ot Regiments, circling round, makes
thitherward; Lestwitz in the van. Let us precede him thither, and
explain a little what it was.

Ziethen, who had stood all day making idle noises,--of what a fatal
quality we know, if Ziethen did not,--waiting for the King's appearance,
must have been considerably displeased with himself at nightfall, when
the King's fire gradually died out farther and farther north, giving
rise to the saddest surmises. Ziethen's Generals, Saldern and the
Leuthen Mollendorf, are full of gloomy impatience, urgent on him to try
something. "Push westward, nearer the King? Some stroke at the enemy on
their south or southwestern side, where we have not molested them all
day? No getting across the Rohrgraben on them, says your Excellenz?
Siptitz Village, and their Battery there, is on our side of the
Rohrgraben:--UM GOTTES WILLEN, something, Herr General!" Ziethen does
finally assent: draws leftward, westward; unbuckles Saldern's people
upon Siptitz; who go like sharp hounds from the slip; fasten on Siptitz
and the Austrians there, with a will; wrench these out, force them to
abandon their Battery, and to set Siptitz on fire, while they run out
of it. Comfortable bit of success, so far,--were not Siptitz burning,
so that we cannot get through. "Through, no: and were we through, is not
there the Rohrgraben?" thinks Ziethen, not seeing his way.

How lucky that, at this moment, Mollendorf comes in, with a discovery
to westward; discovery of our old friend "the Butter-Street,"--it is
nothing more,--where Ziethen should have marched this morning: there
would he have found a solid road across the Rohrgraben, free passage
by a bridge between two bits of ponds, at the SCHAFEREI (Sheep-Farm) of
Siptitz yonder. "There still," reports Mollendorf, "the solid road
is; unbeset hitherto, except by me Mollendorf!" Thitherward all do
now hasten, Austrians, Prussians: but the Prussians are beforehand;
Mollendorf is master of the Pass, deploying himself on the other side
of it, and Ziethen and everybody hastening through to support him there,
and the Austrians making fierce fight in vain. The sound of which has
reached Hulsen, and set Lestwitz and him in motion thither.

For the thing is vital, if we knew it. Close ahead of Mollendorf, when
he is through this Pass, close on Mollendorf's left, as he wheels round
on the attacking Austrians, is the southwest corner of Siptitz Height.
Southwest corner, highest point of it; sum