, entering at the moment.

"She is gone," said I, following out my own sad train of thought, and
pointing to the vacant stall where her pony used to stand.

"Mademoiselle Minette--"

"Yes, what of her--where is she?"

"Marched with the cuirassier brigade that passed here last night at
twelve o'clock. She seemed very ill, sir, and the officer made her sit
on one of the wagons."

"Which road did they take? "

"They crossed the river, and moved away towards the forest. I think I
heard the troop-sergeant say something about Salzburg and the Tyrol."

I made no answer, but stood mute and stupefied; when I was again
recalled to thought by his asking if my baggage was ready for the
wagons.

With a sullen apathy I pointed out my trunks in silence, and throwing
one last look on the room, the scene of my former suffering, and of much
pleasure too, I mounted my horse, and gave the word to move forward.

As we passed from the gate, I stopped to question the sous-officier as
to the route of the cuirassier division. But he could only repeat
what the sergeant had already told me; adding, there were several men
slightly wounded in the squadrons, for they had been engaged twice
within the week. The gates closed! and we were on the highroad.

CHAPTER II. LINTZ

As day was breaking, we came up with a strong detachment of the cavalry
of the Guard proceeding to join Bessiere's division at Lintz. From them
we learned that the main body of the army was already far in advance,
several entire corps having marched from Lintz with the supposed
intention of occupying Vienna. Ney's division, it was said, was also
bearing down from the Tyrol; Davoust and Mortier were advancing by the
left bank of the Danube; whilst Lannes and Murat, with an overwhelming
force of light troops, had pushed forward two days' march in advance on
their way to the capital. The fate of Ulm was already predicted for the
Austrian city, and each day's intelligence seemed to make it only
the more inevitable. Meanwhile the Emperor Francis had abandoned the
capital, and retreated on Brunn, a fortified town in Moravia, there to
await the arrival of his ally, Alexander, hourly expected from Berlin.

As day after day we pressed forward, our numbers continued to increase.
A motley force, indeed, did we present: cavalry of every sort, from the
steel-clad cuirassier to the gay hussar, dragoons, chasseurs, guides,
and light cavalry, all mixed up together, and all eagerl