In Dresden itself, the feeling was far from hostile to the
invaders. The discontent with the vicious government had been
extreme, and the imposts now levied were less onerous than those
which had been wasted in profusion and extravagance. The conduct of
the troops had been admirable; and in the case of Count Eulenfurst,
the personal visit of the king to express his regrets, and his
generosity to the families of the servants, had produced a most
excellent effect.
As Fergus rode into the camp, mounted on his new acquisition, it at
once caught the marshal's eye.
"Why, Fergus," he exclaimed, "have you been robbing the King of
Poland's stables? That is a noble animal, indeed."
"It was a present from Count Eulenfurst, marshal," Fergus replied.
"He sent me two, but one of them he is going to keep for me until I
return; for I could not part with Rollo, who is as good a horse as
anyone can wish to ride; and I know his paces."
"You are right, lad, for it is always well to accustom yourself to
a horse, before you want to use it in action; but in faith, it will
be a pity to ride such a horse as that through the heat of a
battle."
"I feel that, sir; but as the count, in his letter with the horses,
said that he hoped they would carry me safely through dangers as
grave as those I had encountered at his house, I feel that he would
be hurt if, on my return, I admitted to him that I had saved it for
show occasions."
"You are right," Keith said approvingly; "but that is the more
reason that you should accustom yourself to it, before you use it
for such work; as horse and rider should be as one on the field of
battle and, unless the horse has absolute confidence in its rider,
it is very difficult to keep it steady under fire."
"I suppose we shall not see the king for some time, marshal,"
Fergus said later, as Keith was chatting with him.
"On the contrary, he will be with us tomorrow. He rides today to
have another look at the Saxon position, and to give his orders
there. He will, tomorrow morning, join us. It is we who are likely
to have the first fighting; for the Austrians must come to the
relief of the Saxons, who are shut up, as in a trap, by our
divisions. They made a great mistake in not retiring, at once, into
Bohemia; which they could have done without difficulty, had they
lost no time.
"There is no greater mistake than shutting a large force up, either
in a fortress or an intrenched camp, unless that fortress is an
absolute obstacle to an enemy. This is not the case with Pirna. The
mountains can be crossed at many other points and, by leaving five
or six thousand men in a strong position at the end of each defile,
we could disregard them altogether, and march on southward. They
have already been three weeks there, and we believe that they
cannot hold out very much longer. However, it is probable that they
may be able to do so until an Austrian force comes up, and tries to
relieve them.
"From what we hear, two armies have already entered Bohemia, and we
may expect that our first battle will not be far distant."
"Do we block the only line of retreat, sir?" Fergus asked.
"No, indeed. We do not absolutely close the direct road, but our
position, and that of Marshal Schwerin facing Koeniggraetz, so
menaces their line of retreat that they dare not venture from their
shelter; and our cavalry render it impossible for any supplies to
be thrown in, unless the convoy is supported by an army. There are,
we know, paths across the hills by which infantry might effect a
passage; but as there is nowhere a place for them to retire to, we
should easily overtake them and force them to surrender.
"No, their only hope is in the coming of relief."
A few hours later, the king himself rode in. In the evening, orders
were issued that a force of cavalry and infantry were to march at
daylight, and that the rest of the army were to follow, two hours
later. It was soon known that the king had received news that
Marshal Browne--an Irish officer of great distinction, who
commanded the Austrian force gathered at Budin, on the Eger--was
expecting the arrival of artillery and pontoons from Vienna, in the
course of a day or two, and was preparing to cross the river. It
was evident, then, that his intention was to relieve the Saxon
army, in the first place.
The roads through the defiles were very heavy and difficult, but
that afternoon the advance force reached Termitz. Late in the
evening the rest of the army arrived there.
A squadron of cavalry had been sent off, as soon as the vanguard
arrived, to ascertain the movements of the enemy; and they
returned, at ten at night, with information that the Austrians had
crossed the Eger that day, and were to encamp at Lobositz. The army
at once moved on across the mountains and, after a very difficult
and fatiguing march, arrived near Lobositz; and lay down for some
hours in the order in which they had marched, taking up their
position as soon as it was light.
[Map: Battle of Lobositz]
The infantry were in two lines. Their left was posted on a steep
hill known as the Lobosch, part of whose lower slopes extended to
the village of Lobositz. A battery, with infantry supports, took
post on a hill called Homolka, which commanded the whole plain
between the two armies. The centre stretched across the valley
between those hills.
On the low hill on which stood the little town, the Austrians had
thrown up intrenchments, and posted a very strong artillery force,
whose fire would sweep a greater portion of the Prussian position.
Except at this point, the ground between the two armies was low and
swampy. The Austrian force was greatly superior in numbers,
consisting of 72 squadrons of horse, 52 battalions of infantry, and
98 guns; while the Prussians had 55 squadrons, 26 battalions, and
102 guns.
It was evident to both commanders that the village of Lobositz was
the decisive point; and indeed, the nature of the ground was such
as to render operations almost impossible, in the marshy plain
intersected by rivulets, which in many places formed large ponds.
At seven in the morning the Prussian action began by a heavy fire
between the left, on the slopes of Lobosch, and 4000 Croats and
several battalions of Hungarians, scattered among the vineyards and
the stone walls dividing them. A heavy fog covered the whole
country and, until a full view could be obtained of the position of
the enemy, neither of the commanders deemed it prudent to move.
At twelve o'clock, however, the fog began to clear up. The main
body of the Austrians was still invisible; and the king, seeing but
a comparatively small force in the plain near Lobositz, thought
that this must be the rear guard of the Austrians; who, he
imagined, having found the line by which they intended to succour
the Saxons occupied in force, had retired, having thrown up
batteries and left a strong force at Lobositz, to prevent the
Prussians from advancing.
To ascertain this, twenty squadrons of cavalry were ordered to
advance; but on doing so, they were received by so tremendous a
fire from the batteries of the village, and from others at
Sulowitz, another village in the plain on their right, that they
fell back with much loss, pursued by the Austrian cavalry. By the
time they had resumed their positions behind the infantry, the fog
had entirely lifted; and the king and Marshal Keith obtained a full
view of the Austrian position, from the spot where they had
stationed themselves on the hill. They agreed that no attack could
be made against the enemy's centre or left, and that they could be
assailed only on their right.
The troops on the Lobosch Hill were, therefore, largely reinforced;
and the whole army advanced, inclining towards the left so as to
attack Lobositz from the side of the plain, as well as from that of
the mountain. A tremendous artillery fire, from the guns on the
hills, heralded the advance.
The troops on the Lobosch Hill made their way forward rapidly. The
ground was so steep that they commanded a view down into the
vineyard, and their fire was so heavy that the Croats and
Hungarians fell, as fast as they raised their heads above the stone
walls to fire; and although General Browne reinforced them by some
of the best Austrian infantry, they were rapidly driven down
towards Lobositz. At the foot of the hill they were supported by
several more battalions, brought from the Austrian centre. General
Lacy, who commanded these, was wounded.
The Prussians halted at the foot of the slope and were reformed;
having fallen into some disorder, from the irregular nature of the
ground over which they had been fighting. The guns were brought
forward, so as to cover their next advance; while a very strong
force was sent to support the batteries on the Homolka Hill, so as
to check the enemy's centre and left, should they attempt any
movement across the plain.
In the meantime, Marshal Browne was reinforcing the defenders of
Lobositz with the whole of his right wing. The village was defended
with desperate bravery but, owing to the position, the king was
able to reinforce the assailants very much more rapidly than the
Austrian commander could bring up his distant troops. The Prussian
artillery concentrated their fire upon the place, and set it in
flames from end to end; when its defenders were forced to abandon
it, and retreat with precipitation on their cavalry.
In order to cover their withdrawal, the Austrian left moved down to
the village of Sulowitz, and endeavoured to pass the dam over a
marshy rivulet in front of it; but the fire from the battery on the
Homolka rendered it impossible for them to form, and also set that
village on fire, and they were therefore called back. The Austrian
centre moved to its right, and occupied the ground behind Lobositz
as soon as the defenders of the village had fallen back, and then
Marshal Browne formed up his whole force afresh.
His position was now as strong as it had been when the battle first
began, for the Prussians could not advance except between the
swampy ground and the river; and would have been exposed, while
doing so, to the fire of batteries both in front and in flank. The
Austrians were still greatly superior in numbers, and all the
advantages that had been gained might have been lost by a renewal
of the action. The total loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners on
the part of the Austrians was 3308. That of the Prussians was about
the same.
Although indecisive--and indeed, claimed as a victory by both
parties--the consequences showed that the advantage lay with the
Prussians. Marshal Browne's object had been to relieve the Saxons,
Frederick's to prevent this; and for the moment he had wholly
succeeded.
On the other hand was the fact that Marshal Browne had drawn off
his army practically intact, and that it was impossible for the
king to winter in Bohemia, as he would have done had the Austrian
army been defeated and dispersed; and the latter were still in a
position to make a fresh attempt to rescue the Saxons.
To prevent this, the king despatched the Duke of Bevern with a
large force, as if to get between the Austrians and the river Eger.
This movement had the desired effect. Marshal Browne at once fell
back, recrossed the river, and took up his position at his former
camp at Budin. From there he opened communications with the Saxons,
and it was arranged that these should pass the Elbe; and that he,
with 8000 men, should also do so, and march to meet them.
The Saxons, however, were detained, owing to the terrible weather
and the enormous difficulty of the defiles, and only crossed on the
13th. In the meantime the Prussians had taken up positions to cut
off the Saxon retreat, and after crossing they found themselves
hemmed in, and the roads so commanded by newly-erected batteries
that, being utterly exhausted by fatigue and hardships, they had no
resource but to surrender.
The terms enforced were hard. The officers were allowed to depart,
on giving their parole not to serve again, but the whole of the
rank and file were incorporated in the Prussian army.
Fergus Drummond and Lindsay stood by their horses, with the other
members of the staff, some short distance behind the king and
Marshal Keith, as they anxiously endeavoured to discover the
whereabouts and intentions of the Austrian army; while the crack of
musketry, between the Croats and the troops who were gradually
pressing them down the hill, continued unabated.
"This is slow work, Drummond," Lindsay said, as hour after hour
passed. "I should not like to have anything to do with the king,
just at present. It is easy to see how fidgety he is, and no
wonder. For aught we know there may be only three or four thousand
men facing us and, while we are waiting here, the whole Austrian
army may have crossed over again, and be marching up the river bank
to form a junction with the Saxons; or they may have gone by the
defiles we traversed the last two days, and may come down into
Saxony and fall on the rear of our camp watching Pirna, while the
Saxons are attacking in front. No wonder his majesty paces
backwards and forwards like a wild beast in a cage."
From time to time an aide-de-camp was sent off, with some order
involving the movement of a battalion farther to the right or left,
and the addition of a few guns to the battery on Homolka Hill.
Fergus had taken his turn in carrying the orders. He had, two days
before, abandoned his sling; and scarcely felt any inconvenience
from the wound, which indeed would have been of slight consequence,
had it not been for the excessive loss of blood.
"These movements mean nothing," Lindsay said, as he returned from
one of these rides. "The marshal makes the changes simply for the
sake of doing something--partly, perhaps, to take the king's
attention off this confounded delay; partly to interest the troops,
who must be just as restless and impatient as we are."
The messages were taken, alternately, by the king's aides-de-camp
and the marshal's.
At length, as the fog began to lift, the interest in the scene
heightened. The king and Keith talked long and earnestly together,
as they watched the village of Lobositz.
"They have got some strong batteries there," Lindsay said; "but as
far as one can see, there does not appear to be any large body of
troops. I suppose it is meant that the troops on the slopes shall
retire there, and make a strong stand. I am bound to say that it
looks very much as if Browne had only left a strong guard here, to
keep us from issuing from this defile; and that his whole army
moved away last night, and may now be some thirty miles away, on
their march towards Saxony."
As the fog lifted still more they could see the stream running
right across the plain, and the little village of Sulowitz on its
bank, apparently still and deserted. Presently Keith wrote an order
on a tablet, and Lindsay was sent off with it, to the general
commanding the cavalry.
"Something is going to be done at last, Drummond," he said, as he
mounted. "It is an order to the cavalry."
An order was then despatched to the battery on Homolka Hill, and to
the batteries on the left. Two more battalions of infantry then
moved up, to press the Croats more quickly down the hill.
Fergus watched Lindsay, and saw him ride up to the general. Several
officers at once galloped off. There was a movement among the
cavalry, and then twenty squadrons passed out through the intervals
between the brigades of infantry, and trotted out through the mouth
of the valley. They went on without interruption, until abreast of
Lobositz; and then a great number of men ran suddenly up, from the
houses of the village, to the batteries.
A minute later some thirty guns poured their fire into the Prussian
cavalry; while at the same moment the guns of a heavy battery,
hitherto unseen, poured in their fire from Sulowitz on their left
flank; while from rising ground, not visible behind it, came the
roar of thirty more pieces.
So rapidly had the aides-de-camp been sent off, that Fergus was the
only one remaining available. The king spoke a few words to the
marshal, and then said to Fergus:
"Ride, sir, with my orders to the officer commanding the cavalry
out there, and tell him to retire at once."
Fergus ran back to where Karl was holding his horse.
"Follow me, Karl," he said, as he sprang into the saddle; and then
rode rapidly down the steep hill and, as soon as he reached the
valley, dashed off at a headlong gallop.
"I have orders, Karl, to recall the cavalry, who will be destroyed
unless they return. Should I fall, carry the order to their
commander."
The din was now prodigious. The whole of the Prussian batteries had
opened on Lobositz and Sulowitz, and between the thunder of the
guns came the incessant crackling of musketry on the hill to his
right.
Passing through the infantry, Fergus dashed across the plain. He
was mounted on the horse the marshal had given him, as the other
was not yet accustomed to stand fire. The noble animal, as if
delighted to be on level ground again, and excited by the roar of
battle, carried him along at the top of its speed without any need
of urging. Fergus knew that on the heights behind the king and
Keith would be anxiously watching him, for the peril of the cavalry
was great; and the concussion of the guns was now causing the fog
to lift rapidly and, as he rode, he could dimly make out dark
masses of men all along the rising ground behind Sulowitz, and knew
that the Austrian cavalry might, at any moment, sweep down on the
Prussians.
He was drawing abreast of Lobositz, when suddenly a squadron of
cavalry dashed out from the village. Their object was evidently to
cut him off, and prevent any message that he might bear reaching
the Prussian cavalry, which were now halted half a mile ahead.
Their officers were endeavouring to reform them from the confusion
into which they had fallen, from the speed at which they had ridden
and the heavy losses they had sustained.
He saw, at once, that the Austrians would cross his line, and
reined in his horse to allow Karl to come up to him. Had not the
trooper been exceptionally well mounted, he would have been left
far behind. As it was, while pressing his charger to the utmost, he
was still some fifty yards in rear of Fergus.
As soon as he came up, the latter said:
"We must cut our way through the Austrians. Ride close to me. We
will ease our horses a little, until we are within fifty yards, and
then go at them at full speed. If I fall and you get through, carry
the orders to retire to the general commanding the cavalry."
The Austrian cavalry had formed up in two troops, one twenty yards
behind the other, and each in line two deep, extending across the
road by which Fergus was riding. Seeing, by the speed at which he
was travelling, that the Prussian staff officer had no intention of
surrendering, the Austrian in command gave the order to charge,
when they were some fifty yards away.
"Now, Karl, boot to boot. Go right at them!"
And with pistols in their left hands, and their swords in their
right, they sent their horses at full speed against the enemy.
These had scarcely got into motion when, like a thunderbolt, Fergus
and his orderly burst down upon them.
[Illusgtration: Not a blow was struck, horse and rider went
down before them]
The shock was irresistible. Their horses were much heavier and more
powerful than those of the Austrians, and their weight and impetus
carried all before them. Not a blow was struck. Horse and rider
went down before them, or were swept aside. They were scarcely
conscious that they were through, before they encountered the
second line.
Here the fight was much more severe. Fergus cut down two of his
opponents and, with a pistol shot, rid Karl of an antagonist who
was pressing him hard; and after a minute of wild confusion they
were through the line, and riding at headlong speed towards the
Prussians. Pistols cracked out behind them, but before the
Austrians had time to turn and aim they were already fifty yards
away, and going at a speed that soon left their pursuers behind. As
soon as the latter saw this they drew off, and trotted back to
Lobositz.
Fergus rode up to the officer commanding the cavalry.
"I bear the king's orders to you, general, to retire at once with
your command."
It was time, for a body of Austrian cavalry, of much greater
strength, could be seen galloping towards them from the high ground
half a mile distant. In half a minute the Prussians were in motion
but, as they returned, the storm of fire from the two villages
burst out again with redoubled violence. Men and horses rolled over
but, closing up quickly, the squadrons swept on.
The general remained stationary until his last squadron thundered
by, and then galloped forward again and took his place at their
head. Fergus had followed him, when there was a sudden crash, and
he was thrown with tremendous force over his horse's head, and
there lay stunned with the shock.
When he recovered he staggered to his feet, and saw that he was
surrounded by Austrian cavalry; these having halted just where he
fell, as pursuit of the Prussians was hopeless, and the balls from
the Prussian batteries were falling thick.
"You are our prisoner, sir," an officer said to him.
"So I see," Fergus said bitterly. "It is hard luck, just at the
beginning of the campaign."
"It is the fortune of war," the Austrian said with a smile; "and
indeed, I don't think that you have any reason to grumble for, had
that shot struck a few inches farther back, it would have carried
off both your legs."
A sharp order was now given to retire. One of the troopers was
ordered to give his horse to Fergus, and to mount behind a comrade;
and they rode back to the Austrian main position, on the rising
ground. Fergus was at once taken to the marshal in command of the
Austrians.
"What is your name, sir?" the latter asked.
"Fergus Drummond. I have the honour to be an aide-de-camp on
Marshal Keith's staff."
"A Scotchman, I suppose?" the marshal said, breaking into English.
"Yes, sir."
"What force is there opposed to us?"
"That I cannot say, sir. I only joined the army two days ago, and
have been on the march ever since."
"Who is its commander?"
"Marshal Keith, sir; but the king himself is with it."
"I will see that you are made comfortable, presently, Mr. Drummond.
"Captain Wingratz, will you conduct this officer to the rear, and
place a couple of soldiers to see that he is not annoyed or
interfered with, in any way?"
Fergus was led away. Captain Wingratz called up two troopers and,
choosing an elevated spot of ground, told them to dismount and
allow no one to speak to the officer.
"From here," he said courteously to Drummond, "you will get a view
of the field of battle."
Fergus sat down on the grass, and remained a spectator of the fight
to the end of the day. He marked at once that the combat had rolled
down the hill, and that the Prussians were making their way in
force towards Lobositz. Then he saw heavy masses of infantry, from
the Austrian right, move forward to aid in its defence. For two
hours the battle raged round the village, the whole of the guns on
both sides aiding in the fight. Then volumes of smoke and flame
rose, and the Austrians were seen retiring. Sulowitz still kept up
a heavy fire, and he saw a strong body from the Austrian left move
down there; while the centre advanced to cover the retreat of the
defenders of Lobositz, and to check the advancing masses of the
Prussians; and he thought, for a time, that a general engagement
was about to take place. Then he saw the Prussian advance cease,
the roar of cannon gradually died away, and the battle was at an
end.
For an hour he remained, apparently unnoticed, then Captain
Wingratz rode up with another officer.
"I am sorry to have neglected you so long, Lieutenant Drummond; but
you see it was the fault of your own people, who have kept us so
busy. This is Lieutenant Kerr, a compatriot of yours, who will take
special charge of you."
"I am sorry that our meeting cannot take place under more
favourable circumstances," Kerr said, holding out his hand. "It
might well have been the other way.
"Now come with me to my tent. I have no doubt that you are hungry;
I can assure you that I am."
The two walked together for about a quarter of a mile, the Austrian
officer having left as soon as he had introduced them.
"There were three of us here this morning," Kerr said, as they
entered the tent. "The other two are missing. One I know is killed;
the other badly wounded, but whether he is dead or a prisoner I
cannot say.
"By the way, are you not the officer who cut his way through the
squadron of our regiment, and went on and joined your cavalry, who
at once fell back? I was in Lobositz, myself. My squadron was not
ordered out. As I hear that you were found by our cavalry as they
followed the Prussians, it struck me that it might be you; although
from Lobositz we could only see that it was a staff uniform that
the officer wore."
"Yes, it was I. I was carrying an order for the cavalry to retire."
"That was what we supposed, as soon as you were seen coming down
the valley; and as it would have suited us much better for the
Prussian cavalry to have stayed where it was for a little longer,
the general sent out a squadron to intercept you. It was a splendid
thing to do, on your part. Of course, there were a number of us
watching from the earthworks, and I can assure you that there was a
general inclination to cheer as you cut your way through our
fellows. I am sure that if I had known that it was a countryman I
should have done it, though the action was at the expense of my own
regiment.
"Our squadron suffered heavily as they rode back again, for that
battery from the Homolka turned its attention to them, as soon as
you had gone through. They had an officer and nearly thirty men
killed and wounded before they got back into shelter.
"How long have you been out here?"
"Only about two months."
"Really! You are lucky in getting onto Keith's staff."
"He is a cousin of my mother's," Fergus said.
"And he made you lieutenant, and aide-de-camp, at once."
"No. I was first a cornet, but I was promoted at Dresden. The king
had given strict orders about plundering, and it happened that I
came upon some marauders at their work, and had the good fortune to
rescue a gentleman of some importance from their hands; and the
king, who was furious at his orders being disobeyed, himself
promoted me.
"I had been lucky enough to get myself wounded in the affair. As I
lost a good deal of blood, I looked no doubt a good deal worse than
I was, and I expect that had a good deal to do with my getting the
step."
"Well, you are a lucky fellow. I was eight years a cornet before I
got promoted."
"I think my bad luck, in getting captured, balances my good fortune
in being promoted so soon."
"To some extent perhaps it does, but you will get the benefit when
you return. No doubt Fritz was watching you, as you rode. He must
have seen our cavalry coming down the slope, before the man in
command of your squadrons could have done so; and must have felt
that they were lost, unless his orders were received. He must have
been relieved, indeed, when he saw you reach them."
This had indeed been the case. The king and marshal had both been
watching through their glasses the Prussian cavalry, and marked how
the ground behind them was dotted thickly with the bodies of horses
and men.
"Will they never stop?" the king said impatiently. "These cavalry
men are always getting into scrapes with their impetuosity. Gorlitz
must have known that he was only sent forward to ascertain the
position of the Austrians, and not to fight their whole army. He
ought to have turned, as soon as that crossfire of their batteries
opened upon them."
"He knew that your majesty and the whole army would be watching
him, sire," Keith said quietly; "and I fancy that, under such
circumstances, few cavalry men would draw rein till they had done
something worthy of themselves."
At this moment the fog wreath moved away.
"See," the king exclaimed, "there is a great body of Austrian
cavalry moving along behind Sulowitz. That rise behind the village
must hide them from our men.
"Where is your messenger, Keith?"
"There he goes, sire. He is well out of the valley now and, by the
pace he is riding at, he won't be long before he reaches them."
"He won't reach them at all," the king said curtly, a minute later.
"See, there is a squadron of horse riding out from Lobositz, to cut
him off. No doubt they guess what his errand is."
"I see them, sire, and he must see them, too. He is checking his
horse, for his orderly is coming up to him."
"Then the cavalry will be lost," the king said. "The enemy's
batteries are playing havoc with them, and they will have the
Austrians down upon them in a few minutes.
"Ah! I expect Gorlitz sees them now. Our men are halting, and
forming up. I suppose he means to charge the Austrians when they
come up, but there are three to one against him. He is lost."
"There is hope yet, sire," Keith said, as he again turned his glass
on Fergus. "My aide-de-camp is going to charge the Austrian
squadron."
"So he is!" the king exclaimed, lowering his glass, for the
distance was little more than half a mile from the spot where he
stood. "He must be mad."
"It is possible he may do it, sire. His orderly is riding boot to
boot beside him. You know already that he is a good swordsman. He
will have the advantage that the enemy won't dream of his attacking
them, and the rate at which they are riding will help them through.
"There he goes!" and he raised the glass again to his eye. "Bravo!
They are through the first troop, and still together. Now they are
at it.
"There, sire, they are through the second troop. Bravo, Fergus!"
The king made no remark until he saw the Austrian squadron draw
rein. Then he said:
"Thank God, he has saved the cavalry! It was a glorious deed.
Marshal Keith, make out his commission as a captain, today."
"He is very young, sire," the marshal said hesitatingly.
"By Heaven, sir, I would promote him if he were an infant in arms!"
the king replied. "Why, Keith, the loss of half our cavalry would
have crippled us, and cavalry men are not made in a day.
"There, he has reached them now. I see they are wheeling. Well and
quickly done! Yes, they won't be overtaken; but three minutes
later, and not a man would have come back.
"Colonel Rogner," he said to one of the group of officers behind
him, "you will please ride down and meet the cavalry, when they
come in, and convey to Lieutenant Drummond my highest satisfaction
at the gallant manner in which he has carried out my orders. You
will also inform General Gorlitz that, in my opinion, he pushed his
reconnaissance much too far; but that I am well content with the
bravery shown by the troops, and at the manner in which he drew
them off on receipt of my order."
In five-and-twenty minutes the colonel returned, and said:
"I regret to say, your majesty, that Lieutenant Drummond is
missing. I have inquired among the officers and find that, as he
was following General Gorlitz, he and his horse suddenly pitched
forward and lay without movement. Evidently the horse was killed by
a cannon shot, but whether Mr. Drummond was also killed, they could
not say."
"We must hope not," the king said warmly. "I would not lose so
gallant a young officer, for a great deal.
"Keith, if we take Lobositz today, let a most careful search be
made, over the ground the cavalry passed, for his body. If it is
found, so much the worse. If not, it will be a proof that he is
either wounded or unhurt, and that he has been carried off by the
Austrian cavalry; who passed over the same ground as ours, and who
certainly would not trouble themselves to carry off his body."