The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-06-17
nanos, making him understand tnar ne

horizon. Here on the right little village
sent the smoke up from its roofs into the
sky-the kitchen smoke. There ON the
left he could see a grand castle, fianked
with towers, at the end of an avenue of
trees. He waited there till the evening.
1t was painful time. He saw nothing
but flights of crows.
Night came upon him. He lay down
at the bottom of the sheltering ditch,
and slept feverish sleep haunted by
nightmare sleep of famished man.
The dawn rose again over his head. He
returned to his post and watched. But
he country lay deserted and empty as it
ad done the day before; and new fear
ntered into the heart of Walter Schnaffs,
the fear of dying of hunger. He could
seA himself lying at the bottom of the
ditch, on his back, with his eyes shut;
and beasts-all kinds of small animals
would come round his dead body, and
devour it, attacking every part at the
same time, creeping inside his clothes to
bite his cold skin; and a great crow
would come and pick out his eyes with
its sharp beak.
Then he lost his head altogether, fancy
ing he was going to faint away from
/
of the ditch. And he was just preparing
to start for the village, come what might,
and dare everything, when he saw three
aborers going toward the fields, with
their pitchfOrks ON their shoulders, and
he plunged back into his hiding-place.
As soon as the shadows of evening
darkened over him, he dragged himself
slowly out of the ditch, and bent and
| fearful, with beating heart. set out for
the distant castle, choosing it in prefer
ence to the village, which seemed to him
like den of tigers. The windows of the
lower story were lighted up. One of
them even was open, and there came out
strong smell of roast meat-a smell
that penetrated into the nostrils and
down into the stomach of Walter
Schnaffs. That smell electrified him, it
took away his breath, and drawing him
irresistibly toward it, put desperate
courage into his heart. And suddenly,
without stopping to think, he presented
himself, in his helmet, at the opening of
the window. Eight servants were sitting
at dinner, round large table. But, all
at once, one of the maid-servants dropped
her glass, and sat staring, Open-mouthed.
They all turned round to see what she
was looking at. They caught sight of
the enemy. God help us! the Prussians
have attacked the castle!"
There was a scream, single scream,
made up of eight screams in eight differ
ent tones-a cry of deadly terror. Then
there was tumultuous uprising, push
ing, and scrambing and wild flight
toward the door at the end of the room.
Chairs fell, men knocked down women
and trampled them under foot. In two |
seconds the room was empty and de-
serted, and right in front of Walter
Schnaffs, standing stupefied before the !
window, was the table laden with food. |
After few moments hesitation he |
stepped over the window-sill and went |
up to the table. He shook with famine |
as he had with fever; but he was still |
held back and paralyzed by his fears. |
He listened. The whole house seemed to
shake; doors banged, and footsteps hur-
ried across the floor above. The Prus-
sian strained his ears to catch the con-
fused sounds; then he heard dull thuds
as of bodies falling on the soft ground at
the foot of the walls-human bodies
jumping out of the frst-foor windows.
Then every movement, every sound
as the grave.
Walter Schnaffs sat down before one
of the untouched plates andEbegan to eat.
He devoured great mouthfuls, as if he
he was afraid of being interrupted before
he had had time to swallow enough. He
threw the morsels into his mouth with
both hands, as if he was throwing them
into pit; he ate so fast that great humps
of food stuck in his throat and had to be
washed down with copious draughts of
water. He emptied all the plates, and
all the dishes, and all the bottles, till he
was drunk with food and liquor. Red,
and stupid, and hiccoughing, with dull
head and greasy lips, unbuttoning his
uniform to breathe, he was utterly in
capable of stirring a step. He shut his
eyes-his brain was heavy; he crossed his
arms upon the table and laid his head
down upon them, and went off gently to
the land of dreams.
The crescent moon shone dimly above
the trees in the park. 1t was the chilly
hour before dawn. Shadows, many and
silent, glided about among the shrubs,
and now and then ray of moonlight
shone upon pointed steel. The castle
stood black and silent; only two WIN
dows were lighted up ON the ground
floor. All at once laundering voice
reared out:
Forward"
In an instant doors, and shutters, and
windows gave way before a rush of men,
who burst in, breaking everything, tax
ing possession of the house. In mo-
ment fifty soldiers, armed to the teeth,
sprang into the kitchen where Walter
Schnaffs was sleeping peacefully-fifty
rifles were placed against his chest; he
was thrown down, rolled over, seized,
and bound hand and foot.
He was breathless with amazement,
too besotted TO understand what was go
ing on beaten, battered, and half mad
with fright All at once a stout soldier,
bedizened with gold, put his foot upon his
chest and roared:
"You are my prisonerl Surrender;
~The Prussian only heard one word
~prisoner-and he gasped out: "Ya, va,
ya!"
The victors, blowing like grampuses,
picked him up, bound him to chair,
and examined him with great curiosity.
Several of them sat down, quite worn
out with fatigue and excitemant.
was smiling now-he was safely
made prisoner at last. Another officer
came in and announced:
The enemy have taken fight. colonel;
several of them seem to have been !
wounded. The place is ours"
The stout soldier, who was mopping !
his forehead, shouted, ~Victoryi" And
he wrote in little book that he took :
out of his pocket; @After desperate
struggle, the Prussians were obliged to :
beat a retreat, carrying off their dead :
and wounded, reckoned at about fifty !
men. Several have fallen into our
hands," !
The young officer asked: ~What is to .
be done now, colonel?"
1--WE must fall back in case the enemy :
returns with artillery and reinforce !
ments." And he gave the order to fall