advanced upon:e,--which he did all day,
in a purely meditative posture. Rutowski numbers 35,000, now on this
ground, with immensity of cannon; 32,000 we, with only the usual
field-artillery, and such a Tschonengrund, with its half-frozen
quagmires ahead. A ticklish case for the old man, as he grimly
reconnoitres it, in the winter morning.

Grim Old Dessauer having reconnoitred, and rapidly considered, decides
to try it,--what else?--will range himself on the west side of that
Tschonengrund, horse and foot; two lines, wide as Rutowski opposite him;
but means to direct his main and prime effort against Kesselsdorf, which
is clearly the key of the position, if it can be taken. For which end
the Old Dessauer lengthens himself out to rightward, so as to outflank
Kesselsdorf;--neglecting Grune (refusing Grune, as the soldiers
say):--"our horse of the right wing reached from the Wood called
Lerchenbusoh (LARCH-BUSH) rightward as far as Freyberg road; foot
all between that Lerchenbusch and the big Birch-tree on the road to
Wilsdruf; horse of the left wing, from there to Roitsch." [Stille (p.
181), who was present. See Plan.] It was about two P.M. before the old
man got all his deployments completed; what corps of his, deploying this
way or that, came within wind of Kesselsdorf, were saluted with cannon,
thirty pieces or more, which are in battery, in three batteries, on the
knoll there; but otherwise no fighting as yet. At two, the Old Dessauer
is complete; he reverently doffs his hat, as had always been his wont,
in prayer to God, before going in. A grim fervor of prayer is in his
heart, doubtless; though the words as reported are not very regular or
orthodox: "O HERR GOTT, help me yet this once; let me not be disgraced
in my old days! Or if thou wilt not help me, don't help those HUNDSVOGTE
[damned Scoundrels, so to speak], but leave us to try it ourselves!"
That is the Old Scandinavian of a Dessauer's prayer; a kind of GODUR
he too, Priest as well as Captain: Prayer mythically true as given;
mythically, not otherwise. [Ranke, iii. 334 n.] Which done, he waves his
hat once, "On, in God's name!" and the storm is loose. Prussian right
wing pushing grandly forward, bent in that manner, to take Kesselsdorf
and its fire-throats in flank.

The Prussians tramp on with the usual grim-browed resolution, foot
in front, horse in rear; but they have a terrible problem at that
Kesselsdorf, with its retrenched batteries, and numerous g