"Ask Stephen when you get a chance; he ought to know."
"And I've been expecting every minute to see the blaze of their guns from the heights!"
"Wait till we get nearer the summit; that's where the real danger lies. The Austrian Schlick is coming down post-haste from Galicia, and he's a tough fighter."
Three days after this conversation the truth of these words was brought home to us in a very striking manner.
Görgei, who, as usual, was in advance, had sent forward his scouts. A few light guns, which by incredible labour had been dragged up the defiles, came next, and were followed by the 9th Honved regiment.
Several other regiments followed at intervals, while the others were ascending by different routes, keeping in touch, however, with the main body, and all converging on one pass, which it was hoped the Austrians had not seized.
Unfortunately, Schlick had been too quick for us, and the scouts returned with the information that the mouth of the pass was blocked by huge boulders, behind which a formidable body of troops with heavy guns was stationed.
The regiment halted; Görgei went to reconnoitre, and at once the artillery were ordered to advance, with the 9th in support. The men were weary and footsore, half-starved, numbed with cold, depressed by this everlasting retreat, and I doubted very much if they were equal to the work in front of them.
Suddenly the great guns thundered out, and our own replied; the unequal artillery duel had begun.
We moved up steadily, and the sharpshooters, running forward and getting whatever cover they could, picked off the Austrian gunners.