The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-06

given over to an ostler, we set out down the
hill together, Billy shouldering pike and
walking after with the groom that led Sir
Ralph's horse. Be sure the generals courtiy
manner of speech set my blood tingling. l
seemed TO grow full two inches taller; and
when, in the vale, we parted, he directed me
TO the left, where through gap could see
Sir BeviIl's troop forming at some five hun
dred PAGES distance, l felt very desperate
warrior indeed, and set of at a run, with
Billy behind me.
Twas an open space we had TO cross, dot
ted with gorse bushes, and the enemy's regi-
ments, plain TO see, drawn UP in battalia on
the slope above, which here was gentler than
to the south and west But hardly had We
gone ten yards when l saw puff Of white
smoke above, then another, and then the
summit ringed with fame, and heard the
noise of its roaring m the hills around. At
the first sound pulled up, ana then began
running again at full speed; for I saw our
division already in motion and advancing up
the hill at a quick pace.
The curve of the slope hid all but the near
est; but above them saw steep earthwork,
and thereon three or four brass pieces Of ord
nance glittering whenever the smoke lifted.
VI Lei INC al tiA4cl was AA4S NAC III
est, pouring down volley on volley: and four
regiments at least stood massed behind, ready
to fall on the Cornishmen; who, answering
with a small discharge of musketry, now ran
forward more nimbly
To catch up with them, l must now turn
my course obiquely up the hill, where run
ming was pretty tOilsone. We were painting
along when suddenly Il shower of sand and
earth was dashed In my face, scattering me
all over. Half blinded, looked and saw
great round shot had plowed trench in the
ground at my feet, and lay there buried.
At the same moment, Billy, who was run
ming at my shoulder pumps down on his
knees and begins 10 whine and moan most
pitiably.
art hurt, dear fellowp' asked I, turning.
"Oh. Jack, jack have no stomach for
thisl A COOL wet death at sea l do not fear;
only to have these great hot shot burning in
a mans belly-'tis terrifying. | hate swift
DEATH Jack, be sinner will confess; l
he'd TO thee yesterday-never kissed the three
maids spoke of--never kissed but one i my
life, an her a tap wench, that slapped my
face for It, an so don't properly count. l be
a very boastful mani"
Now / myself had felt somewhat cold in
side when the guns began roaring; but this
set me right in a trice.. whipped pistol
out of my sash and put the cold ring to his
ear; and be scrambled up, and was very
lion all the rest of the day.
But now we had again to change our
course, for to my dismay l saw line Of
sharpshooters moving down among the gorse
bushes to take the Ccrnishmen in flank.
And twas lucky we had but little way far
Their to go, for these skirmishers, thinking
perhaps from my dress and our running thus
that we bore some message, opened fire on
us; and, though they were bad marksmen,
twas ugly to see their bullets pattering into
the turf to right and left.
We caught up the very last line of the as
cending troop-lean, hungry looking men.
with wan faces, but shouting Justify. | think
they were about three hundred in all. ''COme
on, lad called out bearded fellow with
bandage over one eye, making room for me
at his side; there's work for plenty morer'-
and minute after a shot took him in the
ribs, and he screamed out, ''Oh, my God"
and, flinging up his arms, leaped foot in the
air and fell on his face
But in the midst of this skurry heard the
sound of cheering Twas Sir John Berke-
ley = troop kllAl uON pDSltu uHueI cover VI INC
hedges below that had come to our support;
and the rebels, fearing to advance too far,
must have Withdrawn again behind their
earthwork, for after a while the pressure
eased a bit, and, to my amaze, the troop
which but a minute since was q mere huddled
crowd formed in some order afresh and once
more began to climb. This time l had
thick set pikeman in front of me, with big
wen at the back of his neck that seemed to
fix all my attention. And up we went, /
counting the beat of my heart, that was al
ready going hard and short with the work;
and then, amid the rattle and thunder Of
their guns, we stopped again.
had taken no notice of 1t, but in the con-
fusion of the first repulse the greater part Of
our men had been thrust past me, 50 that
now l found myself no farther back than the
fourth rank. and at the very foot Of the
earthwork, up the which our leaders were
flung like wave, and soon | was scrambling
after them, ankle deep in the sandy earth,
the man with the wen just ahead, grinding
my instep with his heel, and poking his pike
staff between my knees as he slipped.
And Just at the moment when the top Of
our wave was cleaving a small breach above
us he fell on the fat of his pike, with MS nose
buried in the gravel and his hands clutch
ing. Looking up, ! saw tall rebel strad-
ding above him with musket cluUbed to beat
his brains out, whom with an effort l caught
by the boot, and, the bank slipping at that
instant, down we all slid in a heap, a tumble
of arms and legs, to the very bottom.
Before had the sand well out Of nv ewes
my comrade was up and had his pike loose,
and in a twinkliug the rebel was spitted
through the middle and writing. Twas
but before could pull out my pis-
toll and end MS pain ,as 1 was minded back
came our front rank atop Of Us again, aud
down they ware driven like sheep, my CON
panion catching up the dead mans musket
and ammunition bag and following down the
slope with three stout rebels at my neeiS-
What viii be tie end OF tnisi" thought l.
The end was that after forty yards or 80,
finding the foremost Close upon me, turned
about and let fy with M pistol at hirn- he
spun round twice and dropped. which l was
wondering at--the pistol being but poor
weapon for ain-when I was caught BY the
arm and pulled behind clulnp Of bushes
handy by Twas the man with the wen, and
BY his smoking musket ! knew that twas lie
had fired the shot that killed my pnrsusr.
Good i'm for good turn, saga he; quick
with thy other pist0l.'
The other two had stopped doubttully, but
at the next discharge Of my pistol they
turned tail ard went Up tie hla again and
we were Ieft alone Ard suddenly 9grsT
aware that ny head was aching ht % spit,
and lay down on the turf, very SICK and III
'Twould r. tedious 20 tel the whole of this
long fight. which, beginning soon aftsr Eyorise,
ended rot I'll II tee aftsT1oon, c. tEsFe-
absuts: arl. iodeei. q tie whole ny rscol-
lection y but Il continual advance AID re-
pu,se on that same slope.
But at O'Clock. We. having been FOR tie
sixth time beaten back, were Esauting under