A quarter of an hour later the whole party left the ruined chateau, the troops taking their way to the point at which they had left the road, while Hector with his four troopers and Paolo rode down into Blenfoix with the ladies.  Here the baroness purchased a few necessaries for the journey while Hector was writing his letters.  Hunter and Macpherson were to form their escort, and were by turns to lead the spare horse, which on alternate days was to carry the double burden.  Paolo carried the purse, which contained a sum ample for the expenses of the journey.  When all was ready the adieus were said, and the baroness repeated the heartfelt thanks of her daughter and herself for the kindness shown them.  Paolo took his place beside the ladies, the two troopers fell in behind, and they started west, while Hector with the other two troopers galloped off to overtake his company.

At Joinville they found that de Thiou’s company had just marched in, but it was not until the next day that the other two returned.  All had met with scattered bodies of peasants, but these had dispersed as soon as the troops were seen, and there had been no actual fighting except with the parties Hector had met.  The bodies of the soldiers that had fallen were buried near the chateau.  Those of the peasants were left where they lay, and would doubtless be carried off by their friends as soon as the latter knew that the troops had left.  The lesson had been a severe one indeed, upwards of two hundred and eighty being killed in the two encounters.  The insurgents were completely disheartened by their loss, and during the rest of the winter the aid of the troops was not again called for.

As soon as spring set in, the Poitou regiment marched to join the marshal.  The Bavarian army had been weakened by the withdrawal of four thousand men to aid the Imperialists, who had been defeated by the Swedes in Bohemia.  Turenne, on hearing the news, at once prepared to take advantage of it, crossed the Rhine on a bridge of boats at Spires, and passed the Neckar, General Merci retiring before him.  Stuttgart opened its gates, and Turenne established himself at Marienthal on the river Tauber.  Merci, as he fell back, had caused a rumour to be spread that he was making for the Danube.

There was a great scarcity of forage in the country round Marienthal, and the officers of the cavalry strongly urged upon Turenne that they should divide and take up stations at various points where they could obtain food for their animals, which were much exhausted by their long and heavy marches.  Turenne for some time resisted their entreaties, but at last, seeing that the cavalry would speedily be ruined unless they could obtain food, permitted this course to be taken.  Before allowing them to leave, however, he sent parties of horse forward in various directions to discover what the enemy were doing.  These returned with the news that the Bavarian army had