Aremberg, leading his soldiers along the narrow causeway, in hot pursuit of what they considered a rabble rout of fugitive beggars, soon reached Winschoten.  Here he became aware of the presence of his despicable foe.  Louis and Adolphus of Nassau, while sitting at dinner in the convent of the “Holy Lion,” had been warned by a friendly peasant of the approach of the Spaniards.  The opportune intelligence had given the patriot general time to make his preparations.  His earnest entreaties had made his troops ashamed of their mutinous conduct on the preceding day, and they were now both ready and willing to engage.  The village was not far distant from the abbey, and in the neighborhood of the abbey Louis of Nassau was now posted.  Behind him was a wood, on his left a hill of moderate elevation, before him an extensive and swampy field.  In the front of the field was a causeway leading to the abbey.  This was the road which Aremberg was to traverse.  On the plain which lay between the wood and the hill, the main body of the beggars were drawn up.  They were disposed in two squares or squadrons, rather deep than wide, giving the idea of a less number than they actually contained.  The lesser square, in which were two thousand eight hundred men, was partially sheltered by the hill.  Both were flanked by musketeers.  On the brow of the hill was a large body of light armed troops, the ‘enfans perdus’ of the army.  The cavalry, amounting to not more than three hundred men, was placed in front, facing the road along which Aremberg was to arrive.

That road was bordered by a wood extending nearly to the front of the hill.  As Aremberg reached its verge, he brought out his artillery, and opened a fire upon the body of light troops.  The hill protected a large part of the enemy’s body from this attack.  Finding the rebels so strong in numbers and position, Aremberg was disposed only to skirmish.  He knew better than did his soldiers the treacherous nature of the ground in front of the enemy.  He saw that it was one of those districts where peat had been taken out in large squares for fuel, and where a fallacious and verdant scum upon the surface of deep pools simulated the turf that had been removed.  He saw that the battle-ground presented to him by his sagacious enemy was one great sweep of traps and pitfalls.  Before he could carry the position, many men must necessarily be engulfed.

He paused for an instant.  He was deficient in cavalry, having only Martinengo’s troop, hardly amounting to four hundred men.  He was sure of Meghem’s arrival within twenty-four hours.  If, then, he could keep the rebels in check, without allowing them any opportunity to disperse, he should be able, on the morrow, to cut them to pieces, according to the plan agreed upon a fortnight before.  But the Count had to contend with a double obstacle.  His soldiers were very hot, his enemy very cool.  The Spaniards, who had so easily driven a thousand