ed his pistols and fired through the door, at which the
peasants were now hewing with axes. A cry and a heavy fall told him that
one of the shots had taken effect. Suddenly there was a smell of smoke.

"They have fired the roof," Malcolm said. "Now, lads, each of you put a
loaf of bread under his jerkin. There is no saying when we may get more.
Now get ready and sally out with me. There are but six or eight men in
the village, and they are no match for us. They only dared to attack us
because they saw that you couldn't walk."

The door was opened, and headed by Malcolm the four Scotchmen dashed
out. They were assailed by a shower of missiles by the crowd as they
appeared, but as soon as it was seen that the men were on foot again the
peasants gave way. Malcolm shot one and cut down another, and the rest
scattered in all directions.

"Now, lads, follow me while we may," and Malcolm again took to the
fields. The peasants followed for some distance, but when the soldiers
had quite recovered the use of their limbs Malcolm suddenly turned on
his pursuers, overtaking and killing two of them. Then he and his men
again continued their journey, the peasants no longer following. When at
some distance from the village he said:

"We must turn and make for the Lech again. It is no farther than it is
to Ingolstadt, and we shall find friends there. These peasants will go
on ahead and raise all the villagers against us, and we should never get
through. What regiment do you belong to, lads?" for in the darkness he
had been unable to see their faces.

"Your own, Captain Graheme. We were in charge of one of the wagons with
sick. The wheel came off, and we were left behind the convoy while we
were mending it. As we were at work, our weapons laid on the ground,
some twenty men sprang out from some bushes hard by and fell upon us. We
killed five or six of them, but were beaten down and ten of our number
were slain. They murdered all the sick in the wagons and marched us
away, bound, to this village where you found us. Sandy McAlister they
had murdered just as you came up, and we should have had a like horrible
fate had you been a few minutes later. Eh, sir! but it's an awful death
to be cut in pieces by these devils incarnate!"

"Well, lads," Malcolm said, "we will determine that they shall not take
us alive again. If we are overtaken or met by any of these gangs of
peasants we will fight till we die. None of us, I hope, are afraid of