The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 376: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

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But enough its wild career the foaming war-steed ‘blood had been shed that day, and even ras suddenly reined in. ‘hen, too, Zitzka, inured to scenes of slaughter from the hand which erst had reared it| though he were, sickened at the idea of proudly, fell the royal standard of Bohe- | suffering his soldiery to penetrate into mia—that banner which the aristocracy | the castle, until the wild spirit of re- had still maintained, although the queen | venge which now lashed them almost was dead: and then, likewise, did a|/ into a fury should have subsided. He, sense of famine strike with a more}|moreover, knew that, holding in his poignant agony into the heart of despe-| power the Baron of Ak endorf, Lord ration. | Rodolph, and several other’ nobles, to- But, on the other hand, the banner of| gether with countless prisoners of a Mount 'T'abor now pressed resolutely on; | lower rank, he could easily and at any and the weapon of the mighty Zitzka| moment dictate his own terms to the continued to deal annihilation amid the | few poor fugitives who had thrown opening ranks of his enemies. On, on} themselves back again into the strong- swept the serried bands of reformers; | hold and locked its Bates in despair,— on, on went the raging phalanxes in|and thus, prompted by the generous pursuit of the flying foe; on, on thun- feelings of his nature, now that the fa- dered the heavy horse—on, on the light | tal exigencies of war demanded not the armed cavalry. Front and flank sweep} further shedding of blood, the TTaborite the ‘l'aborite legions; and irreparable | hero commanded his victorious troops becomes the confusion amidst the mass | to retire to their encampment, of aristocratic warriors who have no} ‘The sun was setting behind the wes- longer a general to guide, to encourage, | tern hills as the triumphant Reformers nor to save them. ‘The rout becomes| obeyed the instructions which their universal, the famine-stricken soldiers|Captain-General despatched by his of the garrison fall over each other in| pages and squires to every post and sec- dismay, and those who had a few hours|tion of his army. but, oh! what a previously sallied forth with such ele-| scene did the retiring cohorts leave be- vated hopes and such burning aspira-|hind them. ‘The fields, the gardens, tions from Altendorf Castle, were now | the banks of the moat, and the outskirts glad to retreat thither and thus save|of the forest, were covered with the themselves from the gleaming weapons | grim and ghastly dead, for the wounded of the infuriate ‘l’aborites. | and the dying were already removed In that wild moment of their despair |into hospital tents by the benevolent the flying servitors of the ruined cause communds of John Zitzka., of aristocracy remembered not that in} On the countenance of innumerable thus hastening back to shut themselves | bodies played the last beams of the set- up in Altendorf, they were only about/|ting sun; and as the lowest of those to look in the face of famine more hid- ray s penetrated with a prismatic eflect eous than aught they had yet beholden. izh the foliage of the forest, the Unmindful or oblivious of that one tre- violet, orange, and: crimson hues with mendous fact, they rushed pell-mell to- | which they lighted the faces of the wards the castle,—some guining the | dead, enhanced the hideous ghastliness drawbridge, others swimming the moat, | of the scene. and many flinging themselves upon the | Many war steeds which had Jost their rafts which the Taborites had been com- riders, or had broken leose from the pelled to abandon in the morning. Hun-|'Taborite stables, thundered madly over dreds and hundreds were overtaken and the field, galloping hither end thither as slain, countless numbers had previously | if possessed by demons,—now pausing fallen on the battle-field ; and of all the | to plunge as if greedy to trample on the mighty host which lately called the |he Ipless dead, once their masters armed Lord of Altendort its commandant, not iw seh; whip and Spurs then starting in a thousand men succeeded in regaining | sudden alarm, tossing their heads, “and the interior of that stronghold which oa Pia. as the ravenous. vulture and had been so well defended until this the carrion-crow swept past to feast fatal day. upon were: tremendous banquet which Kasy were it for John Zitzka then to ahve reudy hand of war’s dire genius t 2a PSes ee Ses . zs ‘+e dae nave carried the assault agaiust this | had thus tossed out. comicbooks.com