ncursion to the
river. The earl had with him an old servant named Gill, who, with
great presence of mind, slipped into his master's hand an old
passport made out in the name of General Churchill. The French,
intent only upon plunder, and not recognizing under the name of
Churchill their great opponent Marlborough, seized all the plate
and valuables in the boat, made prisoners of the small detachment
of soldiers on board, but suffered the rest of the passengers,
including the earl and the Dutch commissioners, to pass unmolested.

Thus, had it not been for the presence of mind of an old servant,
the Earl of Marlborough would have been taken a prisoner to France;
and since it was his genius and diplomatic power alone which kept
the alliance together, and secured victory for their arms, the
whole issue of the war, the whole future of Europe, would have been
changed.

Chapter 8: The Old Mill.

A considerable portion of the allied army were quartered in the
barracks and forts of Liege, in large convents requisitioned for
the purpose, and in outlying villages. The 5th dragoons had
assigned to them a convent some two miles from the town. The monks
had moved out, and gone to an establishment of the same order in
the town, and the soldiers were therefore left to make the best
they could of their quarters. There was plenty of room for the men,
but for the horses there was some difficulty. The cloisters were
very large, and these were transformed into stables, and boards
were fastened up on the open faces to keep out the cold; others
were stalled in sheds and outbuildings; and the great refectory, or
dining hall, was also strewn thick with straw, and filled with four
rows of horses.

In the afternoon the officers generally rode or walked down into
the town. One day, Rupert Holliday with Pat Dillon had met their
friends Lord Fairholm and Sir John Loveday, whose regiment was
quartered in the town, at the principal wine shop, a large
establishment, which was the great gathering place of the officers
of the garrison. There an immense variety of bright uniforms were
to be seen; English, German, and Dutch, horse, foot, and artillery;
while the serving men hurried about through the throng with trays
piled with beer mugs, or with wine and glasses.

"Who is that officer," Dillon asked, "in the Hessian cavalry
uniform? Methinks he eyes you with no friendly look."

Rupert and his friends glanced at the officer pointed out.

"It