Page:Works of Voltaire Volume 20.djvu/197

Rh town, where they were all made prisoners by the garrison.

The king scorned to fly, and yet was unable to defend himself. General Poniatowski happened to be near him at that instant. He was a colonel of Stanislaus's Swedish guards, a man of extraordinary merit, and had been induced, from his strong attachment to the person of Charles, to follow him into the Ukraine, without any post in the army. He was a man who, in all the occurrences of life and amidst those dangers when others would at most have displayed their courage, always took his measures with despatch, prudence and success. He made a sign to two body-guards, who took the king under the arm, and placed him on his horse, notwithstanding the exquisite pain of his wounds.

Poniatowski, though he had no command in the army, became on this occasion a general through necessity, and drew up five hundred horse near the king's person; some of them guards, others officers, and a few private troopers. This body being assembled and animated by the misfortune of their prince, forced their way through more than ten Russian regiments, and conducted Charles through the midst of the enemy for the space of a league, to the baggage of the Swedish army.

Charles, being closely pursued in his flight, had his horse killed under him; and Colonel Gieta, though wounded and weak from loss of blood, gave him his. Thus in the course of the flight they twice put this conqueror on horseback, though he had not been able to mount a horse during the engagement. Vol. 20—12