nce of
contending armies, the country is infested with parties of deserters or
disbanded soldiers, who plunder and murder all whom they meet, so that
none dare travel along the roads save in strong parties. I believe that
there is scarce a village standing within twenty miles, and many parts
have suffered much more than we have. If this war goes on, God help the
people, for I know not what will become of them. This is my house, will
you please to enter."

Entering a wide hall, he led them into a low sitting room where his wife
and three daughters were at work. They started up with looks of alarm at
the clatter of steel in the hall.

"Wife," the syndic said as he entered, "these are two gentlemen,
officers of the Scottish regiment; they will stay with us during the
occupation of the town. I know that you and the girls will do your best
to make their stay pleasant to them."

As the officers removed their helmets the apprehensions of the women
calmed down on perceiving that one of their guests was a young man of
three or four and twenty, while the other was a lad, and that both had
bright pleasant faces in no way answering the terrible reputation gained
by the invincible soldiers of the Swedish king.

"I hope," Farquhar said pleasantly, "that you will not put yourselves
out of your way for us. We are soldiers of fortune accustomed to sleep
on the ground and to live on the roughest fare, and since leaving
Scotland we have scarcely slept beneath a roof. We will be as little
trouble to you as we can, and our two soldier servants will do all that
we need."

Farquhar spoke in German, for so large a number of Germans were serving
among the Swedes that the Scottish officers had all learned to speak
that language and Swedish, German being absolutely necessary for their
intercourse with the country people. This was the more easy as the two
languages were akin to each other, and were less broadly separated from
English in those days than they are now.

It was nearly a year since Farquhar and Malcolm had landed on the shores
of the Baltic, and living as they had done among Swedes and Germans,
they had had no difficulty in learning to speak both languages fluently.

CHAPTER IV NEW BRANDENBURG

Farquhar and Malcolm Graheme were soon at home with their hosts. The
syndic had offered to have their meals prepared for them in a separate
chamber, but they begged to be allowed to take them with the family,
with whom they speed