om Bautzen. It must be Lacy's army."

"We may be sure that the king is pretty close at his heels," Fergus
said. "I have no doubt that by tomorrow morning we shall have news
of him, and I fancy that I shall not have far to ride to join him."

The opinion was justified. That evening Lacy joined the Confederate
army, in their strong position behind the gap of Plauen. He had
been hotly chased, indeed. Frederick had been manoeuvring to pass
Daun and carry on a campaign in Silesia; but the Austrian general
had been too cautious, and it was impossible to pass him without
fighting; so on the night of the 8th he left Bautzen suddenly and
silently, and marched all night, in hopes of catching Lacy at
Godau. The latter's Croats, however, brought him news in time, and
he at once retreated.

After a short halt the Prussians pressed on for another eighteen
miles, capturing some of Lacy's hussars, but failing to come up
with his main body; which, marching all that day and the next
night, arrived near Dresden on the morning of the 10th, Lacy
himself reaching the town the evening before. By Thursday evening
the whole of his army had crossed Dresden bridge and got in safely
behind Plauen, leaving ten thousand men to aid the four thousand in
the garrison.

At noon Fergus, hearing that, without doubt, the whole of the enemy
had fallen back, started with Karl; and that evening rode into the
royal camp, and reported himself to the king.

"I am glad to see you back, Drummond," Frederick said heartily. "I
have sorely missed you; and indeed, when I rode away the accounts
of you were so bad that I doubted whether you would ever be able to
be with me again. You don't look quite yourself yet, but no doubt
the air and exercise will soon bring you round. Have you any news?"

"Lacy has left ten thousand men in Dresden, sire, and with the rest
of his force has joined the Confederate army at Plauen."

"Just what I wished," the king said. "It has saved me a long march,
and we will now go straight to Dresden."

The next day the army marched forward, circled round the western
and southern sides of Dresden, and encamped at Gruna, a mile to the
southeast of the city; and throughout the night laboured at getting
up batteries. The division under Holstein was planted on an
eminence on the other side of the river, across which a pontoon
bridge was at once thrown. There was no fear of disturbance from
Lacy, the united force of the enemy having retreated