Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-13
HOW THE BROADER PLAYED
FOR A KINGDOM.
BY A. CONAN DOYLE.
Copyright 1895, by Bachelor, johnson Bacheller)
CHAPTER I.

Copyright, 1885, by Bachelor, johnson Bacheller.)
CHAPTER I.
1t has struck me that some of you, when
you have heard me tell those little adven-
lures of mine, may have gone away with
the impression that was conceited There
could not be a greater mistake than this,
for have always observed that really fine
soldiers are free from this failing. 1t is
true that 1 have had to depict myself
sometimes as brave, sometimes as full of
resource always as interesting, but then it
really was so, and 1 had to take the facts
as / found them. 1t would be an unworthy
affectation If 1 were 20 pretend that my
career has been anything than a fine one.
The incident which I will tell you tonight,
however Is one which you will understand
that only a modest man would describe.
After all, when one has attained such
position as mine, one can afford to speak
of that which an ordinary man would he
tempted to conceal.
You must know then, that after the Rus
sian campaign the remains of our poor
army were quartered along the western
bank of the Elbe, where they might thaw
their frozen blood and try, with the help
of the good German beer, to put little be-
tween their skin and their bones. There
were some things which we could not hope
to regain. for 1 dare say that these large
commisariat fourgons would not have suf-
feed to carry the fingers and the toes
which the army had shed during that hor-
riblc retreat STILL lean and crippled as
we were, We had much to be thankful for
when we thought of our poor comrades
whom We had left behind, and of the snow
ticlds-the horrible. horrible snow fields.
To this day, my friends, l do not care to
see red and white together. Even my red
cap thrown down upon my white counter
pane has given me dreams in which l
have seen those monstrous plains, the
really tortured army, and the crimson
smears which glared upon the snow be-
hind them. You will coax no story out OF
me about that business, for the thought
of 1t is enough 70 turn my wine to vine
gar and my tobacco to straw.
OF the 100000 who crossed the Elbe IN
the autumn of the year II about 4oOoO in
fantry were left in the spring of '13. But
they We're terrible men, these 4O,OO-Tnen
of iron, eaters of horses, and sleepers IN
the snow: filed too, with rage and bitter
ness against the Russians. They would
hold the E;lbe until the great army OF con-
scripts which the emperor was raising IN
France should be ready 20 help them TO
cross it once more.
But the cavalry was in deplorable con-
dition. My own hussars were at Borna,
and when l paraded them first burst into
tears at the sight of them. Ny fine men
and my beautiful horses--it broke my heart
to the state to which they were re-
duced! But. courage l thought; they
have lost much. but their colonel is still
left to them!' 1 set to work, therefore, to
repair their disasters, and had already con-
structed two good squadrons when an or
der came that all colonies OF cavalry
should repair instantly to the depots or
the regiments IN France to organize re-
crutS and the 2emountS for the coming
campaign
You will think, doubtless, that 1 was
overjoyed at this chance of visiting home
once more. l will not deny that 1t was a
pleasure 10 me to think that l should see
my mother again, and there We're few
girls who would be very glad at the news;
but there were others in the army who
had a stronger claim. l would have given
my place to any who had wives and chill
dren whom they might not see again. How
ever. there is no arguing when the blue
paper with the little red seal arrives, so
within ali hour ] was off upon my great
ride from the Elbe to the Nosges. At last
/ WAS to have a period of quiet. War lay
behind my mares tail and peace in front
of her nostris. So l thought as the sound
of the bugles died in the distance, and the
long white read curled away in front of
me through plain and forest and mountain,
with France somewhere beyond the blue
haze which lay upon the horizon.
1t is interesting but it is also fatiguing to
ride in the rear of an army. In the harvest
time our soldiers could do without supplies,
for they had been trained to pluck grain in
the fields they passed, and grind it for
time of year. therefore, that those swift
marches were performed which were the
wonder and despair of Europe. But now the
starving men had to be made robust once
more and was forced to draw into the ditch
continually as the Coburg sheep and the
Bavarian bullocks came streaming past
with wagon loads of Berlin beer and good
French cognac. Sometimes, too, l would
hear the dry rattle of the drums and the
shrll whistle of the flies, and long columns
of our good little infantrymen would swing
past me with the white dust lying thick upon
their blue tunicS. These We're old soldiers
drawn from the garrisons of our German
fortresseS, for it was not until May that the
new conscripts began to arrive from France.
Well 1 was rather tired of this eternal
stopping and lodging. so that l was not
sorry when came to Altenburg to find that
the road divided and that l could take the
southern and quieter branch. There were
few wayfarers between there and Greiz, and
the road wound through groves of oaks and
beeches which shot their branches across
the path. You will think it strange that
a colonel of hussars should again and again
pull up his horse in order to admire the
beauty of the feathery branches and the
little green new-budded leaves, but if you
had spent six months among the fortresses
of Russia you would be able to understand
me.
There was something, however, which
pleased me very much less than the beauty
of the forests and that was the words and
looks of the folk who lived in the woodland
villages. We had always been excellent