metaphor, Soltikof has shot away all his present
ammunition, his staff of bread is quite precarious in these parts; and
Soltikof thinks always, 'Is it my business, then, or is it yours?'

"Soltikof has intrenched himself on the Wine-Hills at Lossow,
comfortably out of Friedrich's way, and contiguous to Oder and the
provision-routes; sits there, angrily deaf to the voice of the charmer;
nothing to be charmed out of him, but gusts of indignation, instead of
consent. A proud, high-going, indignant kind of man, with a will of
his own. And sees well enough what is what, in all this symphony of the
Lacys, the Montalemberts and surrounding adorers. Montalembert, who is
here this season, our French best man (unprofitable Swedes must put up
with an inferior hand), is extremely persuasive, tries all the arts of
French rhetoric, but effects nothing. 'To let the Austrians come in
for the finishing stroke,---Excellence, it will be to let them gain,
in History, a glory which is of your earning. Daun and Austria, not
Soltikof and Russia, will be said to have extinguished this pestilent
King; whom History will have to remember!' [Choiseul's Letter (not
DUC de Choiseul, but COMTE, now Minister at Vienna) to Montalembert,
"Vienna, 16th August;" and Montalembert's Answer, "Lieberhausen [means
LIEBEROSE], 31st August, 1759:" in Montalembert, _Correspondance,_ ii.
58-65.] 'With all my heart,' answers Soltikof; 'I make the Austrians and
History perfectly welcome! Monsieur, my ammunition is in Posen; my
bread is fallen scarce; in Frankfurt can you find me one horse more?'
Indignant Soltikof is not to be taken by chaff; growls now and then,
if you stir him to the bottom: 'Why should we, who are volunteer
assistants, take all the burden of the work? I will fall back to Posen,
and home to Poland and East Preussen, if this last much longer.'

"Austria has a good deal disgusted these Soltikofs and Russian Chief
Officers;--who are not so stupid as Austria supposes. Austria's steady
wish is, 'Let them do their function of cat's-paw for us; we are here to
eat the chestnuts; not, if we can help it, to burn our own poor fingers
for them!' After every Campaign hitherto, Austria has been in use to
raise eager accusations at Petersburg; and get the Apraxins, Fermors
into trouble: this is not the way to conciliate Russian General
Officers. Austria, taught probably by Daun, now tries the other tack:
heaps Soltikof with eulogies, flatteries, magnificent pres