Dodge City times., 1877-09-01
THE NIGHT AFTER PLEyNA.

Pleyna. he sun was gong down De-
hind the smoke-mantled heights, in a
glow of Iurid crimson The dusk was
fast settling on one Of the bloodiest bat
tlefields Of the century-closing in round
the batteries whose guns were still fir
ing, round detached parties of Russian
soldiers who were doggedly maintaining
the fight against the swarms of Turks
who formed ring tround them, firing
fiercely into their midst, round the dead
and the wounded lying thick on the
stubbles, on the grassy slopes, in the
hollows among the maize plants and
oak eopses. round the knots of wound-
ed who had crawled for cover to the lee
side of the grain stacks on the fields,
and who lay there in the unspeakable
agony of waiting for the inevitable
doom which they knew too well was TO
befall them, round the groups Of miscre
ants tramping about the battlefield in
tent on wreaking that doom on the de-
fenseless wounded, and stopping ever
ard anon 10 perpetrate more barbarity.
Prince Schackoskoy and his staff stood
on the summit of the ridge above the
village of Radisovo, which was cram
med with wounded men. The fate of
the battle had hung in the scale for some
time, but now ali hope Of success had
gone. There was no reserve among us
in the acknowledgment that the attack
had been failure, all the concern now
was to do what was possible toward di-
lninishing the results of that failure
There was no conversation; mems
hearts were too heavy TO talk. We sat
about on the knoll. gazing down into
THE PANDEMoNIrM BELOW.
The General, alone and apart, paced up
and down AN open space in the oak
copse: gloom settled on his face. All
around us the air was heavy with the
low moaning of the wounded who, hav-
ing limped or been aided thus far out of
the fight, had east themselves down to
gain little relief from the agony of
motion. There was not even water. for
them. for Radisovo is ali but a wa:erless
village, and what water trickled in a
tiny rill from the fountain behind the
village was struggled for eager.y, BY the
parched and fevered wounded who
crowded around ii, covetinr with a
longing, the agony of which the reader
can never know, a few drops OF the
precious fluid. e-.zr .-...ty
The darkness closed in around us, and
the enemy seemed bent on following the
example of the darkness. We had been
on this ridge for long time beyond the
range of the enemy's batteries I; but now
these We're advanced, and We were once
more under fire. Through the dark
ness we could see the flashes of the can-
non-shots-theys must be back now in
the position on the knoll below the po-
siiion where four hours ago the Russian
soldiers had charged home with thei
bayonet, and whence two hours ago the
Russian cannon had been firing. A Sec
ond more, and nearer and nearer came
the whistle of the shells, with swiftly
gradual crescendo into a scream as they
sped over us and crashed down into the
village in the valley behind us; and vet
nearer there was the flashing of the
musketry fire in the darkness; one could
watch the strcaks of flame fore-shorten-
ed down in the valley there, and nerves
tried by 4 long day of foodlessness, ex-
element, fatigue, and exposure TO sun,
and the chances of the battlefield, |
quivered under the prolonged tension |
OF endurance, rs the ihrobbing hum of |
the bullet sped through or over the
struggling group. No man dared TO say
10 that -2
STERN, LOWERING CHEF,
eating his heart there in the bitterness
OF his disappointment, that it was
bootless tempting Of fortune TO linger
longer on this exposed spot, nor did any
man care TO quit for the sake of greater
safety the eompanionship which had en-
dured throughout the day So we lin
gercd on till our senses became dulled,
and i'll some dropped OF into slumber,