, 1859-11-15

OF y1tor, und wrote line begging that the,
might be sent to his sister. Hs also sealed nj
h's purse. and left memorandum that the con
tents might be given to disabled soldiers Of hi.
brisaue upon their being inTaiided.
Then be took out Josephiue's letter.
;" Poor coward" !" he said, ''let me not be I'M.
slnd. Sec, burn your letter, lest it should be
| ,o"nn, ana disturb the peace you prize SO high
r. T., too, shall soon be ut peace thank God -
he l'sited It aud dropped it on tue ground; i,
q, ourned slowly away. He eyed it despair ngly.
| ;" Ay, you perish, last record Of az unhappy
love; aud as you pass away, so am QoipgE1oy
! sow 70 my Creator, my body to .inst-sye, poor
| lelter, esen SO passes away my life, wasted by
generals not TT to command q corporal's .tuard
] my hopes Of glory, md ny dreams Of ioye-
~ ENDS 70 Gay, at rue and twenty"
ne pot us r:nlte handkerchief to his eyes
5osen"'ie had given it to him. lie cried a
! away. ~
! When he had done crying, he put lis white
handkerchief in his bosom, and the whole man
was transformed beyond the power Of Language
to express, Powder does not change more
| wben u u clutches fire, He rose that moment, and
went like fash Of lightning out Of the lent.
| The next lie came down like falcon between
tue lines Of the strong column Of Deaths
| Alley. =
nel.'' e~'1' 'A' "''o'
There was dead silence, for the bare sight
Of that erect and inspired figure made the ucn'
bosoms thrill with the certainty Of great deeds
TO coac; the light Of battle was in lis eye No
longer Tue moody Colonel, but thunderbolt Of
! war. red hot aud waiting to be Iaurched.
you . "'-N "''o
La 1Crotx-"-Attention.''
ago:" ~>~ ''~' = '''' A'''0'es
The attack of. the bastion vas settled" cried
q captain.
ut was; and who Was to lead tie assault
DO yon know"
*Nn."
"a Colonel from Egypt!"
4 groau from the men.
with detachments from other brigadcs'
-Ah! an anpry roar.
Col. Dnjardin walked quickly down between
the two lines, looking with his fiery eye into tbc
mems eyes on the right. Then be ca,ne back
on the other side, and as he went he lighted
those mems eyes with Lis own. It was torch
passing along line Of ready gas-lights. "Thc
WORK to u.s." he cried in voice like clarion
lit fired the hearts rs his eye bad fred thc
cyes,l "thc triumph to strangers. Our fa-
tiSucs and our losses hare not gained the brig
ade the honor Of going ont ut those fellows
that hare killed SO many of our comrades"
fierce groan from the men.
~ lat! shall the colors Of another brigade
and mt ours Hy from that bassion this after
poon:"
No! mo-" in q roar Of thunder.
"Ah! you are Of ny mind. Attention the
attack is fixed for Eve O'Clock. Suppose you
and were to carry the bastion ten minutes b.
fore the Colonel from Egypt can bring his men
upon the ground:'
4 fierce roar Of joy aud laughter-the strange
laushtef Of veterans and born insincibles.
THAT was question put to your hearts
yonr answer:'
all oF
but was half drowned by another response, and
thunder Of the imperial drums, and the rattle
Of fixing bayonets.
The Colonel told off party to the battery.
"Leyel the guns at the top ties. Fire, at my
signal, and keep firing over our hends till ron
see our colors on the place"
He then darted to the head Of the column,
which instantly formed behind him in the cen
trc Of Deaths Alley.
*rhe colors: 10 hand but mine shall hold
them to day.
They were instantly brought to him, his left
hand shook them free in tue afternoon sun.
Il deep murnfur Of joy from the old hands at
the now unwonsed sight. Out flushed the
sword like steel lightning. lie waved It to-
wards the battery.
bang bang! bang. bang went the cannon,
aud t6- smoke rolled over the trenches. Al
the SAME moment up went the colors waving,
| and The Coloncrs clnrion voice pealed aboye uil
"Twenty~ioursh ml-hrlgade-forward"
They went so swiftly out Of the trenches that
they were not seen through their own smoke
until they had run some sixty yards. No sooner
we're they seen coming On like devils than twn
| a1l the Prussian line. 1t was not rattle of
small arIls--it was crash, and the men fell
last; hut in q moment they were seen to spread
! "ut like fan, uad when the fan closed again it
half encircled the bastion. TWAS a French at
tuck. Part swarmed in front like bees, part
.r>k. 81. rrf- uf.AA
were seen to fall in numbers, shot down from.
the embrazurcs. But the living took the placc
Of the dead, and the fight ranged evenly there,
Where are the colors. Towards the renr.
there tile Colonel aud hundred men are fight
| ing hand to hand with the Prussians, who hare
charged ont at the back doors Of the bastiop
| Success there, aud tho bnstiou must fall-both
sides know this.
All in 4 moment the coIors disappeared.
| There was groan from the French line. No!
there they were ngain, and close under the bas-
tion.
And now in front the attack was 50 hot that
often the rrassian gunuers were seen to jump
down, driven from their posts; and the next
| moment q fierce hurr2h from the rear told that
| tile French had won some great advantage
there. The fire .slnckening told a similar tale,
and presently. down came the Prussiau flag
| staff. That might be accident. 4 few moments
| Of thirsty expectation, and mp 'ent the colors
| Of The twenty fourth brigade upon the Bastion
| St. Andre.
The whole French arrny raised shout that
| rent the sky, aud their cannon began to play OH
| the rrussian lines and between the bastion and
the nearest fort to prevent q REL capture.
| atThen shot from the earth cnbic acre Of 6re
where last the bastion WAS Sc: n it carried Tip
heavy ,aountain Of red and black smoke, that
/ looked solid us marble. There WAS a heavy.
sulsen, trelnulous explosion, that snufed out
the souud Of the cannon, and paral5sed the
French and prussian gunners' hands, sntl
checked the very beating Of their hearts, Thir-
! ty thousand pounds Of guupowder were in that
awful explosion.
War itself, held its breath, and boil, armies,
| like peaceful spectators, gazed wonder. struck,
tcrror-struck. Great hell seemed to hnse burnt
through the ear,h's crust, and to be rushing q:
| heaven. l.u.e stones, cannon, corpsex, anil
| limbs Of soldiers were seen driven or fallin:,
through lie smoke. Some Of these last came
quite clear Of the ruins, aye, into The French
and Prussian lines, that even the veterans put
their hands to their eyes. Raynal felt soine-
thing apatter on him from the sky. It was
h!ood-a comrades perhaps. Oh. war! war
The smoke cleared. Where moment before
the great hastiou stood aud fought was mon
| strous pile Of b1ackened, bloody stones and tim
bers. with dismounted cannon sticking up here
aud there.
And rent and crushed to atoms beneath The
smoking mass lay the relics Of the gallant brig
nde and their victorious colors.