h they had seen great danger together--at
the mill of Dettingheim, the fight on the Dykes, the scuttling of the
boat--they had been actively engaged. Their energies were fully
employed, and they had had no time to think. Now they had faced
death in all his terrors, but without the power of action; and both
felt they would far rather go through the three first risks again,
than endure five minutes of that terrible watching the fire burn up.

Hugh was the first to speak when, nearly an hour after starting,
they emerged from the wood into the plain at the foot of the hill.

"My mother used to say, Master Rupert, that curses, like chickens,
came home to roost, and surely we have proved it's the case with
blessings. Who would have thought that that little act of kindness
was to save our lives?"

"No, indeed, Hugh. Let it be a lesson to us to do good always when
we can."

At this moment they reached the main road from which that over the
hill branched off. Their guide paused, pointed in the direction
they were to go, and with a "Godspeed you," in his own language,
extinguished his torch on the road, turned, and strode back by the
path that they had come by.

The lads patted their horses, and glad to be again on level ground,
the animals went on at a sharp canter along the road. Two hours
later they reached camp.

The Duke of Marlborough had already laid siege to the fortress of
Ingoldstadt, the siege operations being conducted by Prince Louis
of Baden with a portion of his troops, while the main army covered
the siege. But early in August the Elector of Bavaria left Augsburg
with his army, and, altogether abandoning his dominions, marched to
join Marshal Tallard, who was now coming up.

Marlborough at once broke up his camp, leaving Prince Louis to
continue the siege of Ingoldstadt, and collecting as many of his
troops as he could, marched with all speed in the same direction;
as Prince Eugene, who, with his army, had marched in a parallel
line with the French, now ran the risk of being crushed by their
united force.

By dint of great exertion, Marlborough joined the prince with his
cavalry on the tenth of August, and the infantry came up next day.

The two great armies now faced each other, their numerical force
being not unequal, the French being about 60,000 strong; and the
allies 66,000. In other respects, however, the advantage lay wholly
with the enemy. They had ninety guns, while the allies had but
fifty-o