Even if her share of the partition doesn't extend beyond the river, this will be her frontier nearly down to the sea; and she will have the power of pouring her troops into Germany, whenever she chooses." Fergus had now finished his meal, and without caring to listen longer he betook himself to bed.

To avoid all appearance of haste, he did not start so early the next morning, but mounted at ten and rode to the junction of the Eger with the Elbe.

It was too late to cross the river that night, and he therefore put up at a village on the bank, and crossed in a ferry boat on the following morning to Leitmeritz, a town of considerable size.
He was now within a day's ride of the defile through which the Elbe finds its way from Bohemia into Saxony.

His papers were inspected, as usual, by the officer in command of a troop of cavalry there.
"You will have a rough time of it, if you push on," he said.

"There is no traffic through the passes now, so the snow will lie as it fell, and at any moment it may come down again.