"He is a cousin of my mother's," Fergus said.

"And he made you lieutenant, and aide-de-camp, at once."

"No. I was first a cornet, but I was promoted at Dresden. The king
had given strict orders about plundering, and it happened that I
came upon some marauders at their work, and had the good fortune to
rescue a gentleman of some importance from their hands; and the
king, who was furious at his orders being disobeyed, himself
promoted me.

"I had been lucky enough to get myself wounded in the affair. As I
lost a good deal of blood, I looked no doubt a good deal worse than
I was, and I expect that had a good deal to do with my getting the
step."

"Well, you are a lucky fellow. I was eight years a cornet before I
got promoted."

"I think my bad luck, in getting captured, balances my good fortune
in being promoted so soon."

"To some extent perhaps it does, but you will get the benefit when
you return. No doubt Fritz was watching you, as you rode. He must
have seen our cavalry coming down the slope, before the man in
command of your squadrons could have done so; and must have felt
that they were lost, unless his orders were received. He must have
been relieved, indeed, when he saw you reach them."

This had indeed been the case. The king and marshal had both been
watching through their glasses the Prussian cavalry, and marked how
the ground behind them was dotted thickly with the bodies of horses
and men.

"Will they never stop?" the king said impatiently. "These cavalry
men are always getting into scrapes with their impetuosity. Gorlitz
must have known that he was only sent forward to ascertain the
position of the Austrians, and not to fight their whole army. He
ought to have turned, as soon as that crossfire of their batteries
opened upon them."

"He knew that your majesty and the whole army would be watching
him, sire," Keith said quietly; "and I fancy that, under such
circumstances, few cavalry men would draw rein till they had done
something worthy of themselves."

At this moment the fog wreath moved away.

"See," the king exclaimed, "there is a great body of Austrian
cavalry moving along behind Sulowitz. That rise behind the village
must hide them from our men.

"Where is your messenger, Keith?"

"There he goes, sire. He is well out of the valley now and, by the
pace he is riding at, he won't be long before he reaches them."

"He won't reach them at all," the king said curtly, a minute later.