The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-08-10
pR,z DETECTIVE sroRIe:, NO ~.

Gloom. OF the strange mission OF Sub
Lieutenant Duroc and OF the horrlple
death OF the man who was once known as
Jean Carabin and afterward as the Baron
Straubenthal.
You must know, then, that in the
February of 1907, Immediately after the
taking of Danzig, Major Legendre and
were commissioned 70 bring 400 remounts
from Prussia into Eastern Poland.
The hard weather and especially the
great battle at Eylau had killed so many
of the horses that there was some danger
OF our beautiful tenth of Hussars be-
coming a battalion of light infantry. We
knew, therefore, both the major and l.,
that we would be very welcome 9t the
front. We did not advnace very rapidly,
however, for the snow was deep, the
roads detestable and we had but twenty
returning invalids TO assist us. BESIDES,
il is impossible when you have daily
change of forage, and sometimes none at
all, TO move horses faster than walk. 4
am aware that in the story books the
cavalry whirls past at the maddest OF
gallops, but for my own part, after twelve
campaigns, | should be very satisfied TO
know that my brigade could always walk
upon the march and trot in the presence
| OF the enemy. This i say of the Hussars
and Chasseurs mark you, SO that 1t IS
far more the case with chasseurs and
| dragons.
to have four hundred OF them, OF every
age and shade and character, all under
| my own hands, was a very great pleasure
TO me. They were from Pomerania Tor
the most part, though some were rom
! Normandy and some from Alsace, and
1t amused us TO notice that they differed
| in character as much as the people OF the
| provinces. We observed also what have
| often proved since: that the nature OF
| horse can be told by his color, from the
| coquettsh light bay, full OF fancies and
nerves, to the hardy chestnut, and from
| the docile roam to the pig-headed, rusty
| black. All this has nothing in the world
to do with my story, but how is an
officer of cavalry TO get on with his tale
when he finds four hundred horses walt
| ing for him at the outset? Ii is my
habit, you see, to talk of that which
| interests myself, and so L have hopes
| that i may interest you.
We crossed the Vistula opposite Marien-
werder and had got as far as Rosenberg
| when Major Legendre came into my room
in the post house with an open paper in
his hand.
"You are to leave me, F." said he, with
despair upon his face.
1t was no very great grief for me to do
that, for he was, II may say so, hardly
worthy to have such subaltern. i
saluted, however, in silence.
"It is an order from General Lasalle,
he continued. - You are To proceed 10
Rossel instantly and to report yourself at
the headquarters of the regiment.
No message could have pleased me
better. i was already very well thought
of by my superior officers, although /
may say that none OF them had quite
done me justice. IL was evident TO me,
therefore, that this sudden order meant
that the regiment was about to see SER
vice once more and that Lasalle under
stood how incomplete my squadron
would be without me. 1t is true that 1t
came at an inconvenient moment, for the
keeper OF the posthouse had a daughter
-one of those ivory skinned, black
haired Polish girls--whom i had hoped
to have some further talk with. Still it
is not for the pawn to argue when the
fingers OF the player move him from the
square, so down i went, saddled my big
black charger Rataplan, and set off in
stantly upon my lonely journey.
My word, IL was treat for these poor
Poles and Jews who have so little to
brighten their dull lives, to see such
picture as that before their doors. The
frosty morning air made Rataplan's great
black limbs and the beautiful curves of
his back and sides CLEAN and simmer
with every gambol As for me, the rattle
OF hoofs upon a road and the jingle
bride chains which comes with every
toss OF a saucy head would even now set
my blood dancing thro ugh my veins.
You may think, then, how i carried
myself in my five and twentieth year, |
Etienne Gerard, the picked horseman
and surest blade in the ten regiments of
Hussars. Blue was our color in the
tenth-a sky blue dolman and pelisse