as "Wagon-fortress" in and round
some Convent there, with trenches, brick walls, cannon and defence
considered strong enough for so important a necessary of the road.
September 15th, Platen, before cock-crow, burst out suddenly on this
Wagon-fortress, with its cannons, trenches, brick walls and defensive
Russians; stormed into it with extraordinary fury: "Fixed bayonets,"
ordered he at the main point of their defence, "not a shot till they are
tumbled out!"--tumbled them out accordingly, into flight and ruin; took
of prisoners 1,845, seven cannon, and burnt the 5,000 provender wagons,
which was the soul of the adventure; and directly got upon the road
again. [Tempelhof, v. 281-293; _Helden-Geschichte,_ vi. 643-649.]
Detachments of him then fell on Posen, on Posen and other small Russian
repositories in those parts,--hay-magazines, biscuit-stores soldiers'
uniforms; distributed or burnt the same;--completely destroying the
travelling haversack or general road-bag of Butturlin; a Butturlin that
will have to hasten forward or starve.

Which done, Platen (not waiting the King's new orders, but anticipating
them, to the King's great contentment) marched instantly, with his best
speed and skilfulest contrivance of routes and methods, not back to the
King, but onward towards Colberg,--(which he knows, as readers shall
anon, to be much in need of him at present);--and without injury, though
begirt all the way by a hurricane of Cossacks and light people doing
their utmost upon him, arrived there September 25th; victoriously
cutting in across the Besieging Party: and will again be visible enough
when we arrive there. Indignant Butturlin chased violently, eager to
punish Platen; but could get no hold: found Platen was clear off, to
Pommern,--on what errand Butturlin knew well, if not so well what to do
in consequence. "Reinforce our poor Besiegers there, and again reinforce
[to enormous amounts, 40,000 of them in the end];--get bread from
them withal:--and, before long, flow bodily thitherward, for bread
to ourselves and for their poor sake!" That, on the whole, was what
Butturlin did.

Friedrich stayed at Bunzelwitz above a fortnight after Butturlin.
"Why did not Friedrich stay altogether, and wait here?" said some,
triumphantly soon after. That was not well possible. His Schweidnitz
Magazine is worn low; not above a month's provision now left for so
many of us. The rate of sickness, too, gets heavier and heavier in this
Bunzel