and descended without hurt or obstacle from the lofty tower. But though he succeeded in getting out of the tower, he was as far as ever from being free; there was one circumstance he had forgotten to take into account. Between the citadel and the town there were moats, which were full of tenacious mud. In one of these the unlucky captive stuck fast to above his knees, and notwithstanding long and unavailing efforts, he was unable to extricate himself. He was ultimately compelled to call a sentinel, and desire him to inform the governor that his prisoner was in the moat. sions were excited almost to frenzy by a gross insult which he received from one of the majors of the garrison, who came to examine his cell, and had the heartlessness to talk of the crimes the prisoner had committed, and even to designate him as a traitor to his country. This was too much to be borne. Trenck snatched the sword from the major's side, knocked the sentinel at the door down-stairs, fell upon the troops which were relieving guard, four of whom he wounded, made his way through the rest, and reached the rampart, over which he sprang, sword in hand. Though, from the great height Fouquet, the governor, hated which he leaped, the probability the very name of Trenck. He was that he would be killed or had been wounded in a duel by crippled, he alighted unhurt. Trenck's father, and had been With equal success and daring plundered of his baggage by the he made a spring from a second Austrian commander of Pan- rampart. A sentinel in a nardours, and he was only too glad row passage endeavoured to to vent his spleen upon a mem- stop him, but the fugitive parber of the family. He left his ried the bayonet thrust, wounded unfortunate prisoner half suffo- his assailant in the face, and cated in the filth till noon, ex-hurried onward. To recover posed to the laughter of the soldiers; and he would not suffer him to be cleansed from the mud till the day following. The impulsive captive was stung to the quick by the disappointment and indignity which he had undergone; the wildest and gloomiest thoughts passed through his mind, his nights were sleepless, his days were miserable. About a week after his recapture, and while he was in this irritable state, his pas his liberty he had only to clear the palisades; that being accomplished, he might easily gain the mountains, where he would be safe. But at this moment his good fortune deserted him. A second sentinel rushed from one of the outworks to seize him. Trenck tried to bound over the last barrier; but his attention being distracted by his pursuer, he leapt short, and his foot caught in the palisades. He was now at the mercy of the sentinels, who wounded him in the lip, beat him with the butt - end of their muskets, and dragged him back to the citadel. to worked on a large scale. Out of 125 privates who composed the garrison he contrived to corrupt thirty-two, and also one of their officers, a Lieutenant Nicholai. His plan was break out of the citadel in a body, and then take refuge in Bohemia, near the frontier of which province the fortress of Glatz is situated. It was betrayed to the governor by an Austrian deserter, who had imprudently been invited to join it. The result of this daring sally was highly calamitous to Trenck. He was placed in the most rigid confinement, two sentinels and a non-commissioned officer were posted in his room, while others watched outside. Bodily pain was added to his other annoyances, for he spat blood, his right ankle was sprained, and the wounds and bruises which he received from his captors were so severe, that a month elapsed before they were healed. This, however, was not the worst evil to which his rashness gave birth. He now for the first time learned that the king had intended to confine him for only twelve months, and consequently that, had he remained passive, the term of imprison-molish the iron door of the ment would have expired in three weeks. It was now impossible to say whether it would ever terminate till the grave was ready to receive him. Far from depressing the spirit of Trenck, the knowledge that he must depend solely upon himself for the recovery of his freedom only stimulated him to more vigorous exertion. He still had plenty of money, and there was plenty of discontent and want of principle among the officers and soldiers of the garrison, and he did not despair of valuable auxiliaries available for his purpose. This time he Nicholai was fortunate enough to obtain information that he was about to be arrested, and he acted upon it with a promptitude and intrepidity that saved him. He collected as many of his confederates as were at hand, and with a fidelity which the circumstances rendered doubly honourable, he tried to liberate Trenck; but it was found impossible to de prison, without spending so much time that the whole of the band must inevitably be captured. He was therefore under the necessity of abandoning Trenck to his fate, and at the head of thirty men he succeeded in effecting his retreat to Bohemian territory. This attempt brought on Trenck a prosecution for conspiring to seduce the troops, and he was imperiously commanded to name the remaining culprits. Trenck, however, was not to be daunted; he refused to name any one, declared that he had been unjustly cashiered and imprisoned, and insisted upon his right to regain the liberty of which he had been wrongfully deprived. The prosecution was relinquished, perhaps from want of sufficient evidence; but the offender was strictly watched. There was now a formidable obstacle, which had not hitherto existed, to his escaping: his stock of money was exhausted. This would have been of no consequence, had not at the same time his supplies been cut off. Gloomy as his prospects apparently were, Trenck was nearer than he had ever been to the consummation of his wishes. It was in a most singular manner that he gained effective aid. Bach, one of the garrison officers, was so proud of his swordsmanship, that he deemed himself without an equal. Trenck chanced in conversation to express a doubt whether he could not cope with him. A challenge ensued from the boaster, and he was foiled and wounded in the contest. Instead of his defeat inspiring him with revengeful feelings, it filled him with such enthusiastic admiration of his victor, that he solemnly vowed to be the instrument of setting him at liberty. Bach was of opinion that Trenck could not escape without the officer on guard deserting with him, and he stated that his principles would not allow him to play the deserter while on duty; but he pledged his honour that in the course of a few days he would find a person who would be less scrupulous. He kept his word. The person whom he introduced to Trenck was Lieutenant Schell, a man of much talent and knowledge, much eccentricity, and several good qualities, who had been ill-used by his superior officers, and was, moreover, largely in debt. Schell readily swore to aid and accompany the captive, and Bach was despatched to Schweitnitz to procure money from one of Trenck's friends. An unforeseen event precipitated the execution of the plan before the time appointed, and while both parties were unprovided with the means to subsist and travel in a foreign land. Having heard of Trenck's familiarity with the officers, the governor forbade them to hold any intercourse with him, on pain of being cashiered; and he ordered that the prisoner's food should be given to him through a small window, which was made for the purpose. The prohibition was disregarded; the officers procured a key, and spent all their leisure with the captive. Matters were suddenly brought to a crisis on the 24th of December. While he was at dinner in the town, the governor was informed that Schell was in Trenck's cell, and he immediately gave orders to his adjutant to put him under arrest for his disobedience. A friend of Schell, who overheard the order given, and supposed the plot to have been betrayed, hurried to the citadel, and warned him of his danger. Perilous as his position seemed to be, Schell was too much a man of honour to abandon the prisoner without making an effort to save him. He entered the prison, drew a corporal's sabre from under his coat, and said, 'My friend, we are betrayed; follow me; only do not suffer me to fall alive into the hands of my enemies.' Trenck followed him in such haste that he had not time to think of taking with him six pistoles, which was all the money he possessed. They had not gone a hundred paces before they met the adjutant and an officer, who was coming to put Schell | under arrest. At sight of them Schell sprang upon the rampart, leaped from the wall, and was quickly followed by Trenck. The distance to the ground was not great, and Trenck was very slightly hurt; but Schell was so unfortunate as to dislocate his ankle. Shuddering at the thought of being taken, he earnestly begged that his friend would despatch him. Possessed of more than common strength, Trenck did not despair of rescuing his comrade, who was a small, weak man. He lifted him over the palisades, took him upon his back, and began to run with all his might. There were several circumstances in favour of the fugitives. No one would venture his neck in leaping after them, and therefore their pursuers must go round the citadel and through the town before they could fairly enter on the chase. The sun, too, was just setting, and darkness would soon conceal their track. They had not gone more than a hundred yards ere the alarm-guns were fired, to summon the peasants and hussars to guard all the passes, and intercept deserters. This was an alarming sound, their being a general belief that escape was impossible when a runaway had not by full two hours the start of the signal. They soon heard the alarm sounding in the frontier villages, and the peasants everywhere in motion to cut off their retreat. In this emergency, Trenck's presence of mind did not desert him. They had been seen making for the Bohemian border, and on that side egress, and even progress, was become impossible; but on the Silesian side of the river Neisse no one would think of looking for them. To that quarter Trenck directed his flight. Partly wading, partly swimming, with his friend clinging to him, he contrived to cross the river, which was slightly frozen. Their course was continued up the bank, till they had left behind them the villages which formed what was called 'the line of desertion,' and then, having luckily found a fisherman's boat moored to the shore, they |