pikes in their hands, cheered on their men,
and, side by side, led the way.

"My hearts!" shouted Lumsden, waving his pike--"my brave hearts, let's
enter."

"Forward!" shouted Munro; "advance pikes!"

With a wild cheer the Scots burst forward; the gates were stormed,
and in a moment the cannon, being seized, were turned, and volleys of
bullets poured upon the dense masses of the Imperialists. The pikemen
pressed forward in close column, shoulder to shoulder, the pikes
levelled in front, the musketeers behind firing on the Imperialists in
the houses.

In the meantime Gustavus, with the Blue and Yellow Swedish Brigades,
stormed that part of the wall defended by Butler with his Irishmen.
These fought with extreme bravery, and continued their resistance until
almost every man was killed, when the two brigades burst into the
town, the White Brigade storming the wall in another quarter. Twice the
Imperialist drums beat a parley, but their sound was deadened by the
roar of musketry and the boom of cannon from wall and battery, and the
uproar and shouting in every street and house. The Green Brigade, under
its commander, maintained its regular order, pressing forward with
resistless strength. In vain the Austrians shouted for quarter. They
were met by shouts of--"Remember New Brandenburg!"

Even now, when all was lost, Tilly's veterans fought with extreme
bravery and resolution; but at last, when Butler had fallen, and
Schomberg and Montecuculi, and a few other officers had succeeded in
escaping, all resistance ceased. Four colonels, 36 officers, and 3000
men were killed. Fifty colours and ten baggage wagons, laden with gold
and silver plate, were captured.

Many were taken prisoners, and hundreds were drowned in the Oder, across
which the survivors of the garrison made their escape. Plundering at
once began, and several houses were set on fire; but Gustavus ordered
the drums to beat, and the soldiers to repair to their colours outside
the town, which was committed to the charge of Sir John Hepburn, with
his regiment.

The rumour that Magdeburg was the next object of attack circulated among
Tilly's troops the day after they marched west from New Brandenburg. It
originated in some chance word dropped by a superior officer, and seemed
confirmed by the direction which they were taking which was directly
away from the Swedish army. There was a report, too, that Count
Pappenheim, who commanded a separate army, would meet T