第 6 节
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上访不如上网 更新:2021-02-18 21:08 字数:9302
val; if one could); he watches the signs of the times; of the hours and the days and the places; and prophesies from them; reads men and their procedures; as if they were mere handwriting; not too cramp for him。The Austrians have; by this time; got their Konigseck home; very unvictorious; but still on foot; all but a thousand or two: they are already stronger than the Prussians by count of heads; and till even Daun come up; what hurry in a Post like this? The Austrians are viewing Friedrich; too; this morning; but in the blankest manner: their outposts fire a cannon…shot or two on his group of adjutants and him; without effect; and the Head people send their cavalry out to forage; so little prophecy have they from signs seen。
Zisca Hill; where the Austrians now are; rises sheer up; of well… nigh precipitous steepness; though there are trees and grass on it; from the eastern side of Prag; say five or six hundred feet。 A steep; picturesque; massive green Hill; Moldau River; turning suddenly to right; strikes the northwest corner of it (has flowed well to west of it; till then); and winds eastward round its northern base。 As will be noticed presently。 The ascent of Ziscaberg; by roads; is steep and tedious: but once at the top; you find that it is precipitous on two sides only; the City or westward side; and the Moldau or northward。 Atop it spreads out; far and wide; into a waving upland level; bare of hedges; ploughable all of it; studded with littery hamlets and farmsteadings; far and wide; a kind of Plain; sloping with extreme gentleness; five or six miles to eastward; and as far to southward; before the level perceptibly rise again。
Another feature of the Ziscaberg; already hinted at; is very notable: that of the Moldau skirting its northern base; and scarping the Hill; on that side too; into a precipitous; or very steep condition。 Moldau having arrived from southward; fairly past the end of Ziscaberg; had; so to speak; made up his mind to go right eastward; quarrying his way through the lower uplands there; And he proceeds accordingly; hugging the northern base of Ziscaberg; and making it steep enough; but finds; in the course of a mile or so; that he can no more; upland being still rock…built; not underminable farther; and so is obliged to wind round again; to northward; and finally straight westward; the way he came; or parallel to the way he came; and has effected that great Horse…shoe Hollow we heard of lately。 An extremely pretty Hollow; and curious to look upon; pretty villas; gardens; and a 〃Belvedere Park;〃 laid out in the bottom part; with green mountain…walls rising all round it; and a silver ring of river at the base of them: length of Horse…shoe; from heel to toe; or from west to east; is perhaps a mile; breadth; from heel to heel; perhaps half as much。 Having arrived at his old distance to west; Moldau; like a repentant prodigal; and as if ashamed of his frolic; just over against the old point he swerved from; takes straight to northward again。 Straight northward; and quarries out that fine narrow valley; or Quasi…Highland Strath; with its pleasant busy villages; where he turns the overshot machinery; and where Friedrich and his men had their pontoons swimming yesterday。
It is here; on this broad back of the Ziscaberg; that the Austrians now lie; looking northward over to the King; and trying cannon… shots upon him。 There they have been encamping; and diligently intrenching themselves for four days past; diligent especially since yesterday; when they heard of Friedrich's crossing the River。 Their groups of tents; and batteries at all the good points; stretch from near the crown of Ziscaberg; eastward to the Villages of Hlaupetin; Kyge; and their Lakes; near four miles; and rearward into the interior one knows not how far;Prince Karl; hardly awake yet; lies at Nussel; near the Moldau; near the Wischerad or southeastmost point of Prag; six good miles west…by…south of Kyge; at the other end of the diagonal line。 About the same distance; right east from Nussel; and a mile or more to south of Kyge; over yonder; is a littery Farmstead named Sterbohol; which is not yet occupied by the Austrians; but will become very famous in their War…Annals; this day!
Where the Austrian Camp or various Tent…groups were; at the time Friedrich first cast eye on them; is no great concern of his or ours; inasmuch as; in two or three hours hence; the Austrians were obliged; rather suddenly; to take Order of Battle; and that; and not their camping; is the thing we are curious upon。 Let us step across; and take some survey of that Austrian ground; which Friedrich is now surveying from the distance; fully intending that it shall be a battle…ground in few hours; and try to explain how the Austrians drew up on it; when they noticed the Prussian symptoms to become serious more and more。 By nine in the morning;some two hours after Friedrich began his scanning; and the Austrian outposts their firing of stray cannon…shots on him;it is Battle…lines; not empty Tents (which there was not time to strike); that salute the eye over yonder。
From behind that verdant Horse…shoe Chasm we spoke of; buttressed by the inaccessible steeps; and the Moldau; double…folded in the form of Horse…shoe; all along the brow of that sloping expanse; stands (by 9 A。M。 〃foragers all suddenly called in〃) the Austrian front; the second line and the reserve; parallel to it; at good distances behind。 Ranked there; say 65;000 regulars (Prussian force little short of the same); on the brow of Ziscaberg slope; some four miles long。 Their right wing ends; in strong batteries; in intricate marshes; knolls; lakelets; between Hlaupetin and Kyge: the extreme of their left wing looks over on that Horse…shoe Hollow; where Moldau tried to dig his way; but could not and had to turn back。 They have numerous redoubts; in front and in all the good places; and are busy with more; some of them just now getting finished; treble…quick; while the Prussians are seen under way。 As many as sixty heavy cannon in battery up and down: of field… pieces they have a hundred and fifty。 Excellent always with their Artillery; these Austrians; plenty of it; well…placed and well… served: thanks to Prince Lichtenstein's fine labors within these ten years past。 ' OEuvres de Frederic; (in several places); see Hormayr; ? Lichtenstein。' The villages; the farmsteads; are occupied; every rising ground especially has its battery;Homoly Berg; Tabor Berg; 〃Mount of Tabor;〃 say KNOLL of Tabor (nothing like so high as Battersea Rise; hardly even as Constitution Hill); though scriptural Zisca would make a Mount of it;these; and other BERGS of the like type。
That is the Austrian Battle Order (as it stood about 9; though it had still to change a little; as we shall see): their first line; straight or nearly so; looking northward; stands on the brow of the Zisca Slope; their second and their third; singularly like it; at the due distances behind;in the intervals; their tents; which stand scattered; in groups wide apart; in the ample interior to southward。 The cavalry is on both wings; left wing; behind that Moldau Chasm; cannot attack nor be attacked;except it were on hippogriffs; and its enemy on the like; capable of fighting in the air; overhead of these Belvedere Pleasure…grounds: perhaps Prince Karl will remedy this oversight; fruit of close following of the orthodox practice? Prince Karl; supreme Chief; commands on the left wing; Browne on the right; where he can attack or be attacked; NOT on hippogriffs。 As we shall see; and others will! Light horse; in any quantity; hang scattered on all outskirts。 With foot; with cannon batteries; with horse; light or heavy; they cover in long broad flood the whole of that Zisca Slope; to near where it ceases; and the ground to eastward begins perceptibly to rise again。
In this latter quarter; Zisca Slope; now nearly ended; begins to get very swampy in parts; on the eastern border of the Austrian Camp; at Kyge; Hostawitz; and beyond it southward; about Sterbohol and Michelup; there are many little lakelets; artificial fish… ponds; several of them; with their sluices; dams and apparatus: a ragged broadish lacing of ponds and lakelets (all well dried in our day) straggles and zigzags along there; connected by the miserablest Brook in nature; which takes to oozing and serpentizing forward thereabouts; and does finally get emptied; now in a rather livelier condition; into the Moldau; about the TOE…part of that Horse…shoe or Belvedere region。 It runs in sight of the King; I think; where he now is; this lower livelier part of it: little does the King know how important the upper oozing portion of it will be to him this day。 Near Michelup are lakelets worth noticing; a little under Sterbohol; in the course of this miserable Brook; is a string of fish…ponds; with their sluices open at this time; the water out; and the mud bottom sown with herb…provender for the intended carps; which is coming on beautifully; green as leeks; and nearly ready for the fish getting to it again。
Friedrich surveys diligently what he can of all this; from the northern verge。 We will now return to Friedrich; and will stay on his side through the terrible Action that is coming。 Battle o