104 A JACOBITE EXILE

at daybreak, and after a march of some distance the force
joined that of Baron Spens. ‘The troops were halted in a
wood, and ordered to light fires to cook food and to pre-
pare for a halt of some hours. Great fires were soon blaz-
ing, and after eating their meal most of the troops wrapped
themselves in the blankets that they carried in addition to
their greatcoats, and lay down by the fires.

They slept until midnight, and were then called to arms
again. ‘hey marched all night, and at daybreak the next
morning, the 13th of February, were near Pitschur, and at
once attacked the Russian camp outside the town. ‘I'aken
completely by surprise the Russians fought feebly, and
more than five hundred were killed before they entered the
town, hotly pursued by the Swedes. Shutting themselves
up in the houses, and barricading the doors and windows,
they defended themselves desperately, refusing all offers of
surrender. The Livonian peasants were, however, at work,
and set fire to the town in many places. ‘The flames spread
rapidly. Great stores of hides and leather, and a huge
magazine filled with hemp, added to the fury of the con-
flagration, and the whole town was burned to the ground;
numbers of the Russians preferring death by fire in the
houses to coming out and surrendering themselves.

Many of the fugitives had succeeded in reaching a strong
position on the hill commanding the town. ‘This con-
sisted of a convent surrounded by strong walls mounted
with cannon, which played upon the town while the fight
there was going on. As Baron Spens had no guns with
him he was unable to follow up his advantage by taking
this position, and he therefore gave orders to the force to
retire, the peasants being loaded with booty that they had
gathered before the fire spread. The loss of the Swedes
was thirty killed and sixty wounded, this being a small
amount of loss compared with what they had inflicted upon
the enemy.