THE CHASSE IN PRUSSIA. 297 



the day with, a little preliminary shooting, and had killed 

 two hundred and eight hares. Obliged, in order not to keep 

 the party waiting, to leave Berlin at midnight, in spite of 

 the rigour of the season, the Prince of Prussia arrived 

 punctually at the hour of breakfast on the following morning, 

 and very shortly afterwards the whole army that formed the 

 cortege commenced its march into the country. We num- 

 bered more than sixty guns and three hundred beaters. 

 Each of the latter carried his number attached to his button- 

 hole, and a rattle in his hand. They were divided into two 

 equal troops, commanded by a general in green uniform, who, 

 galloping at their head and along the line, gave the orders 

 and signals for their manoeuvres, all the different battues 

 having been measured and marked out beforehand. Whilst 

 one division of beaters were occupied with loud shouts in 

 tracking the space assigned to them, another marched in 

 silence to the spot where the next battue was to take place, 

 and arranged themselves in a semicircular form along the 

 line of their position. In this manner the sportsmen passed, 

 without losing time, from one place to another, and the 

 battues succeeded each other - with as much celerity as 

 good order; added to this, a military band belonging 

 to the Princess followed the chasseurs, and, posted behind 

 the line of battle, intermixed the music of waltzes and 

 marches with the incessant reports of our guns. Never 

 did I witness such preparations for a chasse, or one so well- 

 conducted and so successful. 



We had quitted the chateau at eleven o'clock, and the 

 night soon closes in here at the end of December; still, in 

 less than four hours, we had killed three hundred and sixty- 

 six hares. The next day another shooting-party took place, 

 which commenced earlier, finished sooner, and occupied 

 about the same space of time. This was not on the plains, 

 but in the small woods that surrounded them. More than 



