Sending word to the king of his intention, and asking for an
approval of his plan of fortifying the town, he took three
companies of infantry and four hundred horse, made a rapid march to
Marienburg, and occupied it without opposition.
He had not forgotten his promise, and the company of Captain
Jervoise was one of those selected for the work. Its officers were
delighted at the prospect of a change, and, when the party started,
Captain Jervoise was proud of the show made by his men, whose
active and vigorous condition contrasted strongly with the debility
and feebleness evident, so generally, among the Swedish soldiers.
As soon as Marienburg was entered, the men were set to work, to
raise and strengthen the rampart and to erect bastions; and they
were aided, a few days later, by a reinforcement of two hundred
infantry, sent by the king, with some cannon, from the garrison of
Derpt. As the place was surrounded by a morass, it was, ere long,
put into a position to offer a formidable defence against any force
that the Russians or Saxons might bring against it.
The Swedes engaged on the work gained strength rapidly, and, by the
time the fortifications were finished, they had completely shaken
off the effects of the fever.
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