Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-06-09
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DEATHS HEAD GUIRASSIERS;
A Legend of the Old Guard.
BY CAPT, FRED, WHITAKER,
"RED RUDIGER," "NEMo, KING OF
TRAMPs," "THE IRISH CAP
TAIN, ETC, ETC.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE ESCAPE.

CHAPTER XIV.
THE ESCAPE.
Gabriel Lenoir aud Case Tete, in
a jOlting farm-wagon ON bundles ol
straw, with guard of Il dozen va.
gers round them, joggetI sleepily
along over the road from Zittau t.
Koniggratz, through scrubby pine
woods up and down rugged hills,
with the Carpathians forever in sight
on either hand.
Both had taken off their cuirasses
while neither had any offensive
arms, and it was the last thing OF
which any of the escort dreamed
that they would attempt to escape.
They had passed pickets of hus-
sarS and cuirassiers on the way with
few of the wild, scrubby-looking
Cossacks; but had met no infantry
except Austrians in small numbers.
When they got to the hills by
KOniggratZ, however, the scene
changed, for they came in sight of
a stretch of country about ten miles
by five dotted all over with the
smoke of bivouac fires and glitter of
arms stacks.
The two men in the wagon were
half-lying, half sitting upon the
straw with their eyes closed, seem
ingly asleep, but as the wagon halt
ed to breathe the horses Case Tete
yawned and looked out, while Ga
briel LenOir cast rapid glance over
all the scene.
The Austrian yagers, sturdy little
men of short stature, with rifles that
had such short, heavy barrels they
looked like carbInes, paused on the
top of the hill to wipe their foreheads
and chat
"There is another wood just be-
yOnd, my MAJOR" muttered Casse
Tete, under his grizzled noustache.
Shall we do it there or wait ?"
"NoW's the time" answered Ga.
brieI, i'm the same furtive tone.
Then he stretched himself and
said aloud to the sub-lieutenant of
the yagers.
"Quite an army you have there.
Are they all Austrians ?"
"No, monsieur" said the other,
civilly, "These are all Russians here.
You can see the headquarters over
toward the Oimutz road. The cZar
himself is there with eighty thous-
and men,"
"WhO is their general ?" asked
Gabriel, in a tone of Indifference.
"His name, | believe, is Kutu-
soff," answered the guileless Austri-
an, "but they have a Doctoroff and
a Soltakof and u whole army OF
fellows ending in off. And the whole
Of the Russian Imperial Guards is
there, too"
"How many of them are there ?"
asked Gabriel. ..-...
81 don't know. About three thous-
and | should say. Come, we must
be moving.
The wagon creaked along and de-
scended slowly into a muddy, mar
row road between high banks where
the horses went up to their knees at
every step, while the yagers strung
put into single file, picking out the
places and not thinking of
their prisoners. .
Thus they ratified and splashed
along for near a mile till they en-
tered IA wood of scrubby pines, when
the road became worse than ever,
the soil being here composed of
black loam, while the infantry SOL
1iers had scattered themselves in all
jumping from root to root
Of the trees.
1t was here that, all of a sudden
q hr;nl nn,I f,.S,,n Nofn rnOn CfnniAh
lily to their feet behind the driver,
who sat on the box beside one of the
yagerS.
{. There was dull crashing sound
Is the SCARED cuirassier clutched
The heads of both men in his fOrrni-
liable grip and brought them to-
sether with all his force.
Neither man uttered a cry, but
Doth dropped back into the cart
a struggle, when Case Tete
took the reins and
lrove on.
All the rest of the escort was i'll
'ront, and not one turned his head,
70 quietly and neatly was the thing
lone.
Then Cdsse Tete urged on his
cam Il little further, and finally
irOpped the reins, leaving the horses
% themselves.
The consequence was that the
fioundered on few PAGES
md then stopped of their own ac-
ord, for it required considerable
lrging TO get them forward at all on /
uch road.
AS soon as this took place, Casse
Eete took off the belt of the yager |
whose skull he had fractured against |
hat OF the driver, aud picked up
lis rifle.
Snow, nay officer" he said. tour |
way is clear for little, unless they /
OIue back. In that case pll have |
o give them shot. | wish we had
mother of the rifles"
Gabriel scanned the retreating
orms of the yagers ahead, and saw
hat no time was to be lost. AT |
my moment one of them mightlook
,ack.
He and Casse Tete sprung from
he wagon and plunged into the
crest, where as soon as they left
he road they found the walking
comparatively good while the thick
Oliage of the scrub fir trees hid them
rom sight in very few minutes
rom the road.
AS soon as they found this, they
truck off to the edge of the woods
n the most broken ground they
ould find, selected hiding place
mong some rocks on hillside,
rom whence they could see the plain
Glow, and lay in wait for the sun
They knew well that in their
Trench dress they would be recog-
ized half a mile off in the daytime,
nd that night offered them the
My chance they had of escape if
hey were not tracked to their hid
lg place in the mean time.
II was not long before they heard
rifle shot in the woods and shout
ng.
''They are after US, my officer"