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 of the Bavarian cavalry is behind
us, but it is probable that one of their two divisions is pursuing the
infantry. I wish you had been there with them. In the first place your
example would have prevented their breaking, and in the second you could
have covered their retreat. As it is, I fear that but few of the three
thousand who were with me will reach Philippsburg. I shall be glad if
you yourself will remain near me. If your regiment were going to keep
together I would not take you from them, but being broken up into
fragments, you could exercise no supervision over them in the darkness."

Hector at once called the officers together, and gave them the necessary
orders. "You understand," he said, "that your main object is not so much
to save yourselves