144 A JACOBITE EXILE

and musketry. Already the king had caused a number of

large flat boats to be constructed; the sides were made very

high so as to completely cover the troops from musketry,

and were hinged so as to let down and act as gangways and

facilitate a landing. Charlie was standing on the bank

looking at the movements of the Saxon troops across the

river, and wondering how the passage was to be effected,

when a hand was placed on his shoulder. Looking round, -
he saw it was the king, who, as was his custom, was moving

about on foot unattended by any of his officers.

“Wondering how we are to get across, lieutenant?”

“That is just what I was thinking over, your majesty.”

“We want another snowstorm as we had at Narva,” the
king said. “The wind is blowing the right way, but there
is no chance of such another stroke of luck at this time of
year.”

“No, sir; but Iwas thinking that one might make an
artificial fog.”

“How do you mean?” the king asked quickly.

“Your majesty has great stacks of straw here, collected
for forage for the cattle. No doubt a good deal of it is
damp, or if not, if could be easily wetted. If we were to
build great piles of it all along on the banks here, and set
it alight so as to burn very slowly but to give out a great
deal of smoke, this light wind would blow it across the
river into the faces of the Saxons, and completely cover our
movements.”

“You are right!” the king exclaimed. ‘‘ Nothing could
be better. We will make a smoke that will blind and half-
smother them;” and he hurried away. An hour later
orders were sent out to all the regiments, that as soon as it
became dusk the men should assemble at the great forage
stores for fatigue duty. As soon as they did so they were
ordered to pull down the stacks and to carry the straw to
the bank of the river, and there pile it in heavy masses

17