s letter was a thunderbolt:--my comfort, however, still was that the
officers were not suspected, and that it was their duty to visit my
chamber several times a day, and examine what passed: from which
circumstance I felt my hopes somewhat revive. Hence an adventure
happened which is almost unexampled in tales of knight-errantry.

A lieutenant, whose name was Bach, a Dane by nation, mounted guard every
fourth day, and was the terror of the whole garrison; for, being a
perfect master of arms, he was incessantly involved in quarrels, and
generally left his marks behind him. He had served in two regiments,
neither of which would associate with him for this reason, and he had
been sent to the garrison regiment at Glatz as punishment.

Bach one day, sitting beside me, related how, the evening before, he had
wounded a lieutenant, of the name of Schell, in the arm. I replied,
laughing, "Had I my liberty, I believe you would find some trouble in
wounding me, for I have some skill in the sword." The blood instantly
flew in his face; we split off a kind of pair of foils from an old door,
which had served me as a table, and at the first lunge I hit him on the
breast.

His rage became ungovernable, and he left the prison. What was my
astonishment when, a moment after, I saw him return with two soldiers'
swords, which he had concealed under his coat.--"Now, then, boaster,
prove," said he, giving me one of them, "what thou art able to do." I
endeavoured to pacify him, by representing the danger, but ineffectually.
He attacked me with the utmost fury, and I wounded him in the arm.

Throwing his sword down, he fell upon my neck, kissed me, and wept. At
length, after some convulsive emotions of pleasure, he said, "Friend,
thou art my master; and thou must, thou shalt, by my aid, obtain thy
liberty, as certainly as my name is Bach." We bound up his arm as well
as we could. He left me, and secretly went to a surgeon, to have it
properly dressed, and at night returned.

He now remarked, that it was humanly impossible I should escape, unless
the officer on guard should desert with me;--that he wished nothing more
ardently than to sacrifice his life in my behalf, but that he could not
resolve so far to forget his honour and duty to desert, himself, while on
guard: he notwithstanding gave me his word of honour he would find me
such a person in a few days; and that, in the meantime, he would prepare
everything for my flight.

He