A DAY WITH FRIEDRICH.
Page: 7

KING. "'What were YOU by birth?' ["WAS SIND SIE," the respectful
word, "FUR EINE GEBORNE?"]

FRAU. "'A Fraulein von Krocher.'

KING. "'Haha! A daughter of General von Krocher's?'

FRAU. "'JA, IHRO MAJESTAT.'

KING. "'Oh, I knew him very well.'--[TO RATHENOW] 'Have you
children too, Rathenow?'

CAPTAIN. "'Yes, your Majesty. My sons are in the service,'
soldiering; 'and these are my daughters.'

KING. "'Well, I am glad of that (NUN, DAS FREUT MICH). Fare HE
well. Fare He well.'

"The road now went upon Fehrbellin; and Forster," Forester, "Brand,
as woodkeeper for the King in these parts, rode along with us.
When we came upon the patch of Sand-knolls which lie near
Fehrbellin, his Majesty cried:--

"'Forester, why aren't these sand-knolls sown?'

FORESTER. "'Your Majesty, they don't belong to the Royal Forest;
they belong to the farm-ground. In part the people do sow them with
all manner of crops. Here, on the right hand, they have sown
fir-cones (KIENAPFEL)'.

KING. "'Who sowed them?'

FORESTER. "'The Oberamtmann [Fromme] here.'

THE KING (TO ME). "'Na! Tell my Geheimer-Rath Michaelis that the
sand-patches must be sown.'--[TO THE FORESTER] 'But do you know how
fir-cones (KIENAPFEL) should be sown?'

FORESTER. "'O ja, your Majesty.'

KING. "'Na! [a frequent interjection of Friedrich's and his
Father's], how are they sown, then? From east to west, or from
north to south?' ["VAN MORGEN GEGEN ABEND, ODER VAN ABEND GEGEN
MORGEN?" so in ORIG. (p. 22);--but, surely, except as above, it has
no sense? From north to south, there is but one fir-seed sown
against the wind; from east to west, there is a whole row.]

FORESTER. "'From east to west.'

KING. "'That is right. But why?'

FORESTER. "'Because the most wind comes from the west.'

KING. "'That's right.'

"Now his Majesty arrived at Fehrbellin; spoke there with Lieutenant
Probst of the Ziethen Hussar regiment, [Probst is the leftmost
figure in that Chodowiecki Engraving of the famous Ziethen-and-
Friedrich CHAIR-scene, five years after this. (Supra. 374 n.)] and
with the Fehrbellin Postmeister, Captain von Mosch. So soon as the