The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-06-23
Tho ways of . Boin.sh.,l.

the air, expands into concentric rings then fol-
lows the heavy dull report, like the beat Of
some giant drum and then comes the shrill
scream, as it describes its fatal curve, and de-
,sceMs with prodigious velocity, increasing rap
idly every instant tillitexplodes with the pecu-
liar noise ofss blast,D just as9it reaches the
ground At least it ought to do so; but to-day
] watched the shells one after another, and only
two out Of three burst properly, though the
rangeand fight were beautifully accurate. The
Russian fnsees are bad, but their artillerymen
are not to be excelled, when their practice is
undistutbed. It was interesting (jdst as the
man Of pleasure in Lucretius liked to see the
sea rage when he was not on board ship,) to
look at the shell dropping, and to see our ac-
tive little allies scampering away to their cover,
and adjusting themselves to the closest posi-
bic connection with mother earth, till the hurl-
ing masses had gone by them. Amy man with
moderate confidence and experience, may des-
pise round shot, at long ranges, if he only sees
the guns from which they come discharged
Well, we don't say despise," exactly, but at
all events " evade." But shell is diabolical
invention, which no one can regard, as IT ap-
proaches, without certain degree Of misgiiy,ing,
that a triangular piece Of jagged iron may be
WMALCu tLIOuSu HIS lulcIiIut CCUuOuly, Nv luC
shortest possible notice afterward. ' sVSa
fit is sent from q gun, it fizzes and ronrs
through the air and sends its fragments before
1T, the cone Of dispersion, which is the neat
phrase used by the alearried militant to imply
the direction Of the bits of she'll Tor Its con
tents, when filled with bullets, etc., being in
the direction the shell has taken from the gun,
and the fragments being propelled with o por-
tion Of the velocity Of the shell, at the moment
Of explosion. If it be discharged from d NOR
tar, it whistles gently and delicately, giving o
squeak and q roar now and then, as it rises to
its greatest elevation, and then rushing down
ward with o shriller whistle toward the point,
its fragments are projected all around, radially,
and are propelled merely by the force Of the
bursting charge. :, A man behind bomb, or at
the side Of it, Is Just as likely to be hit as man
before it when it bursts in that way !; whereas
the pieces from shell from a gun in nearly
every instance fly, forward, SO that person be-
hind it or outside Of the limits of the cone Of
dispersion is safe. Unless the shell or bomb
bursts in front Of body Of men in the Dir q
very considerable degree of safety may be at
tanned by the men throwing themselves fiat on
the ground, inasmuch as the pieces. Of q shell
which bursts on the earth fly upward from the
point where they encounter the maximum re-
sistance.
OF course if bomb burst over a man on the
ground, or if a shell explodes in the air in front
Of man, there is no great safety gained by his
throwing himself down beyond the consequent
reduction Of the amount Of vertical exposure.
This little depression is al apropos Of tic CON
duct Of our allies which have just mentioned,
and is made in order to explain the rationale oi
their proceedings. 1t is rather an unpleasant
reflection when one is discussing the range Of o
missile, and is perhaps exclaiming There is q
splendid shot," that it may have carried misery
and sorrow into some happy household. The
smoke clears away, the men get they gather
round one that moves not, or who is racked
with mortal agony they bear him away. A
mere black speck, and few shovelfuls Of mud
mark for q little time the resting place Of the
poor soldier, whose wife, or mother, or children
Or sisters, are left destitute Of all solace, save
memory and the sympathy Of their country. One
such little speck l watched to-day, and saw
quietly deposited on the ground insidea trench
Who will let the inmates Of that desolate cot
tage in Picardy, Or Gascony, or Anjou, know
Of their bereavement. However, there goes
another shell, and it does nothing but knocl
up cloud Of snow and dust. [Camp Cor
| A1oAA~>OA- = y4.tt 80 .4.'+