about the repair of the ruined walls under the cannon of which the dead were buried friend and foe being laid side by side a hundred in every grave i c of john xi though still suffering from his wound was ordered to prepare for another duty � the of home who with a strong column of cavalry had blocked up a town on the eastern bank of the where colonel the count commanded five thousand imperial and twelve troops of horse leaving major general at and sir john to command the army selected three thousand two hundred eight hundred of horse and twelve pieces of cannon to be commanded by a famous colonel was so weak that he could scarcely sit on his horse and was compelled to ride slowly but he and these troops at grey daybreak on the th of april and saw that they were well furnished with and matches and he chose lieutenant colonel as his second and having reported to the king that all were in fighting order on as guide a blacksmith who had formerly resided in the command was given to march after a long and route of more than forty miles in two days they halted before having on the march an attack of the bold and hardy these irregular troops were usually ordered on every desperate service as their mode of fighting resembled that of the ferocious they wore short and of steel long white breeches and fur caps their arms were long with barrels and � plunder was their only pay and sole to war leading on the advanced guard them and their colonel they retreated towards in a wild mob keeping up an incessant fire and breaking down or blowing up all the bridges � a measure which the march of the troops and the of their cannon situated on the had long been famous for the manufacture of iron and had twice failed in his attempts to take it three years had l een spent by the imperial in it and all the for ten miles around had been forced into their service as and to it had long been a barrier as it secured the mark and formed the key to sir john took up a position on one side of the town with his column of while home had already occupied the other with his of sir john a strong or fortified with cannon and having a or wet ditch through which ran a rapid stream lay in front of the town the principal approach and before this lieutenant colonel ran his and got his troops with the loss of six men only by daybreak next morning this active had the twelve pieces of cannon mounted on a high platform from which they battered the but so thick was the bank and so solid its face of that who had passed the night at a neighbouring village was again compelled to have recourse to the blacksmith who to point out a private entrance if a floating bridge was constructed to cross the water which then covered all a deep that defended the town and the or in front of it lieutenant and the former with two hundred and fifty the latter with two hundred and fifty at nightfall crossed this dangerous place by a hastily constructed floating bridge which formed an uncertain and unsteady path that sunk and rose alternately among the water of the swamp and the heavier ranks of the mail clad made it and sink among the mud and water more deeply than the measured tread of the but under the blacksmith s guidance without losing a man the first column reached the skirts of the town in safety followed with the second which consisted of a thousand select as the king depended most on him all was still and silent in the dark streets of the town which bordered close on the swamp but the gleam of arms and the moving of a gloomy column of troops was soon visible bj the dim and with his fell briskly on them they proved to be three hundred about to make a sally imder the young colonel son of the governor a short but desperate conflict ensued cut off the and killed their leader losing only thirty of his own men who fell by the first fire hurrying on when he heard the din of this contest and saw the flashing of the that the darkened marched between the town and the which he thus assailed in rear and in three minutes making all within it prisoners these with their officers in the true spirit immediately offered to take service under � an offer which accepted in the name of his sudden capture of the on one side with the approaches of home on the other compelled the old count of to send a to to beg for terms his eyes were bound up with a and he was conducted to who required an immediate of the town at the same time he thanked and for their good service with large promises of reward and to colonel also for taking in of the at eight o clock next morning the count of leaving his gallant son lying shot in the streets behind him at the head of his soldiers marched out with the honours of war having all their baggage with them and life of c of john four field pieces with four balls and charges of powder for each they crossed the with all their drums beating and colours displayed the white standard with the black eagle on their march to great in and such was the state of morality among the that with this small garrison there came forth no less than two thousand female camp followers thus the was a goodly and a strong most given by a company of next day sunday sir john and ah the officers had 