“We joined them just before nightfall, and were at once divided up among the various regiments of horse.”

“I must inform our colonel of that.  Come along with me,” and they pushed past the troopers until they arrived at the head of the column, when the officer reported to the colonel.

“Donner Blitzen!” the latter exclaimed, “it is well that we learned this news, for we should have fared very ill if we had come upon horse and foot together.  The Poitou regiment!  That is the one that we heard beat back our charges so often at Freiburg, and they say the best regiment in the French service.  It is no use our going farther; we might well fall into an ambush, and in these lanes they could shoot us down helplessly.  We will move on quietly until we get to a place where there is space enough for us to dismount and bivouac.  We could not have gone many more miles, for if we did we should be a regiment without horses tomorrow morning.”

They proceeded very slowly and cautiously until, when they came upon an open tract of ground, the colonel ordered them to dismount and sound the trumpets.  His regiment, like those of Turenne, had been broken up, and he had but half a squadron with him.  In an hour the whole regiment was assembled; a few fires were lighted, but most of the men threw themselves down by their horses and at once went off to sleep.  The colonel and his officers sat down at one of the fires, where Hector was requested to join them.

“I suppose that your regiment took no part in the battle?”

“No, sir; we were some way from Marienthal, and I received orders only after the day was lost, to join Marshal Turenne and his cavalry on the Tauber.  We arrived on the river just at sunset, having marched ten leagues in eight hours.  I regret bitterly that my regiment was not on the field, for assuredly they would not have given way.  Had they stood, the rest of the infantry would have stood.”

“And in that case you would now be the pursuers,” the colonel broke in, “for Turenne completely shattered our right wing.  Well, sir, it is the fortune of war, and we at least have the honour of having given your marshal a defeat.  He is a grand general, but we caught him napping today.”

“It was not his fault, sir.  General Rosen and his officers insisted so strongly that unless they were allowed to move off in search of forage, the whole army would be disabled by the loss of their horses by hunger, that he was almost forced to comply with their request.”

“But, even so, he made a mistake,” the colonel said.  “If instead of marching to meet us in front of Marienthal he had fallen back directly he had the news of our coming, he could have been joined by all his detached troops before we came up with him.”

“He said as much to me tonight,” Hector replied; “but even the greatest generals are liable to make a mistake sometimes.  And, indeed, had General Rosen with the advanced division held the wood in front of them, instead of retiring on to the plain, they should have been able to keep you at bay until all our troops came up.”