282 A JACOBITE EXILE

tious, as I suppose most of us are; he thought he saw an
opportunity of gaining territory. He has found that he
has made a mistake, and will of course lose a province.
But Charles’ persecution of him goes beyond all bounds;
never before did a sovereign insist upon a nation consent-
ing to dethrone its king at his dictation. But go on with
your story.”

He listened without remark until Charlie concluded.

“‘T wish you had been in our service,” he said, “instead
of that of Sweden; you would have mounted fast. You
have all the requisites for success, above all, promptitude of
decision and quickness of invention. You did well in get-
ting away from that Jewish scoundrel in the hut and in
killing his master, but it was your adventure with the wolves
that showed your quality. That idea of setting fire to the
tree in which you were sitting, in order at once to warm
yourself and to frighten away the wolves, would never have
occurred to a Russian, and the quickness with which you
formed, with three logs, a redoubt against the wolves
showed a quick military eye, and the ability to think and
act ina moment of danger. Now tell me how it was that
you were the only officer captured the other day.”

Charlie briefly related how he, with the pikemen of his
company, had stayed behind to check the pursuit of the
Russian horse, and to gain time for the main body to lose
themselves in the darkness. ‘The Russian struck his fist on
the arm of his chair.

“Tt was well done,” he said. “There is the difference.
A Russian captain would have done it if he had been
ordered, and he and his men would, without a question,
have sacrificed themselves to cover the retreat of the rest,
but he would never have done it on his own initiative; the
idea would never have struck him; he would have plodded
along until the enemy’s cavalry came up and annihilated
them all. By the way, why did you not ask for me at
once?”