Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-08-18
The Drummer Boy,

had knapsacks on their shoulders, like
many Alpine tourists a-days. But
instead of walking-sticks they carried
muskets and bayonets. and dragged along
with them some fifty or sixty cannon.
In fact, these tourists were nothing less
than French army; and a very hard
time of it they seemed to be having. Try
ing work certainly, even for the strongest
man, to wade for miles through knee.
deep snow in this bitter frost and biting
wind. along these narrow, slippery noun
tain-pAths. with precipices hundreds of
feet deep all round. The soldiers looked
thin and heavy-eyed for want of food and
sleep, and the poor horses that were drag
ging the heavy guns stumbled at every
step.
But there was one among them who
seemed quite to enjoy the rough march
ing, and tramped along through the deep
snow and cold. gray mist, through which
the great mountain peaks overhead oomed
like shadowy giants, as merrily as if he
was going to picnic. This was Il little
drummer of ten years old, whose
fresh, rosy face looked very bright and
pretty among the grim, SCARED visages of
the old soldiers. When the cutting wind
whirled a shower of snow in his face, he
dashed it away with "a cherry laugh, and
awoke all the echoes with the lively rat
tling of his drum, till it seemed as if the
huge black rocks around we're all singing
in chorus,
Bravo, Petit Tambour!" Cittle drum
mer) cried tall man in shabby gray
cloak, who was marching at the head of
the line, with long pole in his hand, and
| stri L kinn il into tbp Snpw avaru noun onl
then, to see how deep it was, Bravo,
Pierre, my boy. With such music as that
one could march all the way to Moscow :"
The boy smiled, and raised his hand to
his cap in salute. for this rough looking
man was no other than the general him,
self, Fighting Mcdonald" one of the
bravest soldiers in France, of whom his
men used to say that one sight of his face
in battle was worth a whole regiment.
"Long live our general" shouted a
hoarse voice, and the cheer, flying from
mouth to mouth, rolled along the silent
mountains like peal of distant thunder.
But its echo had hardly died away when
the silence was again broken by another
sound of very different kinda strange.
uncanny sort of Whispering far away up
The great white side. Moment by moment
it grew louder and harsher, till at length
it sweled into a deep, hoarse roar.
"On your faces, lads!" roared the gen.
eral ''it is an avalanchem
But, before his men had time to obey,
the ruin was upon them. Down thundered
the great mass of snow, sweeping the mar
row ledge path with waterfall. and
crashing down along with it came heaps
of stones and gravel and loose dirt, earth
and uprooted bushes and great blocks of
cold blue ice. For moment all was dark
as night; and when the rush had passed,
many of the brave fellows standing on the
path were nowhere to be seen. They had
been carried down over the precipice and
either killed or buried in the snow.
But the first thought of their comrades
was not for them. When it was seen what
had happened, one cry arose from every
mouth
"Where's our Pierre? Where's our lit
tie drummerp'
Where. indeedP Look which way they
would nothing was to be seen of their
poor little favorite, and when they shout
ed his name, there was no answer. Then
there broke fourth a terrible cry of grief
and many a hard old soldier, who had
looked without hinching at line of leveled
muskets, felt the tears start that that face
would never be seen among them again.
But all at once, far below them, out o
the shadows of the black unknown gull
that lay between those tremendous rocks
arose the faint roll of drum, beating the
charge. The soldiers started and ben,
eagerly forward to listen; then went up q
shout that shook the air.
Hes alive, comrades our Pierre's alive
after allw
"And beating his drum still, like brave
lad He wanted to have the old music tc
the last"
But we must save him, lads, or he'll
, freeze to death down there. He must be
savedm
.He shall be-" broke in deep voice
: from behind, and the general himself was
seen standing on the brink of the preci
| pice, throwing off his cloak.
mo, no, general!' cried the grenadiers
with one voice; "you must not run such
risk rs that. Let one of US go instead
your life is worth more than all of our.
q put together"
! "My soldiers are my children, answered
Mcdonald quietly, and no father grudges
his own life to save his son.
, The soldiers knew better than to MAKE
q any more objections. They obeyed in 81
lenee, and the general was swinging il
mid-air, down, down, down, till he van
, ished at last into the darkness of the cold
black depths below.
q Then every man drew a long breath
= and all eyes were strained to watch fo
A the first sign of his appearing, for they
| 4. y.rau that ha ,u0t1lI ban nl
n without the boy, and that the chance WA
: terribly against him.
Meanwhile Mcdonald, having LANDED
safely at the foot of the precipice, wa
: looking anxiously around in search @
e Pierre; but the beating of the drum haC
: ceased and he had nothing to guide him.
:, "Pierre!' shouted he, at the top of hi
y voice, where are you, my boy?"
d Here, general" answered weak voc
y so faint that he could hardly distinguish it
g And there, sure enough was the lttl
d fellows curly head half buried in a hug,
:. mound Of snow, which alone had save
: him from being dashed to pieces agains
e the rocks as he fell. Mcdonald made 70
s him at once; and although he sank wais
d deep at every step, reached the spot a
D last.
It "All right now, my brave boy" said tn
e general cheeriy. "Put your arms arounC
1t my neck and hold tight; we'll have yol
n out of this in a minute"
S The child tried to obey but his stiffepet
d fingers had lost all their strength; ant
il even when Mcdonald himself clasped tn
d tiny arms around his neck their hold CAV
e way directly.
e What was to be donep A few minute
|. more, and the numbing colds of that dis
n NAL place would make the rescuer as pow
is erless as him whom he came to rescue
II But General Mcdonald was not the maj
If to be so easily beaten. Tearing off hi
e sash and knotting one end of it to the rope
l. he bound Pierre and himself firmly to
g gether with the other, and then gave tn
is signal to draw up.
70 And when the two came swinging u
: into the daylight once more, and the sol
|. diers saw their pet still alive and unhurt
cheer upon cheer rang out, rolling ia
l. back along the line, till the very noun
n tains themselves seemed to be rejoicing.
II We've been under fire and snow to
n gether," said Mcdonald, chatting the boy
d cold hands tenderly, land nothing shal
1t part us two after this, so long as we bot
o live ~