Page 103 - A Jacobite Exile

The question of provisions was the most important now. It was true that
large quantities had been captured in the Russian camp, but, beyond a

magazine of corn, abandoned by the fugitives at Tama and brought in, there
was no prospect of replenishing the store when exhausted, for the whole

country, for a great distance round, had been completely devastated by the
Russians. These had not retreated far, having been rallied by the czar at
Plescow, and quartered in the towns of the frontier of Livonia, whence they

made incursions into such districts as had not been previously wasted.

"This is dull work," Archie Cunningham said, one day. "The sooner we are
busy again, the better. There is nothing to do, and very little to eat. The cold
is bitter, and fuel scarce. One wants something to warm one's blood."

"You are not likely to have anything of that kind, for some months to

come," Major Jamieson replied dryly. "You don't suppose we are going to
have a battle of Narva once a week, do you? No doubt there will be a few
skirmishes, and outpost encounters, but beyond that there will be little

doing until next spring. You can make up your mind, for at least five
months, of the worst side of a soldier's life--dull quarters, and probably bad

ones, scanty food, cold, and disease."

"Not a very bright lookout, major," Forbes laughed. "I 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
condition 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