to the old
Saxon camp at Pirna. The king, after seeing the batteries marked
out, retired to bed early; and Fergus was able to ride round and
pay a short visit to the count.

On the 14th the batteries opened fire--Maguire having refused the
summons to surrender--and continued for four days without making
much impression upon the walls, the heaviest guns being only
twenty-five pounders.

On the 18th some heavy guns arrived from Magdeburg. The batteries
were all ready for them, and as soon as they arrived they were set
to work. Maguire burnt the suburbs outside the town, and answered
the cannonade hotly.

Finding that the guns on the walls did but little damage to the
Prussian batteries, Maguire mounted two or three guns on to the
leads of the Protestant church, and from this commanding position
he was able to throw shot right into them. The Prussian fire was at
once concentrated on the church, which was speedily set on fire.
This spread through the surrounding streets, and a tremendous
conflagration raged for the next forty-eight hours. But by this
time Daun, who had lost some days before setting out in pursuit of
Frederick, was within five miles of the town, had driven Holstein
across the river, and was in communication with Maguire.

On the night of the 21st-22nd Maguire's garrison, led by General
Nugent, sallied out from Dresden; while four thousand of Daun's men
marched round from the north side. For a time the assault on the
Prussian intrenchments was successful, although Nugent was, on his
first attack, repulsed and taken prisoner. But when Daun's people
arrived the regiments defending the trenches were driven out. Then
fresh battalions came up and drove the Austrians out, taking many
prisoners.

Daun remained passive for some days after this, and Frederick
continued to cannonade the city until the 29th; making, however,
his preparations for departure, and going off unmolested by the
enemy towards Meissen. The news reached him that Glatz, one of the
barrier fortresses of Silesia, had been taken by Loudon, and that
the latter was besieging Breslau.

Daun had guessed the way by which Frederick would retire, and had
broken up the roads and bridges, and felled trees in the forests so
as to render them impassable; and as soon as Frederick started he
moved in the same direction, his position so serving him that,
marching by a road parallel to that taken by the king, he was ahead
of him. Lacy had been warned to