He himself with his cavalry started for Hesse, whose landgravine was in alliance with France.  With two regiments he covered the retreat, and so enabled the rest of the cavalry as they came up from their distant quarters to cross the Tauber.  This was a bold and successful movement, for had he fallen back with his infantry to Philippsburg the enemy would have possessed themselves of all the towns he had captured, whereas they could not now advance without exposing their line of communication to his attack.

The Poitou regiment had, when Turenne advanced to Marienthal, been left at a town some four leagues away.  A messenger reached Hector from Turenne with a note scribbled in pencil:  —­

We have been beaten.  The infantry behaved shamefully, and are hastening, a crowd of stragglers, towards Philippsburg.  I shall retire along the Tauber with the cavalry and make for Hesse, do you march with all speed for that river.  If as you approach the river you hear that we have already passed, do you direct your march to Hesse.  I leave the choice of route to you, and you must be guided by circumstances.  At any rate you are unlikely to be attacked except by cavalry, and these, if not in too great numbers, you may be trusted to beat off.

Ten minutes after the receipt of this order the regiment was on the march.  They arrived on the Tauber just in time, for a quarter of an hour after they had piled arms, after a tremendous march, the cavalry came along.  They were in scattered parties, for the roads were terribly bad, and they were obliged to break up and make their way as best they could by mere tracks across the rocky and hilly country.  Turenne himself, when he arrived, had but twenty horsemen with him.

“I hardly expected you to be up in time, Campbell,” he said, as he dismounted.  “Your men must have marched well indeed.  As you see, though unbeaten, for we on our side defeated the enemy’s horse, we are as much dispersed as if we had suffered a disaster.  I am trying to cover the retreat with two regiments of cavalry that were not engaged in the battle.  Half an hour since we charged and drove back in confusion a party of Bavarian horse, but they formed up again.  The main body is ahead, but is as scattered as we are, for besides the difficulty of keeping together on these horrible roads, it is necessary that we should occupy every track by which the enemy’s horse could move, or they might get in front of us and play havoc with us.

“You will have to march all night, and I should advise you to break up your command into half companies, with orders to each to attach themselves as far as possible to such parties of my two regiments of cavalry as they may come across.  We shall not proceed at any great pace, as we must give time for the troops ahead of us to get clear.  The horses are utterly worn out, being half starved and fatigued with their march.  So far we know not whether the whole