A Jacobite Exile

  Chapter 14: The Battle Of Clissow.

  Charlie sent in his name, and was shown in at once.

  "I am glad, indeed, to see you, Captain Carstairs," the minister said,as he entered. "We had given you up for lost. We heard first thatyou had been murdered in the streets of Warsaw. A month later, aman brought a letter to me from your Scotch friend Ramsay, to saythat you were accused of the murder of a Jew trader, a man, itseems, of some importance in Warsaw. Ramsay said that you were inthe company of a band of brigands, and that the man who went withyou as your servant had joined you, and had taken you some money.He forwarded the letter you had sent him explaining your position,and said he thought that, upon the whole, it was the best thing youcould have done, as a vigorous search had been set on foot, at theinstance of the Jews, and there would have been but little chanceof your making your way through the country alone. He added that hefelt confident that, if alive, you would manage somehow to rejoinus before the campaign opened in the spring.

  "I am glad that you have been able to do so, but your appearance,at present, is rather that of a wealthy Polish noble, than of acompanion of brigands."

  "I was able to do some service to Count Staroski, as, whentravelling with his wife and child, and his brother, Count John, hewas attacked by a pack of wolves. I have been staying with him forsome weeks, and his brother has now had the kindness to accompanyme here. He has thereby made my passage through the country easy,as we have travelled with fast horses in his sledge, and havealways put up at the chateaux of nobles of his acquaintance. Ihave, therefore, avoided all risk of arrest at towns. In the letterforwarded to you I explained the real circumstances of the death ofthe Jew."

  "Yes, we quite understood that, Captain Carstairs. You had a verynarrow escape from death at his hands, and, as the danger wasincurred purely in the king's service, it will not be forgotten. Upto the time when the Jew organized the attack upon you in Warsaw, Iwas well satisfied with your reports of your work. So far nothinghas come of it, as Augustus has been too strong for any movementagainst him, but we hope, ere long, to defeat him so decisivelythat our friends will be able to declare against him. I will informthe king of your return, and I have no doubt he will be glad tohear your story from your own lips. He loves tales of adventure,and time hangs somewhat heavily on hand, as, until the frostbreaks, nothing can be done in the field."

  On the following day, indeed, Charlie was sent for to the royalquarters, and had to recount the story of his adventures in full tothe king, who was highly interested in them, and at the conclusionrequested him to introduce Count John Staroski, in order that hemight express to him his obligation for the service he had renderedto one of his officers. This done, Charlie drove out with the countto the village where Colonel Jamieson's regiment was quartered, andwhere his return was received with delight by Harry, and with greatpleasure by Major Jervoise and his fellow officers. He was obligedto give a short outline of what he had been doing since he left,but put off going into details for a future occasion.

  "And are you coming back to us now, Charlie?" Harry asked.

  "Certainly. My success in the diplomatic way was not sufficientlymarked for them to be likely to employ me in that line again. Wemust return this afternoon, as the king has invited us both to supwith him tonight."

  Two days later, Count John Staroski started upon his returnjourney, much pleased with the reception he had met with from theKing of Sweden, and determined to work vigorously, among the noblesof his acquaintance, to bring about the dethronement of Augustus ofSaxony. Charlie had already seen Count Piper, who had told himthat, although the king and himself were both well satisfied withthe work he had done, there was not at present any mission of thesame sort on which he could be employed. Indeed, it was evidentthat, until the Saxons had been decisively defeated, politicalaction would be useless, and that, therefore, for the present hecould either remain at headquarters, or rejoin his regiment.Charlie at once chose the latter alternative.

  "Very well, Captain Carstairs, you can rejoin when you like, butremember I may claim your services again. You see, now that youhave acquired a knowledge of Polish, your value for this sort ofwork is largely increased."

  As soon as the frost had broken, the Swedish army commenced itsadvance. Skirmishes frequently took place, but Augustus had, asyet, no army with which he could meet them in the field, and hesummoned a diet at Warsaw, in hopes of persuading the Poles todecide upon calling out the whole national force.

  In this he failed altogether. The citizens, led by the foreigntraders, were already openly opposed to him, and their attitude soencouraged his opponents in the diet, that many of these rose andopenly denounced the government, and the conduct of the king, thathad brought the country into its present difficulties.

  As the Swedish army advanced, they were joined by the Duke ofHolstein, and, in spite of the efforts of a considerable body ofthe enemy, under Prince Wisniowiski, progressed steadily, crossedthe river Memel, and, when near Grodno, were met by an embassy sentby the diet, to endeavour to persuade Charles not to advancefurther.

  An interview took place between the king, the Poles, and hisministers, the conversation on both sides being in Latin. But asthe ambassadors had no definite plans to propose, and their leaderswere wholly devoted to Augustus, the king refused to allow hisadvance to be arrested, and continued his march. When near Pragathey crossed the plain where Charles Gustavus, King of Sweden, haddefeated the Polish army in a great battle, that had lasted forthree days. The city was occupied, and a contribution of 20,000crowns imposed upon it, in addition to food for the army while itremained there. Plundering, however, was strictly forbidden, and,as the king issued a proclamation declaring that he was no enemy ofthe Polish Republic, but simply of their king, the inhabitantswere, on the whole, well satisfied with the conduct of theinvaders.

  A halt was made here for some time, and a bridge was thrown acrossthe Vistula, while the army rested after the long and fatiguingmarches it had made. A fresh attempt was made to arrest the advanceof the Swedes, and the Cardinal Primate, himself, met the king; butnothing came of the negotiations, and the army entered Warsaw. Herethey were warmly received, and great entertainments were given tothe king.

  Towards the end of June, they again advanced to meet the force thatAugustus had gathered, and on the 6th of July the Swedes arrivedwithin a few miles of Clissow. The next day some reinforcementsarrived, and the king decided to give battle on the following day,which was the anniversary of the victory on the Dwina, the previousyear.

  His army was twelve thousand strong, while that of Augustus wasnearly double that strength, and was very strongly posted, his campbeing surrounded by morasses, although situated on rising groundwhich commanded the whole of the country round it. The bogs in thefront were found to be so impassable, that the Swedes were forcedto make a circuit to the left, where the ground was firmer. Thismovement obliged the enemy also to change front, a movement thatcaused considerable confusion, as they themselves were forced totraverse boggy ground, to take up a new position facing that bywhich the Swedes would now advance.

  The attack was commenced by the division commanded by the Duke ofHolstein, but, scarcely had he set his troops in motion than he wasmortally wounded, by a ball from a falconet. His troops, however,pushed forward vigorously. The Polish division opposed to themresisted the two first assaults bravely, but gave way at the thirdattack, and were driven from the ground, in such confusion thatthey took no further part in the engagement.

  While this was going on, the Saxon cavalry had been repulsed bythat of Charles, and, passing in their retreat under the fire ofthree infantry regiments, suffered so heavily that they left thefield. The Swedish foot now advanced all along the line, and in thecentre destroyed several battalions of Saxons.

  But the Swedish right was attacked so vigorously by the Saxon left,under Field Marshal Steinau, that for a time the conflict wasdoubtful. The Swedish horse guards and other cavalry, however,charged with such determination that the Saxon horse o
n this flankwere also defeated, and driven off the field, while the Swedishinfantry, advancing without firing, drove several battalions ofSaxon foot into a village, where, being surrounded, almost all werekilled or taken prisoners.

  The Saxon horse, gathering once more, attempted bravely to retrievethe fate of the day, and engaged the Swedish horse with suchdesperate valour, that a considerable portion of the Saxon infantrywere enabled, under cover of the conflict, to draw off, cross themorasses, and make their escape.

  The battle lasted four hours, and had been, throughout, severelycontested. The Saxons lost four thousand killed and wounded, andthree thousand taken prisoners, while the Swedes had eleven hundredkilled and wounded. Forty-eight cannon were captured by thevictors, together with all the baggage and waggons. The death ofthe Duke of Holstein, a gallant prince who was exceedingly popularwith the army, and beloved by the king, cast a gloom over thisgreat victory, which virtually laid Poland at the feet of thevictors, and insured the fulfilment of the object for which Charleshad persisted in the war.

  Jamieson's regiment had been on the left wing, but, as it had beenheld in reserve, to strengthen the line at any point at which itmight give way, the Scotch had taken but a small share in thefighting, and had but thirty men killed and wounded by the shot andbullets that passed over the heads of the fighting line.

  The captain of one of the companies was among those killed, andCharlie, who had, since he rejoined the regiment, been doing dutyas lieutenant, now took the vacant place.

  The army still advanced. Augustus sent in several proposals forpeace, but these were all rejected. The Saxons had speedily ralliedafter the battle, but were not in a position to oppose the advanceof the victorious Swedes, who occupied Cracow without meeting withany resistance. Seeing that Augustus would not be strong enough tohazard another pitched battle, Charles had, on the morning afterthe victory, ordered three of his regiments, of which Jamieson'swas one, to march with all speed to reinforce Major GeneralSchlippenbach, who had sent an urgent request for aid, as he heardthat the Russian army, fifty thousand strong, was preparing tocross the frontier; and as he had but six thousand, he could nothope to oppose their advance successfully.

  As the king's orders enjoined the troops to march with the greatestpossible speed, they performed the journey back to Warsaw in fourdays, although the distance exceeded a hundred miles. Mountedmessengers had been sent on before them, and, on reaching the town,they found boats already prepared to take them down the river toDanzic, where orders had already been sent for ships to be inreadiness to convey them to Revel. The fatigues since the campaignopened had been severe, and the troops all enjoyed the long days ofrest, while the craft that conveyed them dropped quietly down theVistula. Then came the short sea passage.

  On their arrival at Revel, bad news met them. They had come toolate. On the 16th of July the Russian army had passed the frontier,and the Swedes had tried to oppose them at the passage of the riverEmbach; but the water was low, from the effects of a long drought,and the Russians were enabled to ford it at several points. TheSwedes fell upon those who first crossed, and for two hoursrepulsed their attacks, obtaining at some points considerableadvantage, and capturing some guns, but, as fresh reinforcementspoured across the river, the tide of battle turned. The Russiancavalry drove back the Swedish horse, who, as they retreated, rodethrough the infantry and threw them into disorder. These wereattacked by the Russians before they could recover from theirconfusion, and were almost entirely destroyed or taken prisoners.

  The general, and many of the mounted officers, effected theirescape, rallied the broken cavalry, and fell back towards Revel.The Russians spread over the country and plundered it, burning thelittle town of Valk, murdering its inhabitants, and carrying offinto slavery the whole of the population who fell into their hands.

  The arrival of the three regiments was hailed with muchsatisfaction by the people of Revel, who feared that the Russiansmight besiege the town. They did not, however, approach within manymiles, but, after completely wasting the country, retired acrossthe frontier.

  The victory that had been gained over the Swedes at Embach, and thedestruction of the greater part of General Schlippenbach's force,enabled the czar to turn his arms against Ingria, the extremeeastern province of Sweden, which included the shores of LakeLadoga and the whole of the coast of the Baltic between Narva andFinland. Urgent messages were sent by the governor of that provinceto General Schlippenbach, requesting him to send him aid, as he hadnot even sufficient men to garrison the walled towns. The generalwas, however, afraid that Narva would be again besieged, and hetherefore dared not reduce his small force to any considerabledegree, but drew one company from each of the three regiments, andembarked them on board a ship for the mouth of the Neva.

  As there seemed little prospect of service, for a time, near Revel,all the officers were eager that their company should be chosen forthe service in Ingria. Colonel Jamieson therefore said:

  "I do not wish to choose one company more than another; all canequally be depended upon. Therefore, I think the fairest way willbe to draw lots as to which shall go."

  The lot fell upon Charlie's company, which therefore formed part ofthe expedition. On reaching the mouth of the Neva, they heard thatthe town of Notteburg, situated at the point where the Neva issuesfrom the lake, was already besieged by the Russians, and that theSwedish vessels on the lake had been obliged to come down theriver. A fort had been raised by the Russians on the bank, toprevent succour being conveyed into the town, and two thousand menhad crossed the river and occupied a small redoubt on the northernside, so that the town was completely invested.

  The newly-arrived force was ordered to march, at once, with ahundred horse and four field pieces, the whole under the command ofMajor Sion, who was well acquainted with the country.

  "What do you think of this expedition, Captain Carstairs?" hislieutenant, John Bowyer, asked him.

  "I would rather be back with King Charles," Charlie replied. "Ofcourse, I don't know the geography of the place, but if theRussians keep their eyes at all open, I don't see how a force likeours, with cavalry and guns, can hope to enter the town unnoticed.The addition of the horsemen seems to me altogether ridiculous, asthey could be no good whatever, if they did enter the town. As forthose four field pieces, they will hamper our march; and as theysay the Russians have already some forty cannon in position aboutthe town, those little pieces would be useless.

  "Four hundred infantry, making the attempt at night under goodguidance, might manage to slip into the place, but this processionof ours is, to my mind, tempting destruction, for we certainlycannot hope to cut our way, by force, through the whole Russianarmy.

  "But even if we do get inside the town, our plight can be nobetter. The Russians' cannon are bombarding it, night and day, andmore batteries are in course of erection, and Schlippenbach thegovernor, who is, I believe, a brother of the general, has but afew pieces to reply to them.

  "Were there an army advancing to the relief of the place, it wouldbe different altogether, for our reinforcement might be of vitalimportance in repelling assaults, until aid arrived. But there isno hope of aid. The king's army is some nine hundred miles away,and his hands are full. General Schlippenbach has sent as many menas he could spare. They say there are at least twenty thousandRussians round the town, and where is an army to come from that cancompel them to raise the siege? To my mind, we shall either bedestroyed making our way into the town, or, if we do get in, shallbe made prisoners of war, if not massacred--for the Russians havebut vague ideas as to giving quarter--when the town falls, whichmay be a fortnight hence."

  "It seems a bad lookout, altogether," the lieutenant remarked.

  "Very much so. The best possible thing that could befall us wouldbe for the Russians to make us out, before we get too far intotheir lines, in which case we may be able to fall back before theycan gather in overwhelming strength, and may thus draw off withoutany very great loss."

  Major Sion called the capta
ins of the infantry companies, and thetroop of horse, to a sort of council of war, when the little forcehalted for an hour at three o'clock in the afternoon.

  "We have another ten miles to march, gentlemen, and I should liketo ask your opinion as to whether it would be best to try to forceour way in as soon as we get there, or to halt at a distance ofthree or four miles from the Russians, and make our effort atdaybreak before they are fairly afoot."

  The other three officers gave their opinion in order of seniority,and all advocated the plan of falling upon the Muscovites atdaybreak.

  "And what do you think, Captain Carstairs?" Major Sion askedCharlie.

  "I regret to say, major, that my opinion differs from that of theother gentlemen, and this for several reasons. In the first place, ifwe halt so near the Russians, our presence in their neighbourhoodmay be betrayed by a peasant, and we may be surprised in the night.If no such mishap should take place, we should have to be on foot twohours before sunrise. I in no way doubt your knowledge of the road,but it is at all times difficult to make out a mere track, like thatwe are following, at night, and in the morning we might well findourselves involved in the Russian intrenchments, from which we couldnot extricate ourselves before a large force had gathered round us,in which case we must be all either killed or taken prisoners. Myown suggestion would be that we should remain here another two hours,and then continue our march so as to reach the spot, where we are toendeavour to break through their line, about sunset. Should we beobserved, as we most likely should be, we might at that hour be takenfor a freshly-arrived body of Russian troops. There would be no riskof losing our way, and we might hope to be close upon them before wewere discovered to be enemies. If we succeed, as I trust we shall, inbreaking our way through and reaching the town, well and good. If,on the other hand, we find greater obstacles than we expect, and areforced to fall back fighting, we shall have the advantage thatdarkness will be setting in. The Russians, the greater part of whomwill be ignorant of our strength, will lose time before they move,fearing they may be assaulted in other quarters, and in the darknesswe might be able to make good our escape, which it is certain none ofus would do, should we meet with a repulse at daybreak."

  "Your reasons are very just, Captain Carstairs. Though certainly myopinion was in accordance with that given by your fellow officers,I am bound to say that your argument seems unanswerable.

  "What say you, gentlemen? I have two objects in view--the first toreinforce the garrison of Notteburg, the second to save the troopsunder my command, if I should fail in doing so. I know the countrywell, but its features will be considerably altered. Trees willhave been cut down, houses levelled, intrenchments thrown up, campsscattered here and there, and I own that in the dark, I might, asCaptain Carstairs says, very easily miss my way. I think hisproposal therefore unites the greatest chances of getting throughtheir line and entering the town, with a possibility of drawing offthe troops without great loss, in case of failure."

  The other three officers at once agreed, and orders were issued forthe men to lie down until five o'clock and rest themselves beforepursuing their march.

  It was past that hour before they were in motion again. Major Sion,with a peasant from the neighbourhood of Notteburg, rode ahead.Then came the troop of cavalry, with the guns close behind them,followed by the infantry. As they approached the Russian lines, thepeasant several times went on in advance, and presently a trooperrode down the line, with the order that the troops with firearmswere to light their matches, and the spearmen to keep in a compactbody.

  They were now not far from the Russian lines, and the destructionthat had been wrought during the last ten days was visible to them.Every tree and bush had been felled, for use in the intrenchmentsor for the erection of shelters. A few blackened walls alone showedwhere houses had stood. Gardens had been destroyed, and orchardslevelled.

  Light smoke could be seen rising at many points from the Russianfires, and, when the troops were halted, they were but half a milefrom the intrenchments.

  Word was passed down that the rapid Swedish march was to bemoderated, and that they were to move carelessly and at a slowrate, as if fatigued by a long march, and that the spears were tobe carried at the trail, as they were so much longer than thoseused by the Russians that their length would, if carried erect, atonce betray the nationality of the troops. There was no attempt atconcealment, for the cavalry would be visible for a considerabledistance across the flat country. Considerable bodies of men couldbe seen, gathered round fires at a distance of not more than aquarter of a mile on either hand, but, as the column passed betweenthem, there was no sign of any stir.

  In a short time, the order was passed for the troops to form fromcolumn into line, and the cavalry officer who brought it said thatthere was a Russian battery erected right across the road, a littlemore than a quarter of a mile ahead.

  "Things look better, Captain Carstairs," the lieutenant said, asthe company, which happened to be leading, fell into line.

  "Yes, I have no doubt we shall take their battery, coming down, aswe do, upon its rear. The question is, are there any intrenchmentsahead? Major Sion told us, when we halted, that the peasant assuredhim that there were no works beyond it, and that it was the weakestpoint of the line; but it is three days since he came out fromNotteburg, and, working hard as the Russians evidently do, they mayhave pushed on their intrenchments far in advance of the battery bythis time."

  The force halted for a moment. The guns were unlimbered, turnedround, and loaded. Then the line of cavalry opened right and left,the four pieces poured a discharge of grape into the Russians,clustered thickly in the battery four hundred yards away, and then,with a shout, the Swedish cavalry charged, the infantry coming onat a run behind them.

  The surprise was complete. With cries of terror, the Russians forthe most part leapt from the battery and fled, and the few whoattempted to defend their guns were sabred by the cavalry.

  "There are other works ahead!" Major Sion exclaimed, as, sitting onhis horse, he looked over the parapet, "and bodies of troopsscattered all about. Push forward, men, at a double, and do you,Captain Sherlbach, cut a way for us with your cavalry."

  The sun had set a few minutes before the guns were fired, andCharlie, as he led his men over the earthwork, and saw the Russianlines in front, congratulated himself upon the fact that, inanother half hour, it would be quite dark. As they approached thenext line of works, a scattering fire of musketry opened upon them,but the aim was wide, and without loss they reached the work. TheRussians, though inferior in numbers, defended themselvesobstinately, and continually received reinforcements of bodies ofmen, running up from all sides. In five minutes the Swedes clearedthe works of them, but, as they prepared to advance again, they sawa large body of horse riding down to bar their advance, whilenumbers of footmen were running to occupy some intrenchments aheadof them. Trumpets were sounding to the right, left, and rear.

  "We cannot force our way farther," the major said to Charlie. "Weknew nothing of these works, and they are fatal to our enterprise.We must retreat while we can. Do you not think so?"

  "Yes, sir, I think the enterprise is quite hopeless."

  The order was given. The troops faced about, formed into closerorder, and at the double retraced their steps, the spearmen of eachcompany forming its front line, and the musketeers the second.

  Already it was growing dusk. The cavalry, riding ahead, scatteredthe small bodies of men who threw themselves in their way, and thebattery they had first taken was entered without loss. There was amomentary halt here, for the men to recover their wind. Then themusketeers poured a volley into a dark line advancing upon them,the horsemen charged in among them, the long pikes of the frontline cleared the way, and, with a shout, the Swedes passed throughtheir foes and pressed forward.

  But more troops were gathering to bar their way, and the majorchanged the line of march sharply to the right, sweeping along bythe side of the force through which they had just cut their way,the musketeer
s on the flank firing into them as they passed. Themovement was an adroit one, for in the gathering darkness the enemyin front would not be able to distinguish friends from foes, or toperceive the nature of the movement. For a few minutes they wereunmolested, then the course was again changed, and Charlie wasbeginning to think that, in the darkness, they would yet make theirescape, when a dull heavy sound was heard in their rear.

  "That's the Russian cavalry, Bowyer. Take the musketeers on withyou, and keep close to the company ahead. I will break them up withthe pikemen. If they do come up to you, give them a volley and thencontinue your retreat with the rest."

  While the captains of the other two companies had placed theirpikemen in the front line, Charlie had placed his in the rear, inorder to repel any attack of cavalry from that direction. He nowformed them in a close clump, taking his place among them. TheRussian squadrons came along with a deep roll like that of thunder.They were but thirty yards away when they perceived the littlecluster of men with levelled lances. A few, unable to check theirhorses, rushed upon the points, but most of them reined in theirlittle steeds in time. In a moment, the Swedes were surrounded by awall of yelling horsemen, some of whom tried to break through thehedge of spears, while others discharged their pistols.

  Charlie listened anxiously for the roll of a volley of musketry,but no sound came, and he felt sure that the whole body of cavalryhad halted round him, and that his movement had saved the rest, whowould now, if fortunate, be able to make their way off in thedarkness. But the men were falling now from the pistol fire of theCossacks, and, feeling that the work had been done, he determinedto make one effort to save the men with him.

  "Level your spears, and charge through them shoulder to shoulder,"he said. "It is your only chance. Once through, throw away yourspears, and break up in the darkness. Most of you may escape.

  "Now!"

  With a shout, the Swedes rushed forward in a body. Horses andriders went down before them. There was a rush from behind. Charlieshouted to the rear rank, to face about, but in the confusion anddin his words were unheard. There was a brief struggle in thedarkness. Charlie emptied his pistols, and cut down more than oneof his opponents, then a sword fell on his shoulder, while at thesame moment he was ridden over by a Cossack, and was stunned by theforce of his fall.

  When he recovered consciousness, several men with torches weremoving about him, and, at the orders of an officer, were examiningthe bodies of the fallen. He saw them pass their swords through thebodies of three of his own men, who were lying near him, and asthey came up to him he closed his eyes, expecting a similar fate.

  "This is an officer, captain," one of the torch bearers said inRussian.

  "Very well. Carry him to the camp, then. If he is alive, thegeneral may want to question him."

  Seeing that he breathed, four of the Russian soldiers took him upontheir shoulders, and carried him away. The pain of his wound,caused by the movement, was acute, but he retained consciousnessuntil, after what seemed to him a journey of immense length, he wasagain laid down on the ground, close to a large fire. Severalofficers stood round him, and he asked, first in Polish and then inSwedish, for water, and at the orders of one who seemed of superiorrank to the others, some was at once brought to him.

  "Your king treats his prisoners well," the officer said. "We willdo everything we can for you."

  Half an hour later, a doctor came to his side, and cutting open hiscoat, applied a bandage to his shoulder.

  "Is it a serious wound?" Charlie asked in Swedish.

  "It might be worse, but it will be a troublesome one; it is a sabrecut, and has cleft right through your shoulder bone. Are you hurtanywhere else?"

  "No, I do not think so. I was knocked down in the dark, and Ibelieve stunned, though I have a sort of recollection of beingtrampled on, and I feel sore all over."

  The surgeon felt his ribs and limbs, repeatedly asking him if ithurt him. When he finished the examination, he said:

  "You are doubtless badly bruised, but I don't think anything isbroken. Our Cossack horses are little more than ponies. Had theybeen heavy horse, they would have trod your life out."

  A few moments later there was a sound of trampling horses. Theyhalted close by. The officers drew back, and a moment later MarshalScheremetof, the commander of the Russian army, came up toCharlie's side.

  "Which of you speaks Swedish?" he asked the officers, and one ofthem stepped forward.

  "Ask him what force was this that attacked us, and with whatobject."

  As Charlie saw no reason for concealment, he replied that it was abody of four hundred Swedish infantry, and a troop of horse, withfour guns, and that their object was to enter the town.

  "They must have been mad to attempt to cut their way through ourwhole army," the general said, when the answer was translated tohim; "but, by Saint Paul, they nearly succeeded. The Swedes aremad, but this was too much even for madmen. Ask him whence theforce came. It may be that a large reinforcement has reachedVyburg, without our knowing it."

  "We arrived two days since," Charlie replied, when the question wasput to him. "We came in a ship together from Revel."

  "Did others come with you?" was next asked, at the general'sdictation.

  "No other ship but ours has arrived."

  "But others are coming?"

  As Charlie had no doubt that great efforts would be made to sendfurther reinforcements, he replied:

  "Many more troops are coming, but I cannot say when they willarrive."

  "Will it be soon?"

  "That I cannot say, but I don't think they will come from Revel.There was a talk of large reinforcements, but whether from Swedenor from the king's army, I cannot say."

  "Are you a Swede?" the general asked.

  "I am an Englishman in the Swedish service, general."

  "We have many of your countrymen with us," the general said. "Itwould have been better for you, had you come to the czar.

  "See that he is well treated," he said to the officers, and thenmounted and rode away.