New Ulm weekly review., 1886-01-13

onet-he had emptied q good many
Iglasses since the morning shrugged
his shoulders; but fortunately the cap
tain did not notice him.
In the middle of the night I was
wakened up suddenly. I sprang from
| the heap of straw had been sleeping
4 on the corner of a farm yard, and by
the light OF the moon saw Thirsty
with a young girl in his arms, all torn
and disheveiled, and calling on the
| Madonna and all the saints in heaven
to save her. He was struggling furious
iy, like alion, with alot OF peasants and
soldiers who were trying to rescue her
from him. ran up to help, but Cap
tain Gentle got there before me.
With one glance-he had a very COM
manding glance. had the little Corsi-
can-he drove back the sergeant cow
ed; then when he had spoken a few
reassuring words to the cir, in Italian,
he came back and stood before the cul-
prit, and shaking his finger before the
others face.
''They ought to blow out the brains
of wretches like you," said he. Gas
soon as can see the colonel you shall
have your sergeant's stripes taken
from you; and it will be for good this
time. There will be battle to-mor-
row; you had better try and get kill
ed."
We went back to bed again. But
the captain was right, and before the
break Of day we were awakened by a
cannonade. We flew to arms and
formed in column, Thirsty taking
his place next to me. Thought I had
never seen his fierce blue eyes 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
I Melegnan6, which they had fortified
with cannon. Forward march! We
hadn't gone two miles when, bang! the
Austrian cannon burst upon us side
wise and knocked over fifteen of our
men. After that the officers, who
were only waiting for the order to
charge, made us lie down in the maize
fields like the sharpshooters. They
remained standing themselves, Of
course, and can tell you our captain
stood up as straight as any of them.
! We men, kneeling among the corn
stalks, kept up an incessant fire on
the Austrian battery, which was with
in range. Suddenly l felt some one
nudge my elbow. l turned around
and saw Thirsty loading his rife and
looking at me with sort of dare
devil smile lurking in the corners Of
his mouth.
"You see the captain?" said he.
jerking his head toward that officer,
who was standing at q distance of
| about twenty feet fromus.
eyes; what Of it?" I answered, look
ing in the same direction.
"What of it? He ought not to have
spoken to me as he did last night"
Then with a rapid, well calculated
movement he leveled his piece and
fired. I saw the captain, with a sud
den, convulsive spasm, throw back
his head and beat the air with his
hands, then drop his sword, ard fall
| AAOcoSAi DCtChN cuLu w CL4C IOuAu.
"Murderer!" cried, seizing the SER
geant's arm.
But he sent me rolling two or three
| feet from him, with q blow in the chest
from the butt-end of his rife.
"F,ool! How will you prove l kill
| ed him?"
| 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, zouaves! Charge with
the bayonet!"
| What could do but charge with the
rest? And it was a fine thing, too,
that charge of the Zouaves at Meleg-
nano! Have you ever seen q heavy
sea beating against a rocR Yes?
Well, that is just what it's like One
after the other, three companies rush
ed up there like a wave over a rock.
Three times the battery was covered
with the blue coats and red breeches,
and three times we saw the embank-
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 myself,
in twenty strides Ireached the eredoubt;
and helping myself with the butt-end
OF my rife, l clambered up
the embankment; l had just
time to see a blue cap, pair
OF fair mustaches, and the muzze OF a
gun that was almost touching me;
and then felt such a 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 a 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 a sort OF disorderly
half-circle, shouting, stLong live the
emperor!" and waving their rifles at
arms length in the air.