history of friedrich ii of prussia v 18-第76节

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horse　and　foot；　with　all　their　artilleries　and　tools；　silently　quit　his　now　position　in　front　of　Hochkirch；　Friedrich's　right　wing。　Shall　sweep　off；　silently　to　southward　and　leftward；　by　Wuischke；　thence　westward　and　northward；　by　the　northern　base　of　those　Devil　Mountains；　through　the　shaggy　hollows　and　thick　woods　there；　hitherto　inhabited　by　Croats　only；　and　unknown　to　the　Prussians：　forward；　ever　forward；　through　the　night…watches　that　way；　till　he　has　fairly　got　to　the　flank　of　Hochkirch　and　Friedrich：　Daun　to　be　standing　there；　all　round　from　the　southern　environs　of　Hochkirch；　westward　through　the　Woods；　by　Meschwitz；　Steindorfel；　and　even　north　to　Waditz　（if　readers　will　consult　their　Map）；　silently　enclosing　Friedrich；　as　in　the　bag　of　a　net；　in　this　manner；ready　every　man　and　gun　by　about　four　on　Saturday　morning。　Are　to　wait　for　the　stroke　of　five　in　Hochkirch　steeple；　and　there　and　then　to　begin　business；there　first；　but；　on　success　THERE；　the　whole　90；000　everywhere；and　to　draw　the　strings　on　Friedrich；　and　bag　and　strangle　his　astonished　people　and　him。

The　difficulty　has　been　to　keep　it　perfectly　secret　from　so　vigilant　a　man　as　Friedrich：　but　Daun　has　completely　succeeded。　Perhaps　Friedrich's　eyes　have　been　a　little　dimmed　by　contempt　of　Daun：　Daun；　for　the　last　two　days　especially；　has　been　more　diligent　than　ever　to　palisade　himself　on　every　point；　nothing；　seemingly；　on　hand　but　felling　woods；　building　abatis；　against　some　dangerous　Lion's…spring。　They　say　also；　he　detected　a　traitor　in　his　camp；　traitor　carrying　Letters　to　Friedrich　under　pretence　of　fresh　eggs；one　of　the　eggs　blown；　and　a　Note　of　Daun's　Procedures　substituted　as　yolk。　〃You　are　dead；　sirrah；〃　said　Daun；　〃hoisted　to　the　highest　gallows：　Are　not　you？　But　put　in　a　Note　of　my　dictating；　and　your　beggarly　life　is　saved。〃　Retzow　Junior；　though　there　is　no　evidence　except　of　the　circumstantial　kind；　thinks　this　current　story　may　be　true。　＇Retzow；　i。　347。＇　Certain　it　is；　neither　Friedrich　nor　any　of　his　people　had　the　least　suspicion　of　Daun's　project；　till　the　moment　it　exploded　on　them；　when　the　clock　at　Hochkirch　struck　five。　Daun；　in　the　last　two　days；　had　been　felling　even　more　trees　than　they　are　aware　of；thousands　of　trees　in　those　Devil's　wildernesses　to　Friedrich's　right；　and　has　secretly　hewn　himself　roads；　passable　by　night　for　men　and　ammunition…wagons　there：and　in　front　of　Friedrich；　especially　Hochkirch　way；　Daun　seems　busier　than　ever　felling　wood；　this　Friday　night；　numbers　of　people　running　about　with　axes；　with　lanterns　over　there；　as　if　in　the　push　of　hurry；　and　making　a　great　deal　of　noise。　〃Intending　retreat　for　Zittau　to…morrow！〃　thinks　Friedrich；　as　the　false　egg…yolk　had　taught　him；　or　merely；　〃That　poor　precautionary　fellow！〃　supposing　the　false　yolk　a　myth。　In　short；　Daun　has　got　through　his　nocturnal　wildernesses　with　perfect　success。　And　stands；　dreamt　of　by　no　enemy；　in　the　places　appointed　for　his　30；000　and　him；　and　that　poor　old　clock　of　Hochkirch；　unweariedly　grunting　forward　to　the　stroke　of　five；　will　strike　up　something　it　is　little　expecting！

The　Prussians　have　vedettes；　pickets　and　small　outposts　of　Free…　corps　people　scattered　about　within　their　border　of　that　Austrian　Wood；　the　body　of　which；　about　Hochkirch　as　everywhere　else；　belongs　wholly　to　Croats。　Of　course　there　are　guard…parties；　sentries　duly　vigilant；　in　the　big　Battery　to　southeast　of　Hochkirch；and　along　southwestward　in　that　POTENCE；　or　fore…arm　of　Four　Battalions；　which　are　stationed　there。　Four　good　Battalions　looking　southward　there；　with　Cavalry　to　right；　Ziethen's　Cavalry；　whose　horses　stand　saddled　through　the　night；　ready　always　for　the　nocturnal　〃Pandourade；〃　which　seldom　fails　them。　There；　as　elsewhere；　are　the　due　vigilances；　watchmen；　watch…fires。　The　rest　of　the　Prussian　Army　is　in　its　blankets；　wholly　asleep；　while　Daun　stands　waiting　for　the　stroke　of　five。

That　Daun；　bursting　in　with　his　chosen　30；000；　will　trample　down　the　sleeping　Prussian　POTENCE　at　Hochkirch；　capture　its　big　Battery　to　left；　its　Village　of　Hochkirch　to　rear；　and　do　extensive　ruin　on　the　whole　right　wing　of　Friedrich；　rendering　Friedrich　everywhere　an　easy　conquest　to　the　rest　of　Daun's　people；　who　stand；　far　and　wide；　duly　posted　and　prepared；　waiting　only　their　signal　from　Hochkirch：　much　of　this；　all　of　it　that　had　regard　to　Hochkirch　Battery　and　Village；　and　the　Prussians　stationed　there；　Daun　did　execute。　And　readers；　from　the　data　they　have　got；　must　conceive　the　manner　of　it；human　description　of　the　next　Two　Hours；　about　Hochkirch；　in　the　thick　darkness　there；　and　stormful　sudden　inroad；　and　stormful　resistance　made；　being　manifestly　an　impossible　thing。　Nobody　was　〃massacred　in　his　bed〃　as　the　sympathetic　gazetteers　fancied；　nobody　was　killed；　that　I　hear　of；　without　arms；　in　his　hand：　but　plenty　of　people　perished；　fierce　of　humor；　on　both　sides；　and　from　half…past　five　till　towards　eight；　there　was　a　general　blaze　of　fiery　chaos　pushing　out　ever　and　anon；　swallowed　in　the　belly　of　Night　again；　such　as　was　seldom　seen　in　this　world。　Instead　of　confused　details；　and　wearisome　enumeration　of　particulars；　which　nobody　would　listen　to　or　understand；　we　will　give　one　intelligent　young　gentleman's　experience；　our　friend　Tempelhof's；　who　stood　in　this　part　of　the　Prussian　Line；　experience　distinct　and　indubitable　to　us；　and　which　was　pretty　accurately　symbolical；　I　otherwise　see；　of　what　befell　on　all　points　thereabouts。　Faithfully　copied；　and　in　the　essential　parts　not　even　abridged；　here　it　is：

Tempelhof；　at　that　time　a　subaltern　of　artillery；　was　stationed　with　a　couple　of　24…pounders　in　attendance　on　the　Battalion　Plothow；　which　with　three　others　and　some　cavalry　lay　to　the　south　side　of　Hochkirch；　forming　a　kind　of　fore…arm　or　POTENCE　there　to　right　of　the　big　Battery；　with　their　rear　to　Hochkirch；　and　keeping　vedettes　and　Free…corps　parties　spread　out　into　the　woods　and　Devil's　Hills　ahead。　Tempelhof　had　risen　about　three；　as　usual；　had　his　guns　and　gunners　ready；　and　was　standing　by　the　watch…fire；　〃expecting　the　customary　Pandourade；〃　and　what　form　it　would　take　this　morning。　〃Close　on　five　o'clock；　and　not　a　mouse　stirring！　We　are　not　to　have　our　Pandourade；　then？〃　On　a　sudden；　noise　bursts　out；　noise　enough；　sharp　fire　among　the　Free…corps　people；　fire　growing　ever　sharper；　noisier；　for　the　next　half…hour；　but　nothing　whatever　to　be　seen。　〃Battalion　Plothow　had　soon　got　its　clothes　on；　all　to　the　spatterdashes；　and　took　rank　to　right　and　left　of　the　FLECHE；　and　of　my　two　guns；　in　front　of　its　post：　but　on　account　of　the　thick　fog　everything　was　totally　dark。　I　fired　off　my　cannons　＇shall　we　say　straight　southward？＇　to　learn　whether　there　was　anything　in　front　of　us。　No　answer：　'Nothing　therePshaw；　a　mere　crackery　（GEKNACKER）　of　Pandours　and　our　Free…　corps　people；　after　all！'　But　the　noise　grew　louder；　and　came　ever　nearer；　I　turned　my　guns　towards　it　＇southward；　southeastward；　or　perhaps　a　gun　each　way？＇and　here　we　had　a　salvo　in　response；　from　some　battalions　who　seemed　to　be　two　hundred　yards　or　so　ahead。　The　Battalion　Plothow　hereupon　gave　fire；　I　too　plied　my　cannons　what　I　could；and　had　perhaps　delivered　fifteen　double　shots　from　them；　when　at　once　I　tumbled　to　the　ground；　and　lost　all　consciousness〃　for　some　minutes　or　moments。

Awakening　with　the　blood　running　down　his　face；　poor　Tempelhof　concluded　it　had　been　a　musket…shot　in　the　head；　but　on　getting　to　his　hands　and　knees；　he　found　the　place　〃full　of　Austrian　grenadiers；　who　had　crept　in　through　our　tents　to　rear；　and　that　it　had　been　a　knock　with　the　butt　of　the　musket　from　one　of　those　fellows；　and　not　a　bullet〃　that　had　struck　him　down。　Battalion　Plothow；　assailed　on　all　sides；　resisted　on　all　sides；　and　Tempelhof　saw　from　the　ground；I　suppose；　by　the　embers　of　watch…fires；　and　by　rare　flashes　of　musketry；　for　they　did　not　fire　much；　having　no　room；　but　smashed　and　stabbed　and　cut；〃an　infantry　fight　which　in　murderous　intensity　surpasses　imagination。　I　was　taken　prisoner　at　this　turn；　but　soon　after　got　delivered　by　our　cavalry　again。〃　＇Tempelhof；　ii。　324　n。＇　

This　latter　circumstance；　of　being　delivered　by　the　Cavalry；　I　find　to　be　of　frequent　occurrence　in　that　first　act　of　the　business　there：　the　Prussian　Battalion；　surprised　on　front　and　rear；　always　makes　murderous　fight　for　itself：　is　at　last　overwhelmed；　obliged　to　retire；　perhaps　opening　its　way　by　bayonet　charge；upon　which　our　Cavalry　（Ziethen's；　and　others　that　gathered　to　him）　cutting　in　upon　the　disordered　surprisers；　cut　them　into　flight；　rescue　the　prisoners；　and　for　a　time　reinstate　matters。　The　Prussian　battalions　do　not　run　（nobody　runs）；　but　when　repulsed　by　the　endless　odds；　rally　again。　The　big　Battery　is　not　to　be　had　of　them　without　fierce　and　dogged　struggle；　and　is　retaken　more　than　once　or　twice。　Still　fiercer；　more　dogged；　was　the　struggle　in　Hochkirch　Village；　especially　in　Hochkirch　Church　and　Churchyard；whither　the　Battalion　Margraf…Karl　had　flung　themselves；　the　poor　Village　soon　taking　fire　about　them。　Soon　taking　fire；　and　continuing　to　be　a　scene　of　capture　and　recapture；　by　the　flame…light；　while　Battalion　Margraf…Karl　stood　with　invincible　stubbornness；　pouring　death　from　it；　not　to　be　compulsed　b