The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1892-10-15
HI RAW RECRUIT.
Enlisted az Q Substitute and Lost HI
Life After Battle.

E1Ils1eu at q substitute anu LOSt hlS
Life After Battle.
It was at the hour of midnight.
We received marching orders and
fell into line to join our comrades,
who had but a few hours before pre-
coded us. Welcome news it had
been to our battalion, for it was in
the fall of the year, and for twenty
four hours we had not been permit
ted to light a fire lest u move
ments be discovered by the enemy,
who was close behind us. Several
new recruits had joined us-one a
tall, gaunt Irishman, who had evi-
IDENTIFY been tempted to enlist as a
substitute, not thinking he would
so soon be sent to the front.
He was very nervous and i'll at
ease, showing the white featherlong
before he smelled the smoke OF bat
tie. Connonading i'll the distance
seemed nearly to paralyze him, and
when three of our pickets yer shot
dead at their posts his face assumed
the color Of a corpse. The boys We're
cruel enough to tell him this was a
common occurrence and that he
would never return to camp if he
went OIL picket duty.
Military tactics to him yet a
blank, and always would be, for that
matter, as the drillmaster never
lived who could make a soldier of
Mike Degan. He was placed ill the
rear, and as it was my duty to pre-
vent struggling l had hard work to
keep him in line. Every now and
then "click !" would 60 a rifle in the
hands of some sharpshooter am
pushed upon the mountains, and an
other of our gallant boys lying stark
and still along the roadside told us
how true had been the aim.
These silent messengers of our con-
slant danger were a great trial to
Mike, and he would shake his head
and exclaim, Its meself that would
be wishing / was out Of thisw
We had marched about a mile
amid gloom and silence when the
ominous order, Halt" was given. l
stood near Mike when the command
was received, and d more pitiable
looking specimen Of manhood 1 have
never seen as lie exclaimed, why
do we be stopping here, SURF
well, Mike" l replied, Eve have
either got to stop here or some II
will stop us farther on" for | had
learned but u few minutes before
that a accommodating party had dis
covered danger ahead; consequently
we had to change our line of march.
After a halt of several minutes,
which seemed hours to us, we start
ed at the order, Forward march"
Then came the command, LEFT OBJ
lique."
Mike, now several PAGES behind
his comrades, gazed at me in silent
awe, threw down his musket and
rushed wildly to the rear and Ell
deavored to extract u huge stone
from its frozen foundation. Get
back with him there,"I exclaimed;
have You gone crazy?" Sure, sur"
replied Mike, didn't yees hear the
cap'n's orders to lift a breek. Divil
a breek 1 see at all, and l thought a
stone might do, for we'll all be muir
dered, SO we will"
1t was with difficulty that l could
suppress laughter at Mikes definition
Of the captains orders,
did not see Mike again for several
hours, when he approached me, look
ing SO wan and weary that I really
felt sorry for him.
He had Il white handkerchief tied
about his throat. Sure, sur" said
he, I'd loike to go to the ambu-
lance, for I've a bad pain in me trete
and me knees are that stiff I can't be
using them at all, at all"
| sent him to the surgeon, who
must have placed him on the sick
list and sent him to the ambulance
train, but Mike evidently lost his
way, for he was reported as found
dead beside the road with a bullet
hole in his head.
The white handkerchief had made
a good target for some sharpshooter.
No one knows whether it was the
rifle of friend or fOe.-New York Re-
cOrdtr.