The Republican journal., 1869-08-19

was not much to my taste, l confess, nothing
but blue beans to eat, and not even water to
drink. Once, when the English were tread
ing on our heels, | pretended to be more
stupid than | am, and allowed myself to fall
into their hands. If this pleased them much,
it pleased me more, for Immediately entered
the German Legion, ceased to hear and to
gabble French and got enough to eat and
drink. Though blue beans were with the En-
glish as with the French, an article of diet
the English had two kinds of schnapps-
both most excellent. They had schnapps
called rum, and a schnapps called whiskey,
and it was pleasant to be able to choose be-
tween two such beverages. We drove the
French before us after the battle of Vittoria,
and | marched to Paris, and when peace az
rived | went to England There / remained
till Napoleon ran away from Elba. By-and
by | found myself at Brussels. Ny career as
soldier came to an end at the battle of Wat
erloo About the bloody affair YOU have
doubtless heard enough, and shudder when
recall it, with all its noise and confusion and
havoc.
i am 4 man of honor, and [ wish to con-
ceal nothing from you. Therefore frankly
confess that all my life | never possessed an
excessive, OF inconvenent amount Of courage
If was an artilleryman it was from necessi-
ty and not from love of the occupation At be-
ing ordered hither and thither, without regard
to my taste and feelings, | growled in my
heart The cannonades detested; because
apart from the horrible DIM the enemy always
rushed like a wolf on the batteries. AS soon
as matters at Waterloo grew ugly and danger
Gus, my very moderate stock of valor began
to diminish.
But made some natural and wise calcula-
tions. In my pocket had two English shil-
lings. What so natural, or so wise as that l
should spend those two shillings with the wo-
man that sold drink, and one of whose best
customers [ was. If courage was possible
for me at all, it was plain that could only
get it from the bottle.
In the presence of peril | was a person of
the liveliest imagination, and uncomfortable
thoughts commenced to throng upon my brain,
especially as the earth tremblcd under my
feet from the hideous crash of the artillery
1t occurred to me that I should be an egregi-
Gus fool to expose myself to the risk of being
killed. and a greater fool still to let the French
become heir of the two shillings. Common
sense demanded that | should change the
money into rum. and accordingly into rum |
speedily changed it.
Inspired by two shillings' worth of rum, /
felt brave for the moment But drowsiness
and a tendency of my legs to eccentric move
mcnt made me believe that my tittest position
was a horizontal one.
When then | returned to the battery,
threw myself down beside one of the guns
and lay as still as a stone.
My comrades perhaps thought that a blue
bean had got into my stomach; no tone of
them disturbed me How long | slept know
not but when | awoke the cannon balls were
sweeping the face of the hill on which the
battery stood. All my comrades had disap-
peared. Whether they had run away, Or had
been slain by the enemy, | know not But
this knew that a French regiment Of cuiras-
sierS was dashing up towards the battery at
full gallop.
With much zeal | cursed in my soul the
French rascals, and devouly wished that they
were in the fiery regions where pepper grows.
But l had not much time for cursing. 1t
was no Joke to behold SO near, that onrush Of
glitterng breastplates and sabres.
If taken and recognized | was sure to be
forthwith and without ceremony shot. Ny
own life seemed very valuable to me compar-
ed to the lives of hundreds of Frcnchmcn.
| sprang to q loaded cannon, pointed it and
fired it off.
When l saw the slaughter the grapeshot
made, | shouted and danced in the eXuber-
ance of my glee. A second and q third gun
pointed and fired off. and in swift succession
the whole battery. Fortunately for me, but
not fortunately for the poor French fellows,
every gun had already been loaded by buster
hands than mine, ere | applied u single
match.
How grapeshot moved man and horse
down, you can readily conceive, Herr Amt
mann. The cuirassiers fell like snowi1akes,
and those who escaped dashed right and left,
from the dust and the smoke With all conven-
lent speed.
Doubtless | was saved as we'll as the bat
terry. But how long? The shattered and
scattered masses formed fresh onset.
With the celebrity Of the wind, cleaned the
guns and loaded them anew. With eye all
attention. and with hand all alcrtness, | was
about to discharge them when the English, in
stormy mood, and with stormy step, came on
and seized the battery and the hill
where are the other artilerymen? asked
the colonel of the regiment.
i know not | replied.
Have you alone discharged the guns" he
further required.
Can you imagine q more stupid question,
Herr Amtmann? The blockhead might have
seen that no one else was near.
who else? said I.
And did you alone load the guns anew
with grapeshot?'
Who else" cried I, much annoyed at being
o'ilt0iliotu III SUCH silly ScnOolDoN lisIlloil
But the catechising was not yet over. |
was requested to tell my name and so on. The
truth | avowed without distortion, or embe-
lishment, or boasting, though with some slight
and pardonable suppressons. | neither
spoke to the officer about the two shillings'
worth of rum, nor of my profound slumber
beside the cannon, nor of the hearty curses
which | had learned to fling at the French.
The officer was neither an inquisitor nor a
police agent, and, rs he was not inclined to
probe very keenly, stated no more than was
absolutely Indispensable.
Frequent and extravagant was the officers
praise of my courage, resolution and skill.
i must make Wellington acquainted with
your wonderful achievement he said in con-
clusion.
You can do herein as you think proper
was my answer.
My comrades had now come once more on
the scene which they had quitted-not as
suredly from any excess Of courage. The
stamp of the coward was upon them, and
they would have had some difficulty in escap-
ing the towards doom if their services had
not been urgently needed.
The fire began again, for again the French
advanced, but they encountered fresh check j;
for had given each of the guns q bellyful of
grapeshot very sour taste, indeed, had