"`Tis better to
be lucky than to be rich, it is said, and I had the good luck to
discover a boat concealed among the bushes just at the time when
a boat was worth its weight in gold."
For an hour Malcolm sat chatting, and then took his leave, as he
was going on duty, promising to return the next day, and to spend
as much of his time as possible with them while they remained in
the city.
CHAPTER XII THE PASSAGE OF THE LECH
For the next two months the Green Brigade remained quietly at
Maintz, a welcome rest after their arduous labours. The town was
very gay, and every house was occupied either by troops or by the
nobles and visitors from all parts of Northern Europe. Banquets
and balls were of nightly occurrence; and a stranger who arrived
in the gay city would not have dreamt that a terrible campaign had
just been concluded, and that another to the full as arduous was
about to commence.
During this interval of rest the damages which the campaign had
effected in the armour and accoutrements of men and officers were
repaired, the deep dents effected by sword, pike, and bullet were
hammered out, the rust removed, and the stains of blood and bivouac
obliterated; fresh doublets and jerkins were served out from the
ample stores captured from the enemy, and the army looked as gay
and brilliant as when it first landed in North Germany.
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