there at the right hour; and if God has bestowed upon
him the gift of eloquence, he can lead them either into the church to
contrite prayer, or to the slaughterfield to bloody combat. The people
are a flock of sheep, nothing more!"

"Come, then," cried Kretschmer pathetically; "come and be their
bellwether, and lead the people into the church."

* * * * *

CHAPTER IX.

THE RUSSIAN IS AT THE GATES.

In a few minutes quiet, peaceful, industrious Berlin was transformed
into an open encampment. From all the streets there poured throngs
of armed men toward the town-hall, where the wise magistrates were
consulting on the possibility of resistance, or toward the commander
of Berlin, General Rochow, who had the streets patrolled, and called
upon the citizens, by beat of drum, to assemble with arms, and assist
in the defence of the town.

"The Russian is at the gates!" This cry of terror seemed to cure the
sick and feeble, and give courage and strength to the wavering. The
old national hatred of the German toward the Russian broke out in its
entire vigor; and vehemence made even the faint-hearted fly to arms,
and caused words of imprecation to rise to the lips of those who were
in the habit of uttering prayers and timid complaints.

The council of war was assembled at the commander's office, and,
strange to say, it consisted of only old men and invalids. There were
present the infirm veteran general and commander, Rochow, and the
eighty-year-old Field-Marshal Lehwald, the severely-wounded General
Seidlitz, and General Knoblauch, also wounded. These four composed the
whole council, and fully aware of the danger and of the smallness of
their forces, were debating whether they should yield to the demand of
the Russian troops, and give up the town without any defence, or,
with twelve hundred garrison troops, two rusty cannon, a few thousand
wounded soldiers, and an inefficient body of citizens, give battle to
the twelve thousand irregular troops of General Tottleben, who would
soon he reenforced by the army of General Tschernitscheff, twenty
thousand strong, and fourteen thousand Austrians under Count Lacy,
who, as they well knew, were coming on by forced marches. But so great
was the heroic exasperation and eagerness for the fight of these noble
and war-worn veterans, that not one of them advised submission; but,
on the contrary, they unanimously determined to defend Berlin as long
as