The next morning a horse was brought round for Fergus, and he at
once started, under the escort of a captain and Lieutenant Kerr and
fifty troopers, with thirteen other officers taken prisoners at
Lobositz. Seven hundred rank and file had also been captured.
These, however, were to march under an infantry escort on the
following day. Fergus afterwards learned that sixteen officers, of
whom eleven belonged to the cavalry, had been killed; and
eighty-one officers and about eighteen hundred men wounded in the
desperate fighting at Lobositz.
Fergus found that among the Austrians the battle of the previous
day was considered a victory, although they had lost their advanced
post at Lobositz.
"I cannot say it seemed so to me," he said to the lieutenant, as
they rode away from the camp.
"Why, we have prevented the king from penetrating into Bohemia."
"But the king could have done that three days ago, without fighting
a battle," Fergus said; "just as Schwerin did at Koeniggraetz.
There would have been no need to have marched night and day across
the mountains, in order to give battle to an army nearly twice the
strength of his own. His object was to prevent you from drawing off
the Saxons, and in that he perfectly succeeded."
"Oh, there are other ways of doing that! We had only to keep along
the other side of the Elbe until we faced Pirna, then they could
have joined us."
"It sounds easy," Fergus laughed, "but it would not be so easy to
execute. These mountain defiles are terrible, and you may be sure
that the king will not be idle while you and the Saxons are
marching to meet each other.
"However, it was a hard-fought battle, and I should think that our
loss must be quite as great as yours; for your artillery must have
played terrible havoc among our infantry, as they marched to the
assault of the village."
"Yes. I hear this morning that we have lost about a hundred and
twenty officers killed and wounded, and about two thousand one
hundred and fifty men, and nearly seven hundred missing or
prisoners. What your loss is, of course, I can't say."
"I cannot understand your taking so many prisoners," Fergus said.
"A great many of them belong to the cavalry. You see, all who were
dismounted by the fire of our guns were captured when our horse
swept down."
"Ah, yes! I did not think of that. I saw a good many men running
across the plain when I galloped out."
Two of the officers belonged to the 3rd Royal Dragoon Guards, half
of which regiment had taken part in the reconnaissance; and both
their horses, like his own, had been shot under them. As soon as
they were brought up from the tents where they had been lodged,
they exchanged a cordial greeting with Fergus. He no longer
belonged to the regiment, as on his promotion he had been gazetted
from it on to the staff; but during the time he had drilled with
them, in Berlin, he had come to be well known to all of them.
"I thought that it was you, lieutenant," one of them said. "I was
not far from you, when you charged through those Austrians. I was
unhorsed as we went forward, and was running back when I saw them
come out. There were a good many of us, and I thought their object
was to capture us. It was no use running, and I threw myself down,
in hopes they would think I had been knocked over. You passed
within thirty yards of me. Our guns opened so heavily on them,
after you had got through, that I thought it prudent to keep quiet
a little longer before I made a move; and the result was that the
Austrian cavalry, as it came along in the pursuit of our men,
picked me up.
"Do you know where we are bound for?"
"Prague in the first instance, but beyond that I cannot say. I
suppose it will depend a good deal on what takes place now. There
is no doubt the Saxons will have to surrender; and I suppose that,
anyhow, they will send us farther away, unless indeed there is an
exchange of prisoners."
A long day's ride took them to Prague. The news of the battle had
been sent off the night before, and as it had been reported as a
victory, the inhabitants were in a state of great delight. Bonfires
blazed in the streets, church bells rang in triumphant peals, and
the whole population was abroad. The arrival of this party, with
prisoners, afforded a welcome confirmation of the news.
There were a few yells and hoots, as they rode along in charge of
their escort; but as a rule the people stood silent, as if in
respect for their misfortunes, for most of the captives were
wounded. They were taken to the military prison, and comfortable
quarters assigned to them; and the wounds of those who required it
were redressed by a surgeon. There was a hearty parting between
Fergus and Kerr, as the latter, after handing over his prisoners,
turned to ride off with the escort to the barracks.
"I start early tomorrow for the camp again," he said. "If you are
kept here, I am sure to see you again before long."
Fergus shared a room with Captain Hindeman, an officer of the 3rd.
"I don't think it at all likely we shall remain here," the latter
said. "It is more probable that we shall be sent to Olmuetz, or to
one of the smaller fortresses in Moravia. The war is, they will
think, likely to be confined to Bohemia until the spring; if indeed
the king does not have to stand on the defensive. I cannot help
thinking, myself, that we should have done better if we had let
things go on quietly till the spring. It is not probable that
Russia and Austria would have been more ready, then, than they are
now; and we should have had the whole summer before us, and might
have marched to Vienna before the campaign was over. Now they will
all have the winter to make their preparations, and we shall have
France, Austria, and Russia, to say nothing of Poland, on our
hands. It is a tremendous job even for Frederick to tackle."
They remained for three weeks at Prague, and were then informed by
the governor that he had orders for them to be removed to Olmuetz.
Accordingly, the next day eight of the officers started on
horseback, under an escort. When they reached Bruenn they found
that they were to be separated, and the next morning Captain
Hindeman and Fergus were taken to the fortress of Spielberg.
"An awkward place either to get in or out of, Drummond," the
captain said, as they approached the fortress.
"Very much so," Fergus agreed. "But if I see a chance, I shall
certainly do my best to escape before spring."
"I don't think there is much chance of that," the other said
gloomily. "If we had been left at Prague, or even at Bruenn, there
might have been some chance; but in these fortresses, where
everything is conducted on a very severe system, and they are
veritable prisons, I don't think that anything without wings has a
chance of getting away."
As a rule, officers taken prisoners in war enjoyed a considerable
amount of liberty; and were even allowed to reside in the houses of
citizens, on giving their parole. The enforced embodiment of the
Saxons in the Prussian army had, however, excited such a storm of
indignation throughout Europe that it greatly damaged Frederick's
cause. It was indeed an unheard-of proceeding, and a most mistaken
one, for the greater part of the Saxons seized opportunities to
desert, as soon as the next campaign began. It was the more
ill-advised, since Saxony was a Protestant country, and therefore
the action alienated the other Protestant princes in Germany, whose
sympathies would have otherwise been wholly with Prussia; and it
was to no small extent due to that high-handed action that, during
the winter, the Swedes joined the Confederacy, and undertook to
supply an army of 50,000 men; France paying a subsidy towards their
maintenance, and the members of the Confederacy agreeing that, upon
the division of Prussia, Pomerania should fall to the share of
Sweden. Thus it may be said that the whole of Central and Northern
Europe, with the exception only of Hanover, was leagued against
Prussia.
It was a result of this general outburst of indignation that,
instead of being kept in a large town and allowed various
privileges, the prisoners taken at the battle of Lobositz were
treated with exceptional severity, and confined in isolated
fortresses. Fergus and his companion were lodged in a small room in
one of the towers. The window was strongly barred, the floor was of
stone, the door massive and studded with iron. Two truckle beds, a
table, and two chairs formed the sole furniture.
"Not much chance of an escape here," Captain Hindeman said, as the
door closed behind their guards.
"The prospect does not look very bright, I admit," Fergus said
cheerfully; "but we have a proverb, 'Where there is a will there is
a way'. I have the will certainly and, as we have plenty of time
before us, it will be hard if we do not find a way."
He went to the window and looked out.
"Over a hundred feet," he said, "and I should say a precipice fully
as deep at the foot of the wall. At any rate, we have the advantage
of an extensive view.
"I am glad to see that there is a fireplace, for the cold will be
bitter here, when the winter sets in. I wonder whether the rooms
above and below this are tenanted?"
Hindeman shrugged his shoulders. He was not, at present, in a mood
to take interest in anything. It was now the end of October, and
Fergus was very glad when the door opened again, and a warder came
in with two soldiers, who carried huge baskets of firewood; and it
was not long before a large fire was blazing on the hearth.
Day after day passed. Fergus turned over in his mind every possible
method of escape, but the prospect looked very dark. Even if the
door were open, there would be difficulties of all sorts to
encounter. In the middle of the day many people went in and out of
the fortress, with provisions, wood, and other matters; but at
sunset the gates were shut, and sentries placed on the walls; and
on getting out he would have to cross an inner courtyard, and then
pass through a gateway--at which a sentinel was posted night and
day--into the outer court, which was surrounded by a strong wall
over thirty feet high, with towers at the angles.
Escape from the window would be equally difficult. Two long and
very strong ropes would be required, and the bars of the window
were so massive that, without tools of any kind, it would be
impossible to remove them.
A month later Captain Hindeman fell ill, and was removed to the
infirmary. Fergus was glad of his departure. He had been so
depressed that he was useless as a companion and, so long as he
remained there, he altogether prevented any plan of escape being
attempted; for difficult as it might be for one person to get away,
it would be next to impossible for two to do so.
For an hour in the day, the prisoners had leave to walk on the
wall. His fellow prisoner had never availed himself of this
privilege; but Fergus always took his daily exercise, partly to
keep himself in health, partly in hopes that a plan of escape might
present itself. A sentry, however, was always posted on the wall
while the prisoners were at exercise; and on the side allotted for
their walk, the rock sloped away steeply from the foot of the wall.
The thought of escape, therefore, in broad daylight was out of the
question; and Fergus generally watched what was going on in the
courtyard.
In time he came to know which was the entrance to the apartments of
the governor and his family, where the married officers were
quartered, and where the soldiers lodged. He saw that on the ground
floor of the tower he occupied were the quarters of a field officer
belonging to the garrison.
One day he saw a number of men employed in clearing out some unused
quarters, on one side of the outer courtyard, and judged that an
addition was about to be made to the garrison. This gave substance
to a plan that he had been revolving in his mind. That evening,
when the warder brought him his food, he said carelessly:
"I see you have some more troops coming in."
"Yes," the man replied, "there are three hundred more men coming.
They will march in tomorrow afternoon. They will be getting the
room on the first floor, below here, cleared out tomorrow morning
for the officer who commands them."
Fergus had, all along, considered that there would be no difficulty
in suddenly attacking and overpowering the warder, when he came in
or out of his room, for no special precautions were taken. The fact
that the prisoners were all in their uniforms, and that on showing
themselves below they would be instantly arrested, seemed to forbid
all chance of their making any attempt to escape. It was the matter
of clothes that had, more than anything else, puzzled Fergus; for
although he thought that he might possibly obtain a uniform from
some officer's quarters, it was evident that the guard would at
once perceive that he was not one of the officers of the garrison.
The arrival of the fresh detachment relieved him of this
difficulty, and it now seemed that a way of escape was open to him.
Much depended upon the hour at which the regiment would arrive. The
later they did so the better, and as the weather had for some days
been terribly rough, and the roads would be deep and heavy, it was
likely that they would not arrive until some time past the hour
fixed.
The next afternoon he listened for the roll of drums that would
greet the arrival of the newcomers. Just as the door opened, and
the sergeant entered with a lantern, he heard the sound that he had
been listening for.
[Illustration: As the man was placing his supper on the table,
Fergus sprang upon him]
Nothing could have happened more fortunately. As the man was
placing his supper on the table, Fergus sprang suddenly upon him,
hurled him down on to his face, and then fastened his hands behind
him with a rope he had made from twisted strips of one of his rugs.
He was not afraid of his calling out, as the window looked outside,
and it was blowing half a gale. Moreover, the sound of drums below
would aid to prevent any noise being heard from the courtyard.
"I don't want to hurt you, sergeant," he said, "but I do want my
liberty. I must put a bandage round your mouth, to prevent you from
calling; but you know as well as I do that there would be no chance
of your being heard, however loud you might shout.
"Now, in the first place I am going to see if I can get a uniform.
If I cannot, I must come back and take yours."
Binding the sergeant's legs as well as his arms, and putting a
muffler over his mouth, Fergus went out, leaving his own jacket and
cap behind him. The key was in the door. He turned it and put it in
his pocket, shot the heavy bolts, and ran downstairs. When he got
to the bottom, he tried the door of the major's quarters. It was
unbolted, and he felt absolutely certain that the major would be
out as, with the other officers, he would have gone down to the
gate to receive those of the incoming detachment.
On opening the door, he saw the articles of which he was in
search--a long cloak and a regimental cap. These he at once put on.
After a further search, he found a pair of military pantaloons and
a patrol jacket. Throwing off the cloak, he rapidly changed his
clothes. He wanted now only a regimental sword to complete the
costume, but he trusted to the long cloak to hide the absence of
this.
Throwing the things that he had taken off under the bed, he went
out, closed the door behind him, locked it, and took the key. He
had with him the short sword carried by the warder, and he relied
upon this to silence the sentry, at the passage leading to the
outer court, should he attempt to stop him.
This, however, was most unlikely. The night was dark, and there was
no light burning; and at this hour, with fresh troops arriving and
a general movement in the fortress, there could be no question of a
countersign being demanded by a sentry in the interior of the
place. The man, indeed, only drew himself up and saluted, as he
dimly made out an officer coming from the major's quarters.
The courtyard beyond was half full of soldiers. The newcomers had
just fallen out. Some were being greeted by members of the garrison
who had known them before, officers were chatting together; and
Fergus made his way, unnoticed in the darkness, to the gate. As he
had hoped, the baggage waggons were making their way in.
A sentry was placed on each side of the gate.
"Now then," he said sharply, "hurry on with these waggons. The
commandant wants the gate shut, as soon as possible;" and passing
the sentry, he went on as if to hurry up the rear of the train.
Taking him for one of the officers of the newly-arrived party, the
sentry stepped back at once, and he passed out.
There were six waggons still outside and, unnoticed, he passed
these and went down the road. He had brought with him under his
cloak the sergeant's lantern and, as soon as he was half a mile
from the fortress, he took this out in order to be able to proceed
the more rapidly. He had taken particular notice of the country
from his prison window and, when he came down into a broad road
running along the valley, he turned at once to the south.
His plans had all been carefully thought out, while in prison. He
knew perfectly well that, without money, it would be altogether
impossible for him to traverse the many hundred miles that lay
between him and Saxony. There would be a hot pursuit when, in the
morning, he was found to have gone; but it would hardly be
suspected that he had taken the road for Vienna, as this would be
entirely out of his way.
Happily, he was not altogether penniless. He had always carried
five or six gold pieces, sewn up in the lining of his jacket with
the letters with which he had been furnished by Count Eulenfurst,
as a resource in case of being taken prisoner. He wished now that
he had brought more, but he thought that it might prove sufficient
for his first needs.
He walked all night. His candle burnt out, in two hours after
starting; but at eleven the moon rose, and its light enabled him to
keep the road without difficulty. As morning dawned, he approached
a good-sized village some forty miles from his starting point and,
waiting for an hour until he saw people stirring, Fergus went to
the posting house and shouted for the postmaster. The sight of a
field officer, on foot at such an hour of the morning, greatly
surprised the man when he came down.
"My horse has fallen and broken its neck," Fergus said, "and I have
had to walk some miles on foot. I have important despatches to
carry to Vienna. Bring round a horse, without a moment's delay."
The postmaster, without the smallest hesitation, ordered his men to
saddle and bring out a horse.
"It will be sent back from the next stage," Fergus said, as he
mounted and rode on at full speed.
He changed horses twice, not the slightest suspicion being
entertained by any of the postmasters that he was not what he
seemed; and, before noon, arrived at the last post house before
reaching Vienna.
"A bottle of your best wine, landlord, and I want to speak a word
with you in a private room. Bring two glasses."
The wine was poured out, and after he had drank a glass Fergus
said:
"Landlord, I am the bearer of important despatches, and it is
imperative that I should not attract attention as I enter the city.
If I were seen and recognized there, questions might be asked, and
curiosity excited as to the news of which I am the bearer.
"I see that you are a sensible man, and will readily understand the
situation. To avoid attracting attention, it would be best for me
to enter the city in a civilian dress. You are about my size, and I
beg you to furnish me with a suit of your clothes, for which I will
pay at once."
"I will do that willingly, sir," the landlord answered, feeling
much honoured by being let into what he deemed an important affair.
"My best suit is at your service. You can send it me out from the
town."
"I would rather pay for it, landlord. I may be ordered in another
direction, and may not have an opportunity of returning it. If you
will say how much the suit cost you, I will hand you the money."
The landlord went out, and returned in a minute with the clothes.
"Another glass of wine, landlord," Fergus said, as he handed over
the amount at which the landlord valued them--"another glass of
wine; and then, while I am changing, get a light trap round to the
door. I shall not want to take it into Vienna, but will alight and
send it back again, half a mile this side of the gates.
Mind--should any inquiries be made, it were best to say as little
as possible."
In another five minutes, Fergus was on his way again. He had
procured from the landlord a small trunk, in which he had packed
the uniform, and directed him to keep it until he heard from him;
but if in the course of a week he received no orders, he was to
forward it to Major Steiner, at Spielberg.
When within half a mile of Vienna, Fergus got out, gave a present
to the driver and told him to return, and then walked forward to
the gate, which he entered without question. He thought it better
not to put up in that quarter of the town, but walked a long
distance through the city, purchased a travelling coat lined with
sheepskin, and a small canvas trunk in which he put it; went some
distance farther and hired a room at a quiet inn, and called for
dinner, of which he felt much in need, for beyond eating a few
mouthfuls of bread while a fresh horse was brought out for him, he
had tasted nothing since the previous evening. After dining he went
to his room and took his boots off and, feeling completely worn out
from his long journey, after two months of confinement, threw
himself on the bed and slept for three hours.
Then he went for an hour's stroll through the town. By this time it
was getting dark, snowflakes were beginning to fall thickly, and he
was very glad, after sitting for a time listening to the talk in
the parlour of the inn, to turn in for the night.
In the morning the ground was covered with snow. He was glad to put
on his thick coat, for the cold outside was bitter.
For some hours he walked about Vienna, and the contrast between
that city and Berlin struck him greatly. The whole bearing and
manner of the people was brighter, and gayer. The soldiers, of whom
there were great numbers in the streets--Austrians, Croats, and
Hungarians--had none of the formal stiffness of the Prussians, but
laughed and joked as they went, and seemed as easy and light
hearted as the civilians around them. They were, for the most part,
inferior in size and physique to the Prussians; but there was a
springiness in their walk, and an alertness and intelligence which
were wanting in the more solid soldier of the north.
He spent the day in making himself acquainted with the town, the
position of the gates, and other particulars which might be
important to him; as he could not feel sure of the reception that
he would meet with, when he presented his letter.
In the afternoon the city was particularly gay. Sledges made their
appearance in the streets, and all seemed delighted that winter had
set in, in earnest.
The next morning, after breakfast, Fergus went to the mansion of
Count Platurn, whose position he had ascertained on the previous
day. The name had been scored under, in his list, as one on whom he
might confidently rely.
"I am the bearer of a letter to Count Platurn," he said, to the
somewhat gorgeously-dressed functionary who opened the door. "I
have a message to deliver to him, personally."
The doorkeeper closed the door behind him and spoke to a footman,
who went away and returned, in a minute or two, and told Fergus to
follow him to a spacious and comfortable library, where the count
was sitting alone.
"You are the bearer of a letter to me, sir?" he said, in a pleasant
tone of voice. "Whence do you bring it?"
"From Count Eulenfurst of Dresden," Fergus said, producing it.
The count gave an exclamation of pleasure.
"Has he completely recovered?" he asked. "Of course, we heard of
the outrage of which he was a sufferer."
"He was going on well when I saw him last, count."
The count opened the letter and read it, with an air of growing
surprise as he went on. When he had finished it, he rose from his
seat and offered his hand to Fergus.
"You are the Scottish officer who saved the lives of the count, his
wife, and daughter," he said warmly. "How you come to be here I
don't know, but it is enough for me that you rendered my dear
friend and his wife, who is a cousin of mine, this great service.
You are not here, I hope, on any mission which, as an Austrian
noble, I could feel it impossible to further."
"No indeed, count. Had it been so, I should assuredly not have
presented this letter to you. In giving it to me, the countess said
that possibly the fortune of war might be unfavourable, and that I
might be taken prisoner. In that case, she said I might find a
friend invaluable, and she gave me letters to eight gentlemen in
various great towns, saying that she believed that any one of these
would, for the sake of the count, do me any kindness in his power.
"Her prevision has turned out correct. My horse was shot under me
at the battle of Lobositz, and I was made prisoner and sent to the
fortress of Spielberg. Three days since I effected my escape, and
deemed it more prudent to make my way here, where no one would
suspect me of coming, instead of striving to journey up through
Bohemia."
"You effected your escape from Spielberg!" the count repeated, in
surprise. "That is indeed a notable feat, for it is one of our
strongest prisons; but you shall tell me about that, presently.
"Now, about Count Eulenfurst. The affair created quite a sensation,
partly from the rank and well-known position of the count, partly
from the fact that the King of Prussia, himself, called upon the
count to express his sincere regret at what had occurred, and the
vigorous steps that he took to put a stop to all acts of pillage
and marauding. It was said at the time that, had it not been for
the opportune arrival of a young Scottish officer, an aide-de-camp
to Marshal Keith, the lives of the count and his family would
assuredly have been sacrificed; and that the king, in token of his
approbation, had promoted the officer upon the spot.
"But I pray you, take off that warm coat, and make yourself at
home."
He touched a bell. A servant entered immediately.
"If anyone calls, say that I am engaged on business, and can see no
one this morning. Place two chairs by the fire, and bring in wine
and glasses."
Two chairs were moved to the fire. Wine was placed close at hand on
a small table, and the count fetched a box of cigars from his
cabinet. Fergus had already adopted the all but universal custom,
in the German army, of smoking.
"Now," the count said, when the cigars were lighted, "tell me all
about this affair at Dresden."
Fergus related the facts, as modestly as he could.
"No wonder Eulenfurst speaks of you in the highest terms," said the
count. "Truly it was nobly done. Six Pomeranian soldiers to a
single sword! 'Tis wonderful."
"The chief credit should, as I have said, count, be given to the
maid, but for whose aid matters might have gone quite otherwise."
"Doubtless great credit is due to her, Lieutenant Drummond; but you
see, you had already defeated three, and I prefer to think that you
would have got the better of the others, even if she had not come
to your aid.
"The countess had, I hope, quite recovered at the time you came
away, since it is she who writes the letter in his name."
"I think that she had quite recovered. For a few hours, the doctors
were even more anxious as to her state than that of the count; but
the news that he was doing well, and might recover, did wonders for
her; and she was able herself to take part in nursing him, two days
after he received the wound."
"I saw, by the account, that my little cousin received the king."
"She did, sir, and bore herself well. It was no doubt a great trial
to her, so soon after the terrible scene she had passed through. In
that she had showed great calmness and presence of mind, and was
able to give assistance to her mother, as soon as she herself was
released from her bonds."
"You were not present, yourself?"
"No, sir. My wound was, as I have said, but in the flesh; and was
of so little consequence, that I did not think to have it bandaged
until all other matters were arranged. But when I had made my
report to the marshal, and begged that a surgeon should be sent
instantly to aid the count, I fainted from loss of blood; and it
was some days before I was able to ride out to pay my respects to
the countess."
"And now, tell me about your escape from Spielberg."
This Fergus did.
"It was well managed, indeed," laughed the count. "You seem to be
as ready with your wits as with your sword, and to have provided
against every emergency. It was fortunate that you had hidden away
those gold pieces, with your letters; for otherwise you could
hardly have got those clothes from the postmaster. It was a bold
stroke, indeed, to use her majesty's uniform and the imperial post
to further your escape.
"Now we must think in what way I can best aid you. You will require
a stout horse, a disguise, and a well-filled purse. Eulenfurst
authorizes me to act as his banker, to advance any moneys that you
may require. Therefore you need offer me no thanks.
"What disguise do you, yourself, fancy?"
"I should think that the dress of a trader, travelling on business,
would be as good as any I could choose."
"Yes, I should think it would."
"I should give myself out as a Saxon merchant," Fergus went on. "In
the first place my German, which I learned from a Hanoverian, is
near enough to the Saxon to pass muster; and my hair and complexion
are common enough, in Saxony."
"I will get an official paper from the city authorities, stating
that you are one--shall we say Paul Muller, native of Saxony, and
draper by trade?--now returning to Dresden. I shall have no
difficulty in getting it through one of my own furnishers. I do not
say that you could not make your way through without it; but should
you be stopped and questioned, it would facilitate matters. I will
see about it this afternoon. I have simply to say, to one of the
tradesmen I employ, that I am sending an agent through Bohemia to
Eulenfurst, and think that in the present disturbed state he had
better travel as a trader; and ask him to fill up the official
papers, and take them to the burgomaster's office to get them
signed and stamped. He will do it as a matter of course, seeing
that I am a sufficiently good customer of his.
"A horse I can, of course, supply you with. It must not be too
showy, but it should be a strong and serviceable animal, with a
fair turn of speed. The clothes you had perhaps better buy for
yourself, together with such things as you can carry in your
valises.
"I would gladly ask you to stay with me here, for a while; but
having arrived in that dress, it might excite remark among the
servants were you to appear in a different character. I regret that
my wife and family are away, at one of my country seats, and will
not be back for a week; and I suppose you will not care to linger
so long here."
"I thank you, count, but I should prefer to leave as soon as
possible. I do not think that there is really any fear of my being
recognized. If they search at all along the Vienna road, it is not
likely that they will do so as far as this; and certainly they
could obtain no news of me, for the first forty miles, and would
not be likely to push their inquiries as far, for a dismounted
field officer could not but have attracted attention, at the first
village through which he passed."
"It would be best for you not to change your clothes at the place
where you are stopping. I can have everything ready for you by
tomorrow morning, if you wish to leave at once."
"I should certainly prefer doing so."
"Very well, then. Do you go out by the west gate, at nine o'clock,
and walk for some four miles. When you find some quiet spot, change
your clothes, and walk on until within sight of the village of
Gulnach, and there wait. I will send a confidential servant with
the horse. He, on seeing you standing there, will ask who you are
waiting for. You will give my name, and then he will hand over the
horse and papers to you."
He got up and went to his table and opened a drawer.
"Here are a hundred rix dollars, Mr. Drummond, which I hand you as
Count Eulenfurst's banker. It is a matter of pure business."
"I could do with much less than that, sir," Fergus said.
"No, 'tis better to be well supplied. Besides, there are your
clothes to buy; and be sure and provide yourself with a good
fur-lined travelling cloak. You will need it, I can assure you.
"Your best course will be to travel through Saint Poelten and Ips,
cross the river at once, and go over the mountains by the road
through Freystadt to Budweis. It is by far the most level road from
here, though a good deal longer than the one through Horn. But
there is snow in the air, and I think that we shall have a heavy
downfall, and you may well find the defiles by the Horn road
blocked by snow; whereas by Freystadt you are not likely to find
any difficulty, and most of the road is perfectly flat."