The Washington critic., 1890-02-10
TIE POLES gNGELJS.


silence of evening affects me so strongly. |
There is story connected with tue |
matter. Listen, and ! will tell II to |
YOU"
So saying, Monsieur Bazilewith |
lighted cigar and then, seeing that his |
audience was all attention, he con-
tinued
II must 90 back to the days of my
youth. ! had just left the military
school, and was very proud of the
sword ! carried, and anxious for an OPP
portunity of giving 1t its baptism of
blood. / had not long to wait, for
trouble broke out in Varsovia and my
regiment, with many others, receive
orders to set out for Poland, where n
campaign seemed imminent The
Poles, both mobiles and peasants, hal
grown tired of the restraints imposed
upon them, and had determined to
make desperate effort to free them
selves from the yoke which was weigh
ing them down, and then began that
heroic and bloody contest-ltussia'
eternal shane.
I'VE had the advantage of numbers.
but our adversarios, who were fortified
by their strong faith and ardent patriot
ism, knew the country thoroughly. and
they waged war ON us without truce or
mercy. Their commander in. chief di-
vided his troops into flying columns,
which overran the country, just as the
republican troops did in France at the
time of the first revolution.
II arrived one evening, in command
of detachment, at village called
Kurwo, where I expected TO surprise a
band of Polish patriots. They had
been warned, however of our approach
and had taken fight, and | discovered
that they had agreed with the villagers
to return during the night and massacre
us in our sleep,
Fortunately for us, n miserable fell
! low told us, in exchange for few rou-
bles, that it had been arranged that the
ringing of the Angelus bell should be
the signal for the rebels to return to the
village for the purpose of slaughtering
| US.
II waited several hours, and then
went to the church myself, intending to
give the signal which would call the
Poles from their hiding place, but |
could not find the bell-rope. After a
long search | became convinced that
the rope had been purposely cut off.
II was furious, and ordering all the
people to gather on the village green,
announced to them that If within five
minutes time some one of them were
not ready to climb the bell tower and
ring the Angelus the village should be
set on fire and everyone of them put to
the sword.
1.-The minutes passed slowly, and the
people stood silent with calm, resigned
faces, awaiting DEATH suddenly boy
of 10 approached me and said that he
was ready to do my bidding.
"'Here,' said l, take this rouble and
use it to drink the Cars health. Now
go up and ring loud and long
Without making any reply the boy
sprang like cat up to the belfry
perched aloft and seized the bell clap
per in both hands.
But Misericordia! 1t was not tho
musical Angelus ] heard, it was tht
tt ling of the solemn funeral bell! Tht
patriots would be on their guard, and
warned by the bell, would not come
cut and fall into the trap | had pre-
pared for them.
"Breathless and blind with rage
sDatched gun from one of my men
pointed il at the child in the belfry ant
took aim. But, suddenly, ii seemed al
if a mist passed before my eyes; quicl
as a flash of lightning | realized th,
subliplity Of the 15-year-old hero
action, and without firing | lowered m.
arm.
Twenty years passed away, and thei
began that terrible struggle between
Russia and Turkey, which was as dis
astrous for one as the other of the twc
powers, and which ended with tn
memorable taking of Plevna.
MY chivalrous adventure in Polant
had interfered with my advancement
so materially that was only captain
and l eagerly seized every opportunit
of distinguishing myself, in hopes o
making up for lost time and winning
the longed for epaulettes
Zone day while accommodating ven
tured too far from the out-posts an
fell into an ambuscade of Turks. i
: the twinkling of an eye | was seized
! bound, gagged and carried on man
: back into the enemy's camp, and whe
the bandage was removed from m
/ eyes ! found myself surrounded b
about dozen men attired in a strange
looking Uniform, which seemed to b
"One glance sufficed to assure m
that there had been an engagement O
this spot the night before; ON the lon
: grass was stretched the corpses of tn
Cars soldiers, and crouched besid
!, them were Mussulmen tearing off til
clothing and quarreling and swearing
as they divided among themselves tn
garments of the dead.
| Nv Il rta fpf
: this horrible sight, however, for I'll
. men around me began TO despoil n
s also of my clothes, and | could he;
r them dividing, in advance, the diflerel
5 articles of my apparel they had a
ready unfastened my coat, when ] SUI
J. denly caught the sound of few wore
a spoken in the Russian language.
il Il am not surprised, cried, at b
: ing robbed by these Mohammedan cur
!, but that Russian should stoop TO sue
a conduct
!. You mistake, said the same voic
i am not Russian, am Pole.
"a THE speaker turned toward me, al
"a ] looked at him in surprise, as he co
=. tinued, angrily:
g eyes, ! am q Pole, and when N
:. countrymen bowed their necks TO Il
y yoke and resigned themselves, wi
!, hatred in their hearts, to the Russii
,e rule, | fled from my home. What
" longed for most was to find the mea
- of meeting you Russians face to fac
a. and to avenge the death of my countr
te men and the humiliation of my cou
l. try
= while he spoke could not take n
=, eyes from his face, and it SCENE
80 through the mist of memory, that HI
ST seen that face before.