The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-01
trunk or wooden balk that would aid me
in floating down.

in floating down.
III.
OF the matters that happened after
this cannot speak with any minuteness.
To think back at the whole thing seems
like dream, broken by snatches of dead
sleep. I know l gained my point on the
river bank, some miles above the village,
and entered the water there, finding it
chill as ice. l think it was a small fence
gate that aided my choking passage. I
can only recolect clearly that the thing
chung to was terribly unstable, and that
on being landed by a chance eddy on a
strip of shoal, 1 lay there for fully half an
hour, listening to a sentry plOdding past
and past through the mud ten yards
away, unable to move a limb. Then
gathered strength, and crawling, not
only from caution, but through sheer
helplesSness 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 converging fire;
two, one above the other were in a direct
line with it, so that the causeway could
be swept from end to end.
1t was in the lower of these last that l
found myself-by what route l cannot
say. Only then my senses seemed to re-
turn to me. ] was lying in an embrasure.
Overhead was the round black chase of
sixty-pounder. l crawled farther and
looked down the line Six more guns
loomed through the night, making seven
in all.
The rain was coming down in torrents,
sending up spirits 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 use
less weapon. Fool that l was to bring it.
Idiot l must have been to forget that the
first clink would awaken the redoubt. My
lifel No, bah didn't count that. But it
would mean only one gun spiked effectu-
ally, if so much. l drew back into the
embrasure and knitted my forehead
afresh The right thought was tardy,
but 1t came. l drew OF my boot. 1t was
new and it was heavy-badinage had
been poured out by my comrades over its
heaviness. The strong-sewn heel would
drive like a calker's mallet
Then I got to work. The guns were
loaded and primed. The locks were cover
ed with leather aprons. L used infinite
caution; crawling like cat, crouching in
deepest shadows, stopping, making de-
tours, not for mere lifes sake, be it I'M
derstood, but because life was wanted for
work yet undone.
The seven guns were put out of action,
AMI still the night was dark and the Aus
trlans were ignorant behind the curtain of
rain. And then on to the upper
battery Two, four, eight guns
Three I spiked, and the night began 10
gray. Three more, and men were stirring.
got reckless and sprang openly at
another. The air was filling 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
thanking 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 yeils, and oaths and bubJling
shrieks. And then the eagles came
through the smoke. There was no stop
ping that rush
Somehow / found myself among com
rades, fighting with a claw backed far
rler's hammer knowing nothing Of order
or reason, or how these things came 10
pass but heated only by an insane desire
70 Kill. and Kiln aud kill. And then ]
grappled with a man who was struggling