“Matters have been going on slowly since I saw you in Paris.  I have been too weak to fight the Bavarians, who fortunately were too undecided to attack me.  Could they but have made up their minds to throw in their fortune with Austria, they might have overrun all Lorraine, for aught I could have done to withstand them.  The troopers were without horses, the infantry almost without clothes, and as the court was unable to send me any remittances I have been forced to borrow money upon my own estates for the public service, and have mounted five thousand horse and enrolled three thousand foot and am still sustaining them.  However, I hear from Mazarin that he will in a week send off a large convoy of treasure, which will be welcome indeed, for I am nearly at the end of my resources.  Some of my troops are quartered in the town, but the most part are among the mountains, where they trouble the inhabitants less and have small temptations towards rioting and excesses.  Which would you rather?”

“I would much rather go into the country, marshal; my regiment is in good condition now, but to stay in quarters in a town is bad for discipline.”

“So be it.  You might make your headquarters at the village of Saline; there are no other troops within thirty miles of it.  On arriving there you will make inquiries as to the supplies to be obtained within a circle of fifteen miles round.  Fortunately I have a good supply of tents, and any men for whom you cannot find quarters in the villages can be placed under canvas.  You can draw as much wine as you require for three months’ rations from the stores here, and two months’ rations of flour.  I will direct the intendants to take up carts for the transport of the supplies you take from here.  You will doubtless be able to buy meat up there, and I hope that you will be able to obtain sufficient flour and wine to last you till the end of the winter, for transport will be very difficult when the snow is on the ground.  Firewood your soldiers will, of course, cut for themselves in the forests.”

The winter passed quietly.  Hector managed to obtain quarters for all his troops —­ a village being allotted to each company.  Before they marched off to their various quarters, Hector urged the officers to impress upon their men the advantage of behaving well to the villagers.

“Of course the presence of so many men will be of serious inconvenience to them, but they will doubtless make the best of it if they find that they are treated civilly and that their lodgers endeavour to give as little trouble as possible.  See that everything down to the smallest article is paid for, and investigate every complaint, and I will punish any offenders severely.  I have inquired into the average prices that sheep, fowls, pigs, goats, and other articles fetch, and have made out a list for each company; the peasants will be gainers by it, for they will be saved the journey down to the towns.  Let this be stuck up in a conspicuous place in each village.