Karl, as composed and cool as always when in the midst of battle, was nevertheless animated by a furious anger and passion; his blood was up, and he was utterly reckless of all consequences both to himself and others.
“We will make this house famous,” he said, when he had given instructions to his men to resist to the very utmost and the very last.
“But too famous!” General Dahldorf could not help saying, “if it is to be the scene of your Majesty’s——”
He could not say the word, and the tears rose to his eyes.
“My death,” finished the King. “Well, if these are our last hours it is the more needful that we should make them honorable.”
He posted such as he had of guards and soldiers and the more skilled of the servants at the windows, with orders to fire on the swarms of Turks and Tartars pressing about the house.
The Khan and Ismail Pasha now brought their cannon into action, but with no avail; the balls fell harmlessly from the stoutly built stone walls.
In a few moments the Swedes firing from the windows had killed over 200 Turks and wounded a great many others.
“See you,” cried the King to Grothusen, “if my soldiers had stood firm we had defeated all these infidels!”
“Ah, sire,” replied Grothusen, “had every man a spirit such as yours we should be invincible!”