smond rode up to him.

"The Duke of Berwick has sent me to ascertain, sir, the position
of a strong body of the enemy's troops, whom he observed marching
from the river towards our right. May I ask if you have noticed
them?"

"We saw them move away, after crossing the river, but have not
seen them since. I should fancy they are engaged in front of
Diepenbeck; but the ground is so undulating, and the view so
obscured by smoke, that we have not caught sight of them since
they issued from Oudenarde--indeed, the hill behind Diepenbeck
prevents our seeing down into the low land beyond."

"I will ride on there, sir," Desmond said. "Certainly a better
view can be obtained than from this side."

A canter of a mile took him to the summit of the hill at whose
foot Diepenbeck stood. He could see the masses of French troops,
gathered in and in front of the village; but beyond that a veil of
smoke covered the country, and entirely obscured the contending
parties, whose position could only be guessed by the incessant
rattle of their musketry fire.

Turning again, he rode down the dip that separated the hill from
that of Oycke. He had just gained the crest, when he saw a large
force marching rapidly towards the mill. Seeing at once the
serious nature of the movement, he turned and galloped, at full
speed, to the point where the generals were still watching the
progress of the fight.

"I could learn nothing of the force you spoke of from General
Grimaldi at Royegham, nor on the heights above Diepenbeck; but,
riding towards Oycke, I saw them advancing at full speed towards
the windmill, at which they had already almost arrived."

An exclamation of anger broke from the duke.

"This is what comes," he muttered, "of placing a fool in command
of the army."

Turning away, he at once communicated the news to Vendome, who
stamped his foot furiously on the ground.

"Just when victory was in our grasp," he said, and turned his
glass towards Oycke, which was some four miles distant.

"I can make them out now," he said. "There is a black mass issuing
from the village of Oycke, and ascending the hill in the direction
of Royegham. It is too late to reinforce Grimaldi there. They will
be upon him before we can cross the Norken. But, at any rate, we
must send a brigade down to Henhelm, where, with Grimaldi's men,
they can try to keep open the road from Diepenbeck."

Ten minutes later they could hear, by a sudden outburst of fire,
tha