r's discomfiture, were once more
free.

On New Year's day, 1422, the two armies came face to face near Zollin.
Ziska drew up his men in battle array and confidently awaited the attack
of the enemy. But the inflexible attitude of his men, the terror of his
name, or one of those inexplicable influences which sometimes affect
armies, filled the Hungarians with a sudden panic, and they vanished
from the front of the Bohemians without a blow. Once more the emperor
and the army which he had led into the country with such high confidence
of success were in shameful flight, and the terrible example which he
had vowed to make of Bohemia was still unaccomplished.

The blind chief vigorously and relentlessly pursued, overtaking the
fugitives on January 8 near Deutschbrod. Terrified at his approach, they
sought to escape by crossing the stream at that place on the ice. The
ice gave way, and numbers of them were drowned. Deutschbrod was burned
and its inhabitants slaughtered in Ziska's cruel fashion.

This repulse put an end to invasions of Bohemia while Ziska lived. There
were intestine disturbances which needed to be quelled, and then the
army of the reformers was led beyond the boundaries of the country and
assailed the imperial dominions, but the emperor held aloof. He had had
enough of the blind terror of Bohemia, the indomitable Ziska and his
iron-flailed peasants. New outbreaks disturbed Bohemia. Ambitious nobles
aspired to the kingship, but their efforts were vain. The army of the
iron flail quickly put an end to all such hopes.

In 1423 Ziska invaded Moravia and Austria, to keep his troops employed,
and lost severely in doing so. In 1424 his enemies at home again made
head against him, led an army into the field, and pursued him to
Kuttenberg. Here he ordered his men to feign a retreat, then, while the
foe were triumphantly advancing, he suddenly turned, had his
battle-chariot driven furiously down the mountain-side upon their lines,
and during the confusion thus caused ordered an attack in force. The
enemy were repulsed, their artillery was captured, and Kuttenberg set in
flames, as Ziska's signal of triumph.

Shortly afterwards, his enemies at home being thoroughly beaten, the
indomitable blind chief marched upon Prague, the head-quarters of his
foes, and threatened to burn this city to the ground. He might have done
so, too, but for his own men, who broke into sedition at the threat.

Procop, Ziska's bravest captai