The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-08-20
THE DOUBLE SYY.


gone through the last war against the
Turks, rs did, you would not talk so much
about n scratch
What do you mean q scratch A
sabre cut that nearly broke in my skull, and,
moreover, Just escaped cutting me nearly in
two"
I" 1t is nothing, | tell you, in comparison To
the eight wounds that I received in that I'M
lucky affair of Orsowa, where left eighty Of
Czekler's hussars on the field, who had fol-
lowed me, and from which | was doomed
not to return. . That cursed woman had
said so -
"Ohr' exclaimed all the young officers,
who, seeing the old Austrian Baron was in
humor for storytelling, had approached
him "tcll us about it,"
"lt's too terrible, and, besides, IL Is late.
II | should tell you, you would all tremble
with fear on going back to your tents"
No matter how frightful IL may be,
said the Lieutenant, "your story is gilmore
terrible to listen to than the French cannon
aiding, and you know whether IL made us
tremble or not yesterday
ooh as to that, you bore their fire cour.
ageously yesterday"
We are brave enough, then, to listen to
you"
"That is true there is no denying it. |
will begin, them
And, after having thought for minute,
the Baron twisted up his old mustache in n
military fashion. coughed, and began thus ::
I" II was in the spring of l7ss.' had ar
rived few days before at Orsowa, where |
had Joined my regiment, with some recruits
whom | had brought from Micos-Var, in
Pennsylvania. There lived in n village
close to the army Bohemian woman who
piled the double trade of fortune teller and
pirdndi1re. II was means always to have sol.
diers at her house Mine, tho new corners,
who were very supersttious fellows, wished
to gothere as did the others. They asked me
leave to do so. | gave it to them, and
even though | made fun of them, | accom-
panied them ththor. The life we lead in
camp is such lazy one that, as we cannot
employ our intelligence, we seek to amuse
our curiosity.
"Ths Bohemian was tall woman pale,
wrinkled, and thin she looked as though
she were about sixty years old, but, in spite
of her age and thinness, she still appeared
vigorous. Her hollow eyes, that were buried
under thick gray eyebrows, were still bright
aud full of fire; however, IL seemed TO me
that saw more astuteness than inspiration
CLEAN in her glance.
"She soon had done with my soldiers.
She said to one: Your betrothed is dying
TO have you return to her. to another: Be-
fore two years You will be u captain to this
one; You will make your way in the army;
then she did not fail to repeat all of them
You will he happy; you will capture some
rich booty Mt your next victory So that
they all went away happy after having paid
her handsomely for her trouble.
Seeing that had TO do with only an or
binary Bohemian, n sorceress of no impor-
lance, | was going to leave with them, and |
had already thrown my ilorin into her has
ket when she took my hand, saying
&c well, my handsome officer, do you not
wish to have you fortune told also' Or
else, are you paying beforehand p
"There words, which had not expected,
for | thought she would be only too glad to
be well paid without being obliged to say
anything, quite embarrassed me, and did
not withdraw my hand. She reelected for a
few moments while she was examining it,
and then raised sombre and fascinating
glance to my face, and, in a deeply cultural
voice, she said these words TO me:
"' The 20h Of IUgust.'
al asked her to explain herself, and as
her only answer, she repeated the same
words. l left, Struggling my shoulders, and
she said to me again
6" The gan Of IugUSt.'
''M May the devil take the old fool and
her stupid predictions, ] exclaimed.
"And yet the mysterious date which she
had SO obstiuately repeated to me would moi
leave mind.
"The fatgues and dangers which tn,
army endured increased every day, and
shared them all. You must know first that
in this war the Turks made no prisoners
Their chiefs had agreed to promise ducat
for Christians head that was brought into
their camp.
81 was a systematic butchery organized
against us, and on the very front of on,
lines. In this trade, which was quite il
harmony with Mussulman practices, the cap
ture of the heads of our men, which wcr,
sold in detail, kept the Turks on the alert
and enriched them besides. Both Janissa
ries and Spanish gave themselves up to il
with ardor, and our advance posts suffered
more and more every day.
"The Turks attacked them every night
with superior forces. Their expeditions
We're arranged with so much secrecy and
promptitude that the almost always sue
ceeded, and often, at dawn, when our patrol
were making their rounds and taking recon
noissance, they would find u part of GU
camp guarded only by the decapitated trunk
of our soldiers.
''The Prince of Coburg then decided t,
detach every night strong piquettes of cav
airy to protect the lines of the vedettes
The detachments numbered from one to tw,
hundred men, but soon this was not suili
cient. The Turks were furious at beinl
thus disturbed in their nightly massacres
which We're SO lucrative, and they came il
larger numbers; and there We're so many o
them that they were able to destroy boil
piquettes and verdettes, and to carry off to
gether the heads of the soldiers of the ad
vanpp1 ppStg n wall n thpca oI ihn val r.
men who were protecting them 1t was
therefore, better than before for them; il wa
double harvest. From that time piquett
service became SO dangerous that when
man was named for it he did not leave with
out putting his affairs in order.
"When the month of August, that ha,
been announced in so fatal a way to me
arrived, things Were going on quite the same
Several combats had not changed the situa
ton of our army.
Son the 18th of August who would appea
but my Bohemian woman. Her visit wa
not very agreeable TO me. / had begun {
forget her prediction, and her visit recalle
il TO me.
"'T have come she said on entering III,
tent, to beg of you to make mo n legacy
This manner of beginning the converse
ton was but little reassuring.
"' Is it still for the 10th OF August p ] sal
to her.
"I do not think have made n mistake
she replied with wonderful GOODNESS, am
you will do good act in remembering me i
your will.'
$50 But in that way am the only one VIII
will risk anything, and if | should not Iii,
as do not expect to do
Well she said, here is basket
Tokay, which | will give you for nothing
I al a. l.. .