r pardon, Major, but that is not befitting
me, and I shall not do it; there are other officers there who may be
ordered to do this, but not I.' Now, in short, I heard that the Privy
Councillor wished to have me. Who would have dreamt of such a trick? As
if I would have escorted the Privy Councillor from Wasungen! I would
sooner have taken him into the Werra. But no remonstrances would serve;
they said I must and should go. This was the first trick! Hereupon I
replied to the Major: 'So I must consider it an honour, that the Privy
Councillor places such confidence in me, when there are so many
officers in the division;' hereupon I received an order, to tell the
officer at the lower gate that he should give information as soon as I
had passed through with the Privy Councillor; this was the second
trick. Who could have imagined such a trick? I will not write what I
think of it. When I found it out I wished that all the horses of the
carriages had died, that I might not be taken away from Wasungen by
such cunning.

"Now I went forth, taking with me a corporal named Goernlein, and
nine-and-twenty dragoons, and marched to the 'Bear,' where I found a
carriage at the door, but saw the servant sitting within in the
doorway. I called to him to inform his master I was there; whereupon
the Privy Councillor called out to me from the carriage, 'I am already
here.' Whereupon, I detached the corporal with fourteen men to go
behind the carriage, while I went in advance with the others.

"Now when I came to the lower gate, I called to the serjeant, and bade
him tell the major that I and the privy councillor had passed out.
Meanwhile the soldiers were in great confusion at the rendezvous; but
when the corporal announced that I had passed out with the Privy
Councillor, the major immediately gave orders that all the soldiers
should pile their arms, and go to their quarters to fetch their
baggage; when they had dispersed, he sent to the guard to desire them
to go forthwith and assemble at his quarters, which was done. Thus all
the outposts were forgotten. At last the noise and bawling was so
great, it reached the ears of the outposts, who went off without
orders. Now when the soldiers from the guards came to the market-place,
they saw some of the soldiers coming back from their quarters with
their baggage, so they piled their arms and went off for theirs.

"But this was not enough. Either the time appeared to him too long
before the soldie