake. I have for a whole year remained inactive because
+you told me that the time had not yet come, and now that you say
+the propitious moment is approaching would fain be sure that no
+error has been committed. All seems well, the troops are devoted to
+me, and will fight against whomsoever I bid them. By lavish gifts
+and favours I have attached all my generals firmly to me, and soon
+this ungrateful emperor shall feel how rash and foolish he has been
+to insult the man to whom alone he owes it that he was not long
+ago a fugitive and an exile, with the Swedes victorious masters of
+his capital and kingdom.
+
+"Have not I alone saved him? Did not I at my own cost raise an
+army and stand between him and the victorious Gustavus? Have not
+I alone of all his generals checked the triumphant progress of the
+invaders?  And yet he evades all his promises, he procrastinates
+and falters. Not one step does he take to give me the sovereignty
+of Bohemia which he so solemnly promised me, and seems to think
+that it is honour and reward enough for me to have spent my treasure
+and blood in his service. But my turn is at hand, and when the
+hand which saved his throne shall cast him from it he will learn
+how rash he has been to have deceived and slighted me. And you say
+that the stars last night all pointed to a favourable conjunction,
+and that the time for striking the great blow is at hand?"
+
+"Nothing could be better," the astrologer said; "Jupiter, your own
+planet, and Mars are in the ascendant.  Saturn is still too near
+them to encourage instant action, but he will shortly remove to
+another house and then your time will have come."
+
+"So be it," Wallenstein said, "and the sooner the better.  Now I
+will leave you to your studies, and will ride out to inspect the
+troops, and to see that they have all that they need, for they must
+be kept in the best of humours at present."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII THE CONSPIRACY
+
+
+The next day Wallenstein again entered Malcolm's workroom and said
+abruptly to him:  "What deeds of bravery have you performed?"
+
+Malcolm looked astonished.
+
+"In an idle moment," the duke said, "having an interest in
+nativities and seeing that you were born between two years, I asked
+my astrologer to work out the calculations. He tells me that it
+was fated that you should perform deeds of notable bravery while
+still young. It seemed the horoscope of a soldier rather than of
+a craftsman, and so I told the sage; but he will have it that he
+has made no mistake."
+
+Malcolm hesitated for a moment; the blind faith which the otherwise
+intelligent and capable general placed in the science of astrology
+was well known to the world. Should he deny that he had accomplished
+any feats, the duke, believing implicitly the statement which his
+astrologer had made him, would suspect that he was not what he
+seemed; he therefore replied modestly, "I have done no deeds worthy
+relating to your excellency, but I once swam across a swollen river
+to direct some travellers who would otherwise have perished, and
+my neighbours were good enough to say that none in those parts save
+myself would have attempted such a feat."
+
+"Ah!" the duke exclaimed in a tone of satisfaction, "as usual the
+stars have spoken correctly. Doubtless as great courage is required
+to swim a river in flood as to charge into the ranks of the enemy."
+
+So saying Wallenstein left the room, filled with a desire to
+attach to himself the young man whom his adviser had assured him
+was in some way connected with his destiny.  Wallenstein a day or
+two later offered Malcolm to take him into his permanent service,
+saying that he was frequently plagued by the stoppages of his clocks,
+and desired to have a craftsman capable of attending to them on
+his establishment.  He even told the young man that he might expect
+promotion altogether beyond his present station.
+
+Malcolm could not refuse so flattering an offer, and was at once
+installed as a member of Wallenstein's household, declining however
+the use of the apartment which the steward offered him, saying that
+he had a sick brother lodging with him in the town. Mingling with
+the soldiers in the evenings Malcolm learned that there were rumours
+that negotiations for peace were going on with Saxony and Sweden.
+This was indeed the case, but Wallenstein was negotiating on his
+own behalf, and not on that of the emperor.  So far but little had
+come of these negotiations, for Oxenstiern had the strongest doubts
+of Wallenstein's sincerity, and believed that he was only trying
+to gain time and delay operations by pretended proposals for peace.
+He could not believe that the great Imperialist general, the right
+hand of the emperor, had any real intention of turning against
+his master. Towards the end of January there was some excitement
+in Pilsen owing to the arrival there of all the generals of the
+Imperialist army save only Gallas, Coloredo, and Altringer.
+
+Malcolm was sure that such a gathering could only have been summoned
+by Wallenstein upon some matter of the most vital importance, and
+he determined at all hazards to learn what was taking place, in
+order that he might enlighten Oxenstiern as to the real sentiments
+of the duke. Learning that the principal chamber in the castle had
+been cleared, and that a meeting of the officers would take place
+there in the evening, he told Thekla when he went home to his meal
+at midday that she must not be surprised if he did not return until
+a late hour. He continued his work until nearly six o'clock, the
+time at which the meeting was to begin, and then extinguishing his
+light, he made his way through the passages of the castle until
+he reached the council chamber, meeting with no interruption from
+the domestics, who were by this time familiar with his person,
+and who regarded him as one rising in favour with their master. He
+waited in the vicinity of the chamber until he saw an opportunity
+for entering unobserved, then he stole into the room and secreted
+himself behind the arras beneath a table standing against the
+wall, and where, being in shadow, the bulge in the hanging would
+not attract attention.
+
+In a few minutes he heard heavy steps with the clanking of swords
+and jingling of spurs, and knew that the council was beginning to
+assemble. The hum of conversation rose louder and louder for a quarter
+of an hour; then he heard the door of the apartment closed, and knew
+that the council was about to commence.  The buzz of conversation
+ceased, and then a voice, which was that of Field Marshal Illo, one
+of the three men in Wallenstein's confidence, rose in the silence.
+He began by laying before the army the orders which the emperor
+had sent for its dispersal to various parts of the country, and by
+the turn he gave to these he found it easy to excite the indignation
+of the assembly.
+
+He then expatiated with much eloquence upon the merits of the army
+and its generals, and upon the ingratitude with which the emperor
+had treated them after their noble efforts in his behalf. The
+court, he said, was governed by Spanish influence. The ministry
+were in the pay of Spain.  Wallenstein alone had hitherto opposed
+this tyranny, and had thus drawn upon himself the deadly enmity
+of the Spaniards. To remove him from the command, or to make away
+with him entirely, had, he asserted, been long the end of their
+desires, and until they could succeed they endeavoured to abridge
+his power in the field. The supreme command was to be placed in the
+hands of the King of Hungary solely to promote the Spanish power in
+Germany, as this prince was merely the passive instrument of Spain.
+
+It was only with the view of weakening the army that six thousand
+troops were ordered to be detached from it, and solely to harass
+it by a winter campaign that they were now called upon at this
+inhospitable season to undertake the recovery of Ratisbon. The Jesuits
+and the ministry enriched themselves with the treasure wrung from
+the provinces, and squandered the money intended for the pay of
+the troops.
+
+The general, then, abandoned by the court, was forced to acknowledge
+his inability to keep his engagements to the army. For all the
+services which for two-and-twenty years he had rendered to the house
+of Austria, in return for all the difficulties with which he had
+struggled, for all the treasures of his own which he had expended
+in the Imperial service, a second disgraceful dismissal awaited
+him. But he was resolved the matter should not come to this; he
+was determined voluntarily to resign the command before it should
+be wrested from his hands, "and this," continued the speaker, "is
+what he has summoned you here to make known to you, and what he
+has commissioned me to inform you."
+
+It was now for them to say whether they would permit him to leave
+them; it was for each man present to consider who was to repay him
+the sums he had expended in the emperor's service; how he was ever
+to reap the rewards for his bravery and devotion, when the chief who
+alone was cognizant of their efforts, who was their sole advocate
+and champion, was removed from them.
+
+When the speaker concluded a loud cry broke from all the officers
+that they would not permit Wallenstein to be taken from them. Then
+a babel of talk arose, and after much discussion four of the officers
+were appointed as a deputation to wait upon the duke to assure him
+of the devotion of the army, and to beg him not to withdraw himself
+from them.  The four officers intrusted with the commission left
+the room and repaired to the private chamber of the general. They
+returned in a short time, saying that the duke refused to yield.
+
+Another deputation was sent to pray him in even stronger terms to
+remain with them. These returned with the news that Wallenstein had
+reluctantly yielded to their request; but upon the condition that
+each of them should give a written promise to truly and firmly adhere
+to him, neither to separate or to allow himself to be separated from
+him, and to shed his last drop of blood in his defence.  Whoever
+should break this covenant, so long as Wallenstein should employ the
+army in the emperor's service, was to be regarded as a perfidious
+traitor and to be treated by the rest as a common enemy.
+
+As these last words appeared to indicate clearly that Wallenstein
+had no thought of assuming a position hostile to the emperor,
+or of defying his authority, save in the point of refusing to be
+separated from his army, all present agreed with acclamations to
+sign the documents required.
+
+"Then, gentlemen," Marshal Illo said, "I will have the document
+for your signatures at once drawn up. A banquet has been prepared
+in the next room, of which I invite you now all to partake, and at
+its conclusion the document shall be ready."
+
+Malcolm from his hiding place heard the general movement as the
+officers left the apartment, and looking cautiously out from beneath
+the arras, saw that the chamber was entirely empty. He determined,
+however, to remain and to hear the conclusion of the conference.
+He accordingly remained quiet for upwards of an hour. During this
+time the attendants had entered and extinguished the lights, as
+the guests would not return to the council chamber.
+
+He now left his hiding place and made his way to the door which
+separated him from the banqueting hall.  Listening intently at the
+keyhole, he heard the clinking of glasses and the sound of voices
+loudly raised, and he guessed that the revelry was at its height.
+More and more noisy did it become, for Marshal Illo was plying his
+guests with wine in order that they might sign without examination
+the document which he had prepared for their signatures.  Feeling
+confident that none would hear him in the state at which they had
+now arrived, Malcolm cautiously opened the door an inch or two,
+and was able to hear and see all that passed.
+
+It was another hour before Marshal Illo produced the document and
+passed it round for signature. Many of those to whom it was handed
+signed it at once without reading the engagement; but one more
+sober than the rest insisted on reading it through, and at once
+rising to his feet, announced to the others that the important words
+"as long as Wallenstein shall employ the army for the emperor's
+service," which had been inserted in the first draft agreed to by
+Wallenstein and the deputation, had been omitted.
+
+A scene of noisy confusion ensued. Several of the officers declared
+that they would not sign the document as it stood. General Piccolomini,
+who had only attended the meeting in order that he might inform
+the emperor, to whom he was devoted, of what took place there,
+had drunk so much wine that he forgot the part he was playing, and
+rose to his feet and with drunken gravity proposed the health of
+the emperor.
+
+Louder and louder grew the din of tongues until Count Terzky, who
+was alone with Illo and Colonel Kinsky in Wallenstein's confidence,
+arose, and in a thundering voice declared that all were perjured
+villains who should recede from their engagement, and would,
+according to their agreements be treated as enemies by the rest.
+His menaces and the evident danger which any who might now draw
+back would run, overcame the scruples of the recalcitrants, and
+all signed the paper. This done the meeting broke up, and Malcolm,
+stealing away from his post of observation, made his way back to
+his lodgings.
+
+He slept little that night. What he had seen convinced him that
+Wallenstein was really in earnest in the propositions which he had
+made to Oxenstiern and the Elector of Saxony, and that he meditated
+an open rebellion against the emperor.  It was of extreme importance
+that Oxenstiern should be made acquainted with these facts; but it
+would be next to impossible to escape from Pilsen, burdened as he
+was with Thekla, and to cross the country which intervened between
+the two armies and which was constantly traversed by cavalry parties
+and scouts of both sides.
+
+After much deliberation, therefore, he determined upon the bold
+course of frankly informing Wallenstein who he was and what he
+had heard, and to beg of him to furnish him with an escort to pass
+through the lines in order that he might make his way with all speed
+to Oxenstiern in order to assure him of the good faith of the duke
+and of the importance of his frankly and speedily accepting his
+proposals. It was possible, of course, that he might fall a victim
+to Wallenstein's first anger when he found out that he had been
+duped, and the plot in which he was engaged discovered; but he
+resolved to run the risk, believing that the duke would see the
+advantage to be gained by complying with his proposal.
+
+It was necessary, however, to prepare Thekla for the worst.
+
+"Thekla," he said in the morning, "an end has come to our stay
+here. Circumstances have occurred which will either enable us to
+continue our journey at once and in safety or which may place me
+in a prison."
+
+Thekla gave a cry of surprise and terror. "I do not think,
+my dear girl," Malcolm went on, "that there is much fear of the
+second alternative, but we must be prepared for it. You must obey
+my instructions implicitly. Should I not return by nightfall you
+will know that for a time at least I have been detained. You will
+tell the woman of the house, who is aware that I am employed by
+Wallenstein, that I have been sent by him to examine and set in
+order the clocks in his palace in Vienna in readiness for his return
+there, but that as you were too unwell to travel I have bade you
+remain here until I return to fetch you.
+
+"You have an ample supply of money even without the purse of gold
+which the duke presented to me yesterday.  You must remain here
+quietly until the spring, when the tide of war is sure to roll
+away to some other quarter, and I trust that, long ere that, even
+should I be detained, I shall be free to come to you again; but
+if not, do you then despatch this letter which I have written for
+you to Jans Boerhoff. In this I tell him where you are, in order
+that, if your mother comes to him asking for you, or your parents
+are able to write to him to inquire for you, he may inform them of
+your hiding place. I have also written you a letter to the commander
+of any Swedish force which may enter this town, telling him who
+you are, and praying him to forward you under an escort to Nuremberg."
+
+"But what shall I do without you?" Thekla sobbed.
+
+"I trust, my dear, that you will not have to do without me, and feel
+convinced that tomorrow we shall be upon our way to the Swedish
+outposts. I only give you instructions in case of the worst.
+It troubles me terribly that I am forced to do anything which may
+possibly deprive you of my protection, but my duty to the country
+I serve compels me to take this step, which is one of supreme
+importance to our cause."
+
+It was long before Thekla was pacified, and Malcolm himself was
+deeply troubled at the thought that the girl might be left alone
+and unprotected in a strange place. Still there appeared every
+probability that she would be able to remain there in safety until
+an opportunity should occur for her to make her way to Nuremberg. It
+was with a heavy heart, caused far more by the thought of Thekla's
+position than of danger to himself, that he took his way to the
+castle; but he felt that his duty was imperative, and was at heart
+convinced that Wallenstein would eagerly embrace his offer.
+
+It was not until midday that he was able to see the duke.  Wallenstein
+had been greatly angered as well as alarmed at the resistance which
+his scheme had met with on the previous evening. He had believed
+that his favours and liberality had so thoroughly attached his
+generals to his person that they would have followed him willingly
+and without hesitation, even in a war against the emperor, and the
+discovery that, although willing to support him against deprivation
+from his command, they shrunk alarmed at the idea of disloyalty to
+the emperor, showed that his position was dangerous in the extreme.
+
+He found that the signatures to the document had for the most
+part been scrawled so illegibly that the writers would be able to
+repudiate them if necessary, and that deceit was evidently intended.
+In the morning he called together the whole of the generals, and
+personally received them. After pouring out the bitterest reproaches
+and abuse against the court, he reminded them of their opposition
+to the proposition set before them on the previous evening, and
+declared that this circumstance had induced him to retract his own
+promise, and that he should at once resign his command.
+
+The generals, in confusion and dismay, withdrew to the antechamber,
+and after a short consultation returned to offer their apologies
+for their conduct on the previous evening and to offer to sign anew
+the engagement which bound them to him. This was done, and it now
+remained only for Wallenstein to obtain the adhesion of Gallas,
+Altringer, and Coloredo, which, as they held important separate
+commands, was necessary for the success of his plan. Messengers were
+accordingly sent out at once to request them to come instantly to
+Pilsen.
+
+After this business was despatched and Wallenstein was disengaged
+he was informed that Malcolm desired earnestly to speak to him on
+particular business. Greatly surprised at the request, he ordered
+that he should be shown in to him.
+
+"Your excellency," Malcolm began when they were alone, "what I am
+about to say may anger you, but as I trust that much advantage may
+arise from my communication, I implore you to restrain your anger
+until you hear me to the end, after which it will be for you to do
+with me as you will."
+
+Still more surprised at this commencement, Wallenstein signed to
+him to continue.
+
+"I am, sir," Malcolm went on, "no clockmaker, although, indeed,
+having worked for some time in the shop of Master Jans Boerhoff
+at the time of the siege of Nuremberg, I am able to set clocks and
+watches in repair, as I have done to those which have been placed
+in my hands here. In reality, sir, I am a Scottish officer, a
+captain in the service of Sweden."
+
+Wallenstein gave a short exclamation of angry surprise. "You must
+not think, sir, that I have come hither in disguise to be a spy
+upon the movements of your army. I came here unwillingly, being
+captured by your troops, and forced to accompany them.
+
+"I left the Swedish camp on a private mission, having received there
+a missive from the Countess of Mansfeld, who, with her husband,
+was a kind friend of mine, telling me that they were prisoners of
+the emperor at Prague, and begging me to come to their assistance.
+Bethinking me of the occupation which had amused my leisure hours
+during the weary months when we were shut up by you in Nuremberg,
+I obtained leave of absence, attired myself as a craftsman, and made
+my way to Prague. There I found the count confined to his couch by
+a wound and unable to move. The countess had no thought of quitting
+him. Her anxiety was wholly for her daughter, a girl of fifteen,
+whom the emperor purposed to shut up in a convent and force to
+change her religion, and then to bestow her hand upon one of his
+favourites, with her father's confiscated estates as her dowry.
+
+"I succeeded in effecting her escape, disguised as a boy; I myself
+travelling in the disguise of a peasant with a wagon.  We were
+making our way towards the Swedish lines when we came across your
+army, which had, unknown to me, suddenly moved hither. I and my
+cart were requisitioned for the service of the army.  On the night
+of my arrival here I resumed my disguise as a craftsman, left my wagon,
+and with my young companion took up my lodging here, intending to
+remain quietly working at the craft I assumed until an opportunity
+offered for continuing our journey. Accident obtained me employment
+here, and as rumour said that overtures for peace were passing
+between yourself and the Swedish chancellor, I may frankly say
+that I determined to use the position in which I accidentally found
+myself for the benefit of the country I served, by ascertaining,
+if I could, how far your excellency was in earnest as to the offers
+you were making.  In pursuance of that plan I yesterday concealed
+myself and overheard all that passed in the council chamber with
+the officers, and at the banquet subsequently."
+
+Wallenstein leapt to his feet with an angry exclamation.
+
+"Your excellency will please to remember," Malcolm went on quietly,
+"that I could have kept all this to myself and used it to the
+benefit or detriment of your excellency, but it seemed to me that
+I should benefit at once your designs and the cause I serve by
+frankly acquainting you with what I have discovered. It would be
+a work of time for me to make my way with my companion through the
+lines of your army and to gain those of the Swedes. I might be slain
+in so doing and the important information I have acquired lost.
+
+"It is of all things important to you that the Swedish chancellor,
+whose nature is cautious and suspicious, should be thoroughly
+convinced that it is your intention to make common cause with him
+and to join him heart and soul in forcing the emperor to accept
+the conditions which you and he united may impose upon him. This
+the information I have acquired will assuredly suffice to do, and
+he will, without doubt, at once set his army in motion to act in
+concert with yours."
+
+Wallenstein paced the room for a minute or two in silence.
+
+"The stars truly said that you are a brave man and that your destiny
+is connected with mine," he said at length, "for assuredly none
+but a brave man would venture to tell me that he had spied into
+my councils. I see, however, that what you say is reasonable and
+cogent, and that the news you have to tell may well induce Oxenstiern
+to lay aside the doubts which have so long kept us asunder and at
+once to embrace my offer. What, then, do you propose?"
+
+"I would ask, sir," Malcolm replied, "that you would at once
+order a squadron of horse to escort me and my companion through
+the debatable land between your army and that of the Swedes, with
+orders for us to pass freely on as soon as we are beyond your
+outposts and in the neighbourhood of those of the Swedes."
+
+"It shall be done," Wallenstein said. "In half an hour a squadron
+of horse shall be drawn up in the courtyard here, and a horse and
+pillion in readiness for yourself and the maiden. In the meantime
+I will myself prepare a letter for you to present to the Swedish
+chancellor with fresh proposals for common action."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII THE MURDER OF WALLENSTEIN
+
+
+Malcolm hurried back to his lodging, where he was received with a
+cry of delight from Thekla, who had passed the time since he had
+left her on her knees praying for his safety. He told her at once
+that she was about to be restored to safety among friends, that
+her troubles were at an end, and she was again to resume her proper
+garments which she had brought with her in the basket containing
+his tools at the time of her flight.
+
+A few minutes sufficed to make the change, and then she accompanied
+Malcolm to the castle. Wallenstein's orders had been rapidly carried
+out; a squadron of cavalry were formed up in the courtyard. and in
+front of them an attendant held a horse with a pillion behind the
+saddle.  Malcolm lifted Thekla on to the pillion and sprang into
+the saddle in front of her.  One of Wallenstein's household handed
+a letter to him and then gave him into the charge of the officer
+commanding the squadron, who had already received his orders.  The
+officer at once gave the word and rode from the castle followed by
+the cavalry.
+
+As soon as they were out of the town the pace was quickened, and the
+cavalcade proceeded at a trot which was kept up with few intermissions
+until nightfall, by which time twenty miles had been covered.
+They halted for the night in a small town where the soldiers were
+billeted on the inhabitants, comfortable apartments being assigned
+to Malcolm and his charge.
+
+Soon after daybreak the journey was continued.  A sharp watch was
+now kept up, as at any moment parties of the Swedish cavalry making
+a raid far in advance of their lines might be met with. No such
+adventure happened, and late in the afternoon the troop halted on
+the crest of a low hill.
+
+"Here," the officer said, "we part.  That town which you see across
+the river is held by the Swedes, and you will certainly meet with
+no molestation from any of our side as you ride down to it."
+
+Malcolm thanked the officer for the courtesy he had shown him on
+the journey, and then rode forward towards the town. It was getting
+dusk as he neared the bridge, but as he came close Malcolm's heart
+gave a bound as he recognized the green scarves and plumes worn
+by the sentries at the bridge. These seeing only a single horseman
+with a female behind him did not attempt to question him as he
+passed; but he reined in his horse.
+
+"Whose regiment do you belong to?" he asked.
+
+The men looked up in surprise at being addressed in their own
+language by one whose attire was that of a simple craftsman, but
+whom they now saw rode a horse of great strength and beauty.
+
+"We belong to Hamilton's regiment," they replied.
+
+"And where shall I find that of Munro?"
+
+"It is lying in quarters fifteen miles away," one of the soldiers
+answered.
+
+"Then we cannot get on there tonight," Malcolm said.  "Where are
+your officers quartered?"
+
+A soldier standing near at once volunteered to act as guide, and
+in a few minutes Malcolm arrived at the house occupied by them. He
+was of course personally known to all the officers, and as soon as
+their surprise at his disguise and at seeing him accompanied by a
+young lady had subsided, they received him most heartily.
+
+Thekla was at once taken to the house of the burgomaster, which
+was close at hand, and handed over to the wife of that functionary
+for the night, and Malcolm spent a merry evening with the Scottish
+officers, to whom he related the adventures which had so satisfactorily
+terminated -- making, however, no allusion to the political secrets
+which he had discovered or the mission with which he was charged.
+He was soon furnished from the wardrobes of the officers with a
+suit of clothes, and although his craftsman attire had served him
+well he was glad to don again the uniform of the Scottish brigade.
+
+"You have cut your narrative strangely short at the end, Graheme,"
+Colonel Hamilton said when Malcolm brought his story to a conclusion.
+"How did you get away from Pilsen at last, and from whom did you
+steal that splendid charger on whom you rode up to the door?"
+
+"That is not my own secret, colonel, and I can only tell you at
+present that Wallenstein himself gave it to me."
+
+A roar of incredulous laughter broke from the officers round the
+table.
+
+"A likely story indeed, Graheme; the duke was so fascinated with
+your talents as a watchmaker that he bestowed a charger fit for
+his own riding upon you to carry you across into our lines."
+
+"It does not sound likely, I grant you," Malcolm said, "but it is
+true, as you will acknowledge when the time comes that there will
+be no longer any occasion for me to keep the circumstances secret.
+I only repeat, Wallenstein gave me the honour of an escort which
+conducted me to the crest of the hill two miles away, where, if
+your sentries and outposts had been keeping their eyes open, they
+might have seen them."
+
+It was late before the party broke up, but soon after daylight
+Malcolm was again in the saddle, and with Thekla as before on the
+pillion he continued his journey, and in three hours reached the
+town where his regiment was quartered.
+
+Alighting at the door of the colonel's quarters, he led Thekla to
+his apartments. The colonel received him with the greatest cordiality
+and welcomed Thekla with a kindness which soon put her at her ease,
+for now that the danger was past she was beginning to feel keenly
+the strangeness of her position.
+
+She remembered Colonel Munro perfectly, as he and the other officers
+of the regiment had been frequently at her father's during the stay
+of the regiment at Maintz. The colonel placed her at once in charge
+of the wife of one of the principal citizens, who upon hearing that
+she was the daughter of the Count of Mansfeld, well known for his
+attachment to the Protestant cause, willingly received her, and
+offered to retain her as her guest until an opportunity should
+occur for sending her on to Nuremberg, should Malcolm not be able
+at once to continue his journey to that city.
+
+"That," Colonel Munro said as soon as Malcolm informed him of
+the extremely important information he had gained, "is out of the
+question. Your news is of supreme importance, it alters the whole
+course of events, and offers hopes of an early termination of the
+struggle. There is no doubt that Wallenstein is in earnest now,
+for he has committed himself beyond reparation. The only question
+is whether he can carry the army with him. However, it is clear
+that you must ride with all haste to Oxenstiern with your tidings;
+not a moment must be lost. He is in the Palatinate, and it will
+take you four days of hard riding at the least to reach him.
+
+"In the meantime, your little maid, who by the way is already nearly
+a woman, had best remain here -- I will see that she is comfortable
+and well cared for, and after all she is as well here as at Nuremberg,
+as there is no fear now of an advance of the Imperialists. In case
+of anything extraordinary occurring which might render this town
+an unsafe abiding place, I will forward her in safety to Nuremberg,
+even I if I have to detach a score of my men as her escort."
+
+Before mounting again Malcolm paid a hurried visit to Thekla, who
+expressed her contentment with her new abode, and her readiness to
+stay there until he should return to take her to Nuremberg, even
+should it be weeks before he could do so.
+
+"I quite feel among friends now," she said, "and Colonel Munro and
+your Scotch officers will, I am sure, take good care of me till
+you return."
+
+Glad to feel that his charge was left in good hands Malcolm mounted
+his horse with a light heart and galloped away. Four days later he
+was closeted with the Swedish chancellor, and relating to him the
+scene in the castle at Pilsen. When he had finished his narrative
+Oxenstiern, who had, before Malcolm began, read the letter which
+Wallenstein had sent him, said:
+
+"After what you tell me there can be no longer the slightest doubts
+of Wallenstein's intention. Ever since the death of the king he has
+been negotiating privately with me, but I could not believe that
+he was in earnest or that such monstrous treachery was possible.
+How could I suppose that he who has been raised from the rank of
+a simple gentleman to that of a duke and prince, and who, save the
+fortunes which he obtained with his wives, owes everything to the
+bounty of the emperor, could be preparing to turn his arms against
+him?"
+
+"It is true that he has done great things for Ferdinand, but his
+ambition is even greater than his military talent. Any other man
+would have been content with the enormous possessions and splendid
+dignity which he has attained, and which in fact render him far richer
+than his Imperial master; but to be a prince does not suffice for
+him. He has been promised a kingdom, but even that is insufficient
+for his ambition. It is clear that he aims to dethrone the emperor
+and to set himself up in his place; however, his ingratitude does
+not concern me, it suffices now that at any rate he is sincere,
+and that a happy issue out of the struggle opens before us henceforth.
+
+"I can trust him thoroughly; but though he has the will to join
+us has he the power? Wallenstein, with his generals and his army
+fighting for the emperor, is a mighty personage, but Wallenstein
+a rebel is another altogether. By what you tell me it seems more
+than doubtful whether his officers will follow him; and although
+his army is attached to him, and might follow him could he put
+himself at its head, it is scattered in its cantonments, and each
+section will obey the orders which the general in its command may
+give.
+
+"Probably some of those who signed the document, pledging their
+fidelity to Wallenstein, have already sent news to the emperor of
+what is being done. It is a strange situation and needs great care;
+the elements are all uncertain.  Wallenstein writes to me as if he
+were assured of the allegiance of the whole of his army, and speaks
+unquestionably of his power to overthrow the emperor; but the man
+is clearly blinded by his ambition and infatuated by his fixed
+belief in the stars. However, one thing is certain, he and as much
+of his army as he can hold in hand are now our allies, and I must
+lose no time in moving such troops as are most easily disposable
+to his assistance.
+
+"I will send to Saxony and urge the elector to put in motion a
+force to support him, and Duke Bernhard shall move with a division
+of our troops. I will at once pen a despatch to Wallenstein, accepting
+his alliance and promising him active aid as soon as possible.
+
+"What say you, young sir? You have shown the greatest circumspection
+and ability in this affair. Will you undertake to carry my despatch?
+You must not travel as a Scottish officer, for if there are any
+traitors among the officers of Wallenstein they will assuredly
+endeavour to intercept any despatches which may be passing between
+us in order to send them to the emperor as proofs of the duke's
+guilt."
+
+"I will undertake the task willingly, sir," Malcolm replied, "and
+doubt not that I shall be able to penetrate to him in the same
+disguise which I before wore. When I once reach him is your wish
+that I should remain near him, or that I should at once return?"
+
+"It were best that you should remain for a time," the chancellor
+said. "You may be able to send me news from time to time of what
+is passing around the duke. Before you start, you shall be supplied
+with an ample amount of money to pay messengers to bring your
+reports to me. Wallenstein hardly appears to see the danger of
+his situation; but you will be more clear sighted. It is a strange
+drama which is being played, and may well terminate in a tragedy.
+At any rate the next month will decide what is to come of these
+strange combinations."
+
+The horse on which Malcolm had ridden was knocked up from the speed
+at which he had travelled, and, ordering it to be carefully tended
+till his return, he obtained a fresh horse and again set out. He
+made the journey at the same speed at which he had before passed
+over the ground, and paused for a few hours only at Amberg, where
+he found Thekla well and comfortable, and quite recovered from the
+effects of her journeys and anxiety. She received him with delight;
+but her joy was dashed when she found that, instead of returning
+to remain with his regiment, as she had hoped, he was only passing
+through on another mission.
+
+At Amberg he again laid aside his uniform and donned his costume as
+a craftsman. Colonel Munro gave him an escort of twenty troopers;
+with these he crossed the river at nightfall, and, making a detour
+to avoid the Imperialist outposts, rode some fifteen miles on his
+way. He then dismounted and handed over his horse to his escort,
+who at once started on their way back to Amberg, while he pursued
+his journey on foot towards Pilsen. It was late the next evening
+before he reached the town; and on arriving he learned that
+Wallenstein was still there.
+
+The Imperialist general, immediately upon obtaining the signature
+of his officers, had sent to urge Altringer and Gallas, who had been
+absent from the meeting, to come to him with all speed. Altringer,
+on pretence of sickness, did not comply with the invitation.  Gallas
+made his appearance, but merely with the intention of finding out
+all Wallenstein's plans and of keeping the emperor informed of
+them.  Piccolomini had, immediately the meeting broke up, sent full
+details of its proceedings to the court, and Gallas was furnished
+with a secret commission containing the emperor's orders to the
+colonels and officers, granting an amnesty for their adhesion to
+Wallenstein at Pilsen, and ordering them to make known to the army
+that it was released from its obedience to Wallenstein, and was
+placed under the command of Gallas himself, who received orders,
+if possible, to arrest Wallenstein.
+
+Gallas on his arrival perceived the impossibility of executing his
+commission, for Wallenstein's troops and officers were devoted to
+him, and not even the crime of high treason could overcome their
+veneration and respect for him.  Finding that he could do nothing,
+and fearful that Wallenstein should discover the commission with
+which he was charged, Gallas sought for a pretence to escape from
+Pilsen, and offered to go to Altringer and to persuade him to return
+with him.
+
+Wallenstein had no doubts of the fidelity of the general, and
+allowed him to depart.  As he did not return at once Piccolomini,
+who was also most anxious to get out of the grasp of Wallenstein,
+offered to go and fetch both Gallas and Altringer.  Wallenstein
+consented, and conveyed Piccolomini in his own carriage to Lintz.
+No sooner had Piccolomini left him than he hurried to his own command,
+denounced Wallenstein as a traitor, and prepared to surprise the
+duke in Pilsen.  Gallas at the same time sent round copies of his
+commission to all the Imperial camps.
+
+Upon his arrival Malcolm at once proceeded to the castle, and,
+finding the steward, requested him to inform the duke that he had
+returned.  In a few minutes he was ushered into his presence, and
+handed to him the letter from Oxenstiern.  Wallenstein tore it
+open without a word and gave an exclamation of satisfaction as he
+glanced it through.
+
+"This is opportune indeed," he said, "and I thank you for bringing
+me the news so rapidly. Well did the astrologer say that my destiny
+to some extent depended on you; this is a proof that he was right.
+The chancellor tells me that the Duke of Saxe-Lauenberg will march
+instantly with four thousand men to join me, and that Duke Bernhard
+will move down at once with six thousand of the best Swedish troops.
+I may yet be even with the traitors."
+
+Although the defection of Gallas and Piccolomini and the news of the
+issue of the Imperial proclamation had fallen with stunning force
+upon Wallenstein, he had still faith in the fidelity of the army
+at large, and he had already despatched Marshal Terzky to Prague,
+where all the troops faithful to him were to assemble, intending
+to follow himself with the regiments at Pilsen as soon as carriage
+could be obtained from the country round.  His astrologer still
+assured him that the stars were favourable, and Wallenstein's faith
+in his own destiny was unshaken.
+
+Upon finding that Malcolm had orders to remain with him until he
+was joined by Duke Bernhard, he ordered handsome apartments to be
+prepared for him, and as there was no longer any reason why the
+fact that a Swedish officer was in the castle should be concealed,
+he commanded that Malcolm should be furnished with handsome raiment
+of all sorts and a suit of superb armour.  Upon the following
+morning Wallenstein sent for him.
+
+"I have bad news," he said. "General Suys with an army arrived
+at Prague before Terzky got there, and I fear that the influence
+of Piccolomini, Gallas, and Altringer have withdrawn from me the
+corps which they command.  Terzky will return tomorrow morning,
+and I shall then march with him and the troops here to Egra. There
+I shall effect a junction with Duke Bernhard, who is instructed to
+march upon that town.''
+
+The duke, though anxious, still appeared confident; but the
+outlook seemed to Malcolm extremely gloomy.  The whole army save
+the regiments around Pilsen had fallen away from Wallenstein.  His
+princely generosity to the generals and officers and his popularity
+among the troops had failed to attach them to him now that he had
+declared against the emperor, and it appeared to Malcolm that he
+would be able to bring over to the Swedish cause only the corps
+which he immediately commanded.
+
+Still his defection could not but cause a vast gap in the Imperial
+defences, and the loss of the services of the greatest of their
+leaders would in itself be a heavy blow to the Imperialist cause,
+which had been almost solely supported by his commanding talents and
+his vast private income.  Terzky arrived on the following morning,
+and the same afternoon Wallenstein with the whole of the troops at
+Pilsen marched towards Egra.
+
+Among the officers attached to Wallenstein's person was a Scotchman
+named Leslie, to whom and a few other confidants Wallenstein had
+confided his designs. Wallenstein had at once introduced Malcolm to
+him, and the two rode in company during the march to Egra.  Malcolm
+did not find him a cheerful companion.  They chatted at times of
+the engagements in which both had taken part although on opposite
+sides; but Malcolm saw that his companion was absent and preoccupied,
+and that he avoided any conversation as to the turn which events
+had taken.
+
+At the end of the first day's ride Malcolm came to the decided
+conclusion that he did not like his companion, and, moreover, that
+his heart was far from being in the enterprise on which they were
+engaged.  The following day he avoided joining him, and rode with
+some of the other officers. Upon their arrival at Egra the gates
+were opened at their approach, and Colonel Butler, an Irishman who
+commanded the garrison, met Wallenstein as he entered, and saluted
+him with all honour.  Wallenstein was pleased to find that the
+disaffection which had spread so rapidly through the army had not
+reached Egra.
+
+A few hours after he had entered the town Wallenstein received
+the news that an Imperial edict had been issued proclaiming him
+a traitor and an outlaw; he also learned that the corps under the
+Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg was within a day's march of Egra. As soon
+as the duke retired to his apartments Leslie sought out Colonel
+Butler, and revealed to him the purposes of Wallenstein, and informed
+him of the Imperial order absolving the army from their allegiance
+to him.  The two men, with Lieutenant Colonel Gordon, another
+Imperialist officer, at once determined to capture Wallenstein and
+to hand him over as a prisoner to the emperor.
+
+In the afternoon Leslie had an interview with Wallenstein, who
+told him of the near approach of the Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg and
+Saxe-Weimar, and informed him of his plans for advancing from Egra
+direct into the heart of Bohemia.
+
+The treacherous officer at once hurried away with the news to his
+two associates, and it was agreed that the near approach of the
+Saxons rendered it impossible for them to carry out their first plan,
+but that instant and more urgent steps must be taken. That evening
+a banquet was given by Butler to Wallenstein and his officers. The
+duke, however, was too anxious to appear at it, and remained in his
+own apartment, the rest of the officers, among them Wallenstein's
+chief confidants, Illo, Terzky, and Kinsky, together with Captain
+Neumann, an intimate adviser of Terzky, were among the guests.
+Malcolm was also present.
+
+The banquet passed off gaily, Wallenstein's health was drunk in
+full bumpers, and his friends boasted freely that in a few days
+he would find himself at the head of as powerful an army as he had
+ever before commanded.  Malcolm had naturally been placed at the
+table near his compatriots, and it seemed to him that their gaiety
+was forced and unnatural, and a sense of danger came over him.
+
+The danger indeed was great, although he knew it not.  The drawbridge
+of the castle had been drawn up, the avenues leading to it guarded,
+and twenty infantry soldiers and six of Butler's dragoons were in
+hiding in the apartment next to the banqueting hall.
+
+Dessert was placed on the table; Leslie gave the signal, and in an
+instant the hall was filled with armed men, who placed themselves
+behind the chairs of Wallenstein's trusted officers with shouts
+of "Long live Ferdinand!" The three officers instantly sprang to
+their feet, but Terzky and Kinsky were slain before they had time
+to draw their swords.
+
+Neumann in the confusion escaped into the court, where he too was
+cut down.  Illo burst through his assailants, and placing his back
+against a window stood on his defence.  As he kept his assailants
+at bay he poured the bitterest reproaches upon Gordon for his
+treachery, and challenged him to fight him fairly and honourably.
+After a gallant resistance, in which he slew two of his assailants,
+he fell to the ground overpowered by numbers, and pierced with ten
+wounds.
+
+Malcolm had sprung to his feet at the commencement of the tumult,
+but was pressed down again into his chair by two soldiers, while
+Leslie exclaimed, "Keep yourself quiet, sir, I would fain save you
+as a fellow countryman, and as one who is simply here in the execution
+of his duty; but if you draw sword to defend these traitors, you
+must share their fate."
+
+No sooner had the murder of the four officers been accomplished
+than Leslie, Butler, and Gordon issued into the town.  Butler's
+cavalry paraded the streets, and that officer quieted the garrison
+by telling them that Wallenstein had been proclaimed a traitor and
+an outlaw, and that all who were faithful to the emperor must obey
+their orders.  The regiments most attached to Wallenstein had not
+entered the city, and the garrison listened to the voice of their
+commander.
+
+Wallenstein knew nothing of what had taken place in the castle,
+and had just retired to bed when a band of Butler's soldiers, led
+by Captain Devereux, an Irishman, burst into his apartment. The
+duke leaped from his bed, but before he could snatch up a sword he
+was pierced through and through by the murderers' halberts.
+
+So fell one of the greatest men of his age.  Even to the present day
+there are differences of opinion as to the extent of his guilt, but
+none as to the treachery with which he was murdered by his most
+trusted officers.  That Wallenstein owed much gratitude to the
+emperor is unquestionable, but upon the other hand he had even a
+greater title to the gratitude of Ferdinand, whose crown and empire
+he had repeatedly saved.  Wallenstein was no bigot, his views were
+broad and enlightened, and he was therefore viewed with the greatest
+hostility by the violent Catholics around the king, by Maximilian
+of Bavaria, by the Spaniards, and by the Jesuits, who were all
+powerful at court. These had once before brought about his dismissal
+from the command, after he had rendered supreme services, and their
+intrigues against him were again at the point of success when
+Wallenstein determined to defy and dethrone the emperor.  The coldness
+with which he was treated at court, the marked inattention to all
+his requests, the consciousness that while he was winning victories
+in the field his enemies were successfully plotting at court, angered
+the proud and haughty spirit of Wallenstein almost to madness,
+and it may truly be said that he was goaded into rebellion.  The
+verdict of posterity has certainly been favourable to him, and the
+dastardly murder which requited a lifetime of brilliant services has
+been held to more than counterbalance the faults which he committed.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV MALCOLM'S ESCAPE
+
+
+After the fall of Wallenstein's colonels Malcolm was led away
+a prisoner, and was conducted to a dungeon in the castle.  It was
+not until the door closed behind him that he could fairly realize
+what had taken place, so sudden and unexpected had been the scene
+in the banqueting hall. Five minutes before he had been feasting
+and drinking the health of Wallenstein, now he was a prisoner of
+the Imperialists. Wallenstein's adherents had been murdered, and
+it was but too probable that a like fate would befall the general
+himself.  The alliance from which so much had been hoped, which
+seemed to offer a prospect of a termination of the long and bloody
+struggle, was cut short at a blow.
+
+As to his own fate it seemed dark enough, and his captivity might
+last for years, for the Imperialists' treatment of their prisoners
+was harsh in the extreme. The system of exchange, which was usual
+then as now, was in abeyance during the religious war in Germany.
+There was an almost personal hatred between the combatants, and,
+as Malcolm knew, many of his compatriots who had fallen into the
+hands of the Imperialists had been treated with such harshness
+in prison that they had died there.  Some, indeed, were more than
+suspected of having been deliberately starved to death.
+
+However, Malcolm had gone through so many adventures that even the
+scene which he had witnessed and his own captivity and uncertain fate
+were insufficient to banish sleep from his eyes, and he reposed as
+soundly on the heap of straw in the corner of his cell as he would
+have done in the carved and gilded bed in the apartment which had
+been assigned to him in the castle.
+
+The sun was shining through the loophole of his dungeon when he
+awoke. For an hour he occupied himself in polishing carefully the
+magnificently inlaid armour which Wallenstein had presented him,
+and which, with the exception of his helmet, he had not laid aside
+when he sat down to the banquet, for it was very light and in no
+way hampered his movements, and except when quartered in towns far
+removed from an enemy officers seldom laid aside their arms.  He
+still retained his sword and dagger, for his captors, in their haste
+to finish the first act of the tragedy, and to resist any rising
+which might take place among the soldiery, had omitted to take them
+from him when they hurried him away.
+
+On examination he found that with his dagger he could shove back
+the lock of the door, but this was firmly held by bolts without.
+Thinking that on some future occasion the blade might be useful
+to him, he pushed the dagger well into the lock, and with a sharp
+jerk snapped it off at the hilt.  Then he concealed the steel within
+his long boot and cast the hilt through the loophole.
+
+Presently a soldier brought him his breakfast -- a manchet of bread
+and a stoup of wine. He was visited again at dinner and supper.
+Before the soldier came in the first time Malcolm concealed his
+sword in the straw, thinking that the soldier would be sure to
+remove it if he noticed it. The man who brought his breakfast and
+dinner was taciturn, and made no reply to his questions, but another
+man brought his supper, and he turned out of a more communicative
+disposition.
+
+"What has happened?" he repeated in reply to Malcolm's question.
+"Well, I don't know much about it myself, but I do know that
+Wallenstein is dead, for the trooper who rides next to me helped to
+kill him.  Everyone is content that the traitor has been punished,
+and as the troops have all pronounced for the emperor every thing
+is quiet. We had a good laugh this afternoon.  The colonel sent
+out one of our men dressed up in Wallenstein's livery to meet the
+Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg and invite him to come on at once and join
+him here. The duke suspected no danger, and rode on ahead of his
+troops, with a few attendants, and you should have seen his face,
+when, after passing through the gates, he suddenly found himself
+surrounded by our men and a prisoner. Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar will
+be here tomorrow, as they say, and we shall catch him in the same
+way. It's a rare trap this, I can tell you."
+
+The news heightened Malcolm's uneasiness.  The capture of Duke
+Bernhard, the most brilliant of the German generals on the Protestant
+side, would be a heavy blow indeed to the cause, and leaving his
+supper untasted Malcolm walked up and down his cell in a fever of
+rage at his impotence to prevent so serious a disaster.
+
+At last he ate his supper, and then threw himself upon the straw,
+but he was unable to sleep.  The death of Wallenstein had made
+a deep impression upon him. The Imperialist general was greatly
+respected by his foes.  Not only was he admired for his immense
+military talents, but he carried on the war with a chivalry and
+humanity which contrasted strongly with the ferocity of Tilly,
+Pappenheim, and Piccolomini.  Prisoners who fell into his hands
+were always treated with courtesy, and although, from motives of
+policy, he placed but little check upon the excesses of his soldiery,
+no massacres, such as those which had caused the names of Tilly and
+Pappenheim to be held in abhorrence by the Protestants of Germany,
+were associated with that of Wallenstein.  Then, too, the princely
+dignity and noble presence of the duke had greatly impressed
+the young soldier, and the courtesy with which he had treated him
+personally had attracted his liking as well as respect.  To think
+that this great general, this princely noble, the man who alone had
+baffled the Lion of the North, had been foully murdered by those
+he had trusted and favoured, filled him with grief and indignation,
+the more so since two of the principal assassins were Scotchmen.
+
+The thought that on the morrow Duke Bernhard of Weimar -- a leader
+in importance second only to the Chancellor of Sweden -- would
+fall unsuspiciously into the trap set for him goaded him almost
+to madness, and he tossed restlessly on the straw through the long
+hours of the night.  Towards morning he heard a faint creaking of
+bolts, then there was a sound of the locks of the door being turned.
+He grasped his sword and sprang to his feet.  He heard the door
+close again, and then a man produced a lantern from beneath a long
+cloak, and he saw Wallenstein's steward before him.  The old man's
+eyes were bloodshot with weeping, and his face betokened the anguish
+which the death of his master had caused him.
+
+"You have heard the news?" he asked.
+
+"Alas!" Malcolm replied, "I have heard it indeed."
+
+"I am determined," the old man said, "to thwart the projects of
+these murderers and to have vengeance upon them.  None have thought
+of me.  I was an old man, too insignificant for notice, and I have
+passed the day in my chamber lamenting the kindest of lords, the
+best of masters.  Last evening I heard the soldiers boasting that
+today they would capture the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and I determined
+to foil them. They have been feasting and drinking all night, and
+it is but now that the troopers have fallen into a drunken slumber
+and I was able to possess myself of the key of your dungeon.
+
+"Here is your helmet.  I will lead you to the stable, where I
+have saddled the best and fastest of my master's horses.  You must
+remain there quietly until you deem that the gates are open, then
+leap upon the horse, and ride for your life.  Few will know you,
+and you will probably pass out of the gate unquestioned.  If not,
+you have your sword to cut your way.  Once beyond the town ride
+to meet the duke.  Tell him my master has been murdered, that Egra
+is in the hands of the Imperialists, and that Saxe-Lauenburg is a
+prisoner.  Bid him march on this place with his force, take it by
+assault, and leave not one of the assassins of my lord living within
+its walls."
+
+"You will run no risk, I hope, for your share in this adventure,"
+Malcolm said.
+
+"It matters little to me," the old man replied. "My life is
+worthless, and I would gladly die in the thought that I have brought
+retribution on the head of the murderers of my master.  But they
+will not suspect me.  I shall lock the door behind us, and place
+the key again in the girdle of the drunken guard, and then return
+to my own chamber."
+
+Quietly Malcolm and his conductor made their way through the castle
+and out into the courtyard.  Then they entered the stables.
+
+"This is the horse," the steward said, again uncovering his lantern.
+"Is he not a splendid animal? He was my master's favourite, and
+sooner than that his murderers should ride him I would cut the throat
+of the noble beast with my dagger; but he has a better mission in
+carrying the avenger of his master's blood.  And now farewell. The
+rest is in your own hands.  May Heaven give you good fortune."  So
+saying, the old man set down his lantern and left Malcolm alone.
+
+The latter, after examining the saddle and bridle, and seeing that
+every buckle was firm and in its place, extinguished the light,
+and waited patiently for morning.  In two hours a faint light began
+to show itself.  Stronger and stronger it grew until it was broad
+day.  Still there were but few sounds of life and movement in the
+castle. Presently, however, the noise of footsteps and voices was
+heard in the courtyard.
+
+Although apprehensive that at any moment the stable door might
+open, Malcolm still delayed his start, as it would be fatal were he
+to set out before the opening of the gates.  At last he felt sure
+that they must be opened to admit the country people coming in with
+supplies for the market.  He had donned his helmet before leaving
+his cell, and he now quietly opened the stable door, sprang into
+the saddle, and rode boldly out.
+
+Several soldiers were loitering about the courtyard.  Some were
+washing at the trough and bathing their heads beneath the fountain
+to get rid of the fumes of the wine they had indulged in overnight.
+Others were cleaning their arms.
+
+The sudden appearance of a mounted officer armed from head to foot
+caused a general pause in their occupation, although none had any
+suspicion that the splendidly attired officer was a fugitive; but,
+believing that he was one of Leslie's friends who was setting out
+on some mission, they paid no further heed to him, as quietly and
+without any sign of haste he rode through the gateway of the castle
+into the town.  The inhabitants were already in the streets, country
+women with baskets were vending their produce, and the market was
+full of people. Malcolm rode on at a foot pace until he was within
+sight of the open gate of the town.  When within fifty yards of
+the gate he suddenly came upon Colonel Leslie, who had thus early
+been making a tour of the walls to see that the sentries were upon
+the alert, for Duke Bernhard's force was within a few miles.  He
+instantly recognized Malcolm.
+
+"Ah!" he exclaimed, "Captain Graheme -- treachery!  treachery! shut
+the gate there," and drawing his sword, threw himself in Malcolm's
+way.
+
+Malcolm touched the horse with his spur and it bounded forward; he
+parried the blow which Leslie struck at him, and, with a sweeping
+cut full on the traitor's helmet, struck him to the ground and
+then dashed onward.  A sentry was beginning to shut the gate, and
+his comrades were running out from the guardhouse as Malcolm galloped
+up.
+
+The steward had fastened the holsters on to the saddle, and Malcolm,
+before starting, had seen to the priming of the pistols in them.
+Drawing one he shot the man who was closing the gate, and before his
+comrades could run up he dashed through it and over the drawbridge.
+
+Several bullets whizzed around him, but he was soon out of range,
+and galloping at full speed in the direction in which the steward
+had told him that Duke Bernhard was encamped.  In half an hour he
+reached the Swedish lines, and rode at once to the tent of the duke
+who was upon the point of mounting; beside him stood a man in the
+livery of Wallenstein.  As he rode up Malcolm drew his pistol, and
+said to the man:
+
+"If you move a foot I will send a bullet through your head."
+
+"What is this?" exclaimed the duke in astonishment, "and who are
+you, sir, who with such scant courtesy ride into my camp?"
+
+Malcolm raised his vizor. "I am Captain Graheme of Munro's
+regiment," he said, "and I have ridden here to warn your excellency
+of treachery.  Wallenstein has been foully murdered.  Egra is in
+the hands of the Imperialists, the Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg has been
+beguiled into a trap and taken prisoner, and this fellow, who is
+one of Butler's troopers, has been sent here to lead you into a
+like snare."
+
+"Wallenstein murdered!" the duke exclaimed in tones of horror.
+"Murdered, say you? Impossible!"
+
+"It is but too true, sir," Malcolm replied; "I myself saw his friends
+Illo, Terzky, and Kinsky assassinated before my eyes at a banquet.
+Wallenstein was murdered by his favourites Leslie and Gordon and
+the Irishman Butler.  I was seized and thrown into a dungeon, but
+have escaped by a miracle to warn you of your danger."
+
+"This is a blow indeed," the duke said mournfully.  Turning to
+his attendants he ordered them to hang the false messenger to the
+nearest tree, and then begged Malcolm to follow him into his tent
+and give him full details of this terrible transaction.
+
+"This upsets all our schemes indeed," the duke said when he had
+concluded. "What is the strength of the garrison at Egra?"
+
+"There were Butler's dragoons and an infantry regiment in garrison
+there when we arrived; six regiments accompanied us on the march,
+and I fear that all these must now be considered as having gone
+over to the Imperialists."
+
+"Then their force is superior to my own," the duke said, "for
+I have but six thousand men with me, and have no artillery heavy
+enough to make any impression upon the walls of the town.  Much as
+I should like to meet these traitors and to deal out to them the
+punishment they deserve, I cannot adventure on the siege of Egra until
+I have communicated this terrible news to the Swedish chancellor.
+Egra was all important to us as affording an entrance into Bohemia so
+long as Wallenstein was with us, but now that he has been murdered
+and our schemes thus suddenly destroyed I cannot risk the destruction
+of my force by an assault upon the city, which is no longer of use
+to us."
+
+Much as Malcolm would have liked to have seen the punishment of
+Wallenstein's treacherous followers, he could not but feel that
+the duke's view was, under the circumstances, the correct one.  The
+tents were speedily struck, and the force fell back with all speed
+towards Bavaria, and after accompanying them for a march or two,
+Malcolm left them and rode to join his regiment, the duke having
+already sent off a messenger to Oxenstiern with a full account of
+the murder of Wallenstein.
+
+As none could say what events were likely to follow the changed
+position of things, Malcolm determined at once to carry out the
+original intention of placing Thekla under the care of his friends
+at Nuremberg, in which direction it was not probable that the tide
+of war would for the present flow.  After staying therefore a day
+or two with his regiment, where his relation of the events he had
+witnessed caused the greatest excitement and interest, Malcolm
+obtained leave from his colonel to escort Thekla to Nuremberg.
+
+In order that they might pass in perfect safety across the intervening
+country Munro gave him an escort of twelve troopers, and with these
+he journeyed by easy stages to Nuremberg, where the worthy syndic
+of the clockmakers and his wife gladly received Thekla, and promised
+to treat her as one of their own daughters.
+
+Here Malcolm took possession of his arms and valises, which he had
+sent, upon starting for Prague, to the care of Jans Boerhoff; not
+indeed that he needed the armour, for the suit which Wallenstein
+had given him was the admiration and envy of his comrades, and
+Munro had laughingly said that since Hepburn had left them no such
+gallantly attired cavalier had ridden in the ranks of the Scottish
+brigade.
+
+There were many tears on Thekla's part as her young protector bade
+her adieu, for there was no saying how long a time might elapse
+before she might again see him, and Malcolm was sorely tempted
+to tell her that he had her father's consent to wooing her as his
+wife.  He thought it, however, better to abstain from speaking, for
+should he fall in the campaign her grief would be all the greater
+had she come to think of him as her destined husband, for her
+hearty affection for him already assured him that she would make
+no objection to carrying out her father's wishes.
+
+Shortly after rejoining his regiment Malcolm received a communication
+from the Swedish chancellor expressing in high terms his approbation
+of the manner in which he had carried out his instructions with
+regard to Wallenstein, and especially for the great service he had
+rendered the cause by warning the Duke of Saxe-Weimar of the trap
+which the Imperialists had set for him.
+
+The death of Wallenstein was followed by a short pause in the
+war.  It had entirely frustrated all the plans and hopes of the
+Protestants, and it caused a delay in the movement of the Imperialists.
+The emperor, when he heard of Wallenstein's death, heaped favours
+and honours upon the three men who had plotted and carried out his
+murder, and then appointed his son Ferdinand, King of Hungary, to
+the chief command of the army, with General Gallas as his principal
+adviser.
+
+The Duke of Lorraine marched with an army to join the Imperialists,
+who were also strengthened by the arrival of 10,000 Spanish veterans,
+and early in May the new Imperial general entered the Palatinate
+and marched to lay siege to Ratisbon. To oppose the Imperial
+army, which numbered 35,000 men, Duke Bernhard, after having drawn
+together all the troops scattered in the neighbourhood, could only
+put 15,000 in the field.  With so great a disparity of force he
+could not offer battle, but in every way he harassed and interrupted
+the advance of the Imperialists, while he sent pressing messages
+to Oxenstiern for men and money, and to Marshal Horn, who commanded
+in Alsace, to beg him march with all haste to his assistance.
+
+Unfortunately Horn and Duke Bernhard were men of extremely different
+temperaments.  The latter was vivacious, enterprising, and daring
+even to rashness, ready to undertake any enterprise which offered
+the smallest hope of success.  Marshal Horn, on the other hand,
+although a good general, was slow, over cautious and hesitating,
+and would never move until his plans appeared to promise almost
+a certainty of success. Besides this, Horn, a Swede, was a little
+jealous that Duke Bernhard, a German, should be placed in the
+position of general-in-chief, and this feeling no doubt tended to
+increase his caution and to delay his action.
+
+Consequently he was so long a time before be obeyed the pressing
+messages sent by the duke, that Ratisbon, after a valiant defence,
+surrendered on the 29th of July, before he had effected a junction
+with the duke's army. The Imperialists then marched upon Donauworth,
+and this place, after a feeble defence, also capitulated. The duke,
+heartbroken at seeing the conquests, which had been effected at so
+great a loss of life and treasure, wrested from his hands while he
+was unable to strike a blow to save them, in despair marched away
+to Swabia to meet the slowly advancing army of Marshal Horn.
+
+No sooner was the junction effected than he turned quickly back and
+reached the vicinity of Nordlingen, only to find the enemy already
+there before him, and posted on the more advanced of the two heights
+which dominate the plain.  By a skillful manoeuvre, however, he was
+enabled to throw within its walls a reinforcement to the garrison
+of eight hundred men.
+
+Nordlingen, an important free town, stands on the south bank of
+the Ries, some 18 miles to the northeast of Donauworth.  It was
+surrounded by a wall, interspersed with numerous towers, sufficiently
+strong to guard it against any surprise, but not to defend it against
+a regular siege by a numerous army.  The vast plain on which the
+town stands is broken near its centre by two heights rising at a
+distance of three thousand yards from each other.
+
+The height nearest to the town, which is very steep and craggy, is
+known as the Weinberg, the other is called Allersheim; a village
+stands some three hundred yards in advance of the valley between the
+heights, and is nearer to the town than either of the two eminences.
+
+The Scotch brigade formed part of Duke Bernhard's command. It was
+now nearly two years since a pitched battle had been fought, for
+although there had been many skirmishes and assaults in the preceding
+year no great encounter had taken place between the armies since
+Gustavus fell at Lutzen, in October, 1632, and the Scotch brigade
+had not been present at that battle. In the time which had elapsed
+many recruits had arrived from Scotland, and Munro's regiment had
+been again raised to the strength at which it had landed at Rugen
+four years before. Not half a dozen of the officers who had then,
+full of life and spirit, marched in its ranks were now present.
+Death had indeed been busy among them. On the evening of their
+arrival in sight of the Imperialist army the two Grahemes supped
+with their colonel.  Munro had but just arrived from the duke's
+quarters.
+
+"I suppose we shall fight tomorrow, Munro," Major Graheme said.
+
+"It is not settled," the colonel replied; "between ourselves the
+duke and Horn are not of one mind. The duke wants to fight; he
+urges that were we to allow Nordlingen to fall, as we have allowed
+Ratisbon and Donauworth, without striking a blow to save it, it would
+be an evidence of caution and even cowardice which would have the
+worst possible effect through Germany. Nordlingen has ever been
+staunch to the cause, and the Protestants would everywhere fall away
+from us did they find that we had so little care for their safety
+as to stand by and see them fall into the hands of the Imperialists
+without an effort.  It is better, in the duke's opinion, to fight
+and to be beaten than to tamely yield Nordlingen to the Imperialists.
+In the one case honour would be satisfied and the reformers
+throughout Germany would feel that we had done our utmost to save
+their co-religionists, on the other hand there would be shame and
+disgrace."
+
+"There is much in what the duke says," Nigel Graheme remarked.
+
+"There is much," Munro rejoined; "but there is much also in the
+arguments of Horn. He reasons that we are outnumbered, the enemy
+is superior to us by at least a third, and to save the town we must
+attack them in an immensely strong position, which it will cost us
+great numbers to capture.
+
+"The chances against our winning a victory are fully five to one.
+Granted the fall of Nordlingen will injure us in the eyes of the
+princes and people of Germany; but with good management on our part
+the feeling thus aroused will be but temporary, for we should soon
+wipe out the reverse.  Of the 35,000 men of which the Imperial army
+is composed, 8000 at least are Spaniards who are on their way to
+Flanders, and who will very shortly leave it.
+
+"On the other hand the Rhinegrave Otto Ludwig is with 7000 men within
+a few marches of us; in a short time therefore we shall actually
+outnumber the enemy, and shall be able to recover our prestige,
+just as we recovered it at Leipzig after suffering Magdeburg to
+fall.  We shall recapture the towns which he has taken, and if the
+enemy should dare to accept battle we shall beat him, and shall be
+in a position to march upon Vienna."
+
+"Horn's arguments are the strongest," Nigel Graheme said gravely;
+"the course he advises is the most prudent one."
+
+"Undoubtedly," Munro replied; "but I think that it will not be
+followed.  The duke is of a fiery spirit, and he would feel it, as
+most of us would feel it, a disgrace to fall back without striking
+a blow for Nordlingen.  He has, too, been goaded nearly to madness
+during the last few days by messengers and letters which have reached
+him from the reformed princes and the free towns in all parts of
+Germany, reproaching him bitterly for having suffered Ratisbon and
+Donauworth to fall into the hands of the enemy without a blow, and
+he feels that his honour is concerned. I have little doubt that we
+shall fight a great battle to save Nordlingen."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV NORDLINGEN
+
+
+While Colonel Munro and his companions were discussing the matter
+a council of war was being held, and Duke Bernhard's view was
+adopted by all his generals, who felt with him that their honour
+was involved in the question, and that it would be disgraceful to
+march away without striking a blow to save the besieged city. Horn,
+therefore, being outvoted, was forced to give way.  Up to nightfall
+the Imperialists had showed no signs of an intention to occupy the
+Weinberg, their forces being massed on and around the Allersheim
+Hill. It was determined therefore to seize the Weinberg at once,
+and the execution of this step was committed to Horn.
+
+The choice was most unfortunate. The service was one upon the
+prompt carrying out of which victory depended, and Horn, though a
+brave and capable commander, was slow and cautious, and particularly
+unfitted for executing a service which had to be performed in a
+dark night across a country with which he was not familiar. Taking
+with him four thousand chosen musketeers and pikemen and twelve
+guns he set out at nine o'clock, but the rough road, the dikes,
+and ditches which intercepted the country impeded him, and the fact
+that he was unacquainted with the general position of the country
+made him doubly cautious, and it was not until midnight that he
+reached the foot of the hill.
+
+Here, unfortunately, he came to the conclusion that since he had
+encountered such difficulties in crossing the flat country he should
+meet with even greater obstacles and delays in ascending the hill
+in the dark; he therefore took the fatal resolution of remaining
+where he was until daylight, and accordingly ordered the column to
+halt. Had he continued his march he would have reached the summit
+of the Weinberg unopposed, and the fate of the battle on the following
+day would have been changed. But the Imperialist leaders, Gallas
+and Cardinal Infanta Don Fernando, had not been unmindful of the
+commanding position of the hill upon which Horn was marching, and
+had given orders that it should be occupied before daylight by four
+hundred Spaniards.
+
+The commander of this force was as over prompt in the execution
+of his orders as Horn was over cautious.  He reached the top of
+the Weinberg before midnight, and at once set his men to work to
+intrench themselves strongly.  As soon as daybreak enabled Horn
+to see the fatal consequences which had arisen from his delay he
+ordered his men to advance. With their usual gallantry the Swedes
+mounted the hill and rushed at the intrenchment. It was defended
+with the greatest obstinacy and courage by the Spaniards; but after
+desperate fighting the Swedes forced their way into the work at
+two points, and were upon the point of capturing the position when
+an ammunition wagon accidentally exploded in their midst, killing
+great numbers and throwing the rest into a temporary disorder,
+which enabled the Spaniards to drive them out and again occupy the
+intrenchments.
+
+Before the Swedes had fully recovered themselves the Spanish cavalry,
+which at the first sound of the conflict the cardinal had ordered
+to the spot, charged them in flank and forced them to a precipitate
+retreat down the hillside. Bitterly regretting his delay at midnight,
+Horn brought up fresh troops, and after addressing encouraging
+words to those who had been already repulsed, led the united body
+to the assault.
+
+But the Weinberg, which had been occupied in the early morning by
+only four hundred men, was now defended by the whole of the Spanish
+infantry. Vain now was the energy of Horn, and ineffectual the valour
+of his troops. Time after time did the Swedes climb the hill and
+strive to obtain a footing on its crest, each assault was repulsed
+with prodigious slaughter. Duke Bernhard was now fully engaged
+with the Imperialists on the Allersheim, and was gradually gaining
+ground. Seeing, however, how fruitless were the efforts of Horn
+to capture the Weinberg, he despatched as many of his infantry as
+he could spare to reinforce the marshal.  Among these was Munro's
+regiment.
+
+"Now, my brave lads," Colonel Munro shouted, as he led his regiment
+against the hill, "show them what Scottish hearts can do." With a
+cheer the regiment advanced.  Pressing forward unflinchingly under
+a hail of bullets they won their way up the hill, and then gathering,
+hurled themselves with a shout upon the heavy masses of Spanish
+veterans. For a moment the latter recoiled before the onset; then
+they closed in around the Scotch, who had already lost a third of
+their number in ascending the hill.
+
+Never did the famous regiment fight with greater courage and fury;
+but they were outnumbered ten to one, and their opponents were
+soldiers of European reputation.  In vain the Scotchmen strove to
+break through the serried line of pikes which surrounded them. Here
+and there a knot of desperate men would win a way through; but ere
+others could follow them the Spanish line closed in again and cut
+them off from their comrades, and they died fighting to the last.
+
+Fighting desperately in the front rank Munro and his officers
+encouraged their men with shouts and example; but it was all in
+vain, and he at last shouted to the remains of his followers to
+form in a solid body and cut their way back through the enemy who
+surrounded them. Hemmed in as they were by enemies the Scottish
+spearmen obeyed, and, headed by their colonel, flung themselves
+with a sudden rush upon the enemy. Before the weight and fury
+of the charge the veterans of Spain gave way, and the Scots found
+themselves on the crest of the hill which they had lately ascended.
+No sooner were they free from the Spanish ranks than the musketeers
+of the latter opened fire upon them, and numbers fell in the retreat.
+When they reached the foot of the fatal hill, and bleeding and
+breathless gathered round their commander, Munro burst into tears
+on finding that of the noble regiment he had led up the hill scarce
+enough remained to form a single company. Seven times now had Horn
+striven to carry the hill, seven times had he been repulsed with
+terrible slaughter, and he now began to fall back to join the
+force of Duke Bernhard. The latter, recognizing that the battle
+was lost, and that Horn, if not speedily succoured, was doomed,
+for the Imperialists, flushed with victory, were striving to cut
+him off, made a desperate attack upon the enemy hoping to draw
+their whole forces upon himself, and so enable Horn to retire. For
+the moment he succeeded, but he was too weak in numbers to bear
+the assault he had thus provoked. John of Werth, who commanded
+the Imperial cavalry, charged down upon the Swedish horsemen and
+overthrew them so completely that these, forced back upon their
+infantry, threw them also into complete disorder.
+
+The instant Horn had given the orders to retreat, Colonel Munro,
+seeing the danger of the force being surrounded, formed up the
+little remnant of his regiment and set off at the double to rejoin
+the force of the duke. It was well that he did so, for just when
+he had passed over the intervening ground the Imperialist cavalry,
+fresh from the defeat of the Swedes, swept across the ground,
+completely cutting off Horn's division from that of the duke. A few
+minutes later Marshal Horn, surrounded on all sides by the enemy,
+and feeling the impossibility of further resistance with his weakened
+and diminished force, was forced to surrender with all his command.
+
+Duke Bernhard narrowly escaped the same fate; but in the end he
+managed to rally some nine thousand men and retreated towards the
+Maine. The defeat was a terrible one; ten thousand men were killed
+and wounded, and four thousand under Horn taken prisoners; all the
+guns, equipage, and baggage fell into the hands of the enemy.
+
+Nordlingen was the most decisive battle of the war; its effect was
+to change a war which had hitherto been really only a civil war --
+a war of religion -- into one with a foreign enemy. Hitherto France
+had contented herself with subsidizing Sweden, who had played the
+principal part.  Henceforward Sweden was to occupy but a secondary
+position. Cardinal Richelieu saw the danger of allowing Austria to
+aggrandize itself at the expense of all Germany, and now took the
+field in earnest.
+
+Upon the other hand Nordlingen dissolved the confederacy of
+the Protestant German princes against Ferdinand the Second. The
+Elector of Saxony, who had ever been vacillating and irresolute in
+his policy, was the first to set the example by making peace with
+the emperor. The Elector of Brandenburg, Duke William of Weimar,
+the Prince of Anhalt, the Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg, the Duke of
+Mecklenburg, Pomerania, and the cities of Augsburg, Wurzburg, and
+Coburg, and many others hastened to follow the example of all the
+leading members of the Protestant Union.
+
+Dukes Bernhard of Weimar and William of Cassel were almost alone
+in supporting the cause to maintain which Gustavus Adolphus had
+invaded Germany. The Swedish army, whose exploits had made the court
+of Vienna tremble, seemed annihilated, and well might the emperor
+deem that his final triumph over Protestantism was complete when he
+heard of the battle of Nordlingen, for as yet he dreamed not that
+its result would bring France into the field against him.
+
+Malcolm Graheme was one of the few officers of Munro's regiment who
+burst his way through the Spanish lines on the top of the Weinberg.
+He was bleeding from several wounds, but none of them were serious.
+Nigel was beside him as they began to descend the hill; but scarcely
+had he gone a step when he fell headlong, struck by a ball from an
+arquebus. Malcolm and one of the sergeants raised him, and between
+them carried him to the foot of the hill; then, when the remains
+of the regiments started to rejoin Duke Bernhard, they were forced
+to leave him. Although Malcolm kept up with his regiment in the
+retreat he was so utterly exhausted by loss of blood that he could
+no longer accompany them. By the death of so many of his seniors he
+was now one of the majors of the regiment, if that could be called
+a regiment which was scarce a company in strength.  A few days
+after the battle Colonel Munro received orders to march with his
+shattered remnant, scarce one of whom but was from wounds unfit for
+present service, by easy stages to North Germany, there to await
+the arrival of reinforcements from Scotland, which might raise
+the regiment to a strength which would enable it again to take the
+field.
+
+Malcolm remained behind until his strength slowly returned. The
+colonel, before leaving, had bade him take his time before rejoining,
+as months would probably elapse before the regiment would again be
+fit for service. As soon as he was able to travel he journeyed to
+Nuremberg. On arriving at the abode of Jans Boerhoff he learned that
+Thekla was no longer an inmate of the family. The Count of Mansfeld
+had died in prison, and the countess had arrived at Nuremberg and had
+taken up her abode there. Malcolm made his way to the house she
+occupied. The meeting was an affecting one. Malcolm was greatly grieved
+over the death of his staunch friend, and joined in the sorrow of
+the countess and her daughter. A few days after his arrival the
+countess said to him:
+
+"I am of course aware, Malcolm, of the conversation which the count
+had with you concerning Thekla, and my wishes fully agreed with
+his on the subject. In other times one would not speak of marriage
+when Thekla's father had been but two months dead; but it is no
+time for conventionalities now. All Southern Germany is falling away
+from the Protestant cause, and ere long we may see the Imperialists
+at the gate of Nuremberg, and it may be that in a few months the
+whole of Germany will be in their power.  Therefore, I would that
+there should be no delay. Thekla is nearly seventeen; you are
+twenty-one -- over young both to enter upon the path of matrimony;
+but the events of the last few months have made a woman of her,
+while you have long since proved yourself both in thoughtfulness
+and in valour to be a man. Thekla is no longer a great heiress.
+Since Nordlingen we may consider that her father's estates have
+gone for ever, mine may follow in a few months. Therefore I must
+ask you, are you ready to take her without dowry?"
+
+"I am," Malcolm said earnestly, "and that right gladly, for I love
+her with all my heart."
+
+"It needs no questioning on my part," the countess said, "to know
+that she loves you as truly, and that her happiness depends wholly
+on you. I saw her anguish when the news came of the terrible defeat
+at Nordlingen and of the annihilation of some of the Scottish
+regiments. My heart was wrung by her silent despair, her white and
+rigid face, until the news came that you were among the few who had
+survived the battle, and, in the outburst of joy and thankfulness
+at the news, she owned to me that she loved you, her only fear being
+that you cared for her only as a sister, since no word of love had
+ever passed your lips. I reassured her on that score by telling her
+of your conversation with her father, and that a feeling of duty
+alone had kept you silent while she remained under your protection.
+
+"However, Malcolm, she will not come to you penniless, for, seeing
+that it was possible that the war would terminate adversely, and
+determined to quit the country should he be forbidden to worship
+according to his own religion here, the count has from time to time
+despatched considerable sums to the care of a banker at Hamburg,
+and there are now 10,000 gold crowns in his hands.
+
+"There are, moreover, my estates at Silesia, but these I have for
+sometime foreseen would follow those of my husband and fall into
+the hands of the emperor. Before the death of the count I talked
+over the whole matter with him, and he urged me in any case, even
+should you fall before becoming the husband of Thekla, to leave
+this unhappy country and to take refuge abroad.
+
+"Before his death I had an interview with my nearest kinsman, who has
+taken sides with the Imperialists, and to him I offered to resign
+Thekla's rights as heiress to the estate for the sum of 10,000
+crowns. As this was but three years revenue of the estates, and it
+secured their possession to him whether the Imperialists or Swedes
+were victorious in the struggle, he consented, after having obtained
+the emperor's consent to the step, and I have this morning received
+a letter from him saying that the money has been lodged in the
+hands of the banker at Hamburg, and Thekla and I have this morning
+signed a deed renouncing in his favour all claim to the estate. Thus
+Thekla has a dowry of 20,000 gold crowns -- a sum not unworthy of
+a dowry even for the daughter of a Count of Mansfeld; but with it
+you must take me also, for I would fain leave the country and end
+my days with her."
+
+"Do you keep the dowry so long as you live, countess," Malcolm said
+earnestly. "It is more than the richest noble in Scotland could
+give with his daughter. My own estate, though small, is sufficient
+to keep Thekla and myself in ease, and my pleasure in having you
+with us will be equal to hers. You would wish, of course, that I
+should quit the army and return home, and, indeed, I am ready to do
+so. I have had more than enough of wars and fighting. I have been
+preserved well nigh by a miracle, when my comrades have fallen
+around me like grass. I cannot hope that such fortune would always
+attend me. The cause for which I have fought seems lost, and since
+the Protestant princes of Germany are hastening to desert it, neither
+honour nor common sense demand that I, a soldier of fortune and a
+foreigner, should struggle any longer for it; therefore I am ready
+at once to resign my commission and to return to Scotland."
+
+"So be it," the countess said; "but regarding Thekla's dowry I shall
+insist on having my way. I should wish to see her in a position
+similar to that in which she was born, and with this sum you can
+largely increase your estates and take rank among the nobles of
+your country. Now I will call Thekla in and leave you to ask her
+to agree to the arrangements we have made.
+
+"My child," she went on, as Thekla in obedience to her summons
+entered the apartment, "Malcolm Graheme has asked your hand of me.
+He tells me that he loves you truly, and is willing to take you as
+a penniless bride, and to carry you and me away with him far from
+these terrible wars to his native Scotland -- what say you, my
+love?"
+
+Thekla affected neither shyness or confusion, her colour hardly
+heightened as in her sombre mourning she advanced to Malcolm, and
+laying her hand in his, said:
+
+"He cannot doubt my answer, mother; he must know that I love him
+with my whole heart."
+
+"Then, my daughter," the countess said, "I will leave you to
+yourselves; there is much to arrange, for time presses, and your
+betrothal must be quickly followed by marriage."
+
+It was but a few days later that Malcolm led Thekla to the altar
+in St. Sebald's Church, Nuremberg. The marriage was a quiet one,
+seeing that the bride had been so lately orphaned, and only Jans
+Boerhoff and his family, and two or three Scottish comrades of
+Malcolm's, who were recovering from their wounds at Nuremberg, were
+present at the quiet ceremony. The following day the little party
+started for the north.  Malcolm had already received a letter from
+Oxenstiern accepting his resignation, thanking him heartily for
+the good services he had rendered, and congratulating him on his
+approaching wedding.
+
+Without adventure they reached Hamburg, and there, arranging with
+the banker for the transmission of the sum in his hands to Edinburgh,
+they took ship and crossed to Scotland.
+
+Three months later Malcolm was delighted by the appearance of his
+uncle Nigel. The latter was indeed in dilapidated condition, having
+lost an arm, and suffering from other wounds. He had been retained
+a prisoner by the Imperialists only until he was cured, when they
+had freed him in exchange for an Imperial officer who had been
+captured by the Swedes.
+
+Thekla's dowry enabled her husband largely to increase his estates.
+A new and handsome mansion was erected at a short distance from the
+old castle, and here Malcolm Graheme lived quietly for very many
+years with his beautiful wife, and saw a numerous progeny rise
+around them.
+
+To the gratification of both, five years after her coming to
+Scotland, the Countess of Mansfeld married Nigel Graheme and the
+pair took up their abode in the old castle, which was thoroughly
+repaired and set in order by Malcolm for their use, while he and
+Thekla insisted that the fortune he had received as a dowry with
+his wife should be shared by the countess and Nigel.
+
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE LION OF THE NORTH ***
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+*END THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN EBOOKS*Ver.02/11/02*END*
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