NARVA 99

“Not a very bright look-out, major,” Forbes laughed.
“T hope it won’t be as bad as that.”

“Then I-advise you to give up hoping and to make up
your mind to realities, Forbes; there is a good deal of
illness in the camp now, and there will be more and more
as the time goes on. There is nothing like inaction to tell
upon the health of troops. However, we certainly shall not
stay here, it would be impossible to victual the army, and I
expect that before long we shall march away and take up
quarters for the winter. As to operations on a great scale,
they are out of the question. After the thrashing they have
had, the Russians will be months before they are in a con-
dition to take the offensive again; while we are equally
unable to move, because in the first place we are not strong
enough to do so, and in the second we have no baggage
train to carry provisions with us, and no provisions to carry
if we had it.”

On the 13th of December the king quitted Narva with
the army, and on the roth arrived at Lais, an old castle six
miles from Derpt, and here established his head-quarters.
A few of the troops were stationed in villages, but the
greater part in rough huts in the neighbourhood and along
the frontier.

It was not long before Major Jamieson’s predictions were
verified. A low fever, occasioned by the fatiguing marches
and the hardships they had endured, added to the misery
from the cold and wet that penetrated the wretched huts,
spread rapidly through the army. Many died, and great
numbers were absolutely prostrated. The king was inde-
fatigable in his efforts to keep up the spirits of the troops.
He constantly rode about from camp to camp, entering the
huts, chatting cheerfully with the soldiers, and encouraging
them by kind words and assurances that when the spring
came they would soon gain strength again.