--Tho' they had now been above a year in
Russia, none of them could speak the language well enough to be
understood, so could receive no information from the guard, even should
they have proved good-natured enough to be willing to satisfy their
curiosity, so they all run hastily up to the round tower, whence they
easily perceived the town in great confusion, and the people running in
such crowds, that in the hurry many were trampled to death in
endeavouring to pass the gates:--at a distance they perceived standards
waving in the air, but could not yet distinguish what arms they bore.--A
certain shivering and palpitation, the natural consequence of suspence,
ran thro' all their nerves, divided as they were at this sight, between
hope and fear; but when it drew more near,--when, instead of Swedish
colours they beheld those of Russia;--when, in the place where they
expected to see their gallant king coming to restore them once more to
freedom, they saw the implacable czar enter in triumph, followed by
those heroes, the least of whom had lately made him tremble, now in
chains, and exposed to the ribald mirth and derision of the gaping
crowd, they lost at once their fortitude, and even all sense of
expressing their grief at this misfortune:--the shock of it was so
violent, it even took away the power of feeling it, and they remained
for some moments rather like statues carv'd out by mortal art, than real
men created by God, and animated with living souls.
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