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Won By the Sword : a tale of the Thirty Years' War by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
page 270 of 448 (60%)
meat, and will see whether it will be more advantageous to erect
ovens for the baking of bread in each village or to arrange to
buy it ready baked there, we supplying the flour; for the troops,
after being accustomed to good bread at St. Denis, will not be
content with the black bread upon which these poor people exist. I
shall pay a visit to each company in regular order, see that all
is going on well, try men who have misbehaved themselves, and listen
gladly to any suggestions that the respective captains may make
to me."

The first company was quartered at Saline, and although the cold
was severe and the life rough the troops were well contented, and
Hector was glad to find that his instructions were carried out and
that excellent relations were maintained between the troops and
their hosts.

Early in the spring Turenne collected a force of three regiments of
cavalry and two of infantry, and, passing the Rhine at Breisach,
fell suddenly upon a force of Imperialists in the Black Forest,
defeated them, and took three or four hundred prisoners, among
whom were many officers, the rest of them escaping to the army
commanded by Count Merci. In May the Bavarian army, numbering
eight thousand foot and seven thousand horse, marched to besiege
Freiburg, five leagues from Breisach, and Turenne followed with all
his force, which now numbered ten thousand men. He found, however,
that the Imperialists had occupied all the strong positions in the
neighbourhood of the town, and not caring to run the risk either
of defeat or great loss, and receiving information that the town
had already opened negotiations for surrender, he fell back some
five miles from the town, sending news to the court that his force
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