The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-01-26

- 40 ~ . - - AS~aAsHes
Exploit OF Russi.a Infantry whiIst
Fighting Tarkoman Horde.
The Russi1 soldier dies 81 his post.
have seen him in winter on sentry duty on
the heights OF shipka. says writer in
Hurper,s for January. die standing sur
rounded With snow, and transformed liter
ally into statne of ice: | have seen him
die on the march striding over the sandy
desert. and yielding mp his last breath with
the last step; ! have seen him die Of his
wounds on the battlefield or in the hospi-
tai. II . distance of 1000 miles from his ma
tire viil2ge-and in these supreme mo-
ments ! have always found the Russian
soldier sublime.
In the Khiva campaign, on the night OF
July IS. our troops broke camp at q. "a.
Hardly had the first squadrsns, with
Prince Eugene de Leuchtenberg at their
head. started along the road. than sud
denly the air trembled with Glamour,
howis and savage war cries from . crowd
Of several thousand men, and seven Turko-
man tribes. men and women together.
fell upon our troop. Our
squadrons were flung hack upon the rest
Of the cavalry by force of the shock upon
the infantry. The confusion was terrible.
We could not see the confusion. for IL was
too dark, but We felt IL. No more could
We distinguish friends from enemies Al
this moment ! Was crowded in the midst
OF group Of Cossacks. and my horse was
pushed gently and slowly. as If by waves,
first one way. then the other. At tirst, not
q single shot vas heard. bat only the thud
Of sahers striking human bodies and the
lamentable cries of The wounded. sud-
denly there Vas flash and glare in front
Of Us. and . violent explosion. then q sec
ond and third. The rocket battery, be-
ing amongst the first squadrons. had sue
ceedcd. thanks TO the darkness. in placing
its stands night in the middle Of the enemy.
Unfortunately, the rockets burst without
rising. Probably they bad got vet and the
heat had split them. However. theexplos-
ions frightened the Turkomans, and had
the result OF forming for = moment little
opening in the mass of the comhatants.
Then l heard behind me an energetic
voice. make wayl" and two companies of
the Second battalion OF Turkistan riflemcn
passed through the midst of the Cossacks,
and dashed 10 the spot where the battery
had taken its stand. joined the right
Ws0A ~ e&sC AASS SVAnRa0y- GHG- To-
echoed the word Of command, and dis
charge was heard so uniform that il
sounded like single shot. "Firelv
heard immediately alongside, and another
similar discharge followed. Fret little
further. and yet further, and then further
still. to the right OF where was. one vol
ley after another. and at last, in the dis
lance near the gardens. We heard the roll
ing Of the cannon. Eight successive rounds
were fired by the companies near which
was, and in peace time. during reviews,
have often heard worse firing. Between
the second and the third rounds group
Of Turkomsns dashed through the first
company and killed four soldiers, but this
did no, prevent the regularity of the firing.
The company Was there, standing firmly,
a. If IL had not even remarked this little
episode, waiting. all attention, for another
command 10 fire.
When the sun. with the rapidity usual in
the East. rose on the horizon, our troop
was found TO be drawn up in q seml-circie
one company by the side OF the other in
an order as exact as II the maneuver had
been executed in broad daylight and BY
special word OF command. Ii was the
regular volley firing which had shown the
baftsiions their places. II the firing had
been confused and irregular the troops
would not have been able TO discover their
whereabouts in the general chaos. In the
camp lay the dead and the wounded Turko-
mans and Russians. The chief of the de-
tacsment General Galowa,sehea. and the
chief OF the staff. we're beth wounded with
saher cuts. In front OF our companies was
piled up q compact mass OF fallen enemies,
and in the distance the horizon was liter
ally covered by the tail caps OF the fleeing
Tarkomans.