St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1890-08-30
The Dop-Soldier.
"Who brought that dog hereY Sen
him back at once"

"Who brought that dog here Send
him back at once"
So spoke, in his deepest and sternest
tones, old Colonel Eugene Noirmont, as ne
rode out of the French fort at Biskra, IN
the Sahara Desert, at the head OF strong
body of irregular cavalry, which had been
sent to check the raids of hostile Arab
tribe.
"He is my dog, Colonel" answered the
Junior Captain, young Alphonse de Picar-
don, glancing apologetically at the small
| white poodle that was close to his horses
| heels; land l hope you will not object to
| his going with US, for it would break his
heart to be left behind"
"And whose heart will it break"
prowled the Colenel, elf the brute begins
Barking Just as we're going to take the
Arabs by surprise, and warns them of our
coming?"
at is not for me to contradict you, Col
onel," said the young officer respectfully
''but, with your permission, can soon
show you that there is no fear of that.
Then he turned to the dog, and SAID stern
", "Jacquot, silence a la mort y
Then, at sign from the Captain, sew
eral of the men began to shout, clap their
hands, and make noise enough to set an
ordinary dog to barking furiously, but
Jacquot never uttered sound.
livery we'll, said the Colonel at length,
'the dog may 60 but remember, Captain
de Picardon, that shall hold you respon-
sible for his behavior"
The young Captain saluted, and fell into
his place without word, and off rode the
; detachment
1t was weary work riding over stony
ridges and sandy hollows, through the
blistering heat and the binding glare
, while the hot, prickly dust, rolling up IN
clouds at every step, clogged every pore
4 and choked every breath. Mile after
, mile of the desert was left behind, hour
after hour of the burning, weary, inter
I minable day crept slowly past, but stil
there was no sign of the enemy, or OF any
living thing save wide winged vulture,
which hung poised in mid-alr' nKe d Dlo'
upon the bright, searching, cloudless sky.
t The soldiers grew impatient, and began 10
q murmur and growl. -,
q But all at once the dog (Which was still
= keeping pace with them) stopped Short
It snuffed the air uneasily, and then began to
e run restlessly backward and onward,
Q uttering low, anxious whine.
r stDo YOU think he scents the enemy
/. whispered Colonel Noirmont to Captain de
d Pcardon.
n "Pll stake my life that he does" re-
piled the Captain. GIVE never yet found
it him wrong. There must be some hollow
e here that we can't see. Here Morel, Bar
bot. hold fast to each other, while CLIMB
10 onto your shoulders.
d And then, supported by the two burly
a. troopers, he raised himself high enough
to make out dry water course 10"
20 hundred yards ahead, in the hollow OF
which large number of men might easily
be hidden.
"Ah :" cried the Colonel, when he heard
IF this "thev want to catch US in an am
s. bush. do they7 Not so fast, my fine fel
le lows! Half dozon of you dlsmount
lads, and unsling your carbines, move for
ward about fiftv PAGES and then FIRE.
The crash of the volley rolled like thun
as der along the silent desert, while the
Colonel roared, in Arabic:
"Come out, you dogs We see yo'
l plainly"
The #, ct was magical. Up started, a
if rising through the earth, swarm o
an savage faces and wild figures, while tn
y. flash and crackle of the answering wolfe
followed as thunder follows lightning
but the Arabs, firing hastily and almost
in random, only wounded two men.
"Now, Numbered the Colonel, "upo
them before they can reload.
o. Down swept the French upon thel
de enemies like whirlwind, and in a mo
ze ment were hand to hand with them. Ia
IS Arabs fought like tigers, but training an
| dicipline soon began to tell, and the battl
was over las one of the troopers regret
fully observed) "almost before one ha
II, time to enjoy it.
IL But when the Arabs began to seattle
it and fy. the Colonel Whose blood ws
lst fairly up) dashed off in pursuit of them
Eft recklessly that he was soon left Amos
n alone, seeing which three of the enem
de faced round and attacked him.
sre' Captain de Pcardon-who was famor
ad as the best swordsmsn in the regiment
came dsshing up barely in time to CT
ret down one of Noirmont's assailants, viii
the Colonel himself disposed of another
LIS but the third man was just about to sta
nv De Picardon in the back when his do
an few at the Arabs throat, and clutched
n with such hearty energy that the ms
fell to the ground bleeding and la
strangled.
ID. "Form in line " shouted Colonel Noi1
re mont, when the fight was over, and all u
IT. wounded had been brought In. IN
an children, you have done we'll, and l than
an Won. Tomorrow you shall be report'
for good service to the Commander-il
ian chief himself, and he will not forget you
but have one acknowledgment to ma
The before that Captain de Picardon, bril-
ig- forward your dog
,ou The four footed scout was at on
clip produced, and when set down in fro
ia of the Colonel, he stood up on his hi
d." legs and made military salute with I
no. fore paw, to the unbounded delight OF t.
lad soldiers.
md "a soldier who knows his duty so well
he said the Colonel, with grim smile, mt
red not 70 unrecompensed, and thus l rewa
'wd his services"
So saying, he detached from his o'
all uniform the cross of the Legion of HON
Itch and hung it around the dogs neck, an
we'd laundering cheers from the assembl
ole troopers, who declared with one voice ii
his decoration had been fairly won
of their "Dog-Soldier. - David her,
the Harper's Young People.
lie.
It's True, IT'S Pity. Pity 'Tis, lis Ir
More than two-thirds of our sick TO
lite 80, +rco+o5 hv IGNORANT and unSklll