The Portland daily press., 1881-10-21

He was little drummer belonging TO tne
pativs sharpshooters His name was Kadour.
H came from the tribe OF Diendel, aud was
one of that handful of Turcos who had thrown
the nssves into Paris in the train of the army
OF V noy. He had gone through the entire
campaign from Wissembourg to Champigny,
dartiug over the fislds of battle like storm
bird, with his iroa drumsticks and his der
bonka (Aiab drum), so quickly, SO restlessy'
that the balls could not hit HIN. But when
winter came on this little piece of African
bronze, Redeemed in the fire of canister shot,
was unable to bear the nights OF guard duty
and mo ioniessness Ia the snow; SO, one Jann-
airy morning, they found aim on the bank of
the Marue twisted by the cold and with his
feet frozen H remained long while in the
hospital. 1t was there saw him for the first
time
Sad and patient like a sick hound, the Turco
looked around him with great, gentle eyes,
When addressed he smiled and showed his
teeth This was all he could do for our Ian
guags was unknown to him, and he with Diff
Gu ty, spoke the Sabir, that Algerian dialect
composed of Provencal Italian and Arabic,
made up of variegated words gathered like
shells all along the Latin seas.
To amuse himself K4dour had only his der
b,aka. From time to I'll ne, when he grew too
impatient, it was brought TO his bed and he
was permitted to play on it, but not too loudly
because of the other sick men, Then his poor,
dark face. so dull. SO faded looking amid the
yellow day light aud the sombre winter land
sc-pe visible without grew animated, grima-
ced nd followed all the phases of the music.
>o~ he sounded the charge, and the flash Of
liswhite teeth gave place to wild laughter; now
his ewes IN listened at some Mussulman strain;
his nosirils dilated, and amid the nauseous
odor of the hospital, the walls and the compress
SEES, he again saw the groves OF Blidah loaded
with oranges, aud the young Moorish girls com
lug from the bath, enveloped IN white ana per-
fumsd with vervain.
II va months passed thus. Many things had
han ened in Piris during those two months
6ui X piour suspected uuthing. He heard the
returning army. weary and disarmed, pass be-
meath his windows, later he heard the cannon
DR. gged about; rolled from morning until eve
ming; tten the tocsiB. the cannonade. He
understood nothing of all this, except that the
war as Vet in progress and that he could
nos join the frav, since his limbs were cured
He departed. his drum on his back, in quest of
his company. He did not search long. Some
COMMUNISTS who were passing took hun TO the
place. After much ques ioning, as he could
draw nothing from him but ullntelligiole
phrsses the general in command gave him ten
francs and omnibus horse and attached him
Ia his staff.
Tnere was title of everything in those
ST. ifs Of the commune. red coats. Polish cloaks,
Hungarian j ckets, marines BIZ uses, gold, vel
veI, spangles and lace. With his blue vest.
embroidered with yellow, his turban aud his
derbnka, the Turco completed the masquerade.
Filled with joy in finding himself in such fine
company, intoxicated by the sunlight, the can
nonsde the noise of the streets, the confusion
OF weapons aud uniforms. persuaded, in addi-
ton. that it was the war against Prussia which
was continuing with he knew not what access
sion of life and freedom, this UNCONSCIOUS de-
serter joined innocently in the great Partisan
riot aud was celebrity of the moment. Every
where upon bis passage the Communists re-
ceived him with acclamations and feted him.
The commune was so proud TO possess him that
il DISPLAYED him. billed him, wove him a cock
ad-. Twenty Times day the Place sent him
to the Guerre. the Guerre to the Hotel de Villa.
II had been so extensively said that the Com
munis;s' marines were counterfeit marines,
their artillefisis counterfeit artillerists. At
least this man was. without doubt, genuine
Turco. To be convinced of it one had only to
glance at that wide-awake face of a young ape
and all the savage movements of that little
body sgitatng itself upon the huge omni-
bus horse as in the whirls of the Arab fam
ta,ia.
Something, however, was wanted to COM
plete Kads ur's happiness He wished to fight,
e. make the powder talk. Unforiu natelv
under the Commune under the empire, the
Staff seldom went into the fire. When not
engaged ia living trips or parades the poor
Turco passed his time on the Place Vendome
or in the c urt yards If the ministry of war,
among those disordered camps full of casks Of
brandy ALWAYS on tap. hogsheads of bacon with
heats knocked out, of feasts in the open air at
which was again felt all the hunger of the
81 re. Too good Mnssuiman to participate in
these orgies Kadour kept away from them,
sober aud Tranquil, made his ahlution in a c ,r-
ner and supped ON handful of coarse meal;
then. after little air on his derbonka, he
rolled himself in his bournous AID fell
asleep upon step by the light of the big-
ou4cs.
One morning in the month of May the Turco
was awakened by terrible fusiIade The min
istrN was IL commoti0n; everybody was runni, e
fleeing. Mechanically he did like the rest.
lrape upon the horse and followed the staff
Tue streets were full of wild bugle blasts and
battahons fleeing heller SHELTER. People were
tearing up the pavements and erecting barri-
cades Evidently something extraordinary was
going on. The nearer one approached the quai
the more distinct became The fusiade, the
greater the tumult. Upon the Point de la Con-
corde Kadour lost the staff. A little further
on his horse WIS taken from him; it was for
KEPT. with eight gold cords, in great hurry TO
GO see what was passing at the Hotel de Vile
In state of fury the Turco began to run in
loaded his chsssepot and said, between his
teeth: "Macach BONO Brissieui'' as in his view
it was the Prussians who had just entered the
city. Already the balls whistled about the
obelisk and among the foliage of the Tuileries.
At the ba"ricade of the Rue de Rivoli the
avengers of Flourens hailed him: "Hoi Turcol
Turcol' But II of them we're left and Kad, ur
alone was worth an entire army.
Sanding upon the barricade, proud and
CANDY as flag he fought with leaps and cries
ha, IA ,ofo hot
ment the curtain of smoke which arose fIom
the street parted little between two cannon
AIDES, and allowed him to see the red panta-
looms massed in the Champs Elysees. Then
everything was again confused He thought
he had beer mistaken, and made his powder
talk in IFS loudest tones
Suddenly the barricade grew silent. The
last artilerist had just fed, after firing his
final shoT. TIE Turco did not stir In am
bush ready to leap. he firmly fixed his bayonet
aud awaited the pointed hemlets. The line
arrived Amid the hollow tramp of the charge
the otfic-rs called out:
Surrender"
Fra moment the Tnrco was stupefed, then
he sprang forward. his un in the air.
"Bouo. bone Francest - cried he.
Vaug-ly, in his wild way. he thought that
this was the army of deliveranca. of Fxid-
barrie or ChauZy, which The Psrisians had
awaited so long. Hence how happy he was,
how he laughed at them. showing all his
W stormed. Kadour was surrounded and
seizsd
"Show your gun"
His gun was still warm.
''Sho- your hands,
Hrs hands we're black with powder. The
T REQ showed them proudly. still laughing.
Then he was pushed against wall and ram
went bsyoneii
He died witht ut understanding why they
killed him.