ing the new arrivals.

The country round for a vast distance had been long since stripped of
provisions, and Gustavus had no course open to him but to march
away with his army and leave the city to its fate, or to attack the
Imperialists in their stronghold.

On the day after his arrival, the 21st of August, Gustavus marched out
and opened a cannonade upon the Imperialists' position, in order to
induce Wallenstein to come down and give battle. Wallenstein was not,
however, to be tempted, but kept his whole army busy with the spade and
axe further intrenching his position. The next day the king brought his
guns nearer to the enemy's camp, and for twenty-four hours kept up a
heavy fire. The only result, however, was that Wallenstein fell back
a few hundred yards on to two ridges, on one of which was the ruined
castle called the Alte Veste; the other was known as the Altenburg. The
ascent to these was steep and craggy, and they were covered by a thick
forest. Here Wallenstein formed in front of his position a threefold
barrier of felled trees woven and interlaced with each other, each
barrier rising in a semicircle one above the other. Before the Swedish
cannon ceased to fire the new position of the Imperialists had been made
impregnable.

Unfortunately for Gustavus he had at this moment lost the services
of the best officer in his army, Sir John Hepburn, whom he had always
regarded as his right hand. The quarrel had arisen from some trifling
circumstance, and Gustavus in the heat of the moment made some
disparaging allusion to the religion of Hepburn, who was a Catholic and
also to that officer's love of dress and finery. The indignant Hepburn
at once resigned his commission and swore never again to draw his sword
in the service of the king--a resolution to which he adhered, although
Gustavus, when his anger cooled, endeavoured in every way to appease the
angry soldier.

As he persisted in his resolution Colonel Munro was appointed to the
command of the Green Brigade. It is probable that the quarrel was the
consummation of a long standing grievance. Hepburn as well as the other
Scottish officers had shared the indignation of Sir John Hamilton when
the latter resigned in consequence of the Swedish troop being placed in
the post of honour at the storm of the castle of Marienburg after the
Scots had done all the work. There had, too, been much discontent among
them concerning the Marquis of Hamilton, whom they considered