the village of hochkirch stood on a hilltop, with an extensive view for miles round on all sides; save on the south, where hills rose one above another. among these hills was one called the devil's hill, where the primitive country people believed that the devil and his witches held high festival, once a year.
frederick's right wing, which was commanded by keith, lay in hochkirch. beyond the village he had four battalions, and a battery of twenty guns on the next height to hochkirch. from this point to the devil's hill extended a thick wood, in which a strong body of croats were lurking. frederick, with the centre, extended four miles to the left of hochkirch. retzow, who had been restored to his command, had ten or twelve thousand men lying in or behind weissenberg, four miles away.
frederick's force, with that of keith, amounted to twenty-eight thousand men, and retzow's command was too far away to be considered as available. daun's force, lying within a mile of hochkirch, amounted to ninety thousand men. well might keith say that the austrians deserved to be hanged, if they did not attack. frederick himself was somewhat uneasy, and would have moved away on the friday night, had he not been waiting for the arrival of a convoy of provisions from bautzen. still, he relied upon daun's inactivity.
this time, however, his reliance was falsified. all daun's generals were of opinion that it would be disgraceful, were they to stand on the defensive against an army practically less than a third of their force; and their expostulations at length roused daun into activity. once decided, his dispositions were, as usual, excellent.
battle of hochkirch
his plan was an able one. he himself, with thirty thousand men, was to start as soon as it was dark on friday evening, sweep round to the south, follow the base of the devil's mountain, and then through the hollows and thick wood till he was close to the force on the right of hochkirch; and was to fall suddenly on them, at five o'clock on saturday morning. the orders were that, as soon as hochkirch was taken, the rest of the army, sixty thousand strong, were to march against frederick, both in front and on his left, and so completely smash and crumple him up.
frederick had no premonition of the storm that was gathering. on thursday and friday the austrians were engaged, as usual, in felling trees, forming abattis, throwing up earthworks, and in all ways strengthening their position. everything seemed to show that daun was still bent upon standing upon the defensive only.
as the lurking croats and pandoors had, every night, crept up through the brushwood and hollows, and skirmished with the prussian outposts away on the right, scattered firing was not heeded much in hochkirch. fergus had just got up, in the little room he shared with lindsay in the marshal's quarters, a mile north of hochkirch; and was putting on his boots when, a few minutes past five, the sound of firing was heard.
"there are the croats, as usual," he said.
"what a restless fellow you are, drummond! you have been up, at this unearthly hour, each morning since we got here. it won't be light for another two hours yet. i doubt whether it will be light then. it looks to me as if it were a thick fog."
"you are right about my early hours, and i admit i have been restless. it is not a pleasant idea that, but a mile away, there is an army big enough to eat us up; and nothing whatever to prevent their pouncing upon us, at any moment, except two or three batteries. the marshal was saying, last night, he should regard it as the most fortunate escape he ever had, if we drew off safely tonight without being attacked.
"that firing is heavier than usual. there go a couple of guns!"
"those two advanced pieces are sending a round or two of case shot into the bushes, i suppose," lindsay said drowsily.
fergus completed his dressing, and went downstairs and out into the night. here he could hear much better than in the room above; which had but one loophole for air and light, and that was almost stopped up, with a wisp of straw. he could now plainly hear volley firing, and a continued crackle of musketry. he ran upstairs again.
"you had better get your things on at once, lindsay. it is a more serious affair than usual. i shall take it upon myself to wake the marshal."
he went to keith's door, knocked, and opened it.
"who is there? what is it?" the marshal asked.
"it is i, drummond, sir. there is heavy firing going on to the right, much heavier than it has been any other night."
"what o'clock is it?"
"about ten minutes past five, sir. there is a thick mist, and it is pitch dark. shall i go over and inquire what is going on?"
"yes, do. i expect that those rascally croats have been reinforced, and are trying to find out whether we are still in our positions."
"i will be back as soon as i can, sir."
fergus ran round to the low range of sheds in which their horses were stabled.
"karl, are you there?" he shouted.
"yes, major," a voice said, close at hand. "i am listening to all that firing."
"saddle up at once. you may as well ride with me. i am going to see what it is all about."
a lantern was burning in the shed, and by its light fergus and the orderly rapidly saddled the horses.
"you had better light two more lanterns, karl. leave the one on the wall burning. we will take the others. we shall want them, for one cannot see a horse's length away; and if we had not the sound of firing to guide us, we should soon lose our way altogether."
the light enabled them to go at a fairly fast trot, but they trusted rather to their horses' than to their own eyes. the roar and rattle of the firing increased in volume, every minute.
"that is more than an affair with the croats, karl."
"a good deal more, major. it looks as if the austrians were beating up our quarters in earnest."
"it does indeed."
when they reached hochkirch they found the troops there astir. the cavalry trumpets were sounding to horse, and the clamour round the village told that the troops encamped there were getting under arms.
"do you know what is going on to the right, sir?" fergus asked a field officer, who was in the act of mounting. "marshal keith has sent me to inquire."
"not in the least; but as far as i can tell by the sound, they must be attacking us in force, and they seem to be working round in rear of our battery there. the sound is certainly coming this way."
"then i will go on to the battery," fergus said.
he had ridden but a little way farther, when he was convinced that the officer was right. the crash of musketry volleys rose continuously, but although the boom of guns was mingled with it, there was nothing like the continuous fire that might have been expected from a twenty-gun battery.
suddenly from his right a crackle of firing broke out, and then heavy volleys. the bullets sung overhead.
"they are attacking us in the rear, sir, sure enough," karl said.
"i am afraid they have captured our big battery, karl," fergus said, as he turned his horse.
it was but a few hundred yards back to the village but, just as he reached it, a roar of fire broke out from its rear. they could make their way but slowly along the streets, so crowded were they now with infantry who, unable to see until a yard or two away, could not make room for them to pass, as they would otherwise have done for a staff officer. with feverish impatience fergus pushed on, until the road was clear; but even now he had to go comparatively slowly, for unless they kept to the track across the open ground that led to the farmhouse, they must miss it altogether.
lights were moving about there as he rode up. keith himself was at the door, and the orderlies were bringing up the horses.
"what is it, major drummond?"
"it is an attack in force, sir, on the right flank and rear. the enemy have crept up between hochkirch and our battery, and as i came through the village they were attacking it in rear. i cannot say for certain, but i believe that the battery is taken, though there is a heavy infantry fire still going on there."
"ride to ziethen, captain lindsay. give him the news, and tell him to fall upon the austrians.
"captain cosser and captain gaudy, ride off to the infantry and bring them up at the double.
"i will take on the kannaker battalion myself," and he rode down at once to the camp of this battalion, which was but a hundred yards away; despatching others of his staff to hasten up the regiments near.
the kannaker battalion was already under arms, and marched off with him as soon as he arrived.
"i am going to the left of the village, fergus, and shall make for the battery, which we must retake. do you go first into hochkirch, and see how matters go there. if badly, give my order to the colonel of the first battalion that comes along, and tell him to throw himself into the village and assist to hold it to the last. after that, you must be guided by circumstances. it is doubtful if you will ever find me again, in this black mist."
fergus handed his lantern to keith's orderly, who took his place at the side of the marshal as the regiment went off at the double. fergus rode up to the village. it was scarce twenty minutes since he had left it, but it was evident that a furious fight was raging there, and that the austrians had already penetrated some distance into its streets. without hesitation he turned and rode back again and, in a few minutes, met a dark body of men coming along at a rapid run.
"where is the colonel?" he asked, reining in his horse suddenly, for he had nearly ridden into the midst of them.
"just ahead of us, to the right, sir."
in a minute fergus was beside him. by the light that karl carried, he recognized him.
"major lange," he said, "i have the marshal's orders that you should march into hochkirch, and hold it to the last. the austrians are already in partial possession of it."
"which way is it, major drummond? for in this mist i have almost lost my direction, and there seems to be firing going on everywhere ahead."
"i will direct you," fergus said. "i have just come from there;" and he trotted back to the village.
as they approached hochkirch it was evident that, although the defenders were still clinging to its outskirts, the greater portion was lost; but with a cheer the battalion rushed forward, and was in a moment fiercely engaged. major lange's horse fell dead under him, struck by an austrian bullet. fergus rode into the first house he came to, dismounted, and left his horse there.
"you may as well leave yours here too, karl. we can do no good with them, and should only be in the way. when it begins to get light, we will try and find the marshal.
"you may as well get hold of the first musket and ammunition pouch that you can pick up. there will be enough for every man to do to hold this place until more reinforcements come up."
a desperate struggle went on in the streets. the prussians who had been driven back joined the battalion just arrived. bayonets and the butt-end of the musket were used, rather than shot; for in the mist friend could not be distinguished from foe five yards away, and it was from their shouts rather than by their uniforms that men knew whether they had one or other in front of them. karl was not long in finding arms and, taking his place in the ranks, was soon at work with the others.
the village was almost circular in shape, clustered as it were on the top of the hill. the struggle was not confined to one street, but raged in half a dozen, more or less parallel with each other. gradually the prussians pressed forward, and had more than half cleared the village when their advance was checked by the arrival of fresh battalions of the austrians. then lange threw his men into the church and churchyard, and there stubbornly maintained himself.
soon flames burst out from various directions, giving a welcome light to the defenders, and enabling them to keep up so heavy a fire upon the now swarming enemy that they repulsed each attack made upon them. eight battalions of austrians in vain tried to capture the position, attacking it on every side; but the stubborn prussians held firmly to it.
meanwhile beyond, as far as the battery, the fight raged. the plothow battalion, which had been stationed in advance of it, had been attacked and enveloped on all sides by the austrians; but had defended themselves splendidly and, though forced back by sheer weight of numbers, had maintained their order and done heavy execution by their fire. the battery had been lost, but those who had been driven out rallied and, with the plothow men, made so furious a rush forward that they hurled the austrians out again. it was but for a few minutes, for such masses of the enemy poured up through the mist that there was no withstanding them, and many of the prussians were taken prisoners. their captivity was of short duration, for through the mist ziethen's horse burst out suddenly into the raging tumult, scattered the austrians, released the prisoners, and were then off to fall upon fresh enemies, as soon as they discovered their position.
everywhere isolated combats took place. battalion after battalion, and squadron after squadron, as it arrived, flung itself upon the first enemy it came upon in the darkness. keith, on reaching the battery, again retook it; but again the austrian masses obtained possession.
in and around hochkirch, similar desperate struggles were going on. none fled but, falling back until meeting another battalion hastening up, reformed and charged again. ziethen's horse, together with the rest of the cavalry and gendarmes, mingled with staff officers and others who had lost their way, continued to make furious charges against the austrians pressing round the rear of the position, and holding them in check.
until its cartridges were all spent, lange's battalion held the churchyard, though its numbers were terribly lessened by the austrian fire. then the major called upon his men to form in a mass, and cut their way through the enemy with the bayonet. this they most gallantly did, losing many; but the remnant emerged from the village, their gallant leader, wounded to death, among them.
fergus and karl separated themselves from them, ran to the house where they had left their horses, mounted, and galloped off. by this time the centre was coming up, led by the king himself. as they neared hochkirch a cannonball took off the head of frank of brunswick, the king's youngest brother-in-law. prince maurice of dessau, riding in the dark till within twenty yards of the austrians, was badly hit; and the storm of case and musket bullets that swept the approaches to hochkirch was so terrible that frederick's battalion had to fall back.
"the first thing is to find the marshal," fergus said, as he rode out of hochkirch. "he must be somewhere to the right."
before he could extricate himself, fergus was surrounded by austrians
he galloped on until a flash of fire burst out, a few yards in front. his horse fell dead under him and, before he could extricate himself from it, he was surrounded by austrians. an officer shouted to him to surrender and, seeing the hopelessness of resistance, he at once did so.
he looked round and, to his satisfaction, saw nothing of karl. he was placed in the midst of the austrian regiment, under the charge of a sergeant, and told that he would be shot if he tried to escape.
frederick, with more battalions that had come up, pushed on; thrusting the austrians back until he had left hochkirch on his left. but by this time it was past eight o'clock, the fog was dispersing, and he saw a great body of austrians on the heights to his right, from waditz to meschduitz, as well as on the whole line of heights on the left. his only line of retreat, therefore, was along at the foot of the dressau heights.
these he ordered to be seized, at once. this was done before the austrians could reach the spot, they being hindered by furious charges by ziethen, from the open ground between kumschutz and canitz; and frederick rearranged his front of battle, and waited for retzow to come up with the left wing.
the austrians tried several attacks, but with little success. they too had been hindered and confused by the mist, and the force that had been engaged in and round hochkirch had suffered terribly; and they pushed forward but feebly, now that the prussian guns on the heights were able to open fire upon them.
retzow was long in coming, for he too had been attacked by twenty thousand men, who had been told off by daun for the purpose. the attack, however, was badly managed and feeble; but it delayed retzow from making a start, when frederick's urgent messages reached him. during this anxious delay the austrians captured frederick's main battery of thirty guns, north of rodewitz; and were beginning to press forward, when retzow came onto the ground and took up a position at belgern, covering frederick's left flank. had he been an hour sooner, he might have saved the heavy battery which lay beyond the range of the guns on the dressau heights, and which frederick could not have supported without bringing on a general battle.
then, in a steady and leisurely manner, the king drew off his forces and took up a new position from krewitz to puswietz, carrying off the whole of his baggage; retzow and the troops on the dressau heights covering the movement, until all had passed; daun and his great army standing on their circle of hills, watching, but not interfering with the movement.
frederick's rashness had cost him dear. he had lost eight thousand men; five thousand three hundred and eighty-one of them, and a hundred and nineteen officers, killed or prisoners; the rest wounded. he had also lost a hundred and one guns, and most of his tents.
of the austrians, three hundred and twenty-five officers and five thousand six hundred and fourteen rank and file were killed or wounded, and a thousand prisoners lost. twenty thousand of their men deserted, during their passage through the dark and intricate woods.
fergus remained with the regiment that had captured him until the battle ceased; after which he was taken, under a guard, to the spot where the prussian prisoners were gathered. of these there were fifty-eight officers, the greater part of whom were more or less severely wounded. two of the officers belonged to the kannaker battalion, and from them fergus asked for news of marshal keith.
"we fear he is killed," one said. "he led us into the battery, and he was with us after we were driven out again; but after that neither of us saw him. everything was in confusion. we could not see twenty yards, any way. we know that the battalion had suffered terribly. just before we were captured, being with a score of men cut off from the rest by a rush of austrians, a rumour spread that the marshal had been killed; but more than this we cannot tell."
two hours later an austrian officer rode up, with orders that the prisoners were to be marched some distance farther to the rear. fergus went up to him and said:
"can you tell me, sir, if marshal keith is among the killed? i am one of his aides-de-camp and, moreover, a cousin of his."
"yes," the officer said, "he has fallen. his body was recognized by general lacy, who commands here. i am on his staff. the general was greatly affected, for he and the marshal were at one time comrades in arms. the marshal was shot through the heart, and had previously received two other wounds. he was a most gallant soldier, and one highly esteemed by us. he will be buried with all military honours at hochkirch, where he has been carried."
fergus was deeply moved. keith had been so uniformly kind that he had come to feel for him almost as a father. he could not speak for a minute, and then said:
"would you ask general lacy, sir, to allow me to attend his funeral, both as one of the marshal's staff and as a relation, who loved him very dearly? my name is major drummond."
"i will certainly ask him, sir, and have no doubt that he will grant the request."
he thereupon gave orders that a young officer should remain with fergus, until an answer was received. he then rode off, and in a few minutes the rest of the prisoners were marched away. in half an hour the officer returned.
"general lacy will be glad if you will accompany me to his quarters. he gladly accedes to your request."
lacy occupied one of the houses at hochkirch which had been spared by the flames. the aide-de-camp conducted fergus to an empty room.
"the general is away at present," he said, "but will see you, as soon as he returns."
when alone, fergus burst into tears. it was indeed a heavy loss to him. even before he came out, he had come to regard keith with deep respect and admiration. he had heard so much of him, from his mother, that it seemed to him that their relationship was far closer than it really was, and that keith stood in the position of an uncle rather than of his mother's cousin. since he had been in germany he had been constantly with him, save when he was away with the king; and the genial kindness, the absence of all formality, and the affectionate interest he had shown in him had been almost of a fatherly nature. it was but a poor consolation to know that it was the death keith would, of all others, have chosen; and that, had he survived the campaign, he would probably have been obliged to retire from active service; or to take some quiet command, where his inactivity would speedily have chafed him beyond bearing, after so active and stirring a life.
two hours later the officer entered the room, and said that general lacy had returned, and would see him. the general was alone when he was shown into his room, and his face evinced a momentary surprise when his eyes fell on fergus. promotion was not very rapid in the prussian army, and he had expected to see a man of between thirty and forty. the sight of this young officer, with the rank and insignia of major, and wearing on his breast the prussian order, surprised him.
"i am sorry indeed for your loss, major drummond," he said in english. "sorry for my own, too; though it may well be that, in any case, keith and i should never have met again. but we were comrades once and, like everyone else, i loved him. what relation was he to you?"
"he was my mother's first cousin, general; but they were always dear friends, and have for years written regularly to each other; and it was settled that i should come out to him, as soon as i was old enough. 'tis upwards of two years since i did so, and he has been more like a father than a cousin to me, during that time."
"you have gone up the tree fast," general lacy said.
"very fast, sir; but i owe it to good fortune, and not to his influence. i was, in each case, promoted by the king himself."
"a good judge of men, and not accustomed to give promotion easily. will you tell me how it happened?"
"there is not much to tell, sir. on the first occasion, i freed count eulenfurst of some rascals who were maltreating him and his family."
"i remember the circumstance," lacy said warmly. "i heard it from a saxon officer, who joined us at the end of the first campaign, after the saxon army was disbanded and the officers were allowed to go free. he was at dresden for a time, and heard the story. it was a gallant business. i think you killed six of them. and what was the next occasion?"
"the next followed very quickly, general; and was given for carrying an order to the prussian horse, which enabled them to get back to our lines before the austrian cavalry fell upon them."
"i was there," lacy said. "so you were the officer who charged through a squadron of our cavalry, accompanied by a single orderly! you certainly won your promotion fairly there. and where did you get your last step?"
"at zorndorf where, in the melee, when the russians broke our ranks, i was fortunate enough to intercept three russian dragoons who were making for the king, who was hemmed in among the infantry he was trying to rally."
"a good reason, again, for promotion. well, if you go on, you are likely to rise as high as your cousin. but it is a poor life. as i looked down upon keith's face today, i thought how empty is any honour that adventurers like ourselves can gain. i myself have risen too; but what does it bring? responsibility, toil, the consciousness that a solitary mistake may bring you into disgrace; and that, in any case, the end may be like this: death on a battlefield, fighting in a quarrel in which you have no concern, and of which you may disapprove; a grave soon forgotten; a name scarce known to one's countrymen. it is not worth it."
the general spoke in a tone of deep feeling.
"i have made up my mind not to continue in the service, after the war is over," fergus said, after a short pause; "although the king has personally been very kind to me and, when the marshal remained in bohemia, he took me on his own staff."
"that is right, and as you are young, a few years' further service will do you no harm. it will, indeed, do you good; that is, if you pass through it unharmed. a man who has fought under frederick, and gained no small honour in a service where brave men are common, will be respected when he returns to his home, no matter how small his patrimony may be; and you will be, in all respects, an abler man for these few years of fierce struggle and adventure.
"and now, major drummond, i must say goodbye for the present, as i have to ride over to the marshal, and may not return until late this evening. a meal will be served to you shortly, in your room; and if your night has been as short as mine has, you will be ready to turn in early. the funeral will take place tomorrow morning."
the next morning, lacy and fergus drummond walked side by side, as chief mourners, after the gun carriage on which the remains of marshal keith were carried to hochkirch church. there was a large military cortege, martial music, and infantry with reversed arms. the many wounded had been carried from the church, and some attempt made to clear away the signs of the strife that had, twenty-four hours before, raged around it. there keith was buried. twelve cannon three times pealed out a parting salute. three times the muskets of the regiment of colleredo fired their volleys.
four months later, by the king's orders, the body was conveyed to berlin, and buried in the garrison church with full military pomp and honour. twenty years afterwards, when frederick erected four statues to the most deserving of his generals, keith had his place with schwerin, winterfeld, and seidlitz.
"and now," lacy said, when they returned from the funeral to his quarters, "i must send you on after the others. i am sorry to do so, but i have no choice. still, i will write to friends at vienna, and get them to have you included in the first batch of exchanges."
an officer was told off to accompany fergus, and a horse was found for him. on the second evening after starting he rejoined the convoy of prisoners; where a message, delivered from general lacy to the officer in charge, caused many small indulgences to be granted to him on the way south.
day after day the convoy pursued its way, by short marches, for several of the officers were too severely wounded to travel far. several of these were left at prague. here the greater portion of the others were taken on by the southern road through budweis, the rest turning southeast towards moravia.
on the evening before they separated, the commander of the convoy said to fergus:
"have you any wish to choose as to which of the fortresses you would be sent to? i can put your name down with either party. some will go to iglau in moravia, the rest to the forts round linz."
"i think i would rather go to linz, colonel, as you are good enough to give me the choice."
accordingly, the next morning fergus, with twenty officers, continued his way south. the majority proceeded to iglau, to be distributed among the various fortresses of moravia.
fergus was much pleased that he had not been sent with that party, for had he by chance been taken to his former place of imprisonment, he would certainly have been recognized, and the strictest precautions taken against his repeating the attempt. on their arrival at linz, the prisoners were formally handed over to the charge of the governor, and distributed among the various outlying forts round the city. ten others were told off to the same prison as fergus.
the fort was the one nearest to the river, on the west side of the city; and stood but a hundred yards from the bank, its guns being intended to prevent any passage of the danube, as well as to guard the city against a land attack from that side. it was a strong place but, as it was situated in a flat country, it presented no natural obstacle to an escape. it was surrounded by a broad moat, fed by a cut from the river. on the other side of the moat were two small redoubts, facing west. the fort contained ample barracks for the garrison of three hundred men who occupied it, with bomb proofs in which they could take refuge, in the event of a siege. beyond the moat, a glacis sloped down to another ditch.
the cannon were placed in casemates. some of them had been withdrawn, the casemates fitted with massive shutters, and converted into prisons for the use of officers. two captains were lodged in the same casemate with fergus. no light came from without, but there was a low semicircular window over the door. this was very strongly barred, but admitted sufficient light, in the daytime.
"not such bad quarters," fergus said, as he looked round. "when the cold weather comes, we shall only have to stuff straw through those bars, leaving one square open for light, and manage to hang a thick curtain across it at night. i suppose they will give us a brazier of charcoal, when it gets a little colder; though indeed, it is cold enough now."
"at any rate, we shall have a rest, major; and that will be a treat, after our long marches during the last campaign. i should think that we can sleep the best part of the winter away."
"they fasten the shutters pretty securely," fergus went on. "they are three inches of solid oak, and you see these bars are all riveted at each end. i suppose they think that they would have plenty of time to cut the rivet heads off, before any army could approach."
in a short time the officer in command of the force came round. he was very civil and courteous, and said that he had already ordered a stove to be sent in, and that they should have some straw laid over the floor.
"you will be permitted to take exercise, when you like, upon the rampart overhead," he said. "any reasonable request you make shall be attended to. i regret that the misfortune of war should have placed you in my keeping; for we austrians can appreciate bravery, and we cannot but admit that no braver men are to be found than those in the king of prussia's army.
"as to your rations, they must be plain. a certain sum is allowed by government for the cost of each prisoner. i make it go as far as i can, but i often wish that the sum were larger. i may say that you are permitted to order any additions to your food from without, upon payment; but i need hardly add that the orders must pass through the hands of the officer in charge of you, and that everything brought in is rigidly inspected."
"have there been any exchanges of prisoners, of late?" one of fergus's companions asked.
"no. it is a compliment to you, gentlemen, for our government apparently places a higher value on you than on us, and is very chary of swelling frederick's armies by the release of prisoners. somehow your king seems to make double use of his soldiers. he fights a battle here, then rushes away to meet another enemy, two or three hundred miles off; while when we get an advantage, we seem so satisfied with ourselves that we sit still until we have let its advantages slip from our hands."
"may i ask if, by the last news, marshal daun is still near hochkirch?"
"he was so, as far as the yesterday's courier brought news. at first we thought that he had won a tremendous victory, and had eaten up frederick's army; but the later news is that the king marched safely away, and so far from being demolished he is now perfectly master of his movements; and ready, no doubt, for another tussle, if we should advance. however, i should imagine that the snow will soon put a stop to active operations."
then, bowing courteously, he left them, to pay a visit to the prisoners in the next casemate.
