It was
the young aide of Prince von der Tann's staff, who had been sent to
Blentz nearly a week earlier with a message for the king, and who
had been captured and held by the Austrians.
During the battle before Lustadt all the Austrian troops had been
withdrawn from Blentz and hurried to the front. It was then that the
aide had been transferred to the castle, from which he had escaped
early that morning. To reach Lustadt he had been compelled to circle
the Austrian position, coming to Lustadt from the south.
Once within the city he rode straight to the palace, flung himself
from his jaded mount, and entered the left wing of the building--the
wing in which the private apartments of the chancellor were located.
Here he inquired for the Princess Emma, learning with evident relief
that she was there. A moment later, white with dust, his face
streamed with sweat, he was ushered into her presence.
"Your highness," he blurted, "the king's commands have been
disregarded--the American is to be shot tomorrow. I have just
escaped from Blentz. Peter is furious. He realizes that whether the
Austrians win or lose, his standing with the king is gone forever.
"In a fit of rage he has ordered that Mr. Custer be sacrificed to
his desire for revenge, in the hope that it will insure for him the
favor of the Austrians. Something must be done at once if he is to
be saved.
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