The colonel looked earnestly for a moment through his glass.
"It is certainly the enemy!" he cried, "and see! there is a battery being posted upon yonder hill. All outposts to fall back on their squadrons!" cried he to his staff, who galloped off immediately.
Stolzenberg recalled his vedettes.
"And what will the regiment do, if I may be allowed to ask?" he said, turning to his colonel.
"Slowly retire, whilst skirmishing with the enemy, such is the order," he replied, sighing and shrugging his shoulders; and he hastened back to the village to which the other outposts had already withdrawn.
"Retire, always retire!" cried Wendenstein, passionately. "Well! some time or other they will reckon on these tactics without the troops!"
There was a sudden flash from the hill, followed by an explosion, and a cannon ball splintered the bar of the toll-house on the high road.
"The overture begins!" cried Stolzenberg; and with his few men he trotted quickly back to the village.
This was the shot they heard at head-quarters in Thamsbrück.
The regiment withdrew, constantly skirmishing with the enemy, and fell back slowly upon Langensalza.