Now we had a taste of the reception our advanced guard had met with earlier in the day, and understood how it was they failed to hold their ground.
Görgei quickly made up his mind what to do.
We saw him speak to his staff, and two officers darted off, one towards us, one towards the rear.
Our messenger was Stephen, his face flushed, his eyes glowing with excitement.
He dashed up to the colonel, saluted, pointed with his sword, delivered his message, threw me a kindly look in passing, and was gone.
Rakoczy lost not a moment, but, pointing to the battery, exclaimed quietly, "My lads, the general says we are to take that battery; the sooner we reach it the better."
The men cheered in reply; but many a lip twitched nervously, and more than one face paled, for the colonel's words were a message of death.
The colonel knew it too; and, as we started, he gave my hand a slight pressure as in token of farewell. But his voice was firm, his face full of quiet confidence, his glance proud and smiling. The sacrifice was for his country: let it be made.
Then away we went, and at the same moment the veterans from Damjanic's division started for the second battery.
Unfortunately, there was little cover on our route; and, as the colonel had said, our best plan was to reach the sandhill where the battery was posted in the shortest possible time.