Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-01-24
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copyright, lSg3, by John Alexander Steuart:l
upright, 1873. BY John Alexander stedart:l
CHAPTER XIX

CHAPTER XIX.
TIE BATTLE
When the enemy's cavalry reached level
. ground, they divided, one troop swinging to
! the right and the other 10 the left, with the
evident intention of marrying us on both
( TANKS at once, while the camelmen, quick
euing their pace, advanced straight upon our
center. Our horsemen, going out easily,
also divided to check the others, and our
main force, massed after the Arab fashion,
waited quietly for the attack.
! All eyes were, Of course, on the cavalry
! moving from both sides at an easy trot, as
! if out for morning exercise. They made no
/ haste, as yet there was nothing of the mad
| excitement Of the charge in their behavior.
| Presently they broke into a gallop and
my heart bounded at the thought that they
Were going at each other But when they
should have burst into the charge both
/ sides wheeled simultaneously, waving their
| lances deiiantly and utterinK shrill cries.
! Again they advanced. again wheeled and
| retired with the same truculent display of
| weapons. And 50 they went on wheeling
! and circling, but instead of getting closer
| together they drew away, until finally they
must have been full quarter of mile
apart. At this distance they brought up
| and stood facing each other. Had known
| Arab ways better, should have understood
! that now the play was about to begin in
! earnest. Those little preliminary flourishes
| that had set my heart a-beating SO violent
| ~ were simply an introductory ceremony
meant partly to appease the Arab passion
! for show, partly to prick the courage of the
| cOmbGtants
Meanwhile 1umen Yusel's camelmen
had pushed on and were now down the
slope and well into the plain. When with
in musket. shot of our front lines they
halted. Then in the twinkling of an eye
down went every camel in both armies,
while the musketeeTs, crouching behind
their beasts, brought their long matchlocks
TO the ready" At the same moment the OPP
posing bodies of horse that had been stand
ing motionless, raising unitedly the fierce
warcry of 'Techbir, techbir"' started toward
each other mt the full speed of the charge.
The next instant came the shock of meeting,
and far in the rear we felt the earth trem-
bic and heard the deadly grunt and thud
and clash as the rushing columns came to-
!,vtAtr. AS the hOrSenen met the front
lines OF musketeCrs opened fire, and the tu-
mutt and madness of battle were upon US.
For Il little the cavalry rolled and reared
in confused heaps. Then they scattered,
and riGerless horses began to career in all
directions. The canopy of dust spread and
CtctItI, anu iuS duliltSOIlStS IetITeu IOInelr
respective sides, the enemy showing unmis-
taxable signs of discontinue.
At this such of our men as were olsen
gagged raised a triumphant shout, and
though A5ou kuram said not a word his
GlitterinS eyes declared his wild satisfac-
ton. As for me, l stood in my stirrups
waving my sword and yelling myself
hoarSe. for the hellish feeling, partly I'M
holy glce, partly fight, partly mad desire
10 Kill, which Seizes a man when blood has
been actually spilled in battle, had posses
sion Of me. Iquivered like an aspen, and
WAS rs dry in the mouth as if l had been in
the thick ot the fight for day.
Again the cavalry on both sides wheeled,
formed and charged; again they rolled in
cunSul.iv heaps, parted with more empty
saddles, and yet again reformed and
dashed at each other. 1t vas impossible to
tell which WAS getting the best of it, for in
the duststOrm that ragged about them
nothing WAS GiSceruiblc But there was
10 doubt OF. the point when presently, in
stead Of forming again, The cnemy's horse
burst out Of the dun cloud and went spur
ring mp the hill with ours slashing and
stabb.ug ut their heels.
AbOu kuram, beside himself with joy,
vocilerated an order, our camelmen, sling
ing their baskets, seized their spears,
leaPed upon their beasts, and with a deaf
ening roar rushed to the charge. Our an
tagOuiSts were quick as ourselves. They,
too, took TO their spears and their camels,
and, yelling like savages, the lurching
hosts fell upon each other.
Never did leader set Drawer example
th;M was then set by Abou kuram, and
perhaps never were Il leaders value and in
auence more potently felt. He was here,
there and everywhere, directing, encour-
nsriTtr lpyirltr and and cool
ing the places where perils were thickest.
Ny orders were to keep by his side, but
they were not easily carried out. A hun
dred times | lost him in the tumbling,
whirling cddieS of attack and recoil, Il hun
dred times l was struck almost senseless in
the bloody crush, a hundred times found
myself clutching in terror at pommel and
name the steel clashed and glanced
about me, and as often WAS on the point
of fainting at the sickening sight of riven
bodies, brute and hU>nan.
The reader will gather had rather lost
my head, and indeed that is feeble way of
putting my distraction. l owe it more to
the intelligence and deXterity of my little
mare than 10 any effort of my own that l
was not carved to death To this hour l
cannot imagine how / escaped where so
many better men were biting the dust; but,
=
Il mystery how any one ever comes alive
out OF battle. Surely if anything can
make he arch enemy dance with delight it
must be the CHASTITY spectacle of frenZied
men hacking each other to pieces
BY and 10y began to underestimate thing
more difficult than it may seem-that the
advantage lay with us l understood it
from the ficndish eXhilaration of our men,
from the short, deep coughs of satisfaction
with which they drove their weapons home,
and from the greater proportion of shrieks
and empty saddles among our opponents.
The discovery acted like drug that sets
the blood ON fire. To keep from going stark
mad roared myself black in the face and
rode furiously whithersoever my goaded
mare chose to carry me, sometimes among
friends, oftener among foes, and always
with frantic desire to see my sword run
as red as the others Nothing less than the
mercy of God brought me out of that
DEVILS mess alive.
All this while Yumen Yusel and the man
on the black horse were posted on the ridge
looking down on the battle. They might
be mere spectators, Indifferent to the issue,
so remote they seemed from the scene Of
anguish in which two armies were pouring
out their hearts blood. But when we be-
gan to gain mounted messenger came
galloping down the slope and spoke for n
minute or so to the commander of Yumen
Yusels troops. Whatever was his mes
sage, it put fresh force and courage into the
men, for getting into closer formation, they
hurled themselves upon us with fury that
soon gave them back their lost ground. But
though we yielded a little our lances did
not slacken in their work. Nay, the slicing
went on with redOubled energy and oaths
that were curdling to hear.
Holy DrODhet. how they fiQhtp cried
Amood Sim as he and Abou Kuram met
for a moment in the rear. Mine eyes have
never beheld such slaughter. Look you
now at Ismael Numar-how he cleaveth
heads and heweth off limbsl He shall have
three more wives and a present of gold for