Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1888-06-08
VOL. XVI.

Il uO W IOliOW
with his eyes, because it was a question
of minutes; if he did not get down
there as quickly as possible with the
note, which requested immediate re-
lief, either all his soldiers would be
killed or he would have 10 surrender
and become prisoners with them. The
boy ran swiftly for a while and then
limped and slackened his pace, and then
broke into run again, but he seemed to
become more and more fatigued, and
every little while stumbled and paused
for moment.
"Perhaps he has been hit by a glauc-
ing bullet" thought the captain, and he
shudderingly watched all his move
ments. and encouraged him and spoke
to him as if the boy could hear him; he
measured necessarily with keen eyes the
distance interposlng between the rum
ling boy and the glittering of arms
which he saw down there in the plain in
the midst of the wheat fields, gilded by
the sun. And meanwhile he heard the
whistling and the noise of the bullets in
the rooms below, the imperious and an
CRY cries of the officers and sargeants,
the groans of the wounded and the
crashing of the furniture and plaster.
Cup! couragep he cried, following with
his gaze the distant boy. Forward
run! he has stopped, curse himl All
he is running again"
An officer came out of breath, to say
that the enemy, without ceasing their
fire, were waving white flag as sum-
mons to surrender.
Don't answer!" he cried, without re-
moving his eyes from the boy, who was
already in the plain, but who was no
longer running, and who appeared to be
dragging himself along with difficulty.
''But get on runl" said the captain,
grinding his teeth and clenchiug his
fists; "kill yourself, die, scoundrel, but
go on" Then a horrible oath burst
from him. "Ah the infamous coward !
he has sat downw
In fact, the boy, whose head till now
he had seen projecting above a wheat
field, had disappeared, as if he had
fallen. But in moment his head came
into view again; finally he was lost be-
hind the hedges, and the captain saw
him no more.
He then few down stairs; it was rain
ing bullets; the rooms were encumbered
with the wounded, some of whom reeled
about like drunken men, catching at the
furniture; walls and floors were spat-
tered with blood; corpses were lying
across the doors; the lieutenant's arm
had been broken by ball; everything
was in whirl of smoke and dust.
"Courage!" yelled the captain. Stick
to your posts Relief is coming Cour-
age for little longer!"
The Austrians had drawn nearer yet,
their contorted faces loomed through
the smoke; above the rattle of the firing
rose their savage cries, insulting, de-
manding surrender, threatening slaugh-
ter. Occasionally soldier, terror
stricken, retreatod from tho window
the sergeant drove him back, but the
defenders fire was slackening; their
faces showed discouragement; it was
impossible to prolong the resistance.
Suddenly the firing of the Austrians
slackened and a laundering voice
shouted, first in German, then in Italian
"Surrender!"
"No~ howled the captain from a
window.
And the firing began again steadier
and fercer on boths sides. More soldie RS
fell. Already more than one window
was without defenders. The fatal mo-
ment was close at hand. The captain
was muttering between his teeth in a
broken voice: "Theyre not coming
They're not coming" and he ran furi-
ously about, twisting his sabre in his
clenched hand, resolving to die, when a
Sergeant, coming down from the garret,
cried in loud voice They're coming p'
"They're coming" the captain re-
peated with a shout of joy. At this all
shout, unhurt, wounded, Sergeants and
officers rush to the windows, and once
more the resistance grew fierce. A few
moments after a sort of uncertainty and
beginning of disorder were remarked in
the enemy. Immediately, in great haste,
the captain formed small company
down stairs, with fixed bayonets, ready
to make sally. Then he flew up stairs
again. He had scarcely got up there
when they heard heavy tread, accom-
panied by formidable hurrah, and from
the widows they saw advancing through
the smoke the two-c cornered hats Of the
Italian carbineers, squadfon dashing
along at full speed, and the flashing of
sword blades brandished in the air, de-
scending on the heads, shoulders and
backs of the enemy. Then the little
troop rushed out of the door with low
cred bayonets; the enemy wavered, be-
came disordered and took fight; the
ground remained clear, the house was
free, aud a short time after the height
was occupied by two battalions of in
fantry and two cahnons.
The captain, with his remaining SOL
diers rejoined his regiment, fought again
and was slightly wounded in the left
hand by a glanclng ball, in the last bay
onet charge. The day ended in victory
for us.
But the day after, the fight having
begun again, the Italians were over
whelmed, in spite of brave resistance,
by the superior numbers of the Aus
trians, and on the morning of the 26th
they were compelled to retreat sorrow.
fully toward the Mincio.
The captain, although wounded,
marched on foot with his soldiers, who
were tired and silent, and toward sunset
reached Goito on the Mincio and imme.
diately sought out his lieutenant, who
had been picked up, with broken arm,
by our ambulance, and who had arrived
there first. He was directed to church,
where field hospital had hastily been
installed. He went there The church
was full of wounded, reclining on two
rows of beds and mattresses stretched on
the floor; two doctors and various as.
sistants were going and coming, and
stihed cries and groans were heard.
On entering, the captain stopped and
looked about him, in search of his off.
cor lust then he heard a faint voice