ng it; and although
his mother's replies were always sent to the care of the
ambassador, a large number of them were lost in the transit.

Early in April Fergus suddenly broke down. His work had been almost
incessant. The cold in the tent had, at night, been extreme; and,
having been wetted to the skin one day, when a sudden thaw came on,
his clothes had been frozen stiff when, at nightfall, the frost
returned with even greater severity than before. In spite of the
cloaks and blankets that Karl heaped upon his bed, he shivered all
night, and in the morning hot fits came on. The king's surgeon,
coming in to see him, pronounced that the chill had resulted in
what was probably rheumatic fever.

He was at once carried to a hospital, some miles in the rear. This
was crowded with officers and men, suffering from the effects of
their hardships; but a room was assigned to him in a house close
by, that had been taken for the use of officers of distinction.

Here for two months he lay helpless, and at times delirious. Karl
sat up with him almost night and day, taking two or three hours'
sleep occasionally on the floor, but starting up whenever his
master moved or spoke. Sir John Mitchell rode over several times to
see him, and the king's own surgeon went over twice a week. These
visits, however, both ceased three weeks after he entered the
hospital, the king's army having rapidly marched away.

At the end of June he was out and able to sit in the sun in the
garden.

"How long shall I be before I am fit for duty again?" he asked the
surgeon, two days later.

"Six weeks or two months. It will be fully that time before you can
regain your strength. In a month, no doubt, you will be able to sit
a horse; but I should say that it would be quite twice that time,
before you will be fit to perform the work that falls to your lot
on the king's staff. You want to have quiet, and at the same time
you need pleasant company. The worst thing you can possibly do is
to worry and fret yourself. Instead of bringing things about
sooner, it will only delay them. What you have to do is to bask in
the sun, eat and drink as much as you can, and take life
pleasantly.

"There is one thing, you have nothing to grieve about that you are
not with the king. He is marching hither and thither with wonderful
celerity but, do what he will, he cannot induce either Daun or Lacy
to give battle; though together they are three to one against him.
Whenever h