Before daybreak, Algernon Grey was up and dressed; but, to say truth,
it was no pain to him to rise, for he had not closed an eye all night,
and was more weary of tossing to and fro on the sleepless couch, than
if he had passed the hours by the side of a watch-fire. As soon as his
buff coat had been cast on and looped, and his sword-belt thrown over
his shoulders, he lighted his lamp, and read over again the letter
that had been placed in his hands the night before. A smile of some
bitterness came upon his countenance, and, folding it carefully up, he
walked out of his tent, and, ascending the highest part of the hill,
gazed over the scene below. The stars were growing somewhat faint in
the heaven, but the diminution of their lustre was the only sign yet
visible of approaching day. All below was still. The wearied troops
were sleeping by the nearly extinguished watch-fires; and the tread of
a distant sentry, as he paced up and down, could just be heard,
marking, rather than breaking, the silence. The murmur of the river,
too, reached the ear, but with a stilly sound, full of repose and
quiet. Folding his arms upon his breast, Algernon Grey continued to
gaze, across the shadowy lines of tents and waggons, down into the
valley below, where lay a light morning mist, giving a white gleam,
soft and pleasant to the eye, and then he turned his look towards the
heavens, and his lips murmured with prayer. A minute or two after, a
faint grey streak was seen in the east: it then acquired an orange
hue; and one or two light-grey clouds overhead began to glow
with spots of a lurid red. Soon after, the orange turned to a
fiery-crimson, and floods of rose-coloured rays came pouring over the
sky; while the grey air between the tents was mingled with a dim
mysterious purple. A solitary figure passing here and there was seen.
The neighing of a horse broke the silence. A dull hum gradually
succeeded; then brisk and lively sounds. A drum beat in a distant part
of the camp; and, just when the broad sun showed half his disc above
the horizon, red and fiery, as if ominous of the bloody strife about
to take place, the boom of a single cannon shook the air, and all
became life and activity.
With a quick step, the young Englishman descended from the spot where
he had been standing, paused for a moment or two, some twenty paces
down the hill, and gazing out towards a distant point, shading his
eyes with his hand; then resumed his course, and bent his steps direct
towards the tent of William Lovet. He found one of his cousin's
servants at the entrance; and, asking the man whether his master were
up, was informed that he had just gone forth.
"There he goes, my lord, along that path," said the man, pointing
still farther down the hill; and, instantly advancing with a quick
step, Algernon Grey cut him off just as he reached a little open
space, which divided the tents of the English and Scotch volunteers
from the ground occupied by a small party of Palatinate troops.
"Ah, Algernon!" exclaimed Lovet, turning round at the sound of a quick
step; "is that you? I was going to seek you; for there is a rumour
that Bavarian foragers are in sight."
"I have seen them," answered Algernon Grey, in a tone peculiarly calm
and gentle; "at least I have seen what I consider to be reconnoitring
parties of the enemy. A battle is, therefore, certain, ere the day be
over; and as no one knows who may come out of this field alive, it is
as well we should have a private word or two before we enter it."
"Ah, my grave cousin," cried Lovet, with a laugh, "are you preparing
against the worst? Good faith! I never think it worth while to fancy
that the ball has yet been cast which is destined to take my life."
"Nor do I dwell upon such thoughts," answered Algernon Grey; "but
still there are particular events, my good cousin, which form epochs
in the life of man, as others form epochs in the histories of states,
and it is as well to take those moments to wind up old accounts, and
leave the coming time clear and free for a different course of
action."
There was something peculiar, firm, almost stern, in Algernon Grey's
tone, which struck William Lovet a good deal, for he had rarely heard
that tone employed towards himself, and he knew well that it was an
indication of his cousin's mind being strongly moved. Nevertheless he
could not restrain his ordinary jesting spirit, or else he judged that
light merriment was the best means of covering deeper thoughts. "On my
life, Algernon," he said, "if you wish to wind up our accounts, I
cannot agree, for I have not the ledger here. It is a large book and
the roll of long standing--I do not carry it about me."
"I do," answered Algernon Grey; "there is the last item," and he put
into his cousin's hand the letter which I have already laid before the
reader.
William Lovet took it and opened it. The moment his eye fell upon the
writing, in spite of habitual self-command, the colour slightly
mounted into his cheek, and his lip turned somewhat white. The next
instant, however he looked up with a clear eye and a curling lip,
saying, "You have read it?"
"Every word," answered Algernon Grey, calmly. "It was given to me as a
paper belonging to myself, and I read it throughout: not finding a
name which could lead me to the right owner, till the last few lines
met my eye."
"It is a precious epistle," said Lovet, holding it with the coolest
air imaginable, and then placing it in his pocket; "not quite so
eloquent as one of St. Paul's--nor so edifying, cousin mine. But yet,
she is a glorious creature, and, as you must have long perceived, I am
over head and ears in love with her."
"I have not long perceived it," answered Algernon Grey, bitterly; "had
I long perceived, William, my conduct might have been different.--You
have mistaken me, sir. It would seem that you cannot comprehend
straightforward conduct and direct dealing; for, had you done so, you
would have told me all this when first we met after so long a parting.
Instead of that, by crooked means and sidelong instigations, you have
been urging me to steps tending to the gratification of your own
wishes. I will not pause to recapitulate all those acts and words, the
true meaning of which is now as clear to me as day. Suffice it, that
you love this woman, or her great wealth, and that you have used every
sort of artifice to induce me to take these steps, which must
necessarily tend to the annulling of my incomplete marriage with
herself--Is it not so?"
"Perfectly," answered William Lovet, with the coolest possible
assurance; "I have done so most deliberately and considerately; and I
trust that you are duly grateful for it.--My dear Algernon, do not
look so fierce. Recollect that I am not one on whom frowning brows
have any effect; but listen to a little quiet reason; though, I must
say, you are the most unreasonable man I ever met with. Now, if a poor
man has an oyster in his hand and wants to eat the delicate fish, he
must open it with whatever instrument happens to be nearest to him.
Would you have him wait till he can go to a cutler's, or an
ironmonger's, to buy himself an oyster-knife? If he has a dagger, he
uses the dagger; if not, he takes a stone and hammers it open; if no
stone is at hand, he dashes it on the ground and breaks it so. Then
must he wait for vinegar and pepper, a soft manchet-roll and a glass
of sack? Oh, no, he scoops it out and swallows it whole, licks his
lips, and thanks the gods for the good gift of oysters. Such is my
case: I took the means nearest at hand to obtain my object, and,
thinking it much better for your honour and credit, that you should be
the person to decline the fulfilment of a contract passed upon you by
a couple of grey-headed grandsires, than that the lady should curtsey
low and say, I wont, I prompted you to all things that I thought
conducive to your happiness, and, at the same time, to my little
schemes.--But see what an ungrateful thing is man! Here you set
yourself upon the pedestal of injured innocence, and look stout and
stalwart, as if you would cut the throat of the man who has done you
the greatest possible service."
"Service!" exclaimed Algernon Grey. "Do you call this service?"
"To be sure," answered Lovet, laughing. "A pretty life you would have
led with this fair lady. There, read her epistle over again;" and he
took it from his pocket. "You cannot have perused it carefully. Not
only would you have had a sweet and comfortable companion, full of
matrimonial tenderness and domestic duty, but, possibly, a tranquil
passage to another state, somewhat more speedy than the ordinary
course of nature, unless you had a special taster of your food, and
kept all sharp instruments under lock and key."
"And can you really dream of wedding such a thing as you describe?"
asked his cousin.
"Oh, yes, as soon as she is wed-able," answered William Lovet. "I am a
very fearless animal, fond of riding wild horses, and know, moreover,
how to manage them; but in this matter do as you like, kind cousin
Algernon. Go back, if it so please you, and ratify your boy's
marriage. The lady will soon be a widow, I will warrant; or, if you
are wise, do as I have always urged you, take some step to break this
boyish union--any step you please; you will find her right ready to
second your wishes; and a little interest at court, a good word to the
bishops, and humble petition to the King will settle the matter in six
weeks. However you may look upon it now, I shall expect your deep
gratitude for all that I have done; and when you are wedded to the
lady that you love, and I to her I seek, we will each rule our
household in different ways; and we will meet at Christmastide and
Easter, and, like a couple of pair of cooing doves, congratulate
ourselves in soft murmurs on our separate happiness."
"My gratitude will be limited to the occasion, William," cried his
cousin; "for my part I never seek to see you more. I find that from
the time I left my native land, you have been seeking to withhold, if
not withdraw from me, the affections of one bound to me by ties she
should have thought indissoluble."
"Affection that you never sought to cultivate yourself," said Lovet,
tartly.
"I was bound, as you well know, by a solemn pledge not to return for
five years," said Algernon Grey; "but, at all events, it was not a
cousin's part nor a friend's to strive to poison my domestic
peace--nay, nor even to put it in peril, for who can say whether this
marriage can be dissolved?--let me speak out, for time wears,--if we
both survive this battle, I beseech you return to England with all
possible speed, tell your fair paramour, that I am aware of all, and
that I will take instant means to do my best towards her kind wishes
being gratified, that the contract between her and me shall come to an
end; and, at the same time, entreat her to use all those keen measures
which her shrewd wit can suggest, and her bold courage execute, to
second my endeavours. Between you both, doubtless, you will find the
matter easy. So farewell!"
He turned upon his heel, and walked a few steps away, but ere he had
gone far, he heard Lovet's voice exclaiming, "Algernon, Algernon!"
"Were you ever at a wedding," asked his cousin coming up, as he
paused, "where a harsh old father, taken in by a coaxing girl, gave
his daughter away to the very man she loved?--have you not seen how
she came back to kiss the dear old man's hand, and seemed reluctant to
go, and talked of the sweet delights of her domestic home, and a world
of canting tenderness taught men and women from their childhood, about
infant joys and early pleasures; while, in her heart, she felt like a
freed bird with the door of its cage just open?--Get you gone, my
noble cousin! You are like this same bride; and, say what you will,
this letter has taken a load of care from your shoulders; and, on my
life! so much do I love you, that, had I known how balmy and peaceful
would be its effects, I would have shown it to you long ago. There,
take it and keep it as a tender memorial of your dear and devoted
Catherine; and, whenever you think of her large, flashing black eyes,
her Juno brow, and curling lip, read some passages from that tender
epistle, and, falling down upon your knees, thank Heaven for having
given you such a cousin as myself."
"I will keep it," said Algernon Grey, taking the letter from his hand;
"but there is one thing, my good cousin, which, for your own sake, you
should know. This is not the first intimation that I have had of my
so-called wife's infidelity to her engagements with me, though it is
the first, that you, my kinsman and companion, had a share in her
breach of faith. Perhaps you do not understand my meaning; but you
must be of a different wit from that I think, if you so softly believe
the woman who would thus act towards me will treat you better."
"Oh, you speak of sundry small amours with which the sweet lady has
consoled the weary hours of my long absence," answered Lovet, with his
cheek a little heated; "that will be easily pardoned, and my presence
will set all right again.--I am no jealous fool, Algernon, and can
pardon a reasonable amount of coquetry in a lovely woman, left with no
one to keep her thoughts from stagnating." And Lovet turning away with
a laugh, took his way back to his own tent.
There are some minds unto which the discovery of baseness and
treachery in those who have been trusted, is so painful as to
counterbalance, and even more than counterbalance, any portion of
relief and happiness that is sometimes obtained under the over-ruling
hand of fate, from the very means employed to thwart, to grieve, and
to disappoint us. Such was the case with Algernon Grey in the present
instance. It must not be denied that it was a relief to him to feel he
had a reason, a motive, a just cause for striving, by every means, to
annul a contract which had been entered into rather by his parents
than himself, long ere he had the power of judging, or acting, on his
own behalf; but yet the character of his cousin now stood before him
in all its naked deformity; and it offered a painful subject of
contemplation, which no prospect of happiness could banish.
He would fain have had a few moments for thought; and was turning his
steps towards his own tent, when a large party of young men advancing
towards him impeded his way, and the next moment the voice of the
younger Prince of Anhalt calling him by name, made him turn towards
the slope above. When he perceived that the Englishman heard him, he
waved him up; and as soon as Algernon was by his side, he exclaimed,
"Come hither, come hither, I have something to show you."
"I think I know what you would say, my Prince; I hare already seen
some parties in that wood towards Pilsen," answered Algernon. "They
are Bavarians, I should think."
"Then the battle is certain," said Christian of Anhalt. "You will
charge with me, will you not?"
"Assuredly," replied Algernon Grey; "but I think we had better
communicate the news to your father, as there may be yet time, if we
can get the men to work, to strengthen our position here a little."
"Come then, come," said the young Prince; "he will be glad to see you.
I told him half an hour ago of the news you brought last night from
Prague; and he said, 'God send the Queen have power enough to make her
husband come; but I doubt it.'--I doubt too, to tell you the truth,
my friend; and his presence at this moment were worth ten thousand
men.--Will your cousin be of our band? I saw you speaking with him
just now."
"We spoke together for the last time, perhaps, in life," answered
Algernon Grey; "he has done me wrong--has been doing so for years----"
"And you have found him out at length," said Christian of Anhalt,
interrupting him with a smile. "We have understood him better. There
is not a man in the camp who would trust him."
"And yet," answered Algernon Grey, "he is a good soldier, and a brave
man. You had better have him and his people with you."
"Not I," answered Christian of Anhalt. "True it is, my friend, we
cannot unveil the bosoms of those who surround us, and see the
thoughts and purposes within; but, on my life! were it possible, I
would not take one man along with me, when I go to fall upon the
enemy's ranks, whose heart is not pure and high, whose thoughts and
purposes as they lie open to the eye of God, might not lie open to the
eye of man. And shall I have the company of one I know to be a
villain? I always fancy that it is such men as this who bring the
bullets most thick amongst us."
Algernon Grey shook his head with a sigh, for he was well aware that
in the wise but mysterious ways of Heaven, the lead and the steel as
often seek out the noble and the good as the mean and the wicked.
While they had been thus conversing, they had walked on towards the
tent of the general, whom they found seated with several other
officers taking a hasty meal. The intelligence they gave soon brought
that meal to a conclusion; and for several hours every effort was made
to induce the men to strengthen the position of the Bohemian army on
the hill. The spirit of insubordination, however, was too strong for
authority. Some would not work at all, saying that they were soldiers
and not grave-diggers. Some slunk away after having begun; and none
but a few English and Germans exerted themselves with anything like
energy and perseverance.
Little, very little was effected; and, in the mean while, news came
from the various reconnoitring parties which had been thrown out, of
the rapid approach of the Austrian and Bavarian army. Some had caught
sight of one body, some of another; but still the day wore on ere they
appeared in sight; and the Prince of Hohenloe, and several others of
the commanders, began to doubt that a battle would take place that
day.
Old Christian of Anhalt shook his head; "Maximilian of Bavaria," he
said, "will fight as soon as he comes up, depend upon it; he must
either fight or starve; and one night to him is of more consequence
than even to us."
All that the individual exertions of a man could effect, was done by
the old Prince himself. He strove to the best of his power to array
and encourage the forces. He told them that the King would be with
them in an hour. He pointed to the walls and guns of Prague, and said,
that with such support as that, with strong hands and brave hearts,
they had no need to fear any army were it of ten times their own
numbers. His countenance was gay and cheerful, as he rode from rank to
rank, whatever doubts might be in his heart; but he failed in raising
the spirits of the greater part of the troops; and by all, with the
exception of the cavalry under the command of his son, he was listened
to with dull and heavy brows, and an aspect of doubt and uncertainty.
When he and his little train had reached the middle of the line, a
horseman rode up to him from Prague, and spoke a few words in a low
tone. The old man's cheek grew red; and he muttered between his teeth;
"In the church! Sin and death! What does he in the church? Why does he
not pray here in the eye of the God of battles, and in the presence of
his soldiers?"
"I shall have to go and cut Scultetus's throat, to stop his
long-winded preaching," said the Prince's son, who was close by.
"Hush," cried the old general; and, raising his voice, he added in
loud tone, "the King will be here immediately, my friends; and under
his eye you will fight for his crown and your own rights."
"The heads of the columns are appearing on the right, your Highness,"
said Algernon Grey, in a whisper.
"I am glad of it," answered Christian of Anhalt. "The sooner this is
over, the better.--Some one ride down to those Hungarians; tell them
to bend back upon the hill; so far advanced, they show our flank to
the enemy. Let their right rest upon yon little summer-house; it is
quite far enough advanced. You go, Lenepp;" and, riding on, he
continued his exhortations to the men, every now and then sending off
an officer with orders to one part or another of the line; after
having reached the end, he turned his horse, and, accompanied by the
Prince of Hohenloe and the rest, rode up at a quick pace to the
highest part on the hill, beckoning to the man who had brought him
news from Prague to follow. His first attention was directed to the
movements of the enemy, whose regiments were now gathering thick in
the plain below.
A cloud of light troops, man[oe]uvring hither and thither, almost as
if in sport, concealed, in some degree, what was taking place in the
main body of the army; but the experienced eye of the old commander
was not to be deceived; and once or twice he murmured to himself, "If
he does that, and we are wise, he is ruined--We shall soon see--now,
sir, what is going on in Prague?" and he turned to the officer who had
just arrived from the city: "Praying you say, and preaching too, I
suppose. What more?"
"Why, feasting, your Highness," answered the young man, drily; "there
is a great banquet prepared for the court after the morning service.
"A banquet!" exclaimed the old Prince furiously; "God's life! who will
there be to eat it?--Yes, he will try to cross--No, he is coming
farther on.--Praying, and preaching, and feasting, with fifty thousand
men at the gates!--Has any one got a bible here?"
"I have," answered a young pale man, standing by on foot; and he
handed a small volume to the old commander.
"Let me see," continued Christian of Anhalt, "this is the twenty-third
Sunday after Trinity, is it not? and the gospel is the twenty-second
of St. Matthew; let me see;" and he sought out the chapter he spoke
of, and ran his eye over it in silence for a minute or two: "Ah!" he
said, at length, reading from the book; "'Render unto Cæsar the things
that are Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's'--but, by my
grey hair! here comes Cæsar to take them; ay, and to take more than
his own too; so we must try and prevent him.--Now, my good cousin of
Hohenloe, see if you can make out what Maximilian of Bavaria and that
damned Walloon, Bucquoy, are doing."
"Methinks they are going to attack the city on the other side,"
answered the Prince of Hohenloe, who was in command of the troops
which had been gathered on the Weissenberg during old Anhalt's
retreat.
"No," answered the other, "no; they are looking for a bridge. They
will not show us their flank, depend upon it. That would be a greater
fault than that which they are going to commit. Ride down to your men,
Christian, my boy; wheel them a little upon their right, about the
eighth of a circle; and be ready at a moment's notice. I will send
down the Englishmen to you, when I see more."
About a quarter of an hour passed, during which the movements of the
enemy seemed wavering and uncertain; at the end of that time, however,
clouds of skirmishers, Croats and Albanians, as they were called,
began to appear on the nearer side of the river. "It may yet be a
feint," said Christian of Anhalt; "it may yet be a feint.--They are
getting upon that swampy ground. Five minutes more and they cannot
help themselves. By heavens! their columns are broken. What is
Maximilian of Bavaria about?--he is trying to turn the march--The
Austrians still come on--look, look, they are separating; they will
never get their artillery over that little bridge!--Now, cousin of
Hohenloe, now noble lords and gentlemen, the moment of victory is
before us, if we choose to take it. In a quarter of an hour, the
marsh, the stream, and a bridge of a span wide will be between Bucquoy
and the Duke. Let us sweep down upon the Bavarian, who is already in
confusion. We are more than double his numbers; he can receive no
support from the Austrians; and if there be a thousand gallant men in
our army, he is irretrievably ruined. The same movement brings us on
the flank of Bucquoy; and he is between us and the guns of Prague.--I
say, let us charge at once as one man, and the day is ours."
"But you do not consider, Anhalt," said the Prince of Hohenloe, "that
we should so lose the advantage of our position; here, upon a high
hill, they must climb to attack us, and undergo our whole fire as they
advance."
"God of Heaven!" cried Christian of Anhalt.
"I think," said another general officer, close by, "that it would be a
pity to give up the great advantage of this ground, which we have
taken such pains to obtain."
"Besides," said another, "if we should be repulsed there, we lose the
support of Prague, and are totally cut off from the city; we should
fight to a disadvantage, and have no place of retreat."
"If we could count upon the zeal and steadiness of our men," cried
another, "I should join my voice to the Prince of Anhalt's; but I very
much doubt them. I believe that one-half would disperse ere we met the
enemy."
The old commander sat upon his horse in silence, with his teeth set,
and his bare hands clasped so tight together, that a part of the brown
fingers became quite white. "You are losing the only opportunity of
victory," he said, at length. "Nay, it is already lost. The Bavarians
have turned the marsh; the Austrians are passing the bridge. Ere we
could reach them, they will be once more united. Now, nought is to be
thought of, but to make as good a fight here as we can. You, Hohenloe,
take the left; I command upon the right. Let our artillery open their
fire upon the enemy now. We may do something to break them as they
advance. Let us each to our post; and, in God's name, do our best!"
Thus saying, he turned his horse to ride away; but, after having gone
some twenty or thirty yards, he called up one of his train, and said
in a low voice, "Ride to the commanders of regiments, and tell them in
private, that in case of a disaster, which God forefend, they are to
rally their men upon Brandeis. The campaign is not at an end, though a
battle may be lost; and, if Prague does its duty, with the help of
Mansfeld, we may still defeat the enemy, and save the crown--Here, my
young friend," he continued, beckoning to Algernon Grey, "go to, my
son and tell him to ply back to his former ground with the cavalry.
Let him know that I have been overruled; and, therefore, that movement
was vain. He will now, as far as I see, have the Bavarian cavalry in
front. We must try early what a charge upon them will do; but bid him,
if successful, not to pursue too far, but turn upon the flank of the
infantry and charge again. I will send him an order when it is time."
Thus saying, he proceeded on his way; and Algernon Grey, galloping
down to the cavalry under the younger Prince Christian, delivered his
father's message.
"See what it is to join fools with wise men," said young Christian of
Anhalt, in a low bitter tone. "They have ruined us."
"Indubitably," answered Algernon Grey; "and the same timid spirit, if
it acts here, will render the battle but a short one. I will just give
some orders to my people, in case of the worst, and then take my
place; for they are coming on fast."
Thus saying, he turned his horse and cantered quickly round to a spot
just over the brow of the hill, where the baggage had been collected
and left under the charge of the ordinary servants of the officers,
with a small guard. "Here, Frill," he cried, as soon as he could find
his own people, "tell the men to keep the horses saddled, and the
lighter baggage charged; let them lead the grey and the roan down
towards the gate of the town, with one of the sumpter-horses, and have
the barb brought up behind that tree, in case this should be killed.
Keep yourself just over the edge of the hill, to be out of the fire.
There is no use of risking your life, my poor boy."
"I should like to see the battle, my lord," said the lad; "no harm
happened to me at Rakonitz, though I had my beaver shot through."
"Nonsense," answered his master; "do as I have ordered, and let me not
see you above the hill. You have money with you, I think, in case of
need?"
The boy answered in the affirmative, and Algernon Grey, turning his
horse, rode back to the cavalry under Prince Christian of Anhalt, and
took his place at the head of his own men. The Austrians were by this
time within three hundred yards of the foot of the hill, upon the
troops, ranged along the edge of which their artillery was playing
with very little effect. The guns of the Bohemian army, however,
though only ten in number, were better placed and better served; and
at the moment when Algernon Grey returned to the scene of the
commencing strife, the balls from a battery of four large pieces were
ploughing through the ranks of a strong body of the enemy's cavalry
just in front, creating tremendous confusion and disarray. He had not
been three minutes with his troop, when, looking to the right, he saw
a German officer galloping furiously along towards the young Prince of
Anhalt, and seeming to call aloud to him as he advanced, though the
roar of the artillery prevented his words from being heard. The next
moment, however, the young Prince waved his sword high in the air, and
shouted "Charge!" The word passed along from mouth to mouth; and at
once the spurs were driven into the horses' sides; the animals sprang
forward; and down the slope of the hill, the whole of the cavalry of
the left was hurled like a thunderbolt upon the right wing of the
enemy. Everything gave way before them. Men and horses rolled over in
the shock; the standard of the Walloons fell; the cavalry was driven
back upon the infantry; the infantry was thrown into confusion. A
force of Austrian horse, brought up to the support of the Walloons,
was broken in a moment; and in that part of the field, for some ten or
fifteen minutes, the victory was decided in favour of the Bohemians;
but, when all seemed favourable, a thin hard-featured man, riding upon
a black horse, wheeled a large body of Bavarian pike-men, supported by
a regiment of arquebusiers, upon the young Prince's triumphant
cavalry. A fierce volley of small arms instantly followed, as
Christian of Anhalt was plunging his horse among the pikes; and the
young leader fell at once almost at the feet of Tilly. Algernon Grey's
horse went down at the same instant, but, starting up, he endeavoured
to drag his friend from amongst the pikes, receiving a slight wound in
the shoulder while so doing; and, as the blow forced him to let go his
hold for a moment, two strong Bavarians grasped the Prince by the
bucklings of the cuirass and dragged him within the line. Another
strove to seize the young Englishman; but striking him fiercely over
the head with his sword, Algernon freed himself from his grasp, and
springing back, caught a masterless horse that was running near, and
vaulted into the saddle.
The trumpets of the Bohemian cavalry were sounding a retreat; and
spurring after them with two of his own men, who had hastened to his
aid, Algernon Grey reascended the hill, and rallied his troop into
something like order. All the rest of the field, however, was one wild
scene of confusion. Clouds of smoke and dust rolled between the
various masses of the army, hardly permitting the eye to distinguish
which bodies were keeping their ground, which were flying; but one
thing was clear; the enemy were advancing steadily up the hill; and
the Bavarian cavalry rallied, and in good order, outflanking the
Bohemian line, were preparing to charge their lately victorious foes.
The German infantry, towards the centre of the Bohemian line, seemed
firm enough; but the Transylvanians, who had been seen upon the right
at the commencement of the fight, were no longer to be perceived; and
regiment after regiment of the Austrian troops pouring on in that
direction, showed that the ground there was clear of opposition.
"My lord, my lord," said a youthful voice, as Algernon Grey was gazing
around him, "the day is lost. All the savages have fled; and the whole
right is in confusion and disarray; the men scampering hither and
thither, and drowning themselves in the Moldau."
"Go back, go back to the place I told you," replied Algernon; "wait
there for me; but tell the men to get all the baggage as near the gate
as they can,--My lord, the count," he continued, riding up to an old
officer, who was advancing, "one more charge for the honour of our
arms."
"With all my heart," said old Count Schlick; "where's the boy,
Christian? He did that charge right gallantly."
"He is wounded and taken, my lord," answered Algernon Grey.
"Then I will head the men," said the Count; "they will follow grey
hair as well as brown, I will warrant--Let us away."
Riding on to the body of cavalry which had rallied, the old Bohemian
nobleman put himself at their head; the word was given to charge; and
once more, though with less spirit and in diminished numbers, they
swept down to meet the advancing enemy. The right of their horse
encountering a body of Walloon cavalry, forced them to recoil; and
there the Bohemian horsemen were soon mingled with the foe hand to
hand. But on the left they found their advance opposed by a steady
regiment of Bavarian pikemen, flanked as before by arquebusiers. The
first line hesitated, and drew in the rein at the sight of the forest
of pikes before them. A discharge of musketry took them in the flank,
and in an instant all was confusion, disarray, and flight. About four
hundred horse, with the old Count and Algernon Grey, were left in the
midst of the imperial army, no longer united as a single mass, but
broken into small parties of combatants; and it soon became evident
that the strife could not be maintained any longer.
"Away, away!" cried the Count, riding past the young Englishman; "I
have ordered the trumpets to sound a retreat,--but, in Heaven's name,
let us save our standard."
As he spoke, he pointed to a spot where a banner was floating still,
in the midst of a large party of the enemy; and gathering together as
many of his own men as he could, Algernon Grey made a charge with the
old Bohemian at his side, in order, if possible, to recover it. But
the effort was in vain; as they poured down upon the enemy, a pistol
shot struck the standard-bearer from his horse, and closing round the
little troop of English and Bohemians, the Walloons soon brought many
a brave heart to the ground. Algernon Grey thought of Agnes Herbert:
there was nothing but death or captivity if he staid to strike another
stroke; all was evidently lost; no object was to be obtained, and,
turning his horse, he cleared the way with his sword, and galloped up
the hill, passing under a furious fire from the musketeers, who were
already in his rear.
When he reached the summit, he perceived how vain had been even the
last effort. Cavalry and infantry of the Bohemian army were all flying
together. The field presented a complete rout, except where, at
various points, appeared an Austrian or Bavarian regiment, already in
possession of the hill. The artillery, the greater part of the
baggage, and all the tents, were in the hands of the enemy; and,
spurring on like lightning through the perils that surrounded him, the
young Englishman at length reached the tree where the page was
waiting, with his own horse and a fresh one for his master. Springing
to the ground, Algernon snatched his pistols from the saddle-bow, and
leaped upon the back of the other charger.
"Mount and follow, mount and follow," he cried to the page, and then
dashed on towards the gates of Prague.
As he approached, he looked eagerly round for his servants and
baggage, at the spot where he had appointed them to be; but they were
not to be seen; though, as compared with the rest of the field, the
ground and the road in front of the gates were nearly solitary; for
the stream of fugitives had taken another direction. As he gazed
forward, however, he saw some of the soldiers of the tower in the very
act of unlocking the chain of the portcullis; and judging rightly what
was about to take place, he struck his spurs into his horse's sides
and dashed over the drawbridge. A guard presented a partisan to his
breast, calling, "Stand back! We have orders--"
But Algernon Grey turned the weapon aside with his sword; the horse in
its furious career dashed the man to the ground; and ere any one else
could oppose, the young cavalier and the page were both within the
walls of Prague.