"We can swim if needful," said Landesberg, calmly. "They shall rest ten minutes, then I will go first."
Colonel de Vaux's brigade stood at some little distance, close to the village of Merxleben; the Cambridge dragoons were halted near the banks of the Unstrut. The officers looked anxiously at the movements of the troops, who were retiring on the two wings, the centre keeping up an energetic artillery fire.
"We have crossed the Unstrut," exclaimed von Wendenstein; "it is really scandalous--where will this retreat end? We shall go back and back, until we march into the jaws of the enemy coming down upon us from the north, and then--"
"Then at last we shall capitulate," said von Stolzenberg, bitterly; "this kind of war can have no other end."
Lieutenant-Colonel Kielmansegge trotted quickly up to the troop in which the young officers rode.
"Look there, gentlemen," he cried, and pointed to the river bank at some distance along the plain. "What is that?--active firing is going on there."
"They are exchanging shots as they retreat--the Knesebeck Brigade it must be," said von Wendenstein.
"We shall soon have the enemy on our flank," said Stolzenberg; and both the officers took their glasses and looked in the direction in which Count Kielmansegge was still gazing attentively.
"It is the guards," said von Stolzenberg, "and actually they are not retreating, they have made a stand on the bank!"
"The enemy's sharpshooters are retreating!" exclaimed Wendenstein joyfully.