THE APPOINTMENT.
Alexander took a seat by the king's side at the small table, loaded
with a heavy gold service, set for them alone near the door, which
was covered with a heavy portiere, and led into the large supper-
hall. The emperor and the king had just put upon their plates some
of the appetizing pate de foie gras which the master of ceremonies
himself had served up, and were proceeding like other mortals to
consume them with great relish. The cavaliers, improving the
opportune moment of silence, stood about the room and partook of the
viands taken from the sideboard. Suddenly this silence was
interrupted by a voice which was not uttered in the room itself, but
swept through it like the blast of a trumpet: "If this hesitation
and vacillation continue, all is lost; and it would then be better
for us to throw ourselves immediately at the feet of Bonaparte, and
crave quarter, than unnecessarily spill the precious blood of the
people, and at last submit. He who does not advance goes backward
without noticing it, and he who is not courageous enough to attack,
is vanquished even before his adversary has forced him to battle."
"Why," exclaimed Alexander, smiling, "these are sentences that
remind me of General Blucher."
"Your majesty is right, it is his voice," said the king; "he will
give vent to his indignation, and, perhaps, at our expense. Let us
not listen to him."
"On the contrary, I beg your majesty's kind permission to listen,"
said Alexander, pleasantly. "There is in the words of the general
something that is as refreshing as a pure wind dispelling unhealthy
vapors. Ah, hear him, sire; his tones are roaring like a hurricane."
In fact, the voice in the adjoining room had grown more violent, and
the Emperor Alexander was seated in such a manner that he could
distinctly hear every word uttered:
"What! you really believe it to be possible that they will appoint
Field-Marshal Kalkreuth general-in-chief, and intrust our young and
splendid army to him? Great Heaven! do they not know, then, that
Kalkreuth, however excellent a man and brave a soldier he may be, is
not fit to confront Napoleon? Is it not a matter of notoriety that
the field-marshal loves and admires Bonaparte, and that he considers
a rupture with France a great calamity for Prussia? How could he
ever win a battle who could never look straight forward at the
battle-field, but would squint sideways to see what faces Napoleon
would make, and whether he would not frown at the audacity of the
Prussians, who dare try to defeat the great Napoleon? We need a man
with a direct look--one who fixes both his eyes on the object. We do
not want any schielwippen! They may all go to the mischief, for one
never knows what they are about! I repeat, we need a man with a
straight look!"
"What is that? schielwippen?" inquired the emperor, smiling. "I
thought I had learned the German language pretty thoroughly from my
mother and my wife, both of whom have the honor of being natives of
Germany, but I have never heard this word from them. Pray, sire,
tell me what it means."
"I must confess that I do not understand it either," said the king,
shrugging his shoulders.
"General Scharnhorst!" cried the emperor. "Pray can you tell us what
schielwippen means?"
"Sire," said Scharnhorst, laughing, "it is a slang term for a man
who squints. General Blucher likes to use the language of the
people."
"Well, the Prussian people have recently used such grand and
magnificent language," said Alexander, "that we may say with heart-
felt conviction, 'Vox populi vox Dei!' and that it reflects great
credit on Blucher, if it is true that he speaks like the people.
But, hush! what does he say now?"
"The cowards have brought all our misfortunes upon us!" thundered
Blucher's powerful voice. "The hesitating men who always wish to
patch up and stop the holes, instead of tearing down the old ruin
and building a new house, are our curse, and have always involved
Prussia in untold calamities. When I think of them I would like to
have them here, to treat them as Jahn treated the other day one of
the Turners at Berlin. Do you know the story?"
"No," shouted several voices, "we unfortunately do not."
"Well, I will tell it to you. Jahn went with his pupils down the
Linden to the Brandenburg gate to perform the usual gymnastic
exercises on the drill-grounds outside the city. On the way he
happened to cast his eyes on the gate, where the Victoria formerly
stood, and which the French stole and carried off to Paris. Jahn,
like every honest man who looks at the gate, felt his heart swell
with anger. He turned to the boy who was marching by his side and
asked him, 'What stood formerly over the pillars of the gate'?'--
'The Victoria,' said the boy.--'Where is it now?' inquired Jahn.--
'It is in Paris, where the French carried it.' Jahn asked again,
'What do you think when looking up to the vacant place on the top of
the gate?'--'Well,' said the boy, with great composure, 'what should
I think? I think it is a pity that the Victoria is no longer there.'
And when he said so, Jahn lifted up his hand and slapped the boy's
face. 'You should think that we will fetch back the Victoria, you
monkey!' he shouted. That is the whole story, but I remember it
whenever I see these dear tame men who merely say, 'It is a pity
that we have been so unfortunate!' and whose hearts feel only a mild
regret instead of the most ardent revenge. And then my hand itches,
and I would like to lift it up, like Jahn, and slap their faces."
"Your Blucher is a splendid hussar," said Alexander, looking at the
king. "I believe it is dangerous to stand before him when his hand
is itching."
"Yes, his hand has been itching from the days of Jena," exclaimed
the king, smiling. "He has been anxious to fight ever since. For
this reason I gave him the estate of Kunzendorf, and sent him
thither. I thought he would there quietly cure himself; but it seems
it was in vain; my expectations have been disappointed. I believe
his hand is incurable."
"Your majesty, therefore, had better yield to him, and allow him to
fight," said Alexander, almost entreatingly. "The opportunity is
excellent at the present time. If you place him at the head of the
Silesian army, he will no longer slap the faces of his friends and
neighbors on the right and left, but will rush forward and stretch
out his itching hand to deal the French terrible blows."
"I am only afraid he would be too rash in his wild hussar spirit,"
said the king, "and spoil every thing by trying to tear down all
barriers."
"A man should be placed by his side who knows how to check his
boldness," exclaimed Alexander--"a man who does not stifle Blucher's
ardor, but gives it the true direction."
"But where shall we find such a one?"
"I believe your majesty may find him close by," said Alexander,
pointing to Scharnhorst, who was leaning against the portiere.
"Ah, sire," cried the king, almost merrily, "I believe yon are a
magician, and understand my most secret thoughts. Scharnhorst has a
great mind, and I owe him much. If he would take upon himself that
difficult and ungrateful part by the side of Blucher, I believe the
general's impetuosity would be less dangerous."
"Your majesty, please ask him whether he will or not," said
Alexander.
The king called Scharnhorst to his side. "You have influence over
General Blucher, have you not?" he asked, hastily.
"I may say, at least, your majesty, that General Blucher is
convinced of my love and devotion, and that he confides a little in
me."
"Could you make up your mind to occupy a secondary position by his
side, and, if I should appoint Blucher general-in-chief of the
Silesian army, become his chief of staff?"
"Your majesty," exclaimed Scharnhorst, "I would deem it a great
honor to serve under the heroic old man, and I am certain that with
him I would enter upon a glorious career, particularly if your
majesty should grant me a request."
"What is it? Speak!"
"If your majesty should condescend to place General Gneisenau, who
will arrive to-morrow, as quartermaster-general."
The king nodded. "You have selected a noble companion," he said,
smiling.
"It will be a splendid trefoil, it seems to me," cried the emperor.
"Blucher, Scharnhorst, and Gneisenau! They are three well-sounding
names! But listen, sire, Blucher is still thundering. There is a way
to calm this tempest."
"What is it?" asked the king, smiling.
"Your majesty ought to be so gracious as to send for General
Blucher, and tell him that you wish to confer upon him the command-
in-chief of the Silesian army."
"You advise me to do so, sire?" inquired the king. "Your majesty, in
counselling this, gives up no wish?"
"Yes, I do," said Alexander, smiling. "I should wish to see General
Tanentzien appointed commander-in-chief, just as your majesty
probably would prefer to bestow this position on Field-Marshal
Kalkreuth. Let us both, therefore, sacrifice our wishes to the great
object for which I now believe Blucher to be the proper instrument."
"So let it be, your majesty," exclaimed the king. "I will send for
Blucher." he beckoned to Scharnhorst to approach again. "Pray go and
fetch your friend, General Blucher," said the king, rising, like the
emperor, from the table.
"And I beg leave, while the general goes into the hall, to cast a
glance into the next room, to see what Blucher is doing," said the
emperor. "Now draw the portiere back, General Scharnhorst, and stand
there. In this way I am able to survey the whole hall."
Scharnhorst, in accordance with the emperor's order, opened the
portiere and stood in it; by his side, shaded by the curtain, stood
the emperor and the king. Both gazed into the supper-hall, which
presented a highly animated spectacle. At all the small tables sat
the guests in attractive groups, the ladies in their rich toilets,
the gentlemen in their brilliant uniforms. All were merry and
loquacious; the choice delicacies had put everyone in good spirits;
the fiery wine had loosened all tongues. Even the eyes of the ladies
were sparkling with a higher lustre, and a deeper crimson burned on
their cheeks. But all those merry faces turned frequently toward the
small table on one side of the hall near the portiere. There sat
General Blucher with his wife; several gentlemen were seated near
him. On the table stood one of the crystal bowls that had previously
adorned the handsome sideboard, and from this bowl, filled with an
amber-colored liquid, arose a delightful perfume. Blucher seemed to
inhale the fragrance with pleasure, for an expression of infinite
comfort beamed from his features, and whenever he emptied his glass
he seized the silver ladle that lay in the bowl, and then drew his
white mustache with a smile of gratification through his fingers,
while his eyes surveyed the whole company with a flashing glance.
Then a shadow passed across his brow. "We are highly elated to-day,
because we are at length to take up arms against our foe," he said;
"we are overjoyed because we are to take our revenge. And suppose
every thing should again turn out wrong; suppose the cowards and the
schielwippen should, after all, remain at the helm? Great Heaven!
the very idea maddens me! For I know them! I know that they will
ruin every thing. At the decisive moment they are vacillating, and,
in order to dishearten others, too, they exaggerate the strength of
the enemy a hundred-fold, and belittle our own resources in the same
proportion. Would that Heaven were to decree, 'Blucher shall command
the Prussians!' Good Lord, I pledge Thee my head that I would expel
Bonaparte with all his French from Germany, though I had but thirty
thousand soldiers behind me!" [Footnote: Blucher's words.--Vide
Varnhagen, "Life of Blucher," p. 136.]
"Now call him in, general," whispered Alexander. Scharnhorst stepped
into the hall. The king and the emperor left the supper-hall and
returned into the audience-room.
A few minutes afterward Blucher entered, followed by Scharnhorst,
who remained at the door, while Blucher advanced boldly toward the
two sovereigns.
"Your majesty was so gracious as to send for me," he said, bowing to
the king.
"Yes," said the king, gravely. "I wish to ask you whether you belong
to the vacillating cowards, or whether you are a whole man?"
"And I," exclaimed Alexander, pathetically--"I wish to request you
to confess whether you are also a schielwippe?"
Blucher looked at the two sovereigns with a gloomy, inquiring
glance. But suddenly his face brightened, and a smile played round
his lips. "Ah," he cried, "I understand! Your majesties have
overheard my prattle, and have sent for me to order me to be silent.
But I cannot, your majesties; I cannot! I must give vent to my
wrath, my vexation, and grief! I must be allowed to scold, for if I
did not I would be obliged to weep, and it would be a disgrace for
Blucher to act like an old woman! Let me scold, then, your
majesties; it relieves my heart a little, and my auger teaches me to
forget my grief."
"You grieve, then, general?" inquired Frederick William, smiling.
"Yes. my lord and king. I do grieve intensely. I should like to lay
my complaint before your majesty, and I will do so, too. I--"
"Hush!" interposed the king,--"hush, my firebrand of seventy-one
years! First reply to this question: would you like to be appointed
general-in-chief of the Silesian army?"
"Would I like to be appointed general-in-chief?" cried Blucher, his
eyes sparkling with joy. "Your majesty, that is just as though you
ask me whether I like to live any longer. For I tell your majesty I
will die at once rather than let any one else have that position."
"Well, then," said the king, in a grave and dignified tone, "I
appoint you general-in-chief of the Silesian army. Do you accept the
position?"
Blucher uttered a cry, and his face brightened as if lit up by a
sunbeam. "I accept it," he exclaimed, "and here I swear to your
majesty that I shall not lay down my command before Prussia is again
what she was prior to the battle of Jena, and that I shall not
sheathe my sword before we have driven Napoleon beyond the Rhine,
and have made him so humble that he will never again dare to cross
it. I swear to your majesty, upon my honor, that I will hurl
Bonaparte from his throne--that I will not rest before the crown has
fallen from his head! God has spared me that I may chastise
Napoleon; He has told me every night in my dreams, 'Do not despond,
do not lose heart! Keep up thy courage and thy confidence, for I
shall soon need thee! Thou shalt soon cut Napoleon down from his
power, and throw him into the dust whence he sprang.' And I have
answered, 'I am on hand, and wait only for the struggle to begin.'
Now I say to your majesty what I then said, 'I am on hand, and the
struggle is to begin!' I have sworn every day to chastise Bonaparte,
and while I live I shall thank your majesty for giving me an
opportunity. I am, then, general-in-chief of the Silesian army?"
"Yes, I appoint you, and his majesty the emperor approves my
selection," said the king. "All necessary directions, instructions,
and orders, you will receive to-morrow in writing. You will
immediately enter upon your office, and place yourself at the head
of the troops. Do you wish to prefer requests and impose
conditions?"
"Yes, your majesty, I must impose two conditions. In the first
place, General Scharnhorst must be my chief of staff, for Blucher is
only half a man when Scharnhorst is not with him. I have the arm, he
has the head; therefore we must be together."
"Your request is granted, and Scharnhorst has already accepted the
position," said the king, smiling.
"Secondly, I must impose the condition that I be allowed to leave
Breslau to-morrow with my Prussians, and advance toward Saxony."
"What! You intend to start at once?" cried Alexander and Frederick
William, in amazement.
"Yes, at once," said Blucher, with a joyful air. "The years of
waiting are past, and now comes the day of vengeance. Like a
thunderstorm we must burst upon the French. Before they expect us we
must expel what troops of theirs remain in Germany, dissolve the
Confederation of the Rhine, and by our bold exploits stir up all
Germany that she may rally round our flag, and form an enormous army
before Napoleon has concentrated his newly-organized forces. That is
our task, and, if it pleases God, we will fulfil it."