bassador; nevertheless
the preparations for the war went forward briskly and all the Princes
who had not gone on towards the Ice Mountain offered their services, at
the same time demanding all the best appointments in the King's army.
Mannikin was one of the first to volunteer, but he only asked to go as
aide-de-camp to the Commander-in-chief, who was a gallant soldier and
celebrated for his victories. As soon as the army could be got together
it was marched to the frontier, where it met the opposing force headed
by Brandatimor himself, who was fall of fury, determined to avenge the
insult to his Ambassador and to possess himself of the Princess Sabella.
All the army of Farda-Kinbras could do, being so heavily outnumbered,
was to act upon the defensive, and before long Mannikin won the esteem
of the officers for his ability, and of the soldiers for his courage,
and care for their welfare, and in all the skirmishes which he conducted
he had the good fortune to vanquish the enemy.

At last Brandatimor engaged the whole army in a terrific conflict, and
though the troops of Farda-Kinbras fought with desperate courage, their
general was killed, and they were defeated and forced to retreat with
immense loss. Mannikin did wonders, and half-a-dozen times turned the
retreating forces and beat back the enemy; and he afterwards collected
troops enough to keep them in check until, the severe winter setting in,
put an end to hostilities for a while.

He then returned to the Court, where consternation reigned. The King was
in despair at the death of his trusty general, and ended by imploring
Mannikin to take the command of the army, and his counsel was followed
in all the affairs of the Court. He followed up his former plan of
amusing the Princess, and on no account reminding her of that tedious
thing called 'love,' so that she was always glad to see him, and the
winter slipped by gaily for both of them.

The Prince was all the while secretly making plans for the next
campaign; he received private intelligence of the arrival of a strong
reinforcement of Spaniels, to whom he sent orders to post themselves
along the frontier without attracting attention, and as soon as he
possibly could he held a consultation with their Commander, who was an
old and experienced warrior. Following his advice, he decided to have a
pitched battle as soon as the enemy advanced, and this Brandatimor lost
not a moment in doing, as he was perfectly persuade