Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-02-09

| ~
| THE CORPORAL ENEAPTCRED.
| him tried by court-martial for letting
| you escape. Do you know that / pro
pose to treat you as deserter, NJ
Roy?"
From what ship did desert, gen
eral?"
''You went over to the enemy
'Your enemy, but my friends. You
said just now that I broke my parole
In that case did not desert. / could
not be at the same time both prisoner
of war and an officer in your navy. And
I warn you that if you do treat me as a
deserter there will be reprisals.'
"Rcprisals! Talk to me of reprisals,
when your Turkish allies decapitate my
trophies! 1t is rather for US to talk OF
reprisals.''
Il am not Turk, and we do all we
can"
'Silence! I decline to handy words
with one who has disgraced the noble
profession of arms. Take him away,
sergeant. Keep him apart from the
other prisoners; and be sure you don't
let him escape"
On this I was marched off to q tent
between two soldiers with fixed bay
onets, one of whom stood on guard
without, while the other "a corporal)
sat with me inside. By way of keeping
up my spirits, was told that if made
any attempt to leave the tent I should
be promptly shot~or bayoneted at the
discretion of my custodians.
At first my inside guardian was by no
means amiable. ] could not get word
out of him. The air was heavy and the
tent very warm, and he evidently did
not like the job. But after awhile he
unbent, and so far forgot his role as to
answer n question, and eventually he
became almost confidential. Like
every soldier in the army, he was
heartily sick of Egypt and the east and
dying to get back to Paris.
Towards evening I had a visit from
Lacluse. was glad to see him, for
without help saw little chance of es-
Gaping.
His first proceeding was to order my
guardian out of the tent.
Very good, mon Chef" said the
man. "You will be answerable."
81 will be answerable. Go and
stretch your legs for half an hour. cor
poraL l will take care of the prison
err"
cit has come sooner than / expected,
mon ami" said Lacluse, when the cor
poral was gone.
what has Gomez"
"The chance of reciprocating the
service you rendered me the other day.
I mean to save your life-if l can"
Save my life! You surely don't
mean that Bonaparte was serious when
er?"
$50 serious that he has ordered you to
be shot tomorrow morning."
But he dare not. 1t would be vi
olation of all the usages of civilized
warfare"
Dare! He will dare anything when
his temper is up. What is single life
to a man like him? What are a thou
sand? How many lives have been sac
rificed in this insane expedition? We
are beginning to doubt, now, whether
Acre will be taken, after all. And if
not, what is to become of the army?
How are we TO get back to France?
These are the questions we are contin-
ually asking each other. But Bona
parte dominates us all so completely
that we keep our doubts to ourselves |
and go on pouring out our blood for |
him like water"
"You are bitter, Lacluse"
II have reason to be. Did he not de- |
grade me from my rank for trivial |
FAULT, a mere error of Judgment? My
services entitle me to a colonelcy ut |
he least, and am still what was
when we landed in Egypt, a mere chef
lie battalion. And now, when / go to
him and tell how you saved my life and
he lives of several of our soldiers the
,ther day. and ask that you may be ex-
hanged as was, he answers me with
,ibes and reproaches. Kleber and
Iurat have already spoken to him in
he same sense. They say that your
xecution will be q disgrace to the
rmy. But it was all to no pu<Sose.
they did not shake his resolution in
he least. And now, my friend, there
; only one thing for 1t. You must es-
ape"
THAT is exactly what have been
linking. But how Is it to be done while
wo armed men are standing over me,
nd the only way to Acre is swarming
nth your troops?"
II have thought Of plan It is very
isky-"
..Never mind the risk. would rather
e killed while trying to escape than
hot by order OF Gen. Bonapartsl" /