Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-01-15

SDr06k OF 08Y We were awakened fv q
cannonatle. We fIaw ~ & 'ar ,, & s., Is
formed in . column, Thirsty taking
his place next to me. thought had
never seen his iierceb blue eyesl look more
terrible. The battalion began its
march. We were to dislodge the
white coats, who had taken
up their position in the village Of
Melegnano, which they had fortified
with cannon. Forward nnarchl We
hadn 7 gone two miles when, bang! the
Austrian cannon burst upon us side
wise and knocked over fifteen Of our
men. After that tho officers, who
were only waiting for the order to
charge, made us lie down in the maize
Ilelos IKE the sharpshooters. They
remained ed I, sIahdlng themselves, OF
e eea ana eAn Gel' you our captain
S1oou g st,ee1eellI as Ahya.o1 tnem.
w , nleI, kheellhs among the. corn.
th tss, Anpu " p ~ lncessahc nfe on
9he austrian u Dattery winch was with
. u, z1nes. o s'e 1e'e some one
nu1so niX e1po"; turned aIouho
any sAw Il'1rsoy ioaolng ms rine and
l l'a:1 ~ me WIN a sort OF dare
u u:. sa!al,e lurking Ff IN the corners OF
MS mouth. ~; ...,<.. z.
you see the captain?' said he,
Jerking his head toward that officer,
who was standing at a distance OF
about twenty feet from us. -. e.
Eyes; what OF it?" | answered, look
ing IA the same direction. So e.. .s.,
}l what OF 1t! tie ought not to have
spoken to me as ne did last night" -.
linen with RAPID, we'll, calculated
movement he leveled his piece and
51lred. saw the captain, with a sud
den, conVulslve spasm, throw back
MS head and beat the air with his
hands, then drop his sword, and foil
heavily backward to the ground.
t'Murdererv' I cried, Selling the SER
geant's arm.
But he sent me rolling two or three
feet from him, with a blow in the chest
from the butt-end of his rifle.
"Fool! How will you prove l kill
ed hin1?' '
|. Isprang to my feet, furious: but all
the rest rose at the same time. For
there was our colonel, bareheaded, on
his smoking horse, pointing with his
sword to the Austrian battery, and
shouting with all his might.
forward. zouayes! Charge with
the bayonet!"
What could do but charge with the
rest? And it was q fine thing. too.
that charge OF the Zouayes at Meleg-
nano! Have YOU ever seen s. heavy
sea beating against q rock? Yes?
Well, that is lust what it IS like. One
after the other, three companies rush.
ed up there like Il wave over a rock.
Three times the battery was covered
with the blue coats and red breeches,
and three times We saw the embark
ment bristling with. it's cannons'
mouths reappear like the rock when
the wave has spent itself.
But the fourth company, that WAS
ours. carried the place. For n,vse|f
in twenty strides Preached the red onht:
and helping myself with the butt-end
of nv rifle T clambered in
the embankment: hid ;nat
time to see g. blue cap, a. pair
of fair mustaches, and the muzzle OF q
gun that was almost touching me;
and then | felt svch blow on my left
shoulder that thought my arm had
been torn off; and / turned giddy,
dropped my rifle, rolled over on my
side by & wheel of one of the gun-car-
riages, and tainted away.
When opened my eyes again there
was only a faint sound of musketry
in the distance The Zouaves were
there. standing in O. sort of disorderlv
half-clrcle, shouting, 'Lons live the
emperor" and waving their rifles at
arms length in the air.
An old general with his aid-de-camp
came galloping up; he stopped his
horse, took off his gold striped cap,
and waved it joyfully, shouting:
well done, Zouaves! You are the
finest soldiers in the. world"
sat up, leaning against the wheel
Of the gun-carriage, holding my brok-
ell paw, disnlally, i'll my right hand,
and I began to remember Thirsty's
horrible crlme-shootng his captain
rom oeh1ho' on the oaet'e-fleId.
All at once he left the ranks and
came forward toward the general.
Inc very man himself, Thirsty, the
castaln's murderer! RE had lost his
1ez IN the Tray, and his close shaven
neau was pare, with a wound across
IT., 1rom which O. narrow stream OF
Dloodn trlckled over his forehead and
GOWN MS cheek. Tic was leaning on
nj, MS gun with one hand, and in theoth-
or ne heid an Austrian flag, all torn
ana olood-sta'neu, a l1ag he had taken
rom Oh the enemy -.
:. a IIlei general looked Mt him with the