Once or twice, indeed, he heard the galloping of bodies of horse, and the sound of distant pistol shots and the shrieks of women came faintly to his ears.  He passed on, however, without meeting with any of the foraging parties, and by morning was fifteen miles away from Tilly’s camp.  Entering a wood he threw himself down and slept soundly for some hours.  It was nearly noon before he started again.  After an hour’s walking he came upon the ruins of a village.  Smoke was still curling up from the charred beams and rafters of the cottages, and the destruction had evidently taken place but the day before.  The bodies of several men and women lay scattered among the houses; two or three dogs were prowling about, and these growled angrily at the intruder, and would have attacked him had he not flourished a club which he had cut in the woods for self defence.

Moving about through the village he heard a sound of wild laughter, and going in that direction saw a woman sitting on the ground.  In her lap was a dead child pierced through with a lance.  The woman was talking and laughing to it, her clothes were torn, and her hair fell in wild disorder over her shoulders.  It needed but a glance to tell Malcolm that the poor creature was mad, distraught by the horrors of the previous day.

A peasant stood by leaning on a stick, mournfully regarding her.  He turned suddenly round with the weapon uplifted at the sound of Malcolm’s approach, but lowered it on seeing that the newcomer was a lad.

“I hoped you were a soldier,” the peasant said, as he lowered his stick.  “I should like to kill one, and then to be killed myself.  My God, what is life worth living for in this unhappy country?  Three times since the war began has our village been burned, but each time we were warned of the approach of the plunderers, and escaped in time.  Yesterday they came when I was away, and see what they have done;” and be pointed to his wife and child, and to the corpses scattered about.

“It is terrible,” Malcolm replied.  “I was taken a prisoner but two days since at the sack of New Brandenburg, but I have managed to escape.  I am a Scot, and am on my way now to join the army of the Swedes, which will, I hope, soon punish the villains who have done this damage.”

“I shall take my wife to her mother,” the peasant said, “and leave her there.  I hope God will take her soon, and then I will go and take service under the Swedish king, and will slay till I am slain.  I would kill myself now, but that I would fain avenge my wife and child on some of these murderers of Tilly’s before I die.”

Malcolm felt that the case was far beyond any attempt at consolation.

“If you come to the Swedish army ask for Ensign Malcolm Graheme of Reay’s Scottish regiment, and I will take you to one of the German corps, where you will understand the language of your comrades.”  So saying he turned from the bloodstained village and continued his way.