fleets to
aid Sweden and seek to preserve the balance of power in the north.

Such were the preliminary steps to Charles's first great campaign, one of
the most remarkable in the whole history of war. On the 8th of May, 1700,
he left Stockholm, in which city he was never to set foot again. With a
large fleet of Swedish, Dutch, and English vessels he proposed to attack
Copenhagen, thus striking at the very citadel of Danish power. The
assault began with a bombardment of the city, but, seeing that this was
having little effect, Charles determined to attack it by land and sea,
taking command of the land forces himself.

A landing was made at the village of Humlebek, Charles, in his impatience
to land, leaping into the water, which came nearly to his waist, and
wading ashore. Others followed his example, the march through the waves
being made amid a shower of bullets from the enemy. Springing to land,
the young king waved his sword joyously above his head and asked Major
Stuart, who reached the shore beside him, what was the whistling sound he
heard.

"It is the noise of the musket balls which they are firing at your
Majesty," said the major.

"That is the very best music I ever heard," he replied, "and I shall
never care for any other as long as I live."

As he spoke, a bullet struck the major in the shoulder and on his other
side a lieutenant fell dead, but Charles escaped unscathed.

The Danes were soon put to flight and Charles made the arrangements for
the encamping of his troops with the skill and celerity of one trained in
the art of warfare, instead of a boy on his first campaign and to whom
the whistle of a musket ball was a sound unknown. He showed his ability
and judgment also by the strict discipline he maintained, winning the
good will of the peasantry by paying for all supplies, instead of taking
them by force in the ordinary fashion of the times.

While the camp was being made and redoubts thrown up towards the town,
the fleet was sent back to Sweden and soon returned with a reinforcement
of nine thousand men, who had marched in haste to the shore and were
drawn up ready to embark. The Danish fleet looked on at this movement,
but was not strong enough to interfere.

The rapidity with which this invasion had been made struck the people of
Copenhagen with terror and they sent an embassy to Charles, begging him
not to bombard the city. He received them at the head of his guards,
while they fell upon th