The weekly Butte record., 1863-04-04
An Army of Skates.

During the famous expedition of Louis
XIV. this art of locomotion was used against
the Dutch themselves in one of the most cur.
ious and daring exploits recorded in history.
When the States sued for peace, the terms Of
fered by the pride of Louis were so monstrous,
the country under water. The frost, after a
time, however, rendered even this unavaing
aud at length General Luxembourg, one dark
and freezing night, mounted twelve thousand
men on skates ard sent them over the ice from
Utrecht TO surprise the Hague. The result is
given as follows by a writer who takes his fact
from a French historian
When they left Utrecht, it was clear frosty
weather. and the effect Of the moon and stars
upon the even sheet of ice, over which they
swept like breeze was truly magical. By
degrees, as they advanced, the visible horizon of
earth was obscured by vapor, and they could
see nothing around, above or beneath them,
but circular expanse of ice, bounded at the
edge by thick gray clouds, and canopied by the
starry curtain of the sky The strange groan-
ing sound which ever aud anon doomed along
the frozen wilderness, had at first something
inexpressibly terrific to the imagination and
as it died 6tfully away in the distance, the
space surrounding them seemed extended al
most to iniuity. The sky at length was grad
ually covered by the vapors rising, as If from
In
and hazy white overspread the heavens and
obscured the stars aud dim round spot of
watery brightness was the only indication of
the site of the moon, by which alone they could
now steer their course. A rapid thaw had
come on; the skates sunk deeper and deeper
into the ice at every sweep; and at last, the
water gathering upon the surface, as it was
agitated BY the night wind that had now risen,
assumed the appearance of sea. The wind
increased the sky grew blacker and blacker
their footing became more spongy and insecure;
they plunged almost to the knee and the ice
groaued and cracked beneath them. Every
one looked upon himself as lost and the hor
rors of fate hitherto untold III story and ap-
peared to belong neither to the fortunes of the
land nor of the sea, appalled, the bodest imagi-
nation.
Al length a faint, twinklng light appeared
in the distance, sometimes seen and sometimes
lost in the varying atmosphere and they had
the satisfaction, such as it was, of at least
knowing the relative bearings of the place on
which they were about to perish. The light
proceeded from strong fort in the enemys
hands, impregnable without cannon and what
added bitterness TO their misery, was the
knowledge that beyond this fort was dyke,
which in all probability afforded path, how
ever narrow aud muddy, by which they could
have returned 10 Utrecht The fort, however,
was the gate TO this avenue OF safety and
even if they had possessed the requisite means
of siege. if it was defended for single day.
they would either be swallowed up by the wa
ter, in continuance of the thaw, or perish mise
rably through cold and fatigue. But anything
was better than inaction. The water creeping
insiduously around them was deadlier enemy
than stone walls or caunon-shot and they de
termined at least to make rush upon the
immovable masonry Of the fort, and provoke
the fire of its defenders 1t is impossible to
account for the result. 1t may have been the
sight of so large body of men rushing in upon
them, and as il from the open sea. their mum,
Der multiplied. and even their individual forms
distorted and magulfed in the mist, struck a
panic terror into the hearts of the garrison
while this may have been increased by the
shouts of courage or despair booming widely
over the icy waste. and mingliug like the
voices of demons with the rising wind. But
however this was. the gates of the fort opened
at their approach, and the hapless and half
frozen adventurerS rushed in without striking
a blow"