The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-04-01
HIS FIRST BATTLE.
4 Young Lieutenant's Vivid Pict.
ure of the Horrors Of War.

Inc stars nad gone out: dawn red
dened the horizon: the air was warn,
perfumed: the birds chirped in the
grasses. A fresh breeze famed the
heavy eyelids of Aliochine as he lay
disturbed and restless in half sleep.
Presently he aroused himself abrupt
ly, threw himself into the saddle and
looked about him.
To the right foggy curtain concealed
the spectacle the fresh killing about to
begin. Directly in front of the advanc-
ing army rose the menacing front of the
Turkish fortresses: in the distance. on
the side toward the east, the snowy sam
mits of Alaguez and Ararat sparkled I'M
der the fires of the coming sun like two
great emeralds.
"How beautiful" began Aliochine,
but the smile on his lips quickly van
ished at sight of the ambulance corps in
the wake of the batteries. with its filters
swinging low.
The dazzling spectacle of the morning
was gone for him in moment. his lips
trembled. this heart contracted with
bitter pain.
II, too. shall soon be dead" came
anew the haunting thought: those same
filters. those silent bearers. will carry
me. as pale, as motionlcss az the others,
and he felt a great pity for himself, for
his youth. for the brief happiness al
lotted him on the earth.
1T will be finished to-day" thought
he, every thing-to-day. but he in
stantly thrust from him the cOwardly
thought which all at once seemed 10
have seized upon him.
Was it not by his own desire he had
gone to war? He had hurried even to be
in time for the taking of Kars, and now
-Aliochine turned his eyes from the
train of filters TO the left of the hill and
the black mass of the advancing army.
Before his battery marched the gal
liant regiment of RadOlfski. 1t moved
slowly. almost noiselessly. The faces of
the men were pale and lined with ia
tigue. but tranquil. Two young officers
at the head of the regiment were talk
ing together: one of them seemed to
laugh.
Aliochine rubbed his eyes and looked
again at these officers. Were they
laughing? Yes-laughing joyousIy. A
wave of fierce courage flowed instantly to
his heart. What, after all. was there so
frightful in war and battle? See! how
clear and blue the heavens, how bril-
liant the sun. how gay these young Off
GERS, and how TRANQUILITY marched that
intrepid army corps, now blackening the
road, now shining in the gathering light.
At this instant, a courier-an adjutant
L, a
powder. his horse covered with foam
dashed up to the battery. He painted
for breath: he was soaking with sweat,
and his restless eyes literally protruded
with excitement. In second he was
neutrality-suspicious. rained upon him.
Zaitzef and Litvinof, the captains of the
battery, caught him by the arms.
1.-THE battle. the battle" they cried;
<'tell us how goes the battle.''
BADLY" stammered the courier;
-'Kisil-Tapa taken by the enemy, the
Illitski regiment cut down. Generals
Karovich and Golinski killed. Colonies
Tetraloff and Varinski and Prince Dab
enof wounded. and God knows how
many more made prisoners And, hav-
ing delivered this encouraging infOrma-
ton, the courier set spurs to his horse,
and they saw him in the distance in the
grasp of the second regiment, shaking
and waving his arms with despairing
gestures. He was giving them the same
particulars.
A feeling of anger and shame swept
like fame through all the battery.
Forward. march, sharply command
II IL. 81
stinctively halted, his habitually grave
and measured tones bitter and irritated.
Forward. march, repeated Zaitzef
after him. with still more irritation
Aliochine said not word; but his
heart throbbed wildly under weight of
emotion, and he asked himself, like all
the others: my God! what is going to
happen move"
And, as if in answer to the question.
horrible spectacle at the moment I'M
rolled before his eyes-a griZzled dra-
COON, urging on, with difficulty, his
jaded horse, spurred beside the battery,
carrying on the crupper of his steed the
still warm but headless body of COM
rade. The bleeding neck, the blood
stained uniform, the hanging hands
would Aliochine ever be able to forget
them!
1T begins, he thought, lit begins;
the moment approaches"
BY the side of the battery wounded
horse now struggled painfully, dragging
mutilated leg and leaving in the dew
wet grass s,ail of smoking blood. The
eyes of the intelligent animal turned
upon them so piteous and appealing
glance that Aliochine was amazed TO see
that no one save himself even noticed
the patient creature, silent and aban-
doned.
''Trot," commanded Litvinof, and the
battery, obeying, swept with the roar OF
thunder across field and meadow, past
the awful spectacle of the provisional