side. After a desperate struggle, the Free-. landers were obliged to give way before immense superiority of force. Frederic, with the greatest difficulty, made his escape, wisely, conceiving that as a general is the head and soul of an army, it was policy in him to take care of the general, whatever became of the army. Only two officers had kept close to him, and as they were cut off from a junction with the main body, they rode towards a small village, which they expected to have found occupied by friends. They galloped into the interior, when, on turning one of the streets rather sharply, they discovered it to be in the hands of the enemy, who at first fled, supposing that they headed a body of troops. Soon recovering from their error, they rallied and pursued the general and his two aids-de-camp, who fled they knew not whither, but unfortunately towards a river. The swiftness of their horses gave them considerable advantage in speed; but they were in momentary danger of being overtaken by the messengers of death which the pursuers sent after them. On reaching the bank of the river, the general's horse discovered, that he was no friend in need, as he made much ceremony of entering the water, notwithstanding the pressure of the occasion. The pursuers were drawing nearer every moment, and making discharges to bring them down with as much glee as a sportsman would aim at a covey of partridges. Frederic, after finding that coaxing, stroaking the mane and shoulders, were unavailing, applied the argument of the spur. The horse would approach the edge of the bank, stretch out its neck, as if viewing its reflection in the glassy stream, and there remain as still as a first-rate beauty admiring herself in her mirror. Frederic urged the heel argument with more force; but the sorry beast would only move to the right or the left; or, smarting with pain, turn round and gallop towards the pursuers, as if through revenge. Being brought round by force of the rein, and again driven to the edge of the water, - Frederic applied the additional argument of the flat of his sword, whilst the two aids-de-camp Y posted themselves in the rear to prevent any retrograde motion, and belaboured its crupper to urge its advance. But whether the horse had imbibed disloyal and democratical principles by feeding on the soil, or breathing the air, or by instinctive conference with its brethren of the other side of the question, it maintained its point with inflexible obstinacy, as if it had been able to divine that the pursuers would soon decide the contest in its favour. After a most undaunted resistance of one to three, fortune declared in favour of the weakest side by the death of one of the aids-de-camp, whom the pursuers brought to the ground. There was no time for further argument. Frederic jumpt off the unruly beast with all the agility of a professed vaulter, and whether he had too much generosity to run his sword into the traitor, or the pressure of the moment made him forget to inflict so well merited a punishment, he only bid the devil take it, and then plunged into the water like a wounded Greenland bear flying from its pursuers. He reached the opposite side uninjured, notwithstanding all the malice of his enemies, and without any other inconvenience than a wet jacket, and the loss of a laurel bough, which he usually wore in his hat, for we know not what reason. He had not fled far on foot before he met a ledhorse belonging to one of his colonels, which he mounted, and hastened to a place of safety. This fortunate escape proves that swimming may be ranked among the accomplishments of the exalted character of a general; and it forms as memorable an epocha in our hero's life, as was the passage of the Granicus in Alexander's; only it is of a different stamp. As for the accursed, deceitful, treacherous steed, we have never heard what became of it; but we hope it furnished a meal to the dogs or wolves. It was as full of mischief as the Grecian horse presented to the Trojans. It has been said that our hero, to punish this instance of degeneracy in the noble horse, promoted the use of plebeian donkies. Many kings have been obliged to resort to a similar method of humbling the overbearing pride of their nobles; in these days, our nobles are terrible to no one; even a theatrical clown will not scruple to knock one of them down at a masquerade. K CHAPTER X. "Dost thou not know the fate of soldiers? Southern. THE Gulls now thought themselves irresistible, not so much for their late victory, as from the decrease and discouragement of the enemy, whilst they could replace their slain with fresh multitudes at every moment. To improve their success, they attacked the allies four days afterwards, but were defeated with greater loss than what the enemy had suffered in the last engagement. Now, if at any time, it appeared that the allies might have decided the campaign; but the Lord of the Gormands thought proper |