after leaving count platurn, with the most sincere thanks for his kindness, fergus went to a clothier's, where he bought clothes suitable for a trader, with warm undergarments, and an ample cloak lined with warm, though cheap, fur, and carried these to his inn. the rest of the day was spent in strolling about, and in examining the public buildings and art galleries.
the next morning he paid his reckoning and, taking his small trunk in one hand and his fur cloak in the other, started; wearing the coat he had first purchased as he thought that, crossing the defiles into saxony, he might very well need that as well as his cloak. as the western gate was the one nearest to his inn, it was not long before he issued out and, walking briskly, came in three-quarters of an hour to a wood.
as there was no one in sight along the road, he turned in here and changed his clothes. then, leaving those he had taken off behind him, he continued on his way, and in less than half an hour approached a village, which he learned from a man he met was gulnach. he waited by the roadside for a quarter of an hour, and then saw a man galloping towards him, leading a riderless horse. he drew rein as he came up.
"what are you waiting here for?" he asked.
"platurn," fergus replied.
"that is right, sir. this is your horse. here is the letter the count bade me give you, and also this sword," and he unbuckled the one that he wore.
"he bade me wish you god speed."
"pray tell him that i am sincerely obliged to him for his kindness," fergus replied, as he buckled on the sword.
the man at once rode off.
the saddle was furnished with valises. these contained several articles he had not thought of buying, among them a warm fur cap with flaps for the ears, and a pair of fur-lined riding gloves. he transferred the remaining articles from the little trunk to the valises, and threw the former away; rolled up his cloak and strapped it behind the saddle; and then mounted. he was glad to find in the holsters a brace of double-barrelled pistols, a powder flask and a bag of bullets, and also a large flask full of spirits.
as he gathered the reins in his hand, he had difficulty in restraining a shout of joy; for with an excellent horse, good arms, warm clothes and a purse sufficiently well lined, he felt he was prepared for all contingencies.
as he moved on at a walk, he opened the count's letter. it contained only a few lines, wishing him a safe journey, and begging him to tell count eulenfurst that he regretted he could not do more for his messenger, to prove his goodwill and affection; and also the official document that he had promised to procure for him. tearing up the count's letter, and putting the official document carefully in his pocket, he pressed his heel against his horse's flank, and started at a canter.
he stopped for the night at ips, and on the following day rode to linz. the snow had fallen almost incessantly, and he was glad, indeed, that he had brought the coat as well as the cloak with him.
the next night he halted at freystadt. as this was a strongly fortified place, commanding the southern exit of the defile from the mountain, he was asked for his papers. the official merely glanced at them, and returned them. he was forced to stay here for several days, as he was assured that it would be all but certain death to endeavour to cross the pass, in such weather.
on the third day the snow ceased falling and, early next morning, a force of 500 men, comprising almost the whole of the garrison, started to beat down the snow, and cut a way through the deep drifts. for four days this work continued, the men being assisted by a regiment that was marched down from budweis, and opened the defile from the northern end. the pass was an important one, as in winter it was the one chiefly used for communication between bohemia and vienna; and it was therefore highly important that it should be maintained in a practicable state.
fergus was in no hurry to proceed. he knew that there was not the smallest possibility of operations being commenced until the snow disappeared, which might not be until the end of march. he therefore took matters very quietly, keeping entirely indoors as long as the snow continued to fall, and going out as little as possible, afterwards.
he was glad, indeed, when the news came that the pass was clear. as soon as the gates were unlocked he pressed on, in order to get ahead of a large convoy of carts, laden with warm clothing for the soldiers, that was also waiting for the pass to be opened. in spite of all that had been done, it was rough work passing through the defile, and he did not arrive at krumnau until nearly sunset. budweis lay but a few miles farther ahead, but he had made up his mind not to stop there, as it was a large garrisoned town, and the small places suited him better.
passing through the town, next day, he continued his course along the road near the river moldau. he made but short journeys, for the snow had not yet hardened, and it was very heavy riding. he therefore took four days in getting to prague.
he thought it probable that here a watch might be kept for him for, had he travelled straight from spielberg, this was the point for which, in all probability, he would have made; unless he had gone through silesia, and then travelled up through breslau. he therefore made a circuit of the picturesque old city, entered it by a western gate, and then rode straight for the bridge. he had slept at a place but four miles distant, and had started at daybreak, so that it was still early in the day when he proceeded on his way.
he stopped at a small town, ten miles farther north. two or three squadrons of cavalry were quartered there. the landlord at the inn where he put up at once asked for his papers. these he took to the town offices, where they were stamped as being in due order. half an hour later, as fergus was at his meal, two officers entered.
"your papers appear to be right, sir," one of them said courteously; "but in times like these, it is our duty to examine closely into these matters. you come from vienna?"
"yes, sir."
"which way did you travel?"
"by way of linz and budweis," he said. "the snow began on the day before i left the capital, and i was advised to take that route, as the road would be more level, and less likely to be blocked with snow than that through horn. you will see that my paper was stamped at linz, and also at freystadt.
"i was detained at the latter place seven days. for the first three it snowed, and for the next four days the garrison was occupied, with the aid of troops from budweis, in opening the defile."
the officer nodded.
"i happen to know that your story is correct, sir, and that it accounts fully for your movements since leaving vienna. which way do you intend to cross the passes into saxony?"
"i must be guided by what i hear of their state. i had hoped to have got back before the snow began to fall in earnest, but i should think that the road by the river will now be the best."
"i should think so," the officer said, "but even that will be bad enough. however, i will not detain you farther."
they moved away to another table and, calling for a bottle of wine, sat down.
"no, we are mistaken. i don't think the fellow would have the bare-faced impudence to come through prague," one said.
the other laughed.
"i should think that he would have impudence for anything, major. and in truth, i rather hope that they won't lay hands upon him--a fellow who devised and carried out such a scheme as he did deserves his liberty. of course, his overpowering the warder was nothing; but that he should have had the impudence to go down into the major's quarters, appropriate his clothes, leave his own uniform behind him; and then, taking advantage of the arrival of another regiment, march calmly out through them all, pass the sentries--who took him for one of the newly-arrived officers in charge of the waggons--was really splendid!
"how it was that they did not overtake him the next morning, i cannot make out. he had no sword with him, and no horse; and the spectacle of a field officer on foot, without even a sword, should have attracted the attention of the very first person who met him. he had not been gone two hours when troops started in pursuit; for when the major, whose door he had locked, had it burst open and found that his uniform was gone, he suspected something was wrong, and had all the sergeants in charge of prisoners mustered.
"one was missing, the man who had charge of this young scotchman. as he could not be found, the fellow's cell was broken open, and there was the warder, bound and gagged. the bird had flown, and parties of horse were sent off by all the roads leading to bohemia and silesia, but no signs of the man have, as far as we have heard, yet been discovered.
"the only thing that i can imagine is that, when he heard the cavalry in pursuit, he left the road and hid up somewhere; and that afterwards he tried to make his way by unfrequented paths, and was starved in the snow. in that case his body is not likely to be found until the spring."
"i cannot help thinking that a fellow who could plan and carry out that escape would hardly be likely to lose his life in a snowdrift. you see, it was not a sudden idea. on no other evening would he have found the gate open after sunset, nor would he have been certain to have found the major absent from his quarters. he must have been waiting patiently for his opportunity and, as soon as he heard that another battalion was coming into the garrison, he must have resolved to act. more than that, he must have calculated that instead of arriving at four o'clock, as they were timed to do, they would be detained and not get in until after dark.
"they are clear-headed fellows, these scotchmen; whether they are in our army or frederick's. what makes the affair more wonderful is that this was quite a young fellow, and probably understood no german; but i think that he would have acted more wisely, had he waited until the spring."
"i don't know," the other said. "when once the troops are all in movement north, he certainly could not have escaped in a military uniform without being questioned; and it scarcely seems possible that he could have procured any other. he must be in more of a hurry to fight again than i am."
"there can hardly be much serious fighting," the other said. "with us, russia, and france, and with the 50,000 swedes who have been bought by france, we shall have 500,000 men under arms; while we know that 200,000 is the utmost frederick can muster, and these will have to be scattered in every direction round his frontier."
"i am sorry that france has joined in," the other said. "it is unnatural enough that we and russia should combine to crush prussia, but when it comes to our old enemies the french helping us against a german power, i say frankly i don't like it. besides, though we may get silesia back again, that will be a small advantage in comparison to the disadvantage of france getting a firm foothold on this side of the rhine. even if her share of the partition doesn't extend beyond the river, this will be her frontier nearly down to the sea; and she will have the power of pouring her troops into germany, whenever she chooses."
fergus had now finished his meal, and without caring to listen longer he betook himself to bed. to avoid all appearance of haste, he did not start so early the next morning, but mounted at ten and rode to the junction of the eger with the elbe. it was too late to cross the river that night, and he therefore put up at a village on the bank, and crossed in a ferry boat on the following morning to leitmeritz, a town of considerable size.
he was now within a day's ride of the defile through which the elbe finds its way from bohemia into saxony. his papers were inspected, as usual, by the officer in command of a troop of cavalry there.
"you will have a rough time of it, if you push on," he said. "there is no traffic through the passes now, so the snow will lie as it fell, and at any moment it may come down again. as far as the mouth of the pass you will find it easy enough, for we send half a troop as far as that every day; but beyond that i should say it would be all but, if not quite, impassable. i advise you to stay here quietly, until you hear of someone having crossed; or at any rate, if you do go on, you must take three or four peasants as guides, and to help you through difficult places."
"would it not be possible, captain," fergus asked, "to hire a boat?"
"i did not think of that. yes, there are flat boats that at ordinary times go down to dresden, with the rafts of timber; but whether you would find anyone willing, now, to make such a journey is more than i can say."
"i am very anxious to be back to my business," fergus said; "and as i should have to pay handsomely for guides to take me over, and even then might lose my life, it would be better for me to pay higher and get through at once."
on going down to the water side he saw several boats hauled up, and it was not long before some boatmen, seeing a stranger examining their craft, came down to him.
"i want to go down to dresden," he said.
"'tis a bad time of the year," one of the men replied.
"it is a bad time of the year, as far as cold is concerned; but it is a good time of the year for going down the river," he said; "for now that the frost has set in the river is low and the current gentle, whereas in the spring, when the snow is melting, it must be a raging torrent in some of the narrow defiles."
this evidence that the stranger, whoever he was, was no fool, silenced the boatmen for a minute.
"now," fergus went on, "what is the lowest price that one of you will take me and my horse down to dresden for? i am disposed to pay a fair price and not more, and if you attempt to charge an exorbitant one, i shall take guides and follow the road."
"you would never get through," one of the men said.
"well, at any rate i would try; and if i could not succeed by the road by the river, i would cross by some other pass. i have no doubt, whatever, i could get through by graber and zittau."
the stranger's acquaintance with the country again silenced the men. they talked for a while apart, and then one said:
"we will take you for twenty rix dollars."
"do you suppose that i am the emperor, in disguise?" fergus said indignantly. "'tis but three days' journey, at most, and perhaps six for coming back against the stream."
"we shall need four men, master, and there is the food by the way."
after much bargaining the price was settled at fifteen rix dollars, both parties being satisfied with the bargain; the men because it was more than twice the sum for which they would have been glad to do it, at ordinary times; fergus because he had still forty rix dollars in his pocket, and had only bargained as he did in order not to appear too anxious on the subject. the price was to include the erection, at one end of the boat, of a snug cover of rushes for his use.
he found, on going down to the shore three hours later, that the boatmen were engaged in covering in the whole of the craft, with the exception of a few feet at each end, with a roof of rushes. the boat itself was some thirty-five feet in length and ten wide, with straight sides and a general resemblance to a canal barge, save that the beam was greater in comparison to the length. the roof was high, and sloped sharply. a tall man could walk along in the centre, while at the sides there was but three feet of height.
hay and straw were extremely scarce, the whole supply of the country having been stripped by the foraging parties; but bundles of reeds had been thickly littered down, especially near the stern.
shortly after his return, the landlord of the inn told him that, if he did not want to take the horse with him, he would himself gladly buy it.
"i have frequently to send to prague for things for the inn; and besides, i have to get provisions for people in the town. i sold my best horse last autumn, to an officer whose charger had been killed. now that sledging has begun, i want one which can travel fast and do the journey there in a day; so if you don't want to take it, and will accept a reasonable price, i will buy it."
the offer was a welcome one. with two splendid horses at his command--for he knew that good care would have been taken of the one left in camp--a third would only have been in the way; and this, although a good and useful beast, was scarce good-looking enough for an officer on the marshal's staff. therefore, after the usual amount of bargaining, he parted with it for a fair price.
the next morning early he went on board, the servant of the inn following with a great hamper of wine and provisions. he was glad to see that a bright fire burned on an earthen hearth in the middle of the boat; the smoke finding its way out, partly through a hole cut in the thatch above it, partly by the opening at the fore end of the boat. he brought with him his horse cloth as well as his other belongings. the men, who were clearly in a hurry to be away, pushed the boat off from the shore as soon as he had taken his place.
"we want to be back as soon as we can," the owner of the boat said, "for it will not be long before the ice begins to form, and we don't want to be frozen in."
"it does not feel to me quite so cold this morning," fergus remarked.
"no, sir; we are going to have more snow. that won't matter to us, and if it snows for the next week, all the better. it is not often that the river closes altogether until after christmas. in the mountains the river seldom freezes at all. there is too much current, and besides, in shelter of the hills the cold is not so great."
two oars were got out, for the purpose of steering rather than of hastening the progress of the boat; and once well out in the current, she was allowed to drift quietly with the stream. fergus spread his horse cloth on the rushes by the fire, and found no need for his sheepskin coat; the cloak, loosely thrown over his shoulders and the collar turned up, to keep off the draughts that blew in under the bottom of the thatch, being sufficient to make him thoroughly comfortable.
there was nothing to see outside, the shore being low and flat. he had brought a large supply of meat with him, and handed over a portion of this to the man who acted as the cook of the crew, and told him to make broth for them all. this was a welcome gift to the crew, who but seldom touched meat; and with the addition of barley, coarse flour, and herbs that they had brought for their own use, an excellent stew was provided. the pot was kept going through the journey, fresh meat and other ingredients being added, from time to time. in addition to this, slices of meat were grilled over the fire, and eaten with the bread they had brought. the gift of a bottle of wine between the crew, each day; and of a small ration of spirits, the last thing in the evening, added greatly to the satisfaction of the men.
by nightfall they arrived at the entrance of the defile. the snow was falling heavily, and they tied up against the bank. fergus chatted with the men, and listened to their stories of the river, for some hours.
all of them had, at various times, gone on timber rafts. they bewailed the war, which would do them much harm. it would not altogether interrupt trade, for timber would be required, as usual, in saxony and hanover. as a rule, neither of the contending armies interfered with the river traffic; though communications by land were greatly interrupted, owing to the peasants' carts being impressed for military service. this, and the anxiety of everyone for the safety of his home and belongings, brought the trade between the countries to a standstill.
on the river, however, the difficulty consisted, not in any interference by the authorities, but from so large a number of the able-bodied men being called out for service that the amount of timber cut and brought down was greatly diminished, while the needs of the army brought the trade in cattle and other produce to an entire cessation.
the dangers of the river were not great; although in spring, when the snow melted and the river was swollen, navigation was rendered, especially in the narrow reaches of the defile, difficult and dangerous; for the force of the stream was so great that it was well-nigh impossible to direct the course of the rafts, and indeed the poles used for that purpose were often found too short to reach the bottom.
the men were up long before daylight; but it was two hours later before fergus roused himself and, shaking off the fine snow that had drifted in and lay thickly on his coat, went out to have a look at things. one of the men was already preparing breakfast. two of the others stood at the bow with long poles, with which they punted the boat along. the captain, also provided with a pole, stood in the stern.
the snow had ceased, but the air felt sharp and cold as it came down from the hills, which were all thickly covered.
"so there is an end of the snow, for the present, captain," he said, as he pushed aside the curtain of reeds that closed the stern of the covered portion, and joined him.
"yes. i am not altogether sorry, for we can see where we are going. we shall keep on, now, until we are through the defile."
"but there is no moon, captain."
"no, but we can tell pretty well, by the depth of water, where we are; and can manage to keep in the middle of the current. there are no obstructions there to affect us, though in some places there are plenty of ugly rocks near the shore. however, if we have luck we shall be through before midnight, and shall pass all the worst points before sunset."
the day passed, indeed, without adventure of any kind. the journey was highly interesting to fergus, for the scenery was very picturesque. sometimes the hills narrowed in, and the stream, straitened in its course, hastened its speed; at others the hills receded, and were covered far up with forests; above which bleak mountain tops, with their mantle of snow, rose high in the air. the captain pointed out the spot where the saxons had crossed; and where, pent in and surrounded with batteries commanding every means of exit, they were forced to surrender.
"it is smooth work now," he said, as they were going through one of the narrows, "for the river is low and the current gentle; but in floods there are waves, here, that would swamp the boat did she keep out in the middle, as we are doing; and it would be impossible to pole her against it, even close to the shore. you see, the ice is forming already near the banks."
"how do you manage coming back?"
"in some places we can pole the boat. she will be light, and will only draw a few inches of water. then we hire a horse for a bit, at one of these little villages; or, where the road leaves the river, the other three will get out and tow from the edge, while i shall steer. we shall manage it easily enough, if the ice does not form too thickly.
"if the worst comes to the worst, we should stop at one of the villages, get the people to help us to haul her well up, wait till the snows are quite over, and then make our way back on foot, and come and fetch the boat up when the spring floods are over."
"then the pass is not so dangerous after all, captain," fergus said with a smile.
"not when the snow has once hardened, and to men accustomed to it. as soon as the weather gets settled there will be a little traffic, and the snow will be beaten down. besides, where the hills come steep to the water's edge, a man on foot can always make his way along when the water is low; though a horseman might not be able to do so."
"in fact, i suppose," fergus said, "you all combine, at leitmeritz, to represent the passes as being a great deal more dangerous than they are; in order to force those obliged to make the journey to take as many men as possible with him, or to pay two or three times the proper fare, by boat."
"the passes over the hills would be terrible, now," the man said. "most of them would be absolutely impassable, until the snow hardens.
"as for the rest," he added with a smile, "it may be that there is something in what you say; but you see, times are hard. there is little work to be done, and scarce any timber coming down; and if we did not get a good job, occasionally, it would go very hard with us."
by nightfall they were nearly through the defile. lanterns were placed in the bow of the boat and, until long after fergus was asleep, the men continued to work at their poles. when he woke up in the morning the boat was floating down a quiet river, with the plains of saxony on either side, and the mountain range far astern.
at noon they neared dresden, and an hour later fergus stepped ashore. he paid the men the sum arranged, and handed over to them the rest of his provisions, which would be sufficient to carry them far on their way back.
he soon learnt that marshal keith was established in his old quarters, and made his way thither. he met two or three officers of his acquaintance, but no one recognized him in his present attire. he had hired a boy, when he landed, to carry his cloak and valises. the saddle and bridle he had sold with the horse.
he was, as usual, passing the sentries at the gate without notice, when one of them stepped in front of him.
"what is your business, sir?"
"my business is with marshal keith," he said, "and it is particular."
the sentry called a sergeant of the guard.
"you can pass me up," fergus said sharply. "i am well known to marshal keith, and he will assuredly see me."
a soldier took him up to the anteroom. lieutenant lindsay, who was on duty, came forward, looked at him doubtfully for a moment, and then shouted joyfully:
"why, drummond, is it you? this is indeed a joyful meeting, old fellow. i had thought of you as immured in one of the enemy's fortresses, and as likely to remain there till the war was over, and now here you are! the marshal will be delighted."
"he cannot be more pleased than i am to be back again, lindsay. is he alone?"
"yes. come in at once. i won't announce you."
he opened the door.
"a gentleman to see you, marshal," he said, and fergus walked in.
the marshal recognized him at once and, holding out both hands, shook those of fergus cordially.
"i am indeed glad to see you," he said. "we knew that you were unhurt, for on the morning after the battle we sent in a parlementaire to browne with the list of prisoners taken, and received his list in return; and as your name was among them, and you were not put down as wounded, my anxiety about you was relieved. we tried a month later to get exchanges, but they would not hear of it. in the first place, there is no doubt that the king's action, in incorporating the saxons with our army, has caused a strong feeling against him; and in the second, they had plenty of fortresses in which to stow their prisoners, while they would calculate that the more prisoners we had to look after, the fewer men they would have to fight.
"and now, tell me by what miracle you have got here. i have nothing particular to do.
"lindsay, you may as well stop and hear the story. tell the sergeant to call you out if any one in particular comes; to everyone else, i am engaged.
"or stay," he broke off, "they have just told me that luncheon is ready in the next room. a story is always better told over a bottle of wine, so tell the sergeant, lindsay, that for the next hour i can see no one, unless it is on very particular business.
"now, in the first place, captain drummond.
"oh, of course, you have not heard!" he broke off, in answer to fergus's look of surprise. "the king and i watched you charge through that austrian squadron, and when he saw you reach our cavalry in safety, and they turned to come back, he ordered me at once to make out your commission as captain. i ventured to object that you were very young. he said you had saved half his cavalry, and that he would promote you, if you were an infant in arms."
"it is really absurd, marshal. i shall feel downright ashamed to be called captain by men still lieutenants, though a dozen years older than i am. i fear i have gone over lindsay's head."
"you need not mind me, drummond," lindsay laughed. "i shall have a chance, one of these days; but not a soul will grudge you your promotion. there were many of us who saw your charge; and i can tell you that it was the talk of the whole army, next day, and it was thoroughly recognized that it saved the cavalry; for their commander would certainly have taken them against the austrians and, if he had, it is equally certain that none of them would have got back again; and when your name appeared in orders the next day, we all felt that no one ever better deserved promotion."
"the king inquired especially, as soon as the list came, whether you were wounded, fergus," keith said; "and was very much pleased when he heard that you were not.
"now, let us hear how you come to be here."
the marshal laughed heartily, when fergus told of his escape in the disguise of an austrian field officer.
"it was most admirably managed, fergus," he said, when the tale was finished; "and your making for vienna, instead of for the frontier, was a masterly stroke. of course your finding a friend there was most fortunate; but even had you not done so, i have no doubt you would have got through, somehow. i think the best idea of all was your taking the post horses, and then getting a fresh suit of clothes from the postmaster.
"i am glad you ordered the major's suit of clothes to be sent back to him. i should have liked to have seen his face when he found that not only his uniform, but his prisoner, had disappeared.
"it will be a good story to tell the king. he has sore troubles enough on his shoulders, for the difficulties are thickening round; and although frederick is a born general, he really loves peace, and quiet, and books, and the society of a few friends, far better than the turmoil into which we are plunged.
"the french are going to open the campaign, in the spring, with an army of a hundred thousand men. russia will invade the east frontier with certainly as many more, perhaps a hundred and fifty thousand. they say these rascally swedes, who have not a shadow of quarrel against us, intend to land fifty thousand men in pomerania; and that austria will put two hundred and fifty thousand in the field. even tempered and self relying as the king is, all this is enough to drive him to despair; and anything that will interest him for an hour, and make him forget his difficulties, is very welcome."
the marshal asked many questions for, as he said, the king would like to know all the ins and outs of the matter; and he knew that fergus would much rather that the story should be told the king by another, than that he should be called upon to do so.
"i hope the horse came back safely, lindsay?" fergus asked, as they left the marshal's apartments.
"oh, yes! he went back with the convoy of wounded, and he is now safe in keith's stable. the other is, of course, at the count's. i sent your things back at the same time, and when we returned here i packed everything up and sewed them in a sack. they are all in the storeroom."
"what has become of karl? did he get safely back?"
"yes; but he had a nasty sabre wound he got in the charge, and he was in hospital for six weeks. the king gave him a handsome present, on the day after he came in; and would have given him a commission, if he would have taken it, but he declined altogether, saying that he was very comfortable as he was. his colonel would have made him a sergeant at once, but he refused that also.
"just at present he is still looking after your horse, and helping generally in keith's stable. his wound was on the head, and he is scarcely fit for duty with his regiment, so of course he will now fall in to his place with you again."
fergus went down to the stable, where he was received with the greatest delight by karl; whose pride in his master was great, after his exploit at count eulenfurst's, and had been heightened by the feeling excited in the army at his having saved the cavalry from destruction.
"i thought that you would be back by the spring, captain," he said. "donald and i have talked it over, many a time, and we were of one mind that, if any one could get away from an austrian prison, you would do it."
