"The tartar take it!" exclaimed the General; "it was that made me feel as if I could creep out of my skin. But never fear--they shall have it, and the enemy shall pay for it!"
The General had finished his plans of battle in a quarter of an hour;--the speech was not ready late in the morning.
Having arranged his troops in order, he rode out before them. They all knew that he was to harangue them that day, and they knew that it was as great a sacrifice on his part as if he were to deliver up his battery to a parliamentary tribunal for half a day.
Halting before the standard of the ninth battalion, he lifted his csako, grew very pale, and began:--
At that instant, the guns thundered across the Theiss.
The General's countenance suddenly brightened--diction and phraseology were forgotten; and drawing his sword, he cried in a voice of thunder,--"There is the enemy! Follow me!" which was answered by a tremendous cheer, while the whole army dashed after their gallant leader towards the cannon's roar.
Meanwhile, Vecsey's _corps d'armée_ stormed the ramparts on the opposite side of the Theiss.
The attack, however, was only apparent: the manoeuvre of either party frustrated the other.
The imperial troops endeavoured to entice the enemy within their cross fire by charges of cavalry and feint retreats; while the hussars, seeing the cuirassiers turn in good order, gave the command "right about," and quietly returned to their stations.
And now the Hungarians prepared to storm the entrenchments; and when the battalions were almost within gunshot, they advanced their cannon, and without any impediment poured a vigorous fire on the ramparts--appearing to expend their whole strength before the enemy, while their real aim was totally different.
They were only answered here and there by a gun from the ramparts; but the battery concealed in the wood did not give the slightest intimation of its existence, it being expected that the enemy would make an attack, as the place was apparently feebly defended, and the imperialists engaged on all sides, and, purposely, giving them every advantage.
But the attack was not made. This continued till about noon. The distant spectator could observe nothing but the continual motion of regular masses. One or two troops of heavy cavalry marched quietly up to the field of action, their helmets gleaming in the bright sun of a cloudless day. A division of hussars galloped by with drawn swords: long lines of infantry suddenly formed into squares, and fired on the passing cavalry. At another point, the treacherous gleam of bayonets in the moat betrayed the stealthy approach of troops, upon which the adjacent battery suddenly galloped to a little eminence, from whence they began to fire. But no regular engagement had taken place; the "On, Magyar! on!" and the hussars' "Ha! on!" were not yet heard. The whole was a mere animated play of arms. Trumpets sounded, drums beat, cannon fired; but they were unaccompanied by battle-cries or dying groans--death still greedily awaited the onset.