Page:Surprising adventures and sufferings of Frederick Baron Trenck.pdf/17

17 I sent you back your horses, which my people had taken. But if you want Hungarian horses, try next campaign to carry off mine by open force; or else come and join your cousin, who will receive you with open arms, will treat you like a son and his friend, and will procure you all the advantages you can desire,’ &c.

Cornet Wagnitz and Lieutenant Gratthauson who are both alive were present; I gave them the letter, we laughed at its contents; and it was resolved that we should shew it to Colonel Isachinzki, commandant of the corps, on condition that he should not speak of it. An hour after we did as we had agreed. When he had read my letter with an appearance of astonishment, we all began to laugh; and as there was a report that a body of troops would be sent to Hungary, Isachinzki said, ‘we will go ourselves and take Hungarian horses.’ Here the conversation dropped. I cannot help making the following observations on the subject.

1. I had not observed that the date of the letter was four months anterior to its receipt: this my Colonel did not fail to do.

2. It was probably a snare laid by Isachinzki. The sending back of my horses in the preceeding campaign had made a noise. Perhaps I had been persuaded to write, that I might be entrapped by a forged answer; for it is certain that my cousin maintained till his death, that he never received a letter from me, and that consequently he had sent no answer. I still think, and shall always continue in the same mind, the letter was forged.

Without the liberty of making any defense, or of being tried by a court-martial, I was confined