thrust that was only partially deflected. The point cut through Daniel's shirt and drew blood from his left arm.
'A hit, a hit!' yelled Seurel, relishing the injury.
'Take him whenever you wish, general,' urged Catto.
Salignac renewed his attack but it lacked the venom of his first assault. He was palpably tiring. In the heat of the noonday sun, he was also starting to sweat profusely. Daniel drew comfort at last. Instead of simply offering a defence, he was able to show off his swordsmanship a little, flicking his wrist to great advantage and using his superior balance to weave and feint. When his counter-thrust removed a button from the general's coat, he saw the man's face turn crimson with rage. Gathering all of his energy, Salignac fought so hard that Daniel was pushed back yet again. When his shoulders met a wall, he realised that he could go no further.
Pausing to get his breath back, Salignac kept him pinned against the brickwork. He was so confident that he could kill Daniel with a single thrust that he took time to choose his spot. When he was ready, he feinted twice to draw Daniel's blade out of the way then let out a cry of triumph as his arm went at full stretch in a bid to pierce the heart. Daniel was too quick for him. Twisting sideways, he moved his body out of the way so that the point of the general's sword met the wall with murderous force, jarring his arm so painfully that he dropped the weapon to the ground.
It was Daniel's turn to abandon the niceties. Taking the general by the collar, he swung him round at speed and hurled him straight at Catto, knocking both men violently to the ground. Seurel had his dagger out at once and darted forward. Before he could be stabbed in the back, however, Daniel swung round in a flash and lifted his sword up, running it deep into the Frenchmen's stomach and leaving him impaled in agony.
Seizing his opportunity, Daniel took to his heels.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
He had never run so fast in all his life. Darting out of the courtyard, Daniel Rawson sped along a lane before zigzagging his way through a series of narrow alleys. He knew that pursuit would be immediate and that he would have dozens of soldiers on his tail. When he came out into a wide road, therefore, he slowed to walking pace so that he could mingle with the crowd. Anyone hurtling wildly along the thoroughfare would be identified at once as a fugitive. His only hope lay in blending with the people who thronged the main streets. It was market day and he was carried along by the mass of bodies converging on an array of stalls, hand-carts and wagons covering an entire square.
Daniel knew that General Salignac would not fight a duel with him for the second time. He would be baying for Daniel's blood and castigating himself for failing to kill the prisoner when he had the opportunity. The search would be thorough and the quarry would face certain death if caught. Daniel needed a hiding place. Escaping from Augsburg would be difficult in broad daylight so he had to lie low somewhere in the city until nightfall. The market offered all kinds of possibilities. When he heard the sounds of a chase somewhere behind him, he kept his head down and lengthened his stride until he was able to plunge in gratefully among the jostling hordes, buying, selling and haggling in the marketplace.
As soon as he could, he ducked under a wagon, crawled along the ground and came out behind a line of stalls. Piles of goods were stacked haphazardly and there was a multitude of empty wooden boxes, baskets and sacks left on the ground by vendors. Above the pandemonium of the market, Daniel could hear soldiers' voices rising in volume as they got nearer. The hunt was on in earnest. Since he was not allowed the luxury of time, he was forced to make an instant decision. Carpets were being sold on one of the stalls and, in case it was needed, an additional supply of them had been stacked upright at the rear. Daniel tucked himself in behind the carpets, unfurling the edge of one of them a little so that he was completely concealed. It was only a temporary refuge but it gave him chance to rest and to reflect on what had happened.
General Salignac had evidently discovered his wife's adultery and he was so obsessed with revenge that he had hired assassins to track down and murder her lover. One of them, Frederic Seurel, had now met his own death and it gave Daniel great satisfaction to know that he had killed the man who had so callously beheaded Lieutenant Hopwood. His satisfaction was marred by his fears for Berenice Salignac. A brief acquaintance with her husband had been enough to show him that the man was cruel and vindictive. He felt a stab of guilt at having left her in compromising circumstances and he prayed that she had not suffered too much on his behalf. Daniel had been deeply fond of Berenice and would have been drawn to her even if she had not been the neglected wife of a French general.
All thought of her was abruptly suspended when he heard soldiers, yelling above the tumult and demanding to know if anyone had seen a man fleeing down the road. There were loud complaints from the crowd as the troops forced a way through to conduct their search. Daniel risked a peep out of his hiding place and caught sight of bayonets glinting in the sun. They were being used to probe under tables, into stalls, into piles of hay and anywhere else where a fugitive might conceivably lurk. Slowed down by the sheer number of people, the soldiers were nevertheless methodical and painstaking. It would not be long before they explored the area behind the stalls.
Shrinking back behind the carpets, Daniel turned sideways so that he presented less of a target for an intrusive bayonet. Protests in the square grew louder still as more soldiers joined in the search and elbowed people roughly aside. Daniel braced himself. Hearing orders being barked in German, he knew that Bavarian soldiers were leading the search. The tramp of feet and the guttural commands got closer and closer. Daniel picked out a snatch of conversation.
'He won't get far,' said one soldier.
'All the gates will have been closed by now,' said another.
'He's trapped in the city and everyone's looking for him.'
'We'll roast him alive when we catch him.'
'He can have my bayonet up his arse.'
At the moment he made the threat, the soldier thrust his bayonet into the stack of carpets and missed Daniel by less than an inch. Before the man could repeat the exercise, the carpet dealer rushed around in a panic from the front of the stall and begged him not to damage any more of his ware. When the soldier relented and moved on, Daniel dared to breathe properly again. Had it made contact, the bayonet would have ripped him apart and the dealer would never have been able to sell a carpet that was sliced open and soaked with blood. The hunt continued but it was slowly moving away from Daniel. For the time being at least, he was safe.
Edward Marston
Soldier of Fortune
When news of the victory at Donauworth reached the Imperial capital, there was delight and celebration. Vienna toasted the success of the Confederate army and gave thanks to God for their deliverance from a menacing foe. The tidings were received with more muted enthusiasm in The Hague. While the States-General appreciated the significance of the victory, they were horrified by the high number of casualties in the battle and felt that the captain-general should have protected his troops more carefully instead of sacrificing them to enemy fire.
The Dutch, however, decided to mark the event by casting a victory medal. On the obverse side was an image of Louis, Margrave of Baden. A Latin inscription adorned the other side. In translation, it read: 'The enemy defeated and put to flight and their camp plundered at Schellenberg near Donauworth.' There was no reference whatsoever to the Duke of Marlborough, who had planned and achieved the signal victory. It was almost as if he had taken no part whatsoever in the engagement. The medal was a calculated insult to him.
Unaware of the snub that awaited him, Marlborough amused himself by reading out the letter sent to him by Leopold, Emperor of Austria. It was written in Leopold's own hand, an honour reserved only for an exceptional situation. When it had been translated, Adam Cardonnel was interested to hear the full text of the letter, filled, as it was, with an extravagance of expression totally at odds with the prosaic despatches from the Dutch.
'Illustrious, Sincerely Beloved,' Marlborough read. 'Your desert towards me, my house, and the common cause, are great and many, and the singular application, care and diligence, which you have expressed, in bringing up and hastening the powerful succours, which the most serene and potent Queen of Great Britain and the States- General of the United Netherlands, have sent me to the Danube, are not to be ranked in the last place; but nothing can be more glorious than what you have done, after the conjunction of your army with mine, in the most speedy and vigorous attack and forcing of the enemy's camp at Donawert, the second of this month; since my generals
