Beethoven's troops were among the last to cross the river.
He faintly knew that the troops were singing as they crossed the pontoon bridge, but the singing seemed to come from far away, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hear it clearly.
For a moment, a wave of depression threatened to engulf him.
Yet Frost's encouragement was like a guiding light, dispelling all the gloom.
Grasping fate by the throat—what invigorating words!
Beethoven silently strengthened his resolve, drumming even more vigorously.
Even though he could not hear his own drumming, he could infer the general melody from the soldiers' singing, and then adjust his drumming to match the tempo of the melody.
At the end of the lengthy pontoon bridge, Beethoven stepped onto the land on the other side and then saw from a distance a group of people on horseback, standing by the river.
Although it was too dark for Beethoven to see the faces of the riders, he guessed that it was likely General Frost.
