e approach; and we shall have all this
long tramp for nothing, and will have to hurry back again, as fast
as we came."

"It is unfortunate that we had to come, Lindsay. Things always seem
to go badly, when the king himself is not present. The princes make
blunder after blunder, and I have no faith in Bevern."

"No," Lindsay agreed, "but he has Winterfeld with him."

"Yes, he is a splendid fellow," Drummond said; "but everyone knows
that he and Bevern do not get on well together, and that the duke
would very much rather that Winterfeld was not with him; and with
two men like that, the one slow and cautious, the other quick and
daring, there are sure to be disagreements. We are going to attack
a force more than twice our own strength, but I am much more
certain as to what will be the result, than I am that we shall find
matters unchanged when we get back here."

The foreboding was very quickly confirmed. A day or two later came
the news that the Austrians had suddenly attacked an advanced
position called the Jakelsberg; where Winterfeld, who commanded the
van of Bevern's army, had posted two thousand grenadiers. Prince
Karl undertook the operation by no means willingly; but the
indignation, at Vienna, at his long delays had resulted in
imperative orders being sent to him, to fight. Nadasti was to lead
the attack, with fifteen thousand men; while the main army
remained, a short distance behind, ready to move up should a
general battle be brought on.

The march was made at night, and at daybreak a thousand Croats, and
forty companies of regular infantry, rushed up the hill. Although
taken by surprise, the Prussians promptly formed and drove them
down again. Winterfeld was some miles behind, having been escorting
an important convoy; and rode at a gallop to the spot, as soon as
he heard the sound of cannon; and brought up two regiments, at a
run, just as the grenadiers were retiring from the hill, unable to
withstand the masses hurled against them.

Sending urgent messages to Bevern, to hurry up reinforcements,
Winterfeld led his two regiments forward, joined the grenadiers
and, rushing eagerly up the hill, regained the position. But the
Austrians were not to be denied, and the fight was obstinately
sustained on both sides. No reinforcements reached Winterfeld and,
after an hour's desperate fighting, he was struck in the breast by
a musket ball and fell, mortally wounded.

The Prussians drew off, slowly and in good