The colonel stormed, Rakoczy begged and prayed, taunted them with cowardice, mocked at their fears, and called them frightened children--all in vain; forward they would not go.
The general himself tried, and failed to put heart into them. Then he whispered something to Stephen, who, with a smile, turned and disappeared.
Suddenly there came a shout from the rear, feeble at first, but rapidly increasing in volume.
"Push on! Quick! Quick! The Austrians are on us! The enemy! The enemy!"
The greater danger swallowed up the less. The very dullest recruit could understand what would happen if the Austrians attacked us in that horrible defile, and in a short time we were boldly striding through the torrent. Those who would have lagged behind were dragged on by their companions; and so, fighting, pushing, struggling, shouting, we won our way bit by bit till we had safely passed the most dangerous places.
However, the Austrians did not put in an appearance; and when I asked Rakoczy what had become of them, he laughed gaily.
"Gone back to where they came from, most likely!" he said.
"Where's that?"
"Görgei's brain."
"What? Was it simply a trick?"