to guard it, when found, from any farther violence or injury,
and take charge of it, that it might receive an honorable burial.

The body was, of course, not found, for the king was alive, and, with
the exception of the wound in his heel, uninjured. He was borne off
from the field by a few faithful adherents, who took him in their arms
when the litter was broken up. As soon as they had conveyed him in
this manner out of immediate danger, they hastily constructed another
litter in order to bear him farther away. He was himself extremely
unwilling to go. He was very earnest to make an effort to rally his
men, and, if possible, save his army from total ruin. But he soon
found that it was in vain to attempt this. His whole force had been
thrown into utter confusion; and the broken battalions, flying in every
direction, were pursued so hotly by the Russians, who, in their
exultant fury, slaughtered all whom they could overtake, and drove the
rest headlong on in a state of panic and dismay which was wholly
uncontrollable.

Of course some escaped, but great numbers were taken prisoners. Many
of the officers, separated from their men, wandered about in search of
the king, being without any rallying point until they could find him.
After suffering many cruel hardships and much exposure in the
lurking-places where they attempted to conceal themselves, great
numbers of them were hunted out by their enemies and made prisoners.

In the mean time, those who had the king under their charge urged his
majesty to allow them to convey him with all speed out of the country.
The nearest way of escape was to go westward to the Turkish frontier,
which, as has already been said, was not far distant, though there were
three rivers to cross on the way--the Dnieper, the Bog, and the
Dniester. The king was very unwilling to listen to this advice. Peter
had several times sent a flag of truce to him since he had entered into
the Russian dominions, expressing a desire to make peace, and proposing
very reasonable terms for Charles to accede to. To all these proposals
Charles had returned the same answer as at first, which was, that he
should not be ready to treat with the Czar until he arrived at Moscow.
Charles now said that, before abandoning the country altogether, he
would send a herald to the Russian camp to say that he was now willing
to make peace on the terms which Peter had before proposed to him, if
Peter was still willing to ad