charges of the Polish horsemen. Hepburn was joined by Colonel Mostyn,
an Englishman, and Count Brahe, with 200 German arquebusiers, and
this force for two days withstood the incessant attacks of the
whole of the Polish army.

"While this desperate strife was going on, and the attention of the
enemy entirely occupied, Gustavus managed to pass a strong force of
men and a store of ammunition into the town, and the Poles, seeing
that he had achieved his purpose, retired unmolested. In every
battle which Gustavus fought Hepburn bore a prominent part. He
distinguished himself at the storming of Kesmark and the defeat of
the Poles who were marching to its relief.

"He took part in the siege and capture of Marienburg and in
the defeat of the Poles at Dirschau. He was with Leslie when last
year he defended Stralsund against Wallenstein, and inflicted upon
the haughty general the first reverse he had ever met with. Truly
Hepburn has won his honours by the edge of the sword."

"Wallenstein is the greatest of the Imperial commanders, is he
not?" Farquhar asked.

"He and Tilly," Munro replied. "'Tis a question which is the greatest.
They are men of a very different stamp. Tilly is a soldier, and
nothing but a soldier, save that he is a fanatic in religion. He
is as cruel as he is brave, and as portentously ugly as he is cruel.

"Wallenstein is a very different man. He has enormous ambition and
great talent, and his possessions are so vast that he is a dangerous
subject for any potentate, even the most powerful. Curiously enough,