The Hussar Author:George Robert Gleig Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: time was afforded for such a display. The volley pealed out; the dog bounded on his hind legs, and barked aloud; but his new master held him tight. He was led of... more »f the ground, vainly resisting, and I cannot tell what became of him afterwards. CHAPTER III. I visit England, and see something of other lands. We returned to our camp on the evening of that day, very much down-hearted; for the spectacle which we had witnessed was a melancholy one, and our hopes concerning the future were far from bright. To be sure, Baron Charles was kind and considerate towards us; and his assurance that we should winter on the Elbe had the effect of throwing our fears a good deal into the distance. But the passage of a few days sufficed to renew again, to their utmost pitch, the apprehensions under which we laboured. There came an order, we knew not whence, to inspect the horses, and to cast such as might be unfit for service ; and the severity of the weather had of late Bo affected them, that a considerable proportion out of the whole number were condemned. Immediately a suspicion arose that we were all to be dismounted ; and when, in addition to this, we received orders to march for Staden, to a man we concluded that we should thenceforth act as inftntry on board the English fleet. Not often has a regiment of German hussars executed a movement in worse order than that which marked the progress of our journey from the heath of Schwarm to Staden. In spite of a strong rear-guard, and all the vigilance of the officers, many deserted by the way; and many more, when brought into the town, got drunk, and broke out into mutiny. I do not know that any lives were lost, though even that is possible, for swords were drawn and blows struck without regard to consequences. Nevertheless, after a good deal o...« less