Page:Adventures of Baron Wenceslas Wratislaw of Mitrowitz (1862).djvu/259

 informed him that the janissary, who had been our escort, was on the other side with a dragoman, and requested that they might be sent for, as they had letters to deliver to the governor. This was done, and they were entertained in the town, where we, too, remained for the night.

In the morning we went in a boat to Gran, and saw sick and dead soldiers lying everywhere on the bank of the Danube. They stretched out their hands to us, some of them being half dead,—and besought us, for God’s sake, to take them to Gran. In fact we did take three, but two of them died on the way, and the third we conveyed to the camp. When we disembarked in the night, in the neighbourhood of Gran, we came to a picquet of the regiment of Swabia, and, after declaring who and whence we were, were compelled to wait several hours on the spot, till the officer of the watch came to us with soldiers and torches, welcomed us, and took us into the camp. In the morning, Maximilian, archduke of Austria, was pleased to send for us to come to him in the castle, where he questioned us about various matters, especially about the Sultan, inquiring whether he was marching to Erlau in person. About this the archduke knew nothing whatever, and we were very much surprised that the Christians possessed such poor intelligence. After relating him everything in a fitting manner, we gave him correct information about the strength of the Turkish forces, at which his grace was much surprised, and was greatly vexed at having been so erroneously informed. He, therefore, immediately gave orders to sound an alarm, intending to march straight to Erlau. But our people marched without at-