Custrin southwest,
where he lately was, each a five or six miles from Zorndorf.

"Such is the poor moorland tract of Country; Zorndorf the centre of
it,--where the battle is likely to be:--Zorndorf and environs a bare
quasi-island among these woods; extensive bald crown of the landscape,
girt with a frizzle of firwoods all round. Boggy pools there are,
especially on the western side (all drained in our time). Mutzel, or
north side, is of course the lowest in level: and accordingly," what is
much to be marked by readers here, "from the south, or Zorndorf side,
at wide intervals, there saunter along, in a slow obscure manner, Three
miserable continuous Leakages, or oozy Threads of Water, all making for
Quartschen, to north or northwest, there to disembogue into the Mutzel.
Each of these has its little Hollow; of which the westernmost, called
Zabern Hollow (ZABERNGRUND), is the most considerable, and the most
important to us here: GALGENGRUND (Gallows-Hollow) is also worth naming
in this Battle; the third Leakage, though without importance, invites us
to name it, HOSEBRUCH, quasi STOCKING-quagmire,--because you can use no
stockings there, except with manifest disadvantage."--Take this other
concluding trait:--

... "Inexpressible fringe of marsh, two or three miles broad, mostly
bottomless, woven with sluggish creeks and stagnant pools, borders the
Warta for many miles towards Landsberg; Custrin-Landsberg Causeway the
alone sure footing in it; after which, the country rises insensibly, but
most beneficially, and is mainly drier till you get to the Mutzel again,
and find the same fringe of mud lace-work again, Zorndorf we called the
crown of it. Tamsel, Wilkersdorf, Klein Kamin, Gross Kamin, and other
places known to us, lie on the dry turf-fuel country, but looking over
close upon the hem of that marsh-fringe, and no doubt getting peats,
wild ducks, pike-fishes, eels, and snatches of summer pasture and
cow-hay out of it."

Thursday, August 24th, Friedrich is again speeding on; occupying
Darmutzel and other crossing-places of the Mutzel; [Mitchell to
Holderness, "DErmItzel, 24th August, 1758" (MEMOIRS AND PAPERS, i.
425; Ib. ii. 40-47, Mitchell's Private Journal).]--by no means himself
crossing there; on the contrary, carefully breaking all the Bridges
before he go ("No retreat for those Russian vagabonds, only death or
surrender for them!")--himself not intending to cross till he be up at
Damm, Neu Damm, well eastward o