reinforcement raised Vendome's army to
over one hundred and ten thousand men, which was about the same
force as Marlborough had under his command.

After Eugene had joined him, standing as he did between Vendome's
army and Paris, Marlborough proposed that the enemy's fortresses
should be neglected, and that the army should march directly on
Paris. The movement might have been attended with success, but was
of so daring a description that even Eugene opposed it, while the
commanders of the Dutch, Danes, and Prussians were unanimously
against it; and he consequently decided to lay siege to Lille--a
tremendous undertaking, for Lille was considered the strongest
fortress in France, and Vendome, with over a hundred thousand men,
was within a couple of days' march of it.

His dispositions were made with extreme care, and a tremendous
convoy of heavy artillery, ammunition, and provisions was brought
up from Ostend, without the French being able to interfere with
its progress. Marlborough, with his British contingent and the
Hanoverians, was to cover the operations of the siege, which was
to be undertaken by Prince Eugene with the rest of the allied
army.

Vendome marched at once with his army, and, making a circuit,
placed himself between Lille and Paris, deserting his recent
conquests in Ypres, Ghent, and Bruges, all of which fell into the
hands of the allies.

Chapter 13: Convalescent.

Desmond was not present with the French army, for many hours after
their arrival at Ghent. He suffered intense pain on the ride
thither, and was then taken to a hospital that had been hastily
formed for the reception of wounded officers. Here the surgeons
had agreed that there was nothing for it, but to amputate the arm
halfway between the wrist and the elbow. The limb was already
greatly swollen.

"Under ordinary circumstances," the surgeon said, "we should wait
until we had reduced the inflammation, but this might be a matter
of a week or ten days, and there is no time to spare, as the army
will probably march away in a few days, and travel would increase
the inflammation to such an extent that your life might be
sacrificed."

"I would rather have it taken off at once, doctor," Desmond said.
"The operation cannot hurt very much more than the arm is hurting
already, and the sooner it is over, the better."

Surgery was in its infancy at that time. Anesthetics were undreamt
of; but the surgeons of the French army had large e