The Benton record. [volume] (Benton, M.T. [Mont.]) 1875-1879, 1877-04-27

Hau sensatlOn OF DAY breanng. NJ
eyelids felt the brightness in th( shade
Suddenly through my sleep, teep nois'
like cannon shook me. Iwoke up. Their,
was something white over my eyes. Gent
I ly, without shock or violence, the snow
had silently woven a shroud around US.
made hole in it by sitting up. A round
shot, coming from somewheres, woke mt
up completely. | said to it, 'Keep Off
and I cried, "Up drummer! beat the
charge!'' Then hundred and twenty
heads rose from the snow like an archipel
ago. A sergeant called the roll, and dawr
appeared, red, joyous and slow, like 9
smile from bleeding lips.
refected at first we had truce. The
two cannon shots were only signal to the
few notes of music preceding ball. Night
had frozen the blood in our veins, but il
warmed us to think of the approaching
battle. The army was going to rest on us.
We were the guardians of the centre, a
handful of men fer shot and shell to ravage.
[ should have liked better to be elsewhere.
placed my men along the wall as sharp
shooters, and each one thought of the
doubtful chance ofpromotion by means of
a good wound. In war we get killed to
win success. Ny lieutenant, lad gradu-
ating from the military school Of St. Cyr,
called out to me
Chow lovely the morning is! How
charming the sunlight! The snow is rose
ate. Captain, everything is shining and
smiling. What fresh azure! How white,
peaceable and pure the landscape is.
1T will soon grow terrible" [ answered
him, and / thought of the Rhine, the Alps
and the Adige-our own naughty and sin.
lister battles of old time. Suddenly the bat
tie burst forth. Six hundred enormous
voices, belching fame full-mouthed, insult
ed each other from the SUBMITS of savage
hills. The whole plain was smoking
abyss, and my drummer was beating the
charge furiously.
With the cannons mingled naughty
flourish and the shells rained down on our
cemetery, as if they were seeking to slay
the tombs. The crows were seen flying
from the belfry. ] remember fragment
Of she'll ploughed up the earth, and
corpse appeared stupefed in coffin, as
if the earthly tumult had awakened the
dead then fog hid the sun. Cannon
balls and shells we're making terrific
noise. Berthier, prince of the empire and
vice-c constable, charged Hanoverian corps
on our right with thirty squadron, and we
saw nothing but an endless fog starred by
shells, so had the whole battle and med
ley been swallowed up by the tragic cloud
"a horrible cloud, settling on the earth
increased by vast vomitings of smoke
Children, two armies were fighting beneath
it. The snow was drifting through the
night, like down, and men killed each
other, egad as we'll as they could. They
did their best.
Pensively l beheld my men prowling
along the wall like shadows, and the scene
produced singular effect on melodies
below and phantoms above. Some ham
lets were on fre-thatched roofs blazing
in the distance.
My boy drummer continued his noise.
We fired over the nearly ruined wall. We
were the target in the midst of the battle.
To hold out and last as long as possible.
To try not to be killed before six in the
evening.
Now, meanwhile, to kill, that was our
duty.
We fred at random, blackened with
powder, savage, only taking time to bite of
our cartridges, our soldiers fought and fell
without word.
Sergeant" l said, "see if the enemyis
giving way
"No."
"What do you see?"
Nothing"
"Nor t.
It was deluge Of fire.
"Can you see our people ?"
mo; butjudging from our firing volleys,
we are FORTY"
An old growler, with eheyrons on his
arm, was firing near US, and said, ave are
thirty"
Allw snow and night. A biting wind
was blowing, and we beheld gulf Of
white points sinking into black abyss
but the battle seemed to grow worse. i
vas kingdom deyoured BY an empire
We guessed at frightful shock beneath
} VEIL You might have thought there
we're lions tearing each other 70 pieces. "
vas like the fabulous wars of the giants.
heard the noise of discharges like
enormous landslides. The suburbs Of Eng
and took FIRE, the drums redoubled their
nus;c and beneath the wall I felt myself