of the former place.

Frederick had been forced to wait, at Bautzen, till another convoy
of provisions arrived. When he joined the division at Hochkirch,
and saw Daun's army on the opposite hills, busy as usual in
intrenching itself, he ordered the army to encamp when they were
within a mile of Daun's position.

Marwitz, the staff officer to whom he gave the order, argued and
remonstrated, and at length refused to be concerned in the marking
out of such an encampment. He was at once put under arrest, and
another officer did the work. Frederick, in fact, entertained a
sovereign contempt for Daun, with his slow marches, his perpetual
intrenchings, and his obstinate caution; and had no belief,
whatever, that the Austrian marshal would attempt to attack him. He
was in a very bad humour, too, having discovered that Retzow had
failed to take possession of the Stromberg, a detached hill which
would have rendered the position a safe one. He put him under
arrest, and ordered the Stromberg to be occupied.

The next morning the force proceeding to do so found, however, that
the post was already occupied by Austrians; who resisted stoutly
and, being largely reinforced, maintained their position on the
hill, on which several batteries were placed. It was now Tuesday,
and Frederick determined to march away on the Saturday.

His obstinacy had placed the army in an altogether untenable and
dangerous position. All his officers were extremely uneasy, and
Keith declared to the king that the Austrians deserved to be hanged
if they did not attack; to which Frederick replied:

"We must hope that they are more afraid of us than even of the
gallows."

Chapter 13: Hochkirch.

The village of Hochkirch stood on a hilltop, with an extensive view
for miles round on all sides; save on the south, where hills rose
one above another. Among these hills was one called the Devil's
Hill, where the primitive country people believed that the devil
and his witches held high festival, once a year.

Frederick's right wing, which was commanded by Keith, lay in
Hochkirch. Beyond the village he had four battalions, and a battery
of twenty guns on the next height to Hochkirch. From this point to
the Devil's Hill extended a thick wood, in which a strong body of
Croats were lurking. Frederick, with the centre, extended four
miles to the left of Hochkirch. Retzow, who had been restored to
his command, had ten or twelve thousand men lying in or behind