geants, and further learning the words of command by standing by while the men were being drilled. At the end of that time,

up in the port of Copenhagen, which was closely blockaded. A large army had crossed to Zeeland, and repulsed the Danes, who had endeavoured to prevent their landing, and had then marched up to within sight o

n their troublesome neighbours. The peace, however, left Charles the Twelfth at liberty to turn his attention to his other foes, and to hurry to the a

ly, in the vessels in the harbour. They then sailed to Revel, where the Swedish commander, Welling, ha

ordered, at once, to march so as to place himself between the enemy and Wesenberg, wh

of lieutenants. Captain Jervoise and his four officers messed together, and were a very cheerful party; indeed, their commander, to the surprise both of his son and Charlie, had quite shaken off his quiet and somewhat gloomy manner, and seemed to have becom

e very severe, and, even when in Denmark, the country people, having nothing to complain of, had brought in supplies regularly. Here in Linovia they were

part in the first affair. General Welling heard that a force of three thousand Circassians had taken up their quarters in a village, some fifteen miles away, and sent six hundred horse, under Majors Patkul and Tisenbausen, to surprise them. They were, at first, successful and, attacking the Circassians, set fire to the village, and were engaged in slaughtering the defende

fleet. He therefore marched to Wesenberg, with his bodyguard and a few troops from Revel. He at once despatched a thousand men, to cover the frontier, and issued orders

and his officers, late in the evening. They had a blazing fire, for

rders?" he asked, as he seated himself on a

m, except that we are going to do

that somewhere

e not the sl

t say that it

cavalry, and of these a large number have been so weakened, by fever, as to be unfit for fighting

Jervoise, nevertheless. At least, t

ction, and occupy some strong position until the army comes up, but it would be the he

ous an enterprise to attack the Russians. At any rate, that is the direction in which we are going, tomorrow. It is a good seventy miles distant, and, as they say that the whole country has been

se laughed, as

amieson, if we are hard pushed for it, though

ad a very hard time of it, and we may thank our stars, though we did not think so at the t

or, that the king means to attac

hat we shall make a tough fight for it. The cavalry showed, the other day, that they can stand up against many times their number

be sure; but since Thermopylae, I doubt

aroused a feeling of indignation and fury among the troops, and a fierce longing to attack men who had so ruthlessly spread ruin through a fertile country. Orders were issued, that evening, that the men were to husband their provisions as much as possible, and the order was mo

hen within three or four miles of it, General Meidel, who had with him the quartermaster of the army, and four hundred cavalry, rode on ahead to choose a site for the camp. He presently saw a large body of Russian foragers in front of him, and sent back to the king for permission to attack them. Charles ordered the army to continue

alry, and, although darkness was now drawing on, brought up some of his infantry and artillery

e morning, they were astonished at the strength of the position that had been gained so easily. The defile was deep and narrow, a rapi

sions to replace those they had used. After a hearty meal, they again advanced at a brisk march. The defile was captured on the evening of the 17th November, and, early in t

rest. The officers of the Malmoe Regiment, for it had taken its name from the camp where it had been formed, were gathered in a group at its head, discussing the situation. Most of the officers were of opinion that, to attack at once, with

mi-circle four or five miles long, with the ends resting on the river. They cannot believe that we intend to attack them, and, if we go straight at them, we may possibly gain a footing in their intrenchments, before the whol

s, the enemy opened fire. The king had already reconnoitred a portion of their position, exposing himself recklessly to their shot, and, as soon as the troops came up, he issued orders for t

th chevaux de frise, and flanked by strong exterior works, while several bat

re and the river, where one of the largest and most powerful of the enemy's batteries was placed. The king himself was with this wing, with his bodyguard, and he hoped that here he might meet the czar comma

orm of snow and hail began. It set right in the face of the Russians, and concealed from them the movement of the Swedes, for which, indeed, they were wholly unprepared, believing that the small force they saw was but the advance guard of a great Swedish army, and that no attack need be expected until the main body arrive

teries, and making for their bridge across the river. Unfortunately for them, their huts were built close behind the works, and in rear was another intrenchment, designed to repel assaults from the town; a

f his horse, charged right upon them, cutting down great numbers, and driving the rest before them

he bridge in such numbers that it speedily gave way, cutting off the retreat of their comrades behind. Ignorant of the result, the terrified crowd pushed on, pres

ves, and, by occupying some houses and barracks, and barricading the passages between these with

ed with some difficulty, leaving his sword and one boot behind him. However, he at once pushed on, and placed himself at the head of the infantry engaged in the assau

netrated the intrenchments, defeated all the Russians

laced them in a position to repel an attack, should the Russians take the offensive; giving orders that, at daylight, the hill on which the enemy had their principal battery should be assaulted. The

n to surrender in the course of the evening, and two battalions of the Swedish Guards took possession of the post that had been so gallantly defended. The k

thrown over the river, and their retreat was wholly cut off. On learning, before daybreak, that the right wing had surrendered, they too sent in to ask for terms. The king granted them freedom to return to the

rtion of their muskets, together with the military chest, the Duke of Croy, their commander-in-chief, and the whole of their generals, colonels, majors, and captains, fell into the hands of the Swedes, as prisoners of war. The total loss in killed and wounded of the Swe

o much as a scratch. The Malmoe Regiment had been with the left wing, but suffered comparatively little loss, as they were one of the last to enter the

, Jervoise," Major Jamieson said, as he sat down to a rough breakfast with th

d of the day. I fancy you have a scotch proverb to the effect that 'fou fo

jor la

s justified it. That sudden snowstorm was the real cause of our victory, and, had it not been for that, I still think that we could not have succeeded. The Russian cannon certainly continued to fi

as no one to give orders, no one to rally them, and I expect the Russian soldiers gave us

d you feel when the sho

along in the thick of that snowstorm, hearing the rush of cannonballs overhead, and the b

enemy, who, of course, were blazing away in the direction in which they had last seen us. We only lost t

means to carry on war, we shall hav

all crossed the river that the king, himself, rode triumphantly into the place, surrounded by his s

, that but few of the troops could be accommodated there. The rest were quartered in the Russian huts. On the 26th, a solemn service of tha

and brought in, there was no prospect of replenishing the store when exhausted, for the whole country, for a great distance round, had been completely devastated by the Russians. These had not

usy again, the better. There is nothing to do, and very little to eat. The

Narva once a week, do you? No doubt there will be a few skirmishes, and outpost encounters, but beyond that there will be little doing until next spring. You

ajor," Forbes laughed. "I hop

e will be more and more as the time goes on. There is nothing like inaction to tell upon the health of troops. However, we certainly shall not

e they are in a condition to take the offensive again; while we are equally unable to move because, in the first place, we are not str

old castle six miles from Derpt, and here established his headquarters. A few of the troops were st

g marches and the hardships they had endured, added to the misery from the cold and wet that penetrated th

about from camp to camp, entering the huts, chatting cheerfully with the soldiers, and encouragin

at once a body of mounted men ready for any enterprise; but their own colonel preferred that, on the march, the lieutenants and ensigns should be on foot with their men, in o

hase of the horses, which were got very c

A ride will set your blood in motion, and, wherever we are quartered, there are sure to be camps within riding distance. The king approves

e purchase of black bread, and an occasional load of forage from the peasants. Their regiment was with the force under the command of Colonel Schlippenbach, which was not very far f

the open; at other times a snow fort was built, garrisoned, and attacked. Occasionally there were matches at hockey, while putting the stone, throwing the caber, running and

past when the men were engaged in these exercises. He expressed to Captain Jerv

and if there is service to be done, I see th

burg, he determined to take possession of that place, as, were they to fortify it, they would be able greatly to harass the Swedes. Sending word to the king of his intention, and aski

lighted at the prospect of a change, and, when the party started, Captain Jervoise was proud of the show made by his men, whose ac

ays later, by a reinforcement of two hundred infantry, sent by the king, with some cannon, from the garrison of Derpt. As the place was surrounded b

, and, by the time the fortifications were finished, t