The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-10-15
A Strange Battle.

A Strange Battle.
The following account OF q strange
battle was prepared for the Detroit FFet
Press from French scientific journal
The colonel, my neighbor, came over te
see me while l was transp! !anting my
strawberry bed. He was always ridi
culing my pretensions, and l thought pc
astonish him with something he did moi
know in regard to lis profession of arms
"When," said I, suddenly, was the
idea of the mitrailleuse or Gatling gur
first discoveredp"
Hum! ha! Wait! I think in the
year 1926. The inventor brought his
invention to the King of France md got
chucked into an insane asylum in recog'
nition of his genius"
I smiled.
"You are behind the timcs," said I
"It has existed since the creation. Noah
had two OF them in the ark with him, a
male and female"
.,d1 d%h1t 1Sn33 s;a2;ysS do you mean by your cock
"Step this way! I'll show ycu park
of artillery alive, which never needs
loading, and fires from the breech."
The colonel looked as if ought to be
put where they put the inventor.
kicked over brick-bat and showed him
family of little beetles living under it.
The frightened insects ran aimlessly
about like 80 many idiots. We had
scarcely a chance to admire their pretty
sheathes of a beautiful bronze blue, and
their delicate epaulettes, the uniform Of
their regiment. which adorned their
square shoulders.
els that your artilleryp" asked the
colonel, who evidently was doubling my
sanity.
"You shall hear" said, with the air
of a literally sure of his ground: "
"You shall be present at a regular mill
tary execution, with firing by platoons,
sharp shooting and a general lombard
ment."
hadn't finished before ore of those
enormous yellow beetles tilaL you meet
hundreds of times in your summer ram
bles suddenly appeared at the corner OF
the strawberry bed. The merry fe. low
was galloping along on his six feet,
hungry as he could be. His threatening
air, his ferocious eyes, Ills wide-open
Jaws, which he gnashed tccctIer, al
seemed to say: "Ha! I smell. fresh
meat"
Hold ony' said the colonel; "he's
one of my best policemen; lie keeps the
slugs out of my garden"
"Salute him, then! for he is about to
die. Yes, sir, these feeble blue insects,
so timid and gentle and delicate, they
will get the best of him. Look!'
TIE big beetle, bold as Attila, ran
straight toward the gilded infantry. In
two seconds he plunged with open mouth
upon a plump and appetizing female, OF
whom he would scarcely have made a
mouthful, when "bang, bang" like two
explosions from q gun cloud of pun
gent smoke enveloped the glutton, who,
completely stunned, halted. The female
morsel was saved.
The affair was so sudden the colonel
didn't underestimate. He did not see the
drop of detonating liquid fly from the
abdomen of the insect, which, taking
fire in the air. had caused the noise, the
smoke and the sudden paralysis of the
aggressor.
Forewarned of their danger the word
of command was passed, Fright about
f;.oe!" and while the big beetle, more
hungry than ever, looked as If he would
rally, we saw them in groups of two or
three gain the impregnable heights of a
piece Of turf, where each took his post
of battle, Through the loop-holes OF
this ready-made blockhouse these in
sects aimed while their chief surveyed
their maneuvers from above.
~, E,~1ko k%n,,, ~ 70 10 tho fNYfrQQo
the glutton received a full vollcy square
in the face. Puff! puff !! bang! bang!
boom!" went the besieged. Sufocated
by the vapor, touched perhaps by some
drops of the corrosive liquid. the big
fellow bit the dust. A brown and fetid
slime spurted from his swapping jaws.
His legs trembled convulsivelv; with
his feverish antenne he wiped his big
yellow eyes; his whole body seemed to
be seized by a frightful collie of misery.
"Well done, sirs" cried the colonel,
happy at finding himself among familiar
scenes, and in the midst of the intoxi-
eating odor of battle. Some minutes
passed. The spasms of the beetle ceased
Ashamed. perhaps. at our seeing his
defeat, he arose and again entered the
lists, mounting the clod for another as
sault. This was too presumptuous. The
whole battalion of his foes-eighteen in
all-formed circle, heads behind, rears
in front. Three batteries went off at one
volley. No command, no method. Fire
on your own hook now! The colossal
monster, who weighed more than
eighteen dozen of his enemies, writhed
upon the ground, soused in the vicious
liquid. His contorted limbs quivered in
the air. The anguish of death betrayed
itself in his lofty somersaults, and when,
paralyzed, burned, blinded, 'he
proved unable longer to defend himself,
the pack of little insects returned in tri-
umph to their home.