unpleasant surprise awaited him. The Count divided his forces equally
between his two castles of Schonburg and Gudenfels situated on the west
bank and the east bank respectively. If either castle were attacked,
arrangements were made for getting word to the other, when the men in
that other would cross the Rhine and fall upon the rear of the
invaders, hemming them thus between two fires. The Count therefore
awaited with complacency whatever assault the Outlaw cared to deliver.

It was expected that the attack would be made in the night, which was
the usual time selected for these surprise parties that kept life from
stagnating along the Rhine, but to the amazement of the Count the
onslaught came in broad daylight, which seemed to indicate that the
Outlaw had gathered boldness with years. The Count from the battlements
scanned his opponents and saw that they were led, not by the Outlaw in
person, but by a young man who evidently held his life lightly, so
recklessly did he risk it. He was ever in the thick of the fray,
dealing sword strokes with a lavish generosity which soon kindled a
deep respect for him in the breasts of his adversaries. The Count had
not waited for the battering in of his gates but had sent out his men
to meet the enemy in the open, which was rash generalship, had he not
known that the men of Gudenfels were hurrying round to the rear of the
outlaws. Crossbowmen lined the battlements ready to cover the retreat
of the defenders of the castle, should they meet a reverse, but now
they stood in silence, holding their shafts, for in the meslee there was
a danger of destroying friend as well as foe. But in spite of the
superb leadership of the young captain, the outlaws, seemingly panic-
stricken, when there was no particular reason, deserted their commander
in a body and fled in spite of his frantic efforts to rally them. The
young man found himself surrounded, and, after a brave defence,
overpowered. When the Gudenfels men came up, there was none to oppose