took place, and,
although but few of the troops had arrived, he was too impatient
for action to wait until the coming of the fleet. He therefore
marched to Wesenberg, with his bodyguard and a few troops from
Revel. He at once despatched a thousand men, to cover the frontier,
and issued orders for the rest of the troops to leave the whole of
their baggage behind them, to take three days' provision in their
haversacks, and to prepare to march the next morning.

Major Jamieson came into the cottage, occupied by Captain Jervoise
and his officers, late in the evening. They had a blazing fire, for
it was now the middle of November, and the nights were very sharp.

"Well, Jervoise, what do you think of the orders?" he asked, as he
seated himself on a log that had been brought in for the fire.

"I have not thought much about them, except that we are going to do
a long and quick march somewhere."

"And where is that somewhere, do you think?"

"That, I have not the slightest idea."

"You would not say that it was to Narva?"

"I certainly should not, considering that we have but five thousand
infantry, and three thousand cavalry, and of these a large number
have been so weakened, by fever, as to be unfit for fighting; while
at Narva, report says there are eighty thousand Russians, in a
strongly intrenched camp."

"Well, that is where we are going, Jervoise, nevertheless. At
least, that is what the colonel has told me."

"He must have been surely jesting, major. We may be going to push
forward in that direction, and occupy some strong position until
the army comes up, but it would be the height of madness to attack
an enemy, in a strong position, and just tenfold our force."

"Well, we shall see," Jamieson said coolly. "It is certain that
Narva cannot hold out much longer, and I know that the king has set
his heart on relieving it; but it does seem somewhat too dangerous
an enterprise to attack the Russians. At any rate, that is the
direction in which we are going, tomorrow. It is a good seventy
miles distant, and, as they say that the whole country has been
devastated, and the villagers have all fled, it is evident that
when the three days' bread and meat we carry are exhausted we shall
have to get some food, out of the Russian camp, if nowhere else."

Captain Jervoise laughed, as did the others.

"We can live for a short time on the horses, Jamieson, if we are
hard pushed for it, though most of them are little bey