Page:Surprising adventures and sufferings of Frederick Baron Trenck.pdf/14

14 his Majesty immediately made me a present of a beautiful English race-horse. A few days after, I was astonished to see my groom come back, with my two horses and a trumpet from the enemy; who brought a note, in nearly these terms:

‘The Austrian Trenck is not at war with the Prussian Trenck, his cousin. On the contrary, he is very happy to have it in his power to send him back his horses, which he has recovered from the hands of his Hussars.’

That day I waited on the King, and was very cooly received. 'Since your cousin, said he, has sent you back your horses, you have no longer any occasion for mine.’

We marched into Silesia to begin the second campaign, which was to us as destructive as glorious to Prince Charles, instead of waiting for us in Bohemia, imprudently advanced and posted himself in the Plain of Strigan.

Our army was drawn in haste, from its cantonments in the neighbourhood of Kamenz, and in twenty four hours was in order of battle. The 14th of June eighteen thousand dead bodies covered the plain of Strigan; and the imperial army, and that of Saxony, its ally, were totally defeated.

The Life Guards were on the right: before the attack, the King said to our squadron, ‘ Now my friends prove that you are my Guards, and spare no Saxon!’ Three times we changed the Cavalry, and the infantry twice. We alone took seven standards and five colours, and in less than an hour all was over.

I received a pistol shot in the right hand; my