history of friedrich ii of prussia v 18-第87章

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o　his　habits；　must　have　been　awake　and　afoot　when　the　Business　first　broke　out；　though；　for　some　considerable　time；　treating　it　as　nothing　but　a　common　crackery　of　Pandours。　Already；　finding　the　Pandourade　louder　than　usual；　he　had　ordered　out　to　it　one　battalion　and　the　other　that　lay　handy：　but　now　he　pushes　forward　several　battalions　under　Franz　of　Brunswick　（his　youngest　Brother…in…law）；　with　Margraf　Karl　and　Prince　Moritz：　〃Swift　you；　to　Hochkirch　yonder！〃and　himself　springs　on　horseback　to　deal　with　the　affair。　Prince　Franz　of　Brunswick；　poor　young　fellow；　cheerily　coming　on；　near　Hochkirch　had　his　head　shorn　off　by　a　cannon…ball。　Moritz　of　Dessau；　too；　〃riding　within　twenty　yards　of　the　Austrians；〃　so　dark　was　it；　he　so　near…sighted；　got　badly　hit；and　soon　after；　driving　to　Bautzen　for　surgery；　was　made　prisoner　by　Pandours；　＇In　ARCHENHOLTZ　（i。　289；　290）　his　dangerous　adventures　on　the　road　to　Bautzen；　in　this　wounded　condition。＇　never　fought　again；　〃died　next　year　of　cancer　in　the　lip。〃　Nothing　but　triumphant　Austrian　shot　and　cannon…shot　going　yonder；　these　battalions　too　have　to　fall　back　with　sore　loss。

Friedrich　himself；　by　this　time；　is　forward　in　the　thick　of　the　tumult；　with　another　body　of　battalions；　storming　furiously　along；　has　his　horse　shot　under　him；　storms　through；　〃successfully；　by　the　other　side　of　Hochkirch〃　（Hochkirch　to　his　left）：but　finds；　as　the　mist　gradually　sinks；　a　ring　of　Austrians　massed　ahead；　on　the


MAP　GOES　HERE；　FACING　PAGE　160；　BOOK　XVIII


Heights；　as　far　as　Steindorfel　and　farther；　a　general　continent　of　Austrians　enclosing　all　the　south　and　southwest；　and；　in　fact；　that　here　is　now　nothing　to　be　done。　That　the　question　of　his　flank　is　settled；　that　the　question　now　is　of　his　front；　which　the　appointed　Austrian　parties　are　now　upon　attacking。　Question　especially　of　the　Heights　of　Drehsa；　and　of　the　Pass　and　Brook　of　Drehsa　（rearward　of　his　centre　part）；　where　his　one　retreat　will　lie；　Steindorfel　being　now　lost。　Part　first　of　the　Affair　is　ended；　Part　second　of　it　begins。

Rapidly　enough　Friedrich　takes　his　new　measures。　Seizes　Drehsa　Height；　which　will　now　be　key　of　the　field；　despatches　Mollendorf　thither　（Mollendorf　our　courageous　Leuthen　friend）；　who　vigorously　bestirs　himself；　gets　hold　of　Drehsa　Height　before　the　enemy　can；　Ziethen　co…operating　on　the　Heights　of　Kumschutz；　Canitz　and　other　points　of　vantage。　And　thus；　in　effect；　Friedrich　pulls　up　his　torn　right　skirt　（as　he　is　doing　all　his　other　skirts）　into　new　compact　front　against　the　Austrians：　so　that；　in　that　southwestern　part　especially；　the　Austrians　do　not　try　it　farther；　but　〃retire　at　full　gallop；〃　on　sight　of　this　swift　seizure　of　the　Keys　by　Mollendorf　and　Ziethen。　Friedrich　also　despatches　instant　order　to　Retzow；　to　join　him　at　his　speediest。　Friedrich　everywhere　rearranges　himself；　hither；　thither；　with　skilful　rapidity；　in　new　Line　of　Battle；　still　hopeful　to　dispute　what　is　left　of　the　field；longing　much　that　Retzow　could　come　on　wings。

By　this　time　（towards　eight；　if　I　might　guess）　Day　has　got　the　upper　hand；　the　Daun　Austrians　stand　visible　on　their　Ring　of　Heights　all　round；　behind　Hochkirch　and　our　late　Battery；　on　to　westward　and　northward；　as　far　as　Steindorfel　and　Waditz；　extremely　busy　rearranging　themselves　into　something　of　line；　there　being　much　confusion；　much　simmering　about　in　clumps　and　gaps；　after　such　a　tussle。　In　front　of　us；　to　eastward；　the　appointed　Austrian　parties　are　proceeding　to　attack：　but　in　daylight；　and　with　our　eyes　open；　it　is　a　thing　of　difficulty；　and　does　not　prosper　as　Hochkirch　did。　Duke　D'Ahremberg；　on　their　extreme　right；　had　in　charge　to　burst　in　upon　our　left；　so　soon　as　he　saw　Hochkirch　done：　D'Ahremberg　does　try；　as　do　others　in　their　places；　near　Daun；　but　with　comparatively　little　success。　D'Ahremberg；　meeting　something　of　check　or　hindrance　where　he　tried；　pauses；　for　a　good　while；　till　he　see　how　others　prosper。　Their　grand　chance　is　their　superiority　of　number；　and　the　fact　that　Friedrich　can　try　nothing　upon　THEM；　but　must　stand　painfully　on　the　defensive　till　Retzow　come。　To　Friedrich；　Retzow　seems　hugely　slow　about　it。　But　the　truth　is；　Baden…Durlach；　with　his　20；000　of　Reserve；　has；　as　per　order；　made　attack　on　Retzow；　20；000　against　12：　one　of　the　feeblest　attacks　conceivable；　but　sufficient　to　detain　Retzow　till　he　get　it　repulsed。　Retzow　is　diligent　as　Time；　and　will　be　here。

Meanwhile；　the　Austrians　on　front　do；　in　a　sporadic　way；　attack　and　again　attack　our　batteries　and　posts；　especially　that　big　Battery　of　Thirty　Guns；　which　we　have　to　north　of　Rodewitz。　The　Austrians　do　take　that　Battery　at　last；　and　are　beginning　again　to　be　dangerous；the　rather　as　D'Ahremberg　seems　again　to　be　thinking　of　business。　It　is　high　time　Retzow　were　here！　Few　sights　could　be　gladder　to　Friedrich；　than　the　first　glitter　of　Retzow's　vanguard；　horse；　under　Prince　Eugen　of　Wurtemberg；beautifully　wending　down　from　Weissenberg　yonder；　skilfully　posting　themselves；　at　Belgern　and　elsewhere；　as　thorns　in　the　sides　of　D'Ahremberg　（sharp　enough；　on　trial　by　D'Ahremberg）。　Followed；　before　long；　by　Retzow　himself；　serenely　crossing　Lobau　Water；　and；　with　great　celerity；　and　the　best　of　skill；　likewise　posting　himself；hopelessly　to　D'Ahremberg；　who　tries　nothing　farther。　The　sun　is　now　shining；　it　is　now　ten　of　the　day。　Had　Retzow　come　an　hour　sooner；　efore　we　lost　that　big　Battery　and　other　things！　But　he　could　come　no　sooner；　be　thankful　he　is　here　at　last；　in　such　an　overawing　manner。

Friedrich；　judging　that　nothing　now　can　be　made　of　the　affair；　orders　retreat。　Retreat；　which　had　been　getting　schemed；　I　suppose；　and　planned　in　the　gloom　of　the　royal　mind；　ever　since　loss　of　that　big　Battery　at　Rodewitz。　Little　to　occupy　him；　in　this　interim；　except　indignant　waiting；　rigorously　steady；　and　some　languid　interchange　of　cannon…shot　between　the　parties。　Retreat　is　to　Klein…Bautzen　neighborhood　（new　head…quarter　Doberschutz；　outposts　Kreckwitz　and　Purschwitz）；　four　miles　or　so　to　northwest。　Rather　a　shifting　of　your　ground；　which　astonishes　the　military　reader　ever　since；　than　a　retreating　such　as　the　common　run　of　us　expected。　Done　in　the　usual　masterly　manner；　part　after　part　mending　off；　Retzow　standing　minatory　here；　Mollendorf　minatory　there；　in　the　softest　quasi…rhythmic　sequence；　Cavalry　all　drawn　out　between　Belgern　and　Kreckwitz；　baggage…wagons　filing　through　the　Pass　of　Drehsa；not　an　Austrian　meddling　with　it；　less　or　more；　Daun　and　his　Austrians　standing　in　their　ring　of　five　miles；　gazing　into　it　like　stone　statues；　their　regiments　being　still　in　a　confused　state；and　their　Daun　an　extremely　slow　gentleman。　＇Tempelhof；　ii。　319…336；　Seyfarth；　　Beylagen；　　i。　432…453；　　Helden…Geschichte；　　v。　241…257；　Archenholtz；　&c。　&c。＇

And　in　this　manner　Friedrich；　like　a　careless　swimmer　caught　in　the　Mahlstrom；　has　not　got　swallowed　in　it；　but　has　made　such　a　buffeting　of　it；　he　is　here　out　of　it　again；　without　bone　broken；　not；　we　hope；　without　instruction　from　the　adventure。　He　has　lost　101　pieces　of　cannon；　most　of　his　tents　and　camp…furniture；　and；　what　is　more　irreparable；　above　8；000　of　his　brave　people；　5；381　of　them　and　119　Officers　（Keith　and　Moritz　for　two）　either　dead　or　captive。　In　men　the　Austrian　loss；　it　seems；　is　not　much　lower；　some　say　is　rather　a　shade　higher；　by　their　own　account；　325　Officers；　5；614　rank　and　file；　killed　and　wounded；not　reckoning　1；000　prisoners　they　lost　to　us；　and　〃at　least　2；000〃　who　took　that　chance　of　deserting　in　the　intricate　dark　woods。　＇Tempelhof；　ii。　336；　but　see　Kausler；　p。　576。＇

Friedrich；　all　say；　took　his　punishment　in　a　wonderfully　cheerful　manner。　De　Catt　the　Reader；　entering　to　him　that　evening　as　usual；　the　King　advanced；　in　a　tragic　declamatory　attitude；　and　gave　him；　with　proper　voice　and　gesture；　an　appropriate　passage　of　Racine：

　〃Enfin　apres　un　an；　tu　me　revois；　Arbate；　　　　　　　　　　　Non　plus　comme　autrefois　cet　heureux　Mithridate；　　　　　　　　　　　Qui；　de　Rome　toujours　balancant　le　destin；　　　　　　　　　　　Tenait　entre　elle　et　moi　l'univers　incertain。　　　　　　　　　　　Je　suis　vaincu；　Pompee　a　saisi　l'avantage　　　　　　　　　　　D'une　nuit　qui　laissait　peu　de　place　au　courage；　　　　　　　　　　　Mes　so