The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-07-14
A BRAVE MAN.


$50 you want me to tell you.a story
about a brave man, little people," said
Colonel Graylock, as his half-dozen
nephews and nieces, tired with their
afternoons play, gathered around his
armchair by the fire. s.Well, I've seen
plenty of them in my time, but the
bravest man ever knew was a young
Ensign in our regiment, whom we used
to call Gentleman Bob'-and right
well he deserved the name, though not
as we meant it,
"Soldiering's very different thing
now from what it was in my Young
days, and men have learned whatit's a
pity they didn't learn sooner that a
man may make none the worse officer
tor being gentleman and Christian.
Henry Havelock taught us that pretty
fairly, but in the rough old times it
was very different thing. Then the
harder an English officer drank, and
the louder he swore, and the more he
bullied his men, and the reader he was
to tight duel or to join in any low
frolic, the better his comrades liked
him, and I'm afraid we were much the
same as the rest.
So you may fancy what we thought
when a man like Gentleman Bob
came among us, who was always quiet
and sober and orderly, and, ms cad OF
Drawing and rioting ike the rest of us,
spent all his spare time over dry scien-
tific books that we knew nothing about,
and read a chapter of the Bible every
morning and evening. How we did
laugh at him, and make mock of him,
to be sure! But the provoking thing
was that he never seemed to mind It
one bit, and he was SO good .natured,
and so ready to do any one good turn
when he could, that il certainly ought
to have made us ashamed of ourselves;
but it didn t, more's the pity.
But before long something did
make us ashamed of ourselves, and this
was it. Our Colonel was in a great
hurry one day to find out the where
abouts of village that wasn't marked
on his map, and none OF us could help
him, when, 10 and behold! forward
stepped Gentleman Bob.' with neat
little map of his own drawing. and there
was the very place, just where it should
be. The Colonel looked at it, and then
at us, and said, grimly, It's not often,
gentlemen, that the youngest officer OF
a regiment is also the smartest: let this
be lesson to you.'
"a You may be sure this reproof made
us none the more merciful in talking
against poor Bob; and perhaps we
might have done something more than
talk but for a thing that happened one
night at mess. Our junior Captain, a
rough, bullying kind of fellow, was GO
ing to empty glass of wine over Bob s
head, when the Ensign grasped his
wrist, and overturned the wine upon
him instead. and the wrist was black
and blue from that squeeze for many
day after.
s "About month after this, one of
our men, who used to have tits OF mad
ness every now and then from an old
wound in the head, came flying along
with big knife in his hand, slashing at
everything within reach. Some cried
to shoot him, but Bob said, quietly,
S. A mans life is worth more than that:
let me try And in moment he had
seized the fellows knife-haud, and
tripped him SO cleverly that he was
down before we could call out; and
then some of the men came up and Sc
cured him.
.'Of course we could say nothing
against Bob's pluck after that; but all
this was trifle to what was coming. A
few days later came one of the greatest
battles of the war, and we were so hard
pressed on the left (where my regiment
was) that at last there was nothing for
it but to fall back. We formed again
under cover of some thickets, but even
there we had enough to do to hold our
ground, for the enemy had brought up
several guns, and were giving it to us
pretty hot.
Suddenly, between two gusts OF
smoke. one of our wounded, lying out
on the open plain, was seen to wave his
hand feebly, as if for help. 1t was one
of our Lieutenants, who had been hard
er than any oneupon Gentleman Bob,
ana sis chance was poor one, for it
seemed certain death to try and reach
him through such q pelt Of shot, while
If bullet didn't finish him, the scorch-
ing sun was pretty sure to do it.
All at once man was seen stepping
out from the sheltering thicket, and that
man was Gentleman Bob.' He never
looked to right or left, but went straight
to where his prosecutor was lying help
less, and tried to raise him. At first
the French banged away at him like
fury. but when they saw what he was
doing. several officers called out, Ne
tirez pas. mes enfants' {. DOM fire, my
boys). and raised their caps to him in
salute. Bob lifted the wounded man
gently in his arms, and shielding him
with his own body, brought him back
into our lines; and such q cheer as went
up then never heard before or sin -e. .
And did that horrid Lieutenant ne,
unclep'
Luckily NOT answered the Colo
mel, laughing. "for I'm sorry to say