The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-04-01

the horizon. Other officers advanced be-
fore their divisions, gesticulating with
anger.
Until then. Aliochine had not seen
how his platoon was formed. He turned
about and scanned the faces of his sol
diers. Young men. all of them, and
mostly recruits like himself. lie re-
GREETED that all this had come so soon
he did not know the name of even one
man in his company.
At his elbow stood handsome strip
ling. Aliochine bent toward him: Your
nance" he asked
Attention. men, To the carriages.'
rang The voice of Litvinof, before the
lad could answer; and though his voice
was clear and unhurried as when he left
the camp. the battery knew that the
commandant was preparing a decisive
move. A prayer, ardent though mute,
rose from every soul.
Advance. men, March" again cried
Litvinof. waving his sword above his
head like a battle-fiag. Advance, meni
March," repeated the young voices be-
hind him, for now the commandant on
his bay horse was far ahead of them, the
swaying battery laundering al his heels,
obedient. courageous, heroic.
The fort of the Kisil-Tapa had disap-
reared. and before them sGoked the
murderous rock of Alagi
TO place, first piece" rOared the
voice of Ayalof, the platOon's captain.
Alicchine leaped to the ground. tossed
his reins to soldier, and sprang for
position. a grenade from the enemy
whistled shrilly by his ear.
God is merciful: it missed me-" he
murmured. instinctively.
But the first was followed by second
grenade. then third, fourth. dozen.
too many and too fast To count them-a
hail-storm of balls, veritable rain of
fire-and. sooner even than he had
thought. the battery was crushed, scat
tered, pulverized.
Pale. trembling. but keeping his self
command. Aliochene gave his orders,
always by the side of the cannon, around
which the Turkish balls hummed and
sang.
How goes it with you now, my lad?"
cried a voice at his side-the Voice of
Litvinof, gentle and caressing in its
tone, to his brave young officer; how
goes il with"
But Litvinof did not finish his SEN
tence: he had fallen forward, face down
ward. with outstretched hands.
Aliochine sprang To lift him. but in
place of Litvinof he saw before him
mutilated trunk, some tatters of flesh,
clothing and blood.
Second captain in command take
charge" cried Avalof, who had seen the
tragedy, and thus called Zaitzef to Lit
vinof's duties.
And all this while the enemy contin-
ued the carnage: three of the pieces
were entirely dismounted and reduced
to uselessness. Men and horses fell like
flies, and the battery, with half of its
gunners gone, its ammunition exhausted,
and helpless under the shots of the
victorious enemy, was eXtinguished like
taper. Three men only of the bat
tery's complement remained by the
eighth cannon.
Fire began Aliochine, but stopped
suddenly: the gunner had thrown him.
sell EEOuIus lnioe
ing like A serpent.
His right hand had gone with that last
screaming ball.
No matter-the gunner of the seventh
was at his post, on his knees by the
wheel, but when Aliochine approached
him, he, too. seemed to be sleeping, SO
calm and peaceful was his dead face.
Behind him again, the lad whose name
he had asked lay grooming on the
ground. his breast plOwed by shell.
1t was too much. Aliochine's nerves
began to give way: he moved as a ma
chine would move; his strength was
going; exhaustion and a dull indiffer-
ence weighed him down, and did not
leave him even when an orderly, sent by
the artillery chief, arrived beside him
with orders 10 retreat.
Retreat! Retreat, battery cried the
orderly, with frantic gestures: ''to the
rear!'
Aliochine found himself now in
ravine. but not that wide ravine where
the battery had awaited the convoy of
wounded: no. il was a smaller gorge, mar
rover. walled in and as yet unOccupied.
He listened: shot still resounded heav-
ily, but in the distance. He was out OF
danger-he had done his duty-he still
lived!
81 am alive-alive.' he repeated. in
wardly. with the understandable sensa-
lions OF a man in whom suddenly extin-
guished life revives and quickens his be-
ing. He gazed about him; the battery
had stopped, and the men prepared for
action. --
i am alive. / live" he murmured
again; ..but Litvinof and those poor sol
diers who climbed that murderous hill
in the face of that hellish fire"
And thrill of shame. mingled with his
gladness, that he, so young and without
family, should have come from the con-
fiict safe and sound, while useful, ma
ture lives had gone out like candles