The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-03-12
MY CAPTAIN.

MY CAPTAIN.
One fine eveninr in the month of
July, an old soldier of the Grand
Armee,' VINO had left one arm on the
field of battle, was seated at the
door of his pretty cottage. He was
surrounded by crowd OF young vii
layers, who were clamorously re-
minding him of his promise to tell
some of his military adventures
After a moment of pretended re-
sistance 10 their wishes, the old man
took his pipe from his mouth, passed
the back of his remaining hand across
his lips, and thus commenced his
tale:
"In my time, my friends, the
French would have disdained to
fight against Frenchmen in the
streets as they do in these days.
No, no, when we fought, it was for
the honor of France, and against her
foreign enemies. But my story COM
menced on the 9Th of November,
1912, short time after the battle OF
Wiazma. We beat a retreat, not be-
fore the Russians, for they were at
respectable distance from our camp,
but before the sharp and bitter cold
of their country-a cold more terri
BILE to US than the Russians and Ba-
varians put together.
During the preceding days our Of
fcers had told US we were approach
ing Smolensko, where we should get
food, fire, brandy and shoes; but in
the meantime we were perishing IN
the glaciers, and were continually
harassed by the Cossacks. We
had marched for six hours without
stopping to take breath, for we knew
that repose was certain death. An
icy wind blew the drifting spow IN
our faces, and at times we stumbled
over the frozen corpse OF a frozen
comrade. We neither spoke nor
sang; even complaints were no lon
ger heard and that was bad sign.
l marched by the side of my captain;
short, strong built, rough and severe,
but brave and true as the blade OF
his sword. We called him captain
Obstinate,' tor when once he said a
thing, it was fixed he never chang
ed his opinions. He had been wound
ed at Wiazma, and his usually Grim
son face was then ghastly white,
while a ragged whit. handkerchief,
all stained with blood, was bound
around his head, and added to the
pallor of his countenance. All at
once l saw him stagger off his legs
like drunken man, then fall like a
block to the ground.
'Morbleu, captain said /, bending
over MIN, you cannot remain here
alone
You see that can, since l do re-
piled he, sho wing his legs.
Captain said you must not gi, e
way;' aud lifting him in my arms L
tried to put HIM on his feet. He
leaned on me and attempted to walk,
but in vain he fell again, dragging
me with him.
sJobiu,' he said, all is over. Leave
me here, and join your company As
quickly as possible. One word be-
fore you goat Voreppe, near Glen
oble, lives woman, eighty-twoyears
OF age, my mother. Go and see her,
EN- brace herfor me, and tell her that
that-tell her what you will, but give
her this purse and my cross. 1t is
all l have. Now CO.
SIS that all, Captain p
THAT is all. God bless you =
Make haste. Adieu!' My friends,
l do not know how it was, but l felt
two hot tears roll down my cheeks.
NO, Captain, l cried, Il will not
leave you; either you must come
with me, or / will remain with you.'
Il forbid you to remain.
you may place me under arrest,
then, if you like, but at present you
must let me do as / please
sYou are an insolent fellow
sVery good, Captain, but you
must come with me-
He bit his lips with rage, but said
no more. l lifted him and carried
him on my shoulder like sack
You can easily imagine that with
such burden | could not keep pace
with our comrades. In fact, | soon
lost sight of their long columns and
could discern nothing around me but
the white silent plain. 1still walked
on, when presently appeared a troop
of Cossacks galloping towar me,
with furious gesticulations tand wild
cries.
'The Captain was by this time
completely insensible, and resolved
whatever it might cost, not to aban-
don him. l laid him down on the
ground, and covered him up with
snow; then / crept beneath pile of
dead bodies leaving, however, my
eyes at liberty. Presently the Cos,
sacks came up and began to strike
with their lances right and left while
their horses trampled US under their
feet. One of their heavy beasts set
his foot on my righ, arm and crushed
it. My friends, / did not speak-I
did not stir. l put my right hand in
my mouth to stife the cry of torture
which nearly escaped me, and in a
few minutes the Cossacks had dis
persed.
'When the last of them had disap.
peared 1 Quilted my refuge, and pro
ceeded to disinter the captain. To
my Joy he gave some signs Of life
l contrived to carry him with one
arm toward rock which offered a
kind of shelter, and then | laid my.
self by his side, wrapping my cloak
around us both.
The night had closed and the
snow continued to tall. The rear
guard had long since disappeared,
and the only sound that broke the
stiffness of the night was the whistle
of the bullet, or the bowling of the
wolves feasting upon the corpses
that lay stretched around. God on
" knows what thoughts passed thro'
my soul that dreadful night, which
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