Blffxulties of Transport. 315 



Returned to Saarbrucken I took at once possession of an 

 empty waggon I encountered in the street, and drove vviih it 

 to the depot of the Johnniters, which was well filled now with 

 X)lenty of provisions. The principal difficulty arose now from 

 the scarcity of means of transportation, for horses, cars, wag- 

 gons, and men were very rare. My waggon was soon filled 

 and Miss Runkel drove with it to Spichern, to distribute the 

 most welcome supplies amongst the French wounded, whilst I 

 visited the hospitals. 



I was much astonished to find nowhere any of the nuns or 

 sisters of mercy from whose assistance we expected so much. 

 The fact is they were very slow in coming and much needed. 

 I wrote down what was wanted in the different places, and 

 took care myself that the things were procured and delivered 

 into the right hands. Where things were required which were 

 not to be found in the depots I gave money to buy tliem. 



His Majesty the King, Count Bismarck, and General Moltke 

 arrived in the evening, and my brother-in-law and his son 

 Leopold, who had accompanied us from Spichern, paid at 

 once their respects to the King. 



I sent next morning a note to Prince Radzivil, to come and 

 see me, but instead of him another aide of the King, Count 

 Waldersee, the brother of our colonel, came, and brought me, 

 from the King, Count Bismarck, and the aid-decamp, about 

 1 20 thalers in gold, to be applied to the benefit of the wounded. 



On August II, I was all the morning with the professor in 

 the hospitals assisting him in some wonderful operations. As 

 many of the wounded in the citizens' casino required good and 

 strong beef soup, and other strengthening food, and Dr. Busch 

 said, ' they must have such things or die,' I went to the kitchen 

 of the King and coaxed the head cc>ok, who at once promised 

 to attend to my wishes, and after a time I went over with a 

 soldier carrying some large pails, which the brave chief of the 

 royal kitchen batteries filled with delicious broth, fortified by 

 good beef merged in it. As nobody was at hand to carry it, 

 and the royal head-quarters were not far across the street from 

 the casino, I carried two of the pails myself. Just when I 

 was crossing the street, a carriage swept round the corner with 

 His Maiesty the King in it. Though not ashamed of my 

 work 1 felt rather embarrassed at being caught thus, and put 

 the pails down behind me, screening them with my dress, when 



