He had now but 3500 men with him,
2700 having died from pestilence, famine, and disease. He assisted
General Banner in blockading the Imperialist garrison of Magdeburg,
and his losses by fever and pestilence thinned his troops down to
two small regiments; these were incorporated with the force of the
Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and the Marquis of Hamilton joined the staff
of Gustavus as a simple volunteer.
The king now determined to conquer the Palatinate, which was held
by a Spanish army. He drove them before him until he reached the
Rhine, where they endeavoured to defend the passage by burning
every vessel and boat they could find, and for a time the advance
of the Swedes was checked. It was now the end of November, the snow
lay thick over the whole country, and the troops, without tents or
covering, were bivouacked along the side of the river, two miles
below Oppenheim. The opposite bank was covered with bushes to the
water's edge, and on an eminence a short distance back could be
seen the tents of the Spaniards.
"If it were summer we might swim across," Nigel Graheme said to
Malcolm; "the river is broad, but a good swimmer could cross it
easily enough."
"Yes," Malcolm agreed, "there would be no difficulty in swimming if
unencumbered with arms and armour, but there would be no advantage
in getting across without these; if we could but get hold of a boat
or two, we would soon wake yonder Spaniards up.
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