oul of those 14,000.
The officers have given their horses for the baggage-wagons, made every
sacrifice; the word Homewards kindles a strange fire in all hearts; and
the troops, say my French authorities, are unsurpassable. The Marechal
himself, victim of rheumatisms, cannot ride at all; but has his
light sledge always harnessed; and, at a moment's notice, is present
everywhere. Sleep, during these ten days and nights, he has little.

"Eger is 100 miles off, by the shortest Highway: there are two bad
Highways, one by Pilsen southerly, one by Karlsbad northerly,--with
their bridges all broken, infested by Hussars:--we strike into a middle
combination of country roads, intricate parish lanes; and march zigzag
across these frozen wildernesses: we must dodge these Festititz Hussar
swarms; and cross the rivers near their springs. Forward! Perhaps some
readers, for the high Belleisle's sake, will look out these localities
subjoined in the Note, and reduced to spelling. [Tachlowitz, Lischon
(near Rakonitz); Jechnitz (as if you were for the Pilsen road; then turn
as if for the Karlsbad one); Steben (not discoverable, but a DESPATCH
from it,--_Campagnes,_ v. 280), Chisch, Luditz, Theysing (hereabouts you
break off into smaller columns, separate parties and patches, cavalry
all ahead, among the Hills): Schonthal AND Landeck (Belleisle passes
Christmas-day at Landeck,--_ Campagnes,_ vii. 10); Einsiedel (AND
by Petschau), Lauterbach, Konigswart, AND likewise by Topl, Sandau,
Treunitz (that is, into Eger from two sides).] Resting-places in this
grim wilderness of his: poor snow-clad Hamlets,--with their little hood
of human smoke rising through the snow; silent all of them, except for
the sound of here and there a flail, or crowing cock;--but have been
awakened from their torpor by this transit of Belleisle. Happily the
bogs themselves are iron; deepest bog will bear.

"Festititz tries us twice,--very anxious to get Belleisle's Army-chest,
or money; we give him torrents of sharp shot instead. Festititz, these
two chief times, we pepper rapidly into the Hills again; he is reduced
to hang prancing on our flanks and rear. Men bivouac over fires of turf,
amid snow, amid frost; tear down, how greedily, any wood-work for fire.
Leave a trumpet to beg quarter for the frozen and speechless;--which is
little respected: they are lugged in carts, stript by the savageries,
and cruelly used. There were first extensive plains, then boggy passes,
i