by G. A. Henty
Chapter 6: A Prisoner.
The next morning a horse was brought round for Fergus, and he atonce started, under the escort of a captain and Lieutenant Kerr andfifty troopers, with thirteen other officers taken prisoners atLobositz. Seven hundred rank and file had also been captured.These, however, were to march under an infantry escort on thefollowing day. Fergus afterwards learned that sixteen officers, ofwhom eleven belonged to the cavalry, had been killed; andeighty-one officers and about eighteen hundred men wounded in thedesperate fighting at Lobositz.
Fergus found that among the Austrians the battle of the previousday was considered a victory, although they had lost their advancedpost at Lobositz.
"I cannot say it seemed so to me," he said to the lieutenant, asthey rode away from the camp.
"Why, we have prevented the king from penetrating into Bohemia."
"But the king could have done that three days ago, without fightinga battle," Fergus said; "just as Schwerin did at Koeniggraetz.There would have been no need to have marched night and day acrossthe mountains, in order to give battle to an army nearly twice thestrength of his own. His object was to prevent you from drawing offthe Saxons, and in that he perfectly succeeded."
"Oh, there are other ways of doing that! We had only to keep alongthe other side of the Elbe until we faced Pirna, then they couldhave joined us."
"It sounds easy," Fergus laughed, "but it would not be so easy toexecute. These mountain defiles are terrible, and you may be surethat the king will not be idle while you and the Saxons aremarching to meet each other.
"However, it was a hard-fought battle, and I should think that ourloss must be quite as great as yours; for your artillery must haveplayed terrible havoc among our infantry, as they marched to theassault of the village."
"Yes. I hear this morning that we have lost about a hundred andtwenty officers killed and wounded, and about two thousand onehundred and fifty men, and nearly seven hundred missing orprisoners. What your loss is, of course, I can't say."
"I cannot understand your taking so many prisoners," Fergus said.
"A great many of them belong to the cavalry. You see, all who weredismounted by the fire of our guns were captured when our horseswept down."
"Ah, yes! I did not think of that. I saw a good many men runningacross the plain when I galloped out."
Two of the officers belonged to the 3rd Royal Dragoon Guards, halfof which regiment had taken part in the reconnaissance; and boththeir horses, like his own, had been shot under them. As soon asthey were brought up from the tents where they had been lodged,they exchanged a cordial greeting with Fergus. He no longerbelonged to the regiment, as on his promotion he had been gazettedfrom it on to the staff; but during the time he had drilled withthem, in Berlin, he had come to be well known to all of them.
"I thought that it was you, lieutenant," one of them said. "I wasnot far from you, when you charged through those Austrians. I wasunhorsed as we went forward, and was running back when I saw themcome out. There were a good many of us, and I thought their objectwas to capture us. It was no use running, and I threw myself down,in hopes they would think I had been knocked over. You passedwithin thirty yards of me. Our guns opened so heavily on them,after you had got through, that I thought it prudent to keep quieta little longer before I made a move; and the result was that theAustrian cavalry, as it came along in the pursuit of our men,picked me up.
"Do you know where we are bound for?"
"Prague in the first instance, but beyond that I cannot say. Isuppose it will depend a good deal on what takes place now. Thereis no doubt the Saxons will have to surrender; and I suppose that,anyhow, they will send us farther away, unless indeed there is anexchange of prisoners."
A long day's ride took them to Prague. The news of the battle hadbeen sent off the night before, and as it had been reported as avictory, the inhabitants were in a state of great delight. Bonfiresblazed in the streets, church bells rang in triumphant peals, andthe whole population was abroad. The arrival of this party, withprisoners, afforded a welcome confirmation of the news.
There were a few yells and hoots, as they rode along in charge oftheir escort; but as a rule the people stood silent, as if inrespect for their misfortunes, for most of the captives werewounded. They were taken to the military prison, and comfortablequarters assigned to them; and the wounds of those who required itwere redressed by a surgeon. There was a hearty parting betweenFergus and Kerr, as the latter, after handing over his prisoners,turned to ride off with the escort to the barracks.
"I start early tomorrow for the camp again," he said. "If you arekept here, I am sure to see you again before long."
Fergus shared a room with Captain Hindeman, an officer of the 3rd.
"I don't think it at all likely we shall remain here," the lattersaid. "It is more probable that we shall be sent to Olmuetz, or toone of the smaller fortresses in Moravia. The war is, they willthink, likely to be confined to Bohemia until the spring; if indeedthe king does not have to stand on the defensive. I cannot helpthinking, myself, that we should have done better if we had letthings go on quietly till the spring. It is not probable thatRussia and Austria would have been more ready, then, than they arenow; and we should have had the whole summer before us, and mighthave marched to Vienna before the campaign was over. Now they willall have the winter to make their preparations, and we shall haveFrance, Austria, and Russia, to say nothing of Poland, on ourhands. It is a tremendous job even for Frederick to tackle."
They remained for three weeks at Prague, and were then informed bythe governor that he had orders for them to be removed to Olmuetz.Accordingly, the next day eight of the officers started onhorseback, under an escort. When they reached Bruenn they foundthat they were to be separated, and the next morning CaptainHindeman and Fergus were taken to the fortress of Spielberg.
"An awkward place either to get in or out of, Drummond," thecaptain said, as they approached the fortress.
"Very much so," Fergus agreed. "But if I see a chance, I shallcertainly do my best to escape before spring."
"I don't think there is much chance of that," the other saidgloomily. "If we had been left at Prague, or even at Bruenn, theremight have been some chance; but in these fortresses, whereeverything is conducted on a very severe system, and they areveritable prisons, I don't think that anything without wings has achance of getting away."
As a rule, officers taken prisoners in war enjoyed a considerableamount of liberty; and were even allowed to reside in the houses ofcitizens, on giving their parole. The enforced embodiment of theSaxons in the Prussian army had, however, excited such a storm ofindignation throughout Europe that it greatly damaged Frederick'scause. It was indeed an unheard-of proceeding, and a most mistakenone, for the greater part of the Saxons seized opportunities todesert, as soon as the next campaign began. It was the moreill-advised, since Saxony was a Protestant country, and thereforethe action alienated the other Protestant princes in Germany, whosesympathies would have otherwise been wholly with Prussia; and itwas to no small extent due to that high-handed action that, duringthe winter, the Swedes joined the Confederacy, and undertook tosupply an army of 50,000 men; France paying a subsidy towards theirmaintenance, and the members of the Confederacy agreeing that, uponthe division of Prussia, Pomerania should fall to the share ofSweden. Thus it may be said that the whole of Central and NorthernEurope, with the exception only of Hanover, was leagued againstPrussia.
It was a result of this general outburst of indignation that,instead of being kept in a large town and allowed variousprivileges, the prisoners taken at the battle of Lobositz weretreated with exceptional severity, and confined in isolatedfortresses. Fergus and his companion were lodged in a small room inone of the towers. The window was strongly barred, the floor was ofstone, the door massive and studded with iron. Two truckle beds, atable, and two chairs formed the sole furniture.
"Not much chance of an escape here," Captain Hindeman said, as thedoor closed behind their guards.
"The prospect does not look very bright, I admit," Fergus saidcheerfully; "but we have a proverb, 'Where there is a will there isa way'. I have the will certainly and, as we have plenty of timebefore us, it will be hard if we do not find a way."
He went to the window and looked out.
"Over a hundred feet," he said, "and I should say a precipice fullyas deep at the foot of the wall. At any rate, we have the advantageof an extensive view.
"I am glad to see that there is a fireplace, for the cold will bebitter here, when the winter sets in. I wonder whether the roomsabove and below this are tenanted?"
Hindeman shrugged his shoulders. He was not, at present, in a moodto take interest in anything. It was now the end of October, andFergus was very glad when the door opened again, and a warder camein with two soldiers, who carried huge baskets of firewood; and itwas not long before a large fire was blazing on the hearth.
Day after day passed. Fergus turned over in his mind every possiblemethod of escape, but the prospect looked very dark. Even if thedoor were open, there would be difficulties of all sorts toencounter. In the middle of the day many people went in and out ofthe fortress, with provisions, wood, and other matters; but atsunset the gates were shut, and sentries placed on the walls; andon getting out he would have to cross an inner courtyard, and thenpass through a gateway--at which a sentinel was posted night andday--into the outer court, which was surrounded by a strong wallover thirty feet high, with towers at the angles.
Escape from the window would be equally difficult. Two long andvery strong ropes would be required, and the bars of the windowwere so massive that, without tools of any kind, it would beimpossible to remove them.
A month later Captain Hindeman fell ill, and was removed to theinfirmary. Fergus was glad of his departure. He had been sodepressed that he was useless as a companion and, so long as heremained there, he altogether prevented any plan of escape beingattempted; for difficult as it might be for one person to get away,it would be next to impossible for two to do so.
For an hour in the day, the prisoners had leave to walk on thewall. His fellow prisoner had never availed himself of thisprivilege; but Fergus always took his daily exercise, partly tokeep himself in health, partly in hopes that a plan of escape mightpresent itself. A sentry, however, was always posted on the wallwhile the prisoners were at exercise; and on the side allotted fortheir walk, the rock sloped away steeply from the foot of the wall.The thought of escape, therefore, in broad daylight was out of thequestion; and Fergus generally watched what was going on in thecourtyard.
In time he came to know which was the entrance to the apartments ofthe governor and his family, where the married officers werequartered, and where the soldiers lodged. He saw that on the groundfloor of the tower he occupied were the quarters of a field officerbelonging to the garrison.
One day he saw a number of men employed in clearing out some unusedquarters, on one side of the outer courtyard, and judged that anaddition was about to be made to the garrison. This gave substanceto a plan that he had been revolving in his mind. That evening,when the warder brought him his food, he said carelessly:
"I see you have some more troops coming in."
"Yes," the man replied, "there are three hundred more men coming.They will march in tomorrow afternoon. They will be getting theroom on the first floor, below here, cleared out tomorrow morningfor the officer who commands them."
Fergus had, all along, considered that there would be no difficultyin suddenly attacking and overpowering the warder, when he came inor out of his room, for no special precautions were taken. The factthat the prisoners were all in their uniforms, and that on showingthemselves below they would be instantly arrested, seemed to forbidall chance of their making any attempt to escape. It was the matterof clothes that had, more than anything else, puzzled Fergus; foralthough he thought that he might possibly obtain a uniform fromsome officer's quarters, it was evident that the guard would atonce perceive that he was not one of the officers of the garrison.The arrival of the fresh detachment relieved him of thisdifficulty, and it now seemed that a way of escape was open to him.
Much depended upon the hour at which the regiment would arrive. Thelater they did so the better, and as the weather had for some daysbeen terribly rough, and the roads would be deep and heavy, it waslikely that they would not arrive until some time past the hourfixed.
The next afternoon he listened for the roll of drums that wouldgreet the arrival of the newcomers. Just as the door opened, andthe sergeant entered with a lantern, he heard the sound that he hadbeen listening for.
As the man was placing his supper on the table,Fergus sprang upon him]
Nothing could have happened more fortunately. As the man wasplacing his supper on the table, Fergus sprang suddenly upon him,hurled him down on to his face, and then fastened his hands behindhim with a rope he had made from twisted strips of one of his rugs.He was not afraid of his calling out, as the window looked outside,and it was blowing half a gale. Moreover, the sound of drums belowwould aid to prevent any noise being heard from the courtyard.
"I don't want to hurt you, sergeant," he said, "but I do want myliberty. I must put a bandage round your mouth, to prevent you fromcalling; but you know as well as I do that there would be no chanceof your being heard, however loud you might shout.
"Now, in the first place I am going to see if I can get a uniform.If I cannot, I must come back and take yours."
Binding the sergeant's legs as well as his arms, and putting amuffler over his mouth, Fergus went out, leaving his own jacket andcap behind him. The key was in the door. He turned it and put it inhis pocket, shot the heavy bolts, and ran downstairs. When he gotto the bottom, he tried the door of the major's quarters. It wasunbolted, and he felt absolutely certain that the major would beout as, with the other officers, he would have gone down to thegate to receive those of the incoming detachment.
On opening the door, he saw the articles of which he was insearch--a long cloak and a regimental cap. These he at once put on.After a further search, he found a pair of military pantaloons anda patrol jacket. Throwing off the cloak, he rapidly changed hisclothes. He wanted now only a regimental sword to complete thecostume, but he trusted to the long cloak to hide the absence ofthis.
Throwing the things that he had taken off under the bed, he wentout, closed the door behind him, locked it, and took the key. Hehad with him the short sword carried by the warder, and he reliedupon this to silence the sentry, at the passage leading to theouter court, should he attempt to stop him.
This, however, was most unlikely. The night was dark, and there wasno light burning; and at this hour, with fresh troops arriving anda general movement in the fortress, there could be no question of acountersign being demanded by a sentry in the interior of theplace. The man, indeed, only drew himself up and saluted, as hedimly made out an officer coming from the major's quarters.
The courtyard beyond was half full of soldiers. The newcomers hadjust fallen out. Some were being greeted by members of the garrisonwho had known them before, officers were chatting together; andFergus made his way, unnoticed in the darkness, to the gate. As hehad hoped, the baggage waggons were making their way in.
A sentry was placed on each side of the gate.
"Now then," he said sharply, "hurry on with these waggons. Thecommandant wants the gate shut, as soon as possible;" and passingthe sentry, he went on as if to hurry up the rear of the train.
Taking him for one of the officers of the newly-arrived party, thesentry stepped back at once, and he passed out.
There were six waggons still outside and, unnoticed, he passedthese and went down the road. He had brought with him under hiscloak the sergeant's lantern and, as soon as he was half a milefrom the fortress, he took this out in order to be able to proceedthe more rapidly. He had taken particular notice of the countryfrom his prison window and, when he came down into a broad roadrunning along the valley, he turned at once to the south.
His
plans had all been carefully thought out, while in prison. Heknew perfectly well that, without money, it would be altogetherimpossible for him to traverse the many hundred miles that laybetween him and Saxony. There would be a hot pursuit when, in themorning, he was found to have gone; but it would hardly besuspected that he had taken the road for Vienna, as this would beentirely out of his way.
Happily, he was not altogether penniless. He had always carriedfive or six gold pieces, sewn up in the lining of his jacket withthe letters with which he had been furnished by Count Eulenfurst,as a resource in case of being taken prisoner. He wished now thathe had brought more, but he thought that it might prove sufficientfor his first needs.
He walked all night. His candle burnt out, in two hours afterstarting; but at eleven the moon rose, and its light enabled him tokeep the road without difficulty. As morning dawned, he approacheda good-sized village some forty miles from his starting point and,waiting for an hour until he saw people stirring, Fergus went tothe posting house and shouted for the postmaster. The sight of afield officer, on foot at such an hour of the morning, greatlysurprised the man when he came down.
"My horse has fallen and broken its neck," Fergus said, "and I havehad to walk some miles on foot. I have important despatches tocarry to Vienna. Bring round a horse, without a moment's delay."
The postmaster, without the smallest hesitation, ordered his men tosaddle and bring out a horse.
"It will be sent back from the next stage," Fergus said, as hemounted and rode on at full speed.
He changed horses twice, not the slightest suspicion beingentertained by any of the postmasters that he was not what heseemed; and, before noon, arrived at the last post house beforereaching Vienna.
"A bottle of your best wine, landlord, and I want to speak a wordwith you in a private room. Bring two glasses."
The wine was poured out, and after he had drank a glass Fergussaid:
"Landlord, I am the bearer of important despatches, and it isimperative that I should not attract attention as I enter the city.If I were seen and recognized there, questions might be asked, andcuriosity excited as to the news of which I am the bearer.
"I see that you are a sensible man, and will readily understand thesituation. To avoid attracting attention, it would be best for meto enter the city in a civilian dress. You are about my size, and Ibeg you to furnish me with a suit of your clothes, for which I willpay at once."
"I will do that willingly, sir," the landlord answered, feelingmuch honoured by being let into what he deemed an important affair."My best suit is at your service. You can send it me out from thetown."
"I would rather pay for it, landlord. I may be ordered in anotherdirection, and may not have an opportunity of returning it. If youwill say how much the suit cost you, I will hand you the money."
The landlord went out, and returned in a minute with the clothes.
"Another glass of wine, landlord," Fergus said, as he handed overthe amount at which the landlord valued them--"another glass ofwine; and then, while I am changing, get a light trap round to thedoor. I shall not want to take it into Vienna, but will alight andsend it back again, half a mile this side of the gates.Mind--should any inquiries be made, it were best to say as littleas possible."
In another five minutes, Fergus was on his way again. He hadprocured from the landlord a small trunk, in which he had packedthe uniform, and directed him to keep it until he heard from him;but if in the course of a week he received no orders, he was toforward it to Major Steiner, at Spielberg.
When within half a mile of Vienna, Fergus got out, gave a presentto the driver and told him to return, and then walked forward tothe gate, which he entered without question. He thought it betternot to put up in that quarter of the town, but walked a longdistance through the city, purchased a travelling coat lined withsheepskin, and a small canvas trunk in which he put it; went somedistance farther and hired a room at a quiet inn, and called fordinner, of which he felt much in need, for beyond eating a fewmouthfuls of bread while a fresh horse was brought out for him, hehad tasted nothing since the previous evening. After dining he wentto his room and took his boots off and, feeling completely worn outfrom his long journey, after two months of confinement, threwhimself on the bed and slept for three hours.
Then he went for an hour's stroll through the town. By this time itwas getting dark, snowflakes were beginning to fall thickly, and hewas very glad, after sitting for a time listening to the talk inthe parlour of the inn, to turn in for the night.
In the morning the ground was covered with snow. He was glad to puton his thick coat, for the cold outside was bitter.
For some hours he walked about Vienna, and the contrast betweenthat city and Berlin struck him greatly. The whole bearing andmanner of the people was brighter, and gayer. The soldiers, of whomthere were great numbers in the streets--Austrians, Croats, andHungarians--had none of the formal stiffness of the Prussians, butlaughed and joked as they went, and seemed as easy and lighthearted as the civilians around them. They were, for the most part,inferior in size and physique to the Prussians; but there was aspringiness in their walk, and an alertness and intelligence whichwere wanting in the more solid soldier of the north.
He spent the day in making himself acquainted with the town, theposition of the gates, and other particulars which might beimportant to him; as he could not feel sure of the reception thathe would meet with, when he presented his letter.
In the afternoon the city was particularly gay. Sledges made theirappearance in the streets, and all seemed delighted that winter hadset in, in earnest.
The next morning, after breakfast, Fergus went to the mansion ofCount Platurn, whose position he had ascertained on the previousday. The name had been scored under, in his list, as one on whom hemight confidently rely.
"I am the bearer of a letter to Count Platurn," he said, to thesomewhat gorgeously-dressed functionary who opened the door. "Ihave a message to deliver to him, personally."
The doorkeeper closed the door behind him and spoke to a footman,who went away and returned, in a minute or two, and told Fergus tofollow him to a spacious and comfortable library, where the countwas sitting alone.
"You are the bearer of a letter to me, sir?" he said, in a pleasanttone of voice. "Whence do you bring it?"
"From Count Eulenfurst of Dresden," Fergus said, producing it.
The count gave an exclamation of pleasure.
"Has he completely recovered?" he asked. "Of course, we heard ofthe outrage of which he was a sufferer."
"He was going on well when I saw him last, count."
The count opened the letter and read it, with an air of growingsurprise as he went on. When he had finished it, he rose from hisseat and offered his hand to Fergus.
"You are the Scottish officer who saved the lives of the count, hiswife, and daughter," he said warmly. "How you come to be here Idon't know, but it is enough for me that you rendered my dearfriend and his wife, who is a cousin of mine, this great service.You are not here, I hope, on any mission which, as an Austriannoble, I could feel it impossible to further."
"No indeed, count. Had it been so, I should assuredly not havepresented this letter to you. In giving it to me, the countess saidthat possibly the fortune of war might be unfavourable, and that Imight be taken prisoner. In that case, she said I might find afriend invaluable, and she gave me letters to eight gentlemen invarious great towns, saying that she believed that any one of thesewould, for the sake of the count, do me any kindness in his power.
"Her prevision has turned out correct. My horse was shot under meat the battle of Lobositz, and I was made prisoner and sent to thefortress of Spielberg. Three days since I effected my escape, anddeemed it more prudent to make my way here, where no one wouldsuspect me of coming, instead of striving to journey up throughBohemia."
"You effected your escape from Spielberg!" the count repeated, insurprise. "That is indeed a notable feat, for it is one of ourstrongest prisons; but you shall tell me ab
out that, presently.
"Now, about Count Eulenfurst. The affair created quite a sensation,partly from the rank and well-known position of the count, partlyfrom the fact that the King of Prussia, himself, called upon thecount to express his sincere regret at what had occurred, and thevigorous steps that he took to put a stop to all acts of pillageand marauding. It was said at the time that, had it not been forthe opportune arrival of a young Scottish officer, an aide-de-campto Marshal Keith, the lives of the count and his family wouldassuredly have been sacrificed; and that the king, in token of hisapprobation, had promoted the officer upon the spot.
"But I pray you, take off that warm coat, and make yourself athome."
He touched a bell. A servant entered immediately.
"If anyone calls, say that I am engaged on business, and can see noone this morning. Place two chairs by the fire, and bring in wineand glasses."
Two chairs were moved to the fire. Wine was placed close at hand ona small table, and the count fetched a box of cigars from hiscabinet. Fergus had already adopted the all but universal custom,in the German army, of smoking.
"Now," the count said, when the cigars were lighted, "tell me allabout this affair at Dresden."
Fergus related the facts, as modestly as he could.
"No wonder Eulenfurst speaks of you in the highest terms," said thecount. "Truly it was nobly done. Six Pomeranian soldiers to asingle sword! 'Tis wonderful."
"The chief credit should, as I have said, count, be given to themaid, but for whose aid matters might have gone quite otherwise."
"Doubtless great credit is due to her, Lieutenant Drummond; but yousee, you had already defeated three, and I prefer to think that youwould have got the better of the others, even if she had not cometo your aid.
"The countess had, I hope, quite recovered at the time you cameaway, since it is she who writes the letter in his name."
"I think that she had quite recovered. For a few hours, the doctorswere even more anxious as to her state than that of the count; butthe news that he was doing well, and might recover, did wonders forher; and she was able herself to take part in nursing him, two daysafter he received the wound."
"I saw, by the account, that my little cousin received the king."
"She did, sir, and bore herself well. It was no doubt a great trialto her, so soon after the terrible scene she had passed through. Inthat she had showed great calmness and presence of mind, and wasable to give assistance to her mother, as soon as she herself wasreleased from her bonds."
"You were not present, yourself?"
"No, sir. My wound was, as I have said, but in the flesh; and wasof so little consequence, that I did not think to have it bandageduntil all other matters were arranged. But when I had made myreport to the marshal, and begged that a surgeon should be sentinstantly to aid the count, I fainted from loss of blood; and itwas some days before I was able to ride out to pay my respects tothe countess."
"And now, tell me about your escape from Spielberg."
This Fergus did.
"It was well managed, indeed," laughed the count. "You seem to beas ready with your wits as with your sword, and to have providedagainst every emergency. It was fortunate that you had hidden awaythose gold pieces, with your letters; for otherwise you couldhardly have got those clothes from the postmaster. It was a boldstroke, indeed, to use her majesty's uniform and the imperial postto further your escape.
"Now we must think in what way I can best aid you. You will requirea stout horse, a disguise, and a well-filled purse. Eulenfurstauthorizes me to act as his banker, to advance any moneys that youmay require. Therefore you need offer me no thanks.
"What disguise do you, yourself, fancy?"
"I should think that the dress of a trader, travelling on business,would be as good as any I could choose."
"Yes, I should think it would."
"I should give myself out as a Saxon merchant," Fergus went on. "Inthe first place my German, which I learned from a Hanoverian, isnear enough to the Saxon to pass muster; and my hair and complexionare common enough, in Saxony."
"I will get an official paper from the city authorities, statingthat you are one--shall we say Paul Muller, native of Saxony, anddraper by trade?--now returning to Dresden. I shall have nodifficulty in getting it through one of my own furnishers. I do notsay that you could not make your way through without it; but shouldyou be stopped and questioned, it would facilitate matters. I willsee about it this afternoon. I have simply to say, to one of thetradesmen I employ, that I am sending an agent through Bohemia toEulenfurst, and think that in the present disturbed state he hadbetter travel as a trader; and ask him to fill up the officialpapers, and take them to the burgomaster's office to get themsigned and stamped. He will do it as a matter of course, seeingthat I am a sufficiently good customer of his.
"A horse I can, of course, supply you with. It must not be tooshowy, but it should be a strong and serviceable animal, with afair turn of speed. The clothes you had perhaps better buy foryourself, together with such things as you can carry in yourvalises.
"I would gladly ask you to stay with me here, for a while; buthaving arrived in that dress, it might excite remark among theservants were you to appear in a different character. I regret thatmy wife and family are away, at one of my country seats, and willnot be back for a week; and I suppose you will not care to lingerso long here."
"I thank you, count, but I should prefer to leave as soon aspossible. I do not think that there is really any fear of my beingrecognized. If they search at all along the Vienna road, it is notlikely that they will do so as far as this; and certainly theycould obtain no news of me, for the first forty miles, and wouldnot be likely to push their inquiries as far, for a dismountedfield officer could not but have attracted attention, at the firstvillage through which he passed."
"It would be best for you not to change your clothes at the placewhere you are stopping. I can have everything ready for you bytomorrow morning, if you wish to leave at once."
"I should certainly prefer doing so."
"Very well, then. Do you go out by the west gate, at nine o'clock,and walk for some four miles. When you find some quiet spot, changeyour clothes, and walk on until within sight of the village ofGulnach, and there wait. I will send a confidential servant withthe horse. He, on seeing you standing there, will ask who you arewaiting for. You will give my name, and then he will hand over thehorse and papers to you."
He got up and went to his table and opened a drawer.
"Here are a hundred rix dollars, Mr. Drummond, which I hand you asCount Eulenfurst's banker. It is a matter of pure business."
"I could do with much less than that, sir," Fergus said.
"No, 'tis better to be well supplied. Besides, there are yourclothes to buy; and be sure and provide yourself with a goodfur-lined travelling cloak. You will need it, I can assure you.
"Your best course will be to travel through Saint Poelten and Ips,cross the river at once, and go over the mountains by the roadthrough Freystadt to Budweis. It is by far the most level road fromhere, though a good deal longer than the one through Horn. Butthere is snow in the air, and I think that we shall have a heavydownfall, and you may well find the defiles by the Horn roadblocked by snow; whereas by Freystadt you are not likely to findany difficulty, and most of the road is perfectly flat."