Savannah morning news., 1886-05-23

Never had found myself In so strange
a position. / was lying upon my face;
bould see only bit of ground, some blades
of grass; upon one of them an ant worked
his way down; some dried leaves of last
year-thIs was all my world. feel very
uncomfortable, horribly uncomfortable.
/ wish to move, and it is utterly impossi-
BILE to understand why ! cannot. Thus
the time passes. | hear the cracking
noise of the grasshOppers, the buzz of the
bees; nothing else. At last make an ef-
Tort, drawing my right hand from under
me, and IeaLing my arms upon the q ound
i try to raise myself to my knees. A SEN
satioD as sharp and rapid as a stroke of
lightning runs through my whole body
from my knees to my throat, and thence
TO my head; fall back-again darkness
and oblivion.
When l awake, why do see the stars
that burn so brightly In the dark blue
skies of Buigariai | am not in nv tent.
then where am /! make a movement.
and again feel that agOnizng pain in both
legs. know now what isl have been
wounded in the battle. Dangerously (.
Oh, no. | grasp my legs where feel the
pain; both feet are covered with Ooagu-
lated blood. When / touch them with
my hands terrible agony tears my soul,
my ears tIngle, my head is heavy.
wounded in both feet. AS l say this
wonder where are our menl Can it be
possible that the Turks have beaten us ?
begin to recall all that has happened
aud reach the conc fusion that we bave
mot been beaten. | cannot remember any
disaster TO the others when | fell, but /
do remember that we were ordered to the
front; that could not run and was left
behind, with something blue before my
teyes, and that l fell IN the clearing at the
Top of the hill.
This clearing our commander had point
ed out to us. ave must be over there,
bOysw he cried, in his loud, ringing
1Ones. We are over there-then. of course,
we cannot have been beaten. But where
ARE our men? Why are they not assem-
bled here2 Surely | am not living here
alone! l turn my head To see-then all is
plain. When first revived had under
my eyes the blades OF grass and the little
ant; in trying to rise | had fallen, not in
Hhe same position, but on my pack: that
is why | see the stars. l try to rise again
very painfal and hard ~ do when both
Feet are shattered; many times | give up
In despair, but at last, with tears of pain
standing in my eyes, gain sitting pos.
lure.
Above me are the dark blue heavens, in
which burn great star and many small
or ones; around me something dark and
bigh-these are the bushes, the thickets.
] am in the bushes-they will never ind
me. feel the shivers rise to my head,
even to the roots OF my hair. But how did
get into the bushes when was shot IN
the clearingy musl have crawled here,
UNCONSCIOUS from the force OF pam; yet
" Is strange, for j cannot move. Then
bow did l drag myself TO the thicket
Perhaps. then, had only one wound the
other ball must have struck me here.
spots OF soft rose color begin TO spread
arouud me; the preat star grows pale.
7he little ones vanish; il is the morn
1isiug. Oh, how delightful 10 must be al
home!
Then something strange happaned. !
hear moan: YES, IL IL some on moaning
on The other side Of me, perhaps anOthe er
forgotten one with his legs broken Ike
mine, or bali in bis stomach. No, the
moaning Is still nearer-close beside me.
and yet there is no one there. My God
~ IS IL who utter these low, plaintiye
moans! IL 10 true, then, that am In such
Bunerngf 10 must be, and yet / cannot
tell. my head ia 40 heavy and confused.
will he doWu and sleep, sleep. hle p. but
enall over wake again? No matter, il
A. all the same 10 me.
just as prepare TO sleep pale strir
or moonlight li2hts the spot where / an
lying, AID | see something, something
large and black, not five steps from me
Hnd upon 10 little points that sparkle IN
the moonlight They are he buttons OF 4
unii0rm--it - corpse or some onC
wounded; all The same. | am going Z.
Rleep. No, II II impossible. our soldiers
tre not gone; they are here; they have dis
LOGGED the Turks and are resting Ia theil
position. But why IL there no talking, NJ
rraekling o. flaming woody IL must b.
that am 80 weak thPt l can hear moth.
ing Of all this, tor they are surely here
''Help! Helpw Wild, mad cries hoarselS
escape from my tbr0at; they rise and
spread Ia the eonOrOus night air. Bul
there n no answer; all IL silent; only the
cuckets chirp without ceasiDg. Tdua
temain Tor a long time, the n. oOn, with bel
Rreat, round face, looking down upon me
and my suGerlngs.
he 10 only wOundeG-he, lying oYei
Uhra-he Wiil be aroused by my cries