“This looks serious,” Dillon said, as the allies fell back.  “The enemy are two to our one, and they have got all the advantage of position.”

“There is the duke,” Rupert exclaimed, “reforming them.  There they go again, and he is leading them himself.  What a terrible fire!  Look how the officers of the staff are dropping!  Oh, if the duke should himself be hit!  See, the infantry are slackening their advance in spite of the shouts of their officers.  They are wavering!  Oh, how dreadful; here they come back again.”

“The duke is going to try again, Rupert.  See how he is waving his hand and exhorting the men to a fresh attack.

“That’s right, lads, that’s right.

“They have formed again; there they go.”

Again the troops wavered and broke under the terrible rain of bullets; and this time the Bavarians in great force leapt from their entrenchments, and pounced down upon the broken line.

“Prepare to charge!” shouted General Lumley, who commanded the cavalry.  “Forward, trot, gallop, charge!”

With a cheer the cavalry, chafed at their long inaction while their comrades were suffering so terribly, dashed forward, and threw themselves furiously upon the Bavarians, driving them headlong back to their lines, and then falling back under a tremendous fire, which rolled over men and horses in numbers.

At this moment a cheer broke from the dispirited infantry, as the heads of the three regiments of Imperial grenadiers, led by the Prince of Baden, arrived on the ground.  These, without halting, moved forward towards the extreme left of the enemy’s position—­which had been left to some extent unguarded, many of the troops having been called off to repulse Marlborough’s attack—­pushed back two battalions of French infantry, and entered the works.

General D’Arco, the French commanding officer, withdrew some of his men from the centre to hold the Prince of Baden in check; and Marlborough profited by the confusion so caused to endeavour, for the fourth time, to carry the hill.  His force was however, now fearfully weakened; and General Lumley, after conferring with him for a moment, rode back to the cavalry.

“The 5th dragoons will dismount and join the infantry,” he said.

In a moment every soldier was on his feet; and five minutes later the regiment, marching side by side with the infantry, advanced up the hill.

This time the assault was successful.  The enemy, confused by the fact that the allies had already forced their line on the left, wavered.  Their fire was wild and ineffectual; and with a tremendous cheer the allies scaled the height and burst into the works.  Close behind them General Lumley led his cavalry, who made their way through the gaps in the entrenchments, and fell upon the fugitives with dreadful slaughter.  The French and Bavarians fled to a bridge across the Danube below Donauwoerth, which, choked by their weight, gave way, and great numbers were drowned.  The rest retreated through Donauwoerth, their rear being gallantly covered by General D’Arco, with a small body of troops who held together.  Sixteen guns and thirteen standards fell into the victors’ hands.