The Arkansas banner., 1843-11-04

vcred that we were not twenty paces from it. Ready seized my arm, and pulling me with him, the next moment found myself stand ing beside gun, under cover of the breast
 works.
 The battery consisted of thirty, twenty
 four, and thirty-six pounders, served with d
 zeal and courage which far exceeded any
 thing l had expected io find in the patriot army. The fellows were really more than
 brave. they were foolhardy. They danced
 rather than walked round the guns, and eX- hibited d contempt of death that could not well he surpassed As to drawing the guns back from the embrazues while they loaded them, they never dreamed of a such thing. They stood ieering and scofiing the Span
 ards, and bidding them take better aim.
 It must be remembered, that this was only three months after the battle of Ayacueho, the greatest feat of arms which the South American patriots had achieved during the whole of their protracted struggle with Spain. That victory had literally electrified the troops, and inspired them with a courage and con- tempt of their enemy, that frequently showed itself, us on this occasion, in acts of the great est daring and temerity,
 At the gun by which Ready and myself took our stand, half the artillerymen were already killed, and we had scarcely come there, when cannon shot took the head of man standing close to me. The wind of the ball was SC great that ] believe 1t would have suflocated me, had l not fortunately been standing sideways in the battery. At the same moment, something hot splashed over my neck and face, and nearly blinded me looked, and saw the man lying with out his head before me. cannot describe the sickening feeling that came over me. It was not the first man had seen killed in my life, but it was the first whose blood and brains had spurted into my face. My knees shook and my head swam; l was obliged to lean against the wall, or should have iallen
 Another ball fell close beside me, and strange to say, 1t brought me partly to my self again; and by the time a third and fourth had bounced into the battery, began to take things pretty coolly-my heart beating rather quicker than usual, l acknowledge; but, ne- vertheless, l began to find an indscribable sort of pleasure, a mischievous joy, if may so call 1t, in the peril and excitement of the scene.
 Whilst was getting over my terrors, my was moving about the battery with his usual sang .froid, reconnotring the enemy. He ran no useless risk, kept him. self well behind the breastworks, stooping down when necessary, and taking all proper care of himself When he had completed his reconnaissance, he, to my no small aston ishmenT, took of his coat and neckkerchief, the latter of which he tied tight round his waist, then taking d rammer from the hand of a soldier who had just fallen, he ordered, or rather signed 10 the artlllerymen to draw the gun back.
 There was something so cool and decided in his manner, that they obeyed without tes- tltving any surprise al his interference, and ls though he had been one of their own of ficers. He loaded the piece, had 1t drawn forward again, pointed and fired it. He then went To the next gun and did the same thing there. He seemed so perfectly at home in ,he battery, that nobody ever dreamed of iisputlng his authority, and the two guns were entirely under his direction. had now got used to the thing myself, so l went onward and offered my services, which in he scarcity of men, (so many having been lilled,) were not to be refused, and l helped o draw the guns backward and forward, and oad them. The captain kept running from 'ne to the other, pointing them, and ad- nirably well too-for every shot took effect within a circumference of few feet on the ,asion ill front of Us.
 This lasted nearly an hour, at the end of which time the fire was considerably slack ned, for the greater part of our guns had be- ome unserviceable. Only about a dozen ept up the fire, the ball was going to say, nd among them were the two that Ready commanded. He had given them time to cool liter firing, whereas some of the others, in heir desperate haste and eageFness, had ne- glected that prccaution. Although the pa Iriots had now been fifteen years at war with the Spaniards, they were still very in- different artillerymen-ior artillery had little to do in most of their fights, which were generally decided by cavalry and infantry, and even in that of Ayacucho there were only few small feldpieces in use on either side. The mountainous nature of the eoun- try, intersecled, too, by mighty rivers, and the want of good roads, were the reasons of the insignificant part played by the artillery in these wars.
 Whilst we were thus hard at work, who should enter the battery but the very officer we had left Lima to visit. He was attended by numerous staff, and was evidently of very high rank. He stood a little back, watching every movement of Captain Ready, and rubbing his hands with visible satisfac- ton. Just al that moment the Captain fired one of the guns, and as the smoke cleared away little, we saw the opposite bastion rock, and then sink down into the moat. A joyous hurra greeted its fall, and the gen. eral and his staff sprang forward.
 It would be necessary to have witness ed the scene that followed, in order to form any adequate idea of the mad joy and enthusiasm of itsactors. The general seized Ready in his arms, and eagerly embraced him, and then almost threw him to one of his officers who performed the like cere- mony, and in his turn, passed him to third The imDerturbable captain flew or was tossed