CHAPTER LV.
It was toward nine o'clock in the evening when Prince Adelsberg left his quarters to go to the Commanding General. He was not obeying an official order, but an invitation, for the General had been close friends with his father, and had shown paternal attention to the son all during the campaign.
Egon would have given much to have been permitted to remain at home to-night, for the encounter with Hartmut had shaken him to the inmost heart, but the invitation of the superior could not be disregarded, and one could not follow one's inclinations in war-time.
An adjutant met the Prince upon the stairs, seeming to be in the greatest haste, and only dropping a hint of bad news, which Prince Adelsberg would probably hear from the General. Egon mounted the stairs shaking his head.
The General was alone, pacing the room in apparent excitement and with a face which boded no good.
"Good evening, Prince Adelsberg," he said, pausing in his walk at the entrance of the young officer. "I am sorry I cannot promise you a pleasant evening, but we have received news which will probably ruin every pleasure of being together."
"I just heard a hint about it," replied Egon; "but what has happened, Your Excellency? The dispatches of to-day noon sounded favorable."
"I have had this news but an hour. You yourself delivered the suspicious man who had been seized by our outposts to headquarters. Do you know what he had with him?"
"Yes, for Captain Salfeld sent the papers with the prisoner. I was also of the opinion that he was to complete the information verbally, as they had been carefully prepared. They had apparently counted upon the possibility of the man's falling into our hands. He would not confess anything, but I knew he would be examined closely here."
"Which has been done. The man was a coward, and when he saw the bullet threatening him he saved himself by a confession, the truth of which cannot be doubted. You remember that in one of the papers it was mentioned that one could in an extreme case follow the heroic example of the commander of R----?"
"Yes, that is incomprehensible, as the fortress is on the eve of surrender. General Falkenried sent word that he hopes to move in by to-morrow."
"And I fear he will make his word good," cried the General. Egon looked at him in amazement.
"You fear, Excellency?"
"Yes, for there is a scoundrelly scheme--a betrayal without example. They mean to surrender the fortress, and when their garrison has withdrawn to a safe distance, and our army has moved in, they intend to blow the citadel to atoms."
"For God's sake!" shrieked the Prince in horror. "Cannot General Falkenried be notified?"
"That is the question. I fear that it will not be possible. I have sent out warnings upon two different routes, but our direct connection with R---- is cut off; the enemy has the mountain passes in possession; the messengers will have to make a wide circuit and cannot arrive there in time."
Egon was silent in deepest consternation. The passes were, indeed, occupied by the hostile forces. Eschenhagen's regiment had been sent to clear the way, but that might take several days.
"We have considered all possibilities," continued the General, "but there is no way out of it--nothing but a slight hope that the surrender has been delayed in some way; but Falkenried is not the man to allow himself to be kept waiting. He will hasten the finale and then he is lost with perhaps thousands with him."
He resumed his walk through the room. One could see how the fate of his endangered comrades went to the heart of this iron man.
The Prince, too, stood helpless, but suddenly a thought flashed upon him. He drew himself up.
"Your Excellency."
"Well?"
"If it should be possible to send a dispatch over the passes, a good horseman might possibly get to R---- by to-morrow morning. Of course, he would have to ride for life and death----"
"And through the midst of the enemy--nonsense! You are a soldier and must tell yourself that it is impossible. The foolhardy rider would not get half a mile--he would be shot down."
"But if a man could be found who would be willing to make the attempt in spite of everything? I know such a man, Your Excellency."
The General frowned angrily.
"Does that mean that you wish to offer yourself for this useless sacrifice? I would have to prohibit that, Prince Adelsberg. I know how to value the courage of my officers, but I shall not give them permission for such impossible enterprises."
"I do not speak of myself," said Egon earnestly. "The man of whom I am thinking belongs to the Seventh Regiment, and is at present upon sentinel duty on the Capellenberg. It was he who reported the prisoner."
The General had grown thoughtful, but he shook his head incredulously.
"I say it is impossible; but what is this man's name?"
"Joseph Tanner."
"Private?"
"Yes, he entered voluntarily."
"You know him, then?"
"Yes, Your Excellency; he is perhaps the best rider in the whole army; dauntless to foolhardiness, and capable to act in such a case with the circumspection of an officer. If the thing can possibly be done, he will do it."
"And you believe--such a thing cannot be commanded--it is, indeed, an act of despair--you believe that the man would take this message of his own free will?"
"I stand for it."
"Then, indeed, I cannot nor dare not say no where so much is at stake. I will order Tanner up immediately."
"May I not take the order to him?" Egon quickly interrupted.
The General stopped and looked at him searchingly.
"You wish to do it yourself--why?"
"To save time; the road which Tanner has to take leads by the Capellenberg; an hour would pass before he could get to headquarters and back."
Nothing could be said against that, but the General seemed to feel that something important was hidden beneath this. An ordinary private would hardly undertake such peril, which drove him almost into death's embrace, but the old warrior did not inquire further. He only asked:
"Do you stand for the man?"
"Yes," returned the Prince, firmly and calmly.
"Very well; then you can inform him yourself. But one thing more--he must have statements for the outposts on the other side, if indeed he reaches it, for every detention may prove fatal where moments count."
He stepped to his desk and wrote a few lines upon a paper, which he handed to the Prince.
"Here is the necessary passport, and here the dispatch to Falkenried. Will you bring me immediate news whether or not Tanner consents to go?"
"Instantly, Your Excellency."
Egon received the papers, took his leave, and hastened to his quarters, where he ordered his horse saddled at once. Five minutes later saw him on his way.