Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-05-16

tune.
"Sec, see" he cried ere the words of re
ioicing were we'll out of his mouth. "HC
cometh, he ccmeth-satan cometh. We art
undone. Who can withstand him9 HI
rideth like . whirlwiud and destroyeth al
a fire. My brother, we are undone."
Abou, lIuram made no reply, but turned
his eyes to the dread warrior on the blacl
horse, who was canteving down the slope
with band of 80 men mounted on the picl
OF Arabian studs. As the company ad
vanced it was joined by others, till the tota
must have been equal to half British rcGi
menU.
\ contingent promptly went out from
our front to meet them, Koor Ali leading
There was to be no play this time, NJ
circling and wheeling, no retiring end ad
vancing for picturesque display. Lance u
lance, body to body, the issue would bt
decided, and the fttcst would survive
Abot Kuram bit his lip with anger al
being forced to remain in charge of a COW
ard in the rear and watched the momen
tous events in which he could not partici
pate.
The cnemy's cavalry came on at a rount
gallon, their pennons streaming, their face!
wei forward on their horses nccks. Tit
leader, however, sat his great black horse
erect, and held his sword at what ! believe
British dragons call the slope. There wa.
sometime; in his appearance that marked
him out from his fellows, and am free tt
confess that, with Amood Sims whinin!
in my ears, q thrill OF superstitious awt
passed through me at the thought that hi
might not be mortal.
As soon as the level plain was gained hi
waved his sword quickly in the air, and TIT
great black warhorse broke from the gal
lop to the charge. We could see his fierce
leap and the responsive bound of those tina
followed hard behind. Before half dozeI
horse lengths were covered there came Il
our ears resounding double peal of Tech
bir, techbir!" for our men, too, were riding
at the charge, and even from our distance
we saw how every rider, setting himself {
little forward, Lugged his lance close un
der his right arm. watched the mutua
swoop with straining eyes and thumpin!
heart, with cold tremors at the pit of th'
stomach and hot whirl Of the brain tha
was as the madness Of much wine. There
were fear and headlong audacity il the feel
ing-a fear that could easily have made III:
turn and fly, an audaciry that almost i'm
peIled me to rush forward and share tht
deIirious ccstacy of that onset.
Nearer and nearer swept the opposing
columns, like two flights of ostriches
Garkening the sky with dust, the horse;
skimming the ground as If fury lent them
wings, the riders alert with tigerish i'll
tentness of purpose. No man could have
said which side sped the more furiously ol
shouted the louder; none whether koor Al
or the man on the black horse led with the
more determined valor.
There is no resisting the magnetism OF Z
desperate exploit enacted under your eyes
and the main bodies paused fascinated by
the fearful spectacle. On both sides the
men drew in knee to knee il order to have
the greater driving and resisting power
and crouchel lower upon their str;linine
horses. The lust hundred yards were Gov
cred Is it were at Il bound, and then with I
cry of vengeance from thousand throats
dazzling fash OF steel, Il shock rs OF
rashing thundsrb0ltS, came the collision.
There was vibrating sensation rs OF an
earthquake. and rumble of groanngs and
c1rs. s.ngs reached us as the fighters rolled
together in dark SETTLING heap as when
two swift sea currents meet.
Ny vision was suddenly blurred, and in
voluntarily my eyes closed. When opened
them, the combatants were through each
other and wheeling for another charge. Up
wror the fierce warcry again, and again
came tremendous shoc!: and tumu!t,
shattering the close packed lines. But re
forming with prodigious qI!c!:ness they
dashed at each other again and yet again.
with an ever increasing heap Of slain and
wounded wclterirg on the ground.
"By my fathers sword, it is to be uttcl
annibi!at;on!' said !Abou Kuran. breath
ing thick and fast. "rhey mean to kill
each other out"
But almost as he spoke the enemy, burst
ing once more through our lines, were across
the intervening space and headlong upon
our main body, the man on the black horse
slashing and hewing in front in way that
fairly justified the tales Of his satanic char
acter. st the same time Yumen Iusel's
aomclmen, rending the air with yells,
rushed, lurchng and swaying, to the aid OF
the cavalry.
From that moment, so far rs could see,
all order vanished. There is theory that
in properly planned battles things 20 BY
method and pTearran@ement. The idea is
4 pretty one for drawing room warriors,
but if there were the least truth il it no
battle should ever be lost or won. There
would be 10 Marathon, no Thcrmopylte, no
Waterloo, no Alma, no Lucknow, to shed
luster and glory Oh the human race and
give an interest to desperate hazards. Take
my word for it that Il fight between two
armies determined TO win or die is Il thing
of heart shaking surprises and riotous con
tempt OF regulations.
The moment the common soldier, pant
ing for revenge or frantic to save his skin,
takes matters into his own hands, prophe-
cies and prearrangements go to the winds.
The general may plan, but the soldier does
the work, and generally in his own way and
in fat defiance Of orders. In that wallow'
ing, billowy host, dare assert, there were
not half dozen men who knew their heads
from their heels. Almost every mothers
son in that CORY chaos cut and thrust and
stabbed and charged and -ecoiled and
roared at bis own sweet will and in
obedience to what might seem to his whirl'
ing mind the cxigencies OF the occasion.
For myself, what with incessant knocks
and collisions, the hubbub Of rage and aS.
ony, the sharpscream and envenomed oath,
and most of all the sickcning sight OF liv
ing men being sliced and laid open, my
wits were so confounded might have been
III the throes of 4 nightmare. had asword
and q brace of pistols, though what | did
with them heaven alone knows. They may
have accounted for some of the enemy, but
have no knowledge Of shedding any mans
blood, which is perhaps solace to the con.
science in looking back from the vale OF
years.
In the dartings hither and thither of my
mare got glimpscs Of Abou Kuram max
ing flashes of crimson light with his sword,
of the man on the black horse hewing sav
agcly where there lay the best chance OF
doing havoc, of Ismacl Numar and koo'
Ali laying about them rs if they were
using pruning hooks in Il forest OF saplings,
and of Amood Sim scurrying to and fro in