“Quick, lads!” he said; “stamp your legs and swing your arms, and get the blood in motion.  I will keep these fellows at bay a few minutes longer.”

He reloaded his pistols and fired through the door, at which the peasants were now hewing with axes.  A cry and a heavy fall told him that one of the shots had taken effect.  Suddenly there was a smell of smoke.

“They have fired the roof,” Malcolm said.  “Now, lads, each of you put a loaf of bread under his jerkin.  There is no saying when we may get more.  Now get ready and sally out with me.  There are but six or eight men in the village, and they are no match for us.  They only dared to attack us because they saw that you couldn’t walk.”

The door was opened, and headed by Malcolm the four Scotchmen dashed out.  They were assailed by a shower of missiles by the crowd as they appeared, but as soon as it was seen that the men were on foot again the peasants gave way.  Malcolm shot one and cut down another, and the rest scattered in all directions.

“Now, lads, follow me while we may,” and Malcolm again took to the fields.  The peasants followed for some distance, but when the soldiers had quite recovered the use of their limbs Malcolm suddenly turned on his pursuers, overtaking and killing two of them.  Then he and his men again continued their journey, the peasants no longer following.  When at some distance from the village he said: 

“We must turn and make for the Lech again.  It is no farther than it is to Ingolstadt, and we shall find friends there.  These peasants will go on ahead and raise all the villagers against us, and we should never get through.  What regiment do you belong to, lads?” for in the darkness he had been unable to see their faces.

“Your own, Captain Graheme.  We were in charge of one of the wagons with sick.  The wheel came off, and we were left behind the convoy while we were mending it.  As we were at work, our weapons laid on the ground, some twenty men sprang out from some bushes hard by and fell upon us.  We killed five or six of them, but were beaten down and ten of our number were slain.  They murdered all the sick in the wagons and marched us away, bound, to this village where you found us.  Sandy McAlister they had murdered just as you came up, and we should have had a like horrible fate had you been a few minutes later.  Eh, sir! but it’s an awful death to be cut in pieces by these devils incarnate!”

“Well, lads,” Malcolm said, “we will determine that they shall not take us alive again.  If we are overtaken or met by any of these gangs of peasants we will fight till we die.  None of us, I hope, are afraid of death in fair strife, but the bravest might well shrink from such a death as that of your poor comrade.  Now let us see what arms we have between us.”

Malcolm had his sword and pistols, two of the men had pikes, the other two scythes fastened to long handles.