y, and were
hinged so as to let down and act as gangways, and facilitate a
landing.

Charlie was standing on the bank, looking at the movements of the
Saxon troops across the river, and wondering how the passage was to
be effected, when a hand was placed on his shoulder. Looking round,
he saw it was the king, who, as was his custom, was moving about on
foot, unattended by any of his officers.

"Wondering how we are to get across, lieutenant?"

"That is just what I was thinking over, your majesty."

"We want another snowstorm, as we had at Narva," the king said.
"The wind is blowing the right way, but there is no chance of such
another stroke of luck, at this time of year."

"No, sir; but I was thinking that one might make an artificial
fog."

"How do you mean?" the king asked quickly.

"Your majesty has great stacks of straw here, collected for forage
for the cattle. No doubt a good deal of it is damp, or if not, it
could be easily wetted. If we were to build great piles of it, all
along on the banks here, and set it alight so as to burn very
slowly, but to give out a great deal of smoke, this light wind
would blow it across the river into the faces of the Saxons, and
completely cover our movements."

"You are right!" the king exclaimed. "Nothing could be better. We
will make a smoke that will blind and half smother them;" and he
hurried away.

An hour later, orders were sent out to all the regiments that, as
soon as it became dusk, the men should assemble at the great forage
stores for fatigue duty. As soon as they did so, they were ordered
to pull down the stacks, and to carry the straw to the bank of the
river, and there pile it in heavy masses, twenty yards apart. The
whole was to be damped, with the exception of only a small quantity
on the windward side of the heaps, which was to be used for
starting the fire.

In two hours, the work was completed. The men were then ordered to
return to their camps, have their suppers, and lie down at once.
Then they were to form up, half an hour before daybreak, in
readiness to take their places in the boats, and were then to lie
down, in order, until the word was given to move forward.

This was done, and just as the daylight appeared the heaps of straw
were lighted, and dense volumes of smoke rolled across the river,
entirely obscuring the opposite shore from view. The Saxons,
enveloped in the smoke, were unable to understand its meaning.
Those on the watch had