, though that is most important, but to enable the
cavalry to beat back the Bavarian horse."

It was a terrible march; both horse and foot made their way along with
difficulty through the darkness. Men and horses were alike fatigued, and
the cavalry for the most part dismounted and led their animals along.
There were several sharp fights with bodies of the enemy, who, ignorant
of the line by which the French were retreating, feared to press
the rearguard too close, lest they should find them in very superior
numbers. Once, when they passed a lane running down to the river,
Turenne--who had taken every opportunity of making his way across the
line of retreat and seeing how all was going on--said to Hector, "Will
you ride up here, Campbell, and cheer up any parties you may come
across. Tell them that all is going on well, and that by morning we
shall find that the enemy have given up the pursuit, and shall be able
to halt and take a few hours' rest, and give battle should the enemy
come up in force. Their horses must be as fatigued as ours, for they
must have been marching for eight or ten hours since the morning."

Hector had only Paolo now with him, having appointed the four troopers
to go with different parties of the infantry, and to act as orderlies
to their captains. He rode rapidly up the lane, and presently heard the
cavalry passing across it.

"There is one party, Paolo," he said, urging his horse into a gallop. In
two or three minutes he came up with the column of horse.

"Where is your officer?" he asked, drawing rein as he reached them.

"Seize him!" a voice cried in German, and before he and Paolo could turn
their horses half a dozen troopers were upon them.

"I surrender," he cried in German, seeing that resistance was
impossible.

"Who are you, monsieur?" an officer demanded.

"I am colonel of the Poitou regiment of infantry," he said. "This man is
my lackey."

"Where are your cavalry, sir?"

"That I cannot tell you exactly, seeing that no one knows. I thought
that you formed part of our rearguard."

"How comes it that you, an infantry officer, were there? We heard that
there were no infantry with them."

"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.

"D