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