this, with
the jauntiest air in the world--"I am sub-Lieutenant Brohl, of his
Imperial Majesty's Hussar Regiment of Baronay, at your service. I see
no general officer here--" Count Saxe, being only half dressed, might
have been anything--"but we have made a fine haul, and got our prize
away, too. The boat is on the other side of the river by this time."

"Kindly explain yourself further, Lieutenant Brohl," said Count Saxe,
coolly.

"With pleasure," remarked Lieutenant Brohl. His debonairness reminded
me of Gaston Cheverny's, at the same age, for the young Austrian was
little past twenty. "You have got me, a sub-lieutenant--caught,
because I would not delay our boat in getting off with the finest
quarry yet secured in this war."

Count Saxe and the rest of us waited to hear this laughing prisoner
explain matters still further.

"We, of the regiment of Baronay, determined to immortalize ourselves
by carrying off Count Saxe--and we succeeded. He is, by this, landed
on the other side of the river, and in the hands of Prince Eugene, and
for ourselves who took him, our fortunes are made--mine, a prisoner,
as well as those who escaped--for when my comrades would have delayed
the boat for me, I cried to them to pull out into the river, beyond
pistol shot, and never wait for me--if they had Count Saxe--and him
they have."

"How did you get him?" asked Count Saxe.

"Very cleverly, Monsieur. We landed from the boat, unseen and unheard
in the rain and darkness. There were but eighteen of us, all told. We
managed to secure all three of the sentries--you should have had at
least six--and Count Saxe should never have slept a night in this
unguarded place. We then slipped into the house, of which we had a
plan, with Count Saxe's room marked there--" he pointed to Gaston
Cheverny's empty room. "The window of the room was wide open, and it
was quite dark, but we could see that Count Saxe had fallen asleep
before his writing table--"

"His writing table," murmured Count Saxe. "He is not much of a
writer."

"The candles had been blown out. We surrounded him, and put a pistol
to his head, and he wakened with a start. We said to him, 'We want
you, Count Saxe, only. We have force enough to carry you all off--the
house is surrounded, and we can bag every one of you--go with us
quietly and we will let the small fry off. But we are prepared for a
fight, if necessary, knowing you are but a handful.' Then Count Saxe
said, quite coolly