The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1877-05-02

might among the hollows. Hungry as
we were, we were fain to leave our
supper to begin the morning with, and
huddled all together into " iat seemed
a deep, dry ditch. We were at first
surprised, master, to find an immense
heap of stone under us we couldn't
have lain harder had we lain on a
Scotch cairn; and that, dye see, is
unusual in Egypt, where all the sand
has been blown by the hoS ihds from
tie desert, hundreds of miles away,
and where, in the course of a few
days journey, one mayn't see pebble
larger than a pigeons egg. There
were hard, round, bullet-like masses
under us, and others of more oblong
shape, like pieces of wood that had
been cut for fuel; and, tired as we
were, their sharp points, protruding
through the sand, kept most of us
from sleep. But that was little, mas
ter, to what we felt afterwards. As
We began to take heat together, there
broke out among us most disagreea-
bic ench,-bad at first, and unlike
anything | had ever smelt before, but at
last altogether overpowering. Some
Of US became dead sick, and some, to
show how much bolder they were than
the rest, began to sing. One-half the
party stole away one by one, and lay
down outside. For my own part,
master, | thought it was the plague
that was breaking out upon us from
below, and lay still, in desprir of es-
Gaping it. l was wrctchedly tired,
too; and, despite Of my fears and the
stencil, l fell asleep, and slept till day
light. But never before, master, did
| see such a sight as when / awoke.
We had been sleeping on the carcasses
Of ten thousand Turks, whom Bona
parte had massacred about twelve
month before. There were cyeless
skulls grinning at us by hundreds
from The side Of the ditch, and black,
withercd hands and feet sticking out,
with the white bones gittering between
for roods around, had brown fcrrug-
nous tingc, and seemed baked into a
halt-Solid mass resembling clay. 1t
was no place to loiter in; and you
may trust me, master, we breakfasted
elsewhere. Bill kept close to our cap
tain all that morning. He didn't much
like him, even SO early in their ac-
quaintanco as this,--no one did. in
fact but he was anxious to learn from
him all he could regarding the colonel.
lie told him, too, something about
his own early recollections; but he
would better have kept them to him
SELF From that hour, master, Cap
tain Turpic never gave him pleasant
look, and sought every means to ruin
him.
"We joined the army again on the
evening Of the goth March. You
know, master, what awaited us next
morning. l had been marching, or
the day Of our arrival, for twelve
hours under q very hot sun, and was
fatigued enough to sleep soundly. But
| the dead might have awakened neXt
morning. The enemy broke in upor
us about three o'clock. 1t was pitch
dark. had been dreaming, at thu
moment, that | was busily engaged il
the landing, fighting in the front ranl
-
beside Bill; and awoke to hear th'
enemy outside the tent struggling il
fierce conflict with such of my com
rades as, half-naked and half-armed
had been reused by the first alarm
j and had rushed out to oppose them
You will not think i was long in join
; ing them, master, when | tell you tina
i, Bill himself was hardly two step
t ahead Of me. Colonel Westhope wa
e everywhere at once that morning
!, bringing his men, in the darkness an
l. the confusion, into something like OF
i der, r,-threatening, encouraging, al
IS plauding issuing orders-allin a breatl
{. just as we got out, the French broE
/, through beside our tent, and we sa
l. him struck down in the throng. Bi
If gave tremendous cry Of Our colone
3 our colonel and struck his pike I
d to the cross into the breast of the fe
:; low who had given the blow. Al
4, hardly had that one fallen than he Sc
:, it crashing through the face Of Il
at next foremost, till it lay buried in t
ID brain. The enemy gave back for
i'll moment; and as he was striking doy
Sc a third, the colonel got up, bad
d. wounded in the shoulder; but he Ike
st the field all day. He knew Bill t
at moment he rose, and leant on him
er he had somewhat recovered. ! sh