The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-01
SPIKINC THE GUNS.
c. ]. Cutoline Hyno in the Strand Magazine.

ca Cutcline Hyne in the Strand Magazine,
l.
"The regiment will be annihilated, :"
observed the adjutant coolly. And then,
in the same immovable tones, he asked
some one to pass him biscuit.
Course you" shouted the colonel, do
you think I don't know that2 Do you i'm
agine I fear getting killed tomorrow Do
you suppose I want to liuv on after what
has happenedl It's the eternal disgrace
of the thing that's cutting me-"
"Once comfortably shot" remarked
the senior major IN easy philosophy, lit
doesn't much matter TO me personally
where, or for why, l go down. Not a
soul viii be left behind to care"
i This last remark added finder to the
blaze, The major was a peasants son
who had hacked and thrust his way up
from the ranks by sheer hard lighting
His commanding officer was a aoble of the
old regime. He had hoped, and reasona-
bly, expected. that the previous days en-
gagement would give him a brigade; and
so the hasco had fallen all the more Bit
terly.
1t seemed as though the very stars in
their courses had been battling against
us Everything had gone wrong. The
blame was not ours but this, in an army
where want Of luck was the greatest
crime. told nothing in our favor. Many
men had fallen, and panic HAD seized the
heels Of the rest. Which of us initiated
the run cannot be said but in the rush Of
some, all had been carried along, few lex
cept, perhaps one or two of the old Off
GERS resisting very strenuously.
The colonel, burning with shame,
had gone in to report What pre-
cisely had been said to him we did not
know; but we guessed with some accur-
acy, although he did not repeat the de
tails. The gist of his interview was that
the regiment was to attack again on the
morrow; and if unsuccessful then. once
more on the day after; and so on till the
bridge was taken
Yesterday the thing had been barely
possible Yet to-day it was far different.
During the night the defenses had been
more than trebled. The Austrians
swarmed. Enough artillery was
mounted there now to have demolished
an entire army corps advancing against it
from the open.
The deduction was clear The bravest
men will turn tail sometimes: and in our
army, which was the bravest in the
world, there mad, during the latter part
OF the campaign, been more than one case
OF wavering. An example accordingly
was to be made. Our corps had been sin
gled out for the condign punishment.
We were doomed to march on the morrow
70 our humiliation
Ofcourse, the matter had not been put
so at headquarters. There the words ran
Most important strategic point. Must be
taken at whatever cost. Your regiment
Will again have the honor colonel" and
so on. But, summed up bluntly. it was
neither more nor less than l have said.
Veal understood the order of the letter.
and there was not man in the regiment
VINO would hesitate a moment in carrying
OUT his share Each private soldier each
omcer, would march with firm determiu-
Atlon 10 march then his last This gives
the ease In a nutshell
But the secure knowledge that there
would be 40 skulkers along this road 10
execution did not pacify the colonel III
anything 10 Increased his bitterness M
Wc4ld make his uugratcful memory last
lhe longer. lie sat al the table end Of