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.
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