, but he
was unable to take advantage of it by moving his army round to that
position, as he would have exposed himself to a counter attack of the
enemy while doing so. He therefore launched a fresh column of attack
against the Alte Veste.

This was followed by another and yet another, until every regiment in
the army had in its turn attempted to storm the position, but still
without success.

The battle had now raged for ten hours, and nightfall put an end to
the struggle. Hepburn had all day ridden behind the king as a simple
cavalier, and had twice carried messages through the thick of the fire
when there were no others to bear them, so great had been the slaughter
round the person of the king.

It was the first time that Gustavus had been repulsed, and he could
hardly yet realize the fact; but as messenger after messenger came in
from the different divisions he discovered how terrible had been his
loss. Most of his generals and superior officers had been killed or
wounded, 2000 men lay dead on the field, and there were nigh three times
that number of wounded.

The Imperialists on their side lost 1000 killed and 1500 wounded; but
the accounts of the losses on both sides differ greatly, some placing
the Imperial loss higher than that of the Swedes, a palpably absurd
estimate, as the Imperialists, fighting behind shelter, could not have
suffered anything like so heavily as their assailants, who were exposed
to their fire in the open.

Hepburn bore the order from the king for Munro's troops and those of
Duke Bernhard to retire from the position they had won, as they were
entirely cut off from the rest of the army, and would at daylight have
had the whole of the Imperialists upon them. The service was one of
great danger, and Hepburn had to cut his way sword in hand through the
Croats who intervened between him and his comrades of the Green Brigade.
He accomplished his task in safety, and before daylight Munro's men
and the regiments of Duke Bernhard rejoined the army in the plain. But
though repulsed Gustavus was not defeated. He took up a new position
just out of cannon shot of the Altenburg, and then offered battle to
Wallenstein, the latter, however, well satisfied with his success,
remained firm in his policy of starving out the enemy, and resisted
every device of the king to turn him from his stronghold.

For fourteen days Gustavus remained in position. Then he could hold out
no longer. The supplies were en