Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-12-16

could see he thought me mad. Very
likely excitement had made me look
so.
.Ten louis There is the money
in geld"
''My officer, the things are yours !"
Steel spikes, brittle rods that would
snap off short would have been better.
But me was growing narrow, and |
must take wat offered. These soft
bent nails would serve my purpose.
And now for the river. The current
was swift, and I could not swim a
stroke [ must go up stream and
trust to find some tree trunk or
wooden balk that would aid me in
floating down.
or the matters that happened after
this cannot speak with any minute
ness. tn think back at, the whole
time seems like blurred dream,
broken by snatches of dead sleep L
known l gained my point on the river
bank, some miles above the village.
and entered the water shore, finding
it chill as ice. / think it was a
small fence gate that aided my chok-
ing passage.
/ can only recollect clearly that the
thing l cluhg to was terribly unstab le;
aud that on EeIng landed by chance
eddy on strip of shoal I lay there
for fully half an hour listening to a
sentry pIodding pastand past through
the mud ten yards away, unable to
move a limb Then [ gathered
strength, and crawling, not only
from caution, but through sheer
helpIessness, made my stealthy way
still further along the shore.
Four batteries commanded the ap-
proaches to the bridge. Two were
on either flank to deliver a converg-
ing fire; two, one above the other,
were in direct line with it, so that
the causeway could be swept from
end to end.
1t was in the lower of these last
that I found myself-by what route
come, l cannot say. Only then my
senses seemed to return to me. I was
lying in an embrasure. Overhead
was the round, black chase of a sixty
FOUNDER. 1 crawled further and
looked down the line. Six moreguns
loomed through the night, making
seven in all.
The rain was coming down in tor
rents, sending up spurts OF mud.
There. were men within dozen
yards, wakeful men; and then, and
not before, did it flash upon me that
my farrier's hammer was a useless
weapon. Fool that I was to bring
it. Idiot l must have been t. forget
that the first clink would awaken the
redoubt4 Ny life?
No, pah! didn't count that. But
it would mean only one gun spiked
etfectually, if so much. l drew back
into the embrasure and knitted my
forehead afresh. The right thought
was tardy, but it came l drew off
my boot 1t was new and it was
heavy-badinage had been poured
out by my comrades over its heavi-
ness The strong sewn heel would
drive like caulk RS mallet.
Then 1 go to work. The guns were
loaded and primed. The locks were
covered with leather aprons. I used
infinite caution; crawling like cat,
croucLing in deepest shadows, stop
ping, making detours; not for mere
life's sake, be it understood, but be-
cause life was wanted for work yet
undone.
The seven guns were put out Of
action, and still the night was dark
and the Austrians were ignorant te-
hind the curtain of pelting rain
And then on to the upper bat
terry 49,. Two, four, eight guns!
Three I spiked and the night be-
gan to gray. Three more, and men
were stirring. I got reckless and
sprang openly at another. The air
filing with shouts, and sinking
powder smoke, and crashes, and the
red flash Of cannon.
The French were advancing to the
storm in the wet. gray dawn. Both
flanking batteries, fully manned, had
opened upon them; but Of the guns
which had direct command Of the
bridge, only one spoke.
Into the roar Of artillery the wind
brought up yells and oaths and bub-
bling shrieks. And then the eagles
came through the smoke. There
was no stopping that rush.
Somehow / found myself among
comrades, fighting with claw backed
farrier's hammer; knowing nothing
of order, or reason, or how these
things came to pass; but heated only
by an insane desire to kill, and kill,
and kill! And then grappled with a
man who was struggling off with a flag,
and wrestIed with him in crimson
slough, and choked him down into
it. while heavily shod feet trampled
on both of US. And afteFward there
was more shouting and cheering, and
mighty handclaps between my
shoulder blades, and the old Major,
who had given me cognac out of a
silver flask-cognac which seemed to
have been sadly oyerwatered.
And that IS all / remembered till
I woke up in the afternoon from the
sofa in that village inn. Reveille
had sounded. We mustered under
arms and the roll was called Many
die aot answer.