The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1893-03-16

A SINGLE RIDER WAS SEEN eALLoPING
FURIoUsLY.
driver glanced back on the tense chain
and hesitated. ''Go on" yelled the
PROSTATE man, and the wheel went
over him. Another and another gun
followed out of the dust cloud, until
the whole battery had deployed on the
slope Before the dust cloud had fairly
settled. the falling back of the painting
horsIs with their drivers gave mo.
mentary glimpse of the nearest gun
already in position and of the four
erect figures beside it. The yell that
seemed to have evoked this sudden ap
partition again sounded nearer; g
binding fash broke from the gun
which was instantly hidden by the
closing group around it; ami deafen
ing crash with the high ringing ot
metal ran down the lane A columnoi
white, woolly smoke arose as another
fash broke beside it. This was quickly
followed by another and another, with
response from the gun first fred, until
the whole slope shook and thundered.
And the smoke, no longer white and
woolly, but darkening and thickening as
with unburnt grains of gunpowder,
mingled into the one ominous Vapor,
and driving along the lane hid even the
slope from view.
The yelling had ceased, but the grind
ing and rattling heard through the de-
tonation of guns seemed nearer still,
and suddenly there was a shower OF
leaves and twigs from the lower
branches of a chestnut tree near the
broken hedge. AS the smoke thinned
again a rising and falling medley OF
Tapping hats, tossing horses heads and
shining steel appeared for an instant,
advancing tumultuously up the slope.
But the apparition was as instantly
cloven by fame from the two nearest
guns, and went down in gush OF
smoke and roar of sound. So level was
the delivery and so close the impact
that space seemed suddenly cleared
between, in which the whirling of the
shattered remnants of the charging
cavalry was distinctly seen, and the
shouts and oaths of the inextricably
struggling mass became plain and ar
ticulate. Then gunner serving the
nearest piece suddenly dropped his
swab and seized a carbine. For out oi
the whirling confusion before them 9
single rider was seen galloping furi
ously towards the gun.
The red-capped young officer rode for
ward and knocked upward the gunner's
weapon with his sword. For In that
rapid glance he had seen that the riders
reins were hanging loosely on the neck
of his horse, who was still dashing for
ward with the acquired impetus of the
charge, and that the youthful figure o'
the rider, wearing the stripes of lieu
tenant, although still erect, exercised nc
control over the animal The face waG
boyish, blonde and ghastly; the eyes
were set and CLASSY. II was Death itself
charging the gun.
Within q few feet of 1t the horse
swerved before q brandished rammer,
and striking the cheeks of gun car.
riage pitched bis inanimate rider across
the gun. The hot blood Of the dead
man smoked on the hotter brass with
the reek of the shanbles. and bespat,
tered the hand Of the gunner who still
mechanically served the vent. As they
lifted the dead body down, the order
came to cease firing. For the yells
from below had ceases too, the rafting
and grinding was reeeding with the
smoke further 10 che left. The ominous
GER CLOUD narted for brief moment