The Portland daily press., 1895-05-20

had risen to the roar of ccmpest during
their progress past was now quieting down.
AS the last line of charging horse passed
from my sight saw a shadowy lieutenant
of the Guards beside me- He pointed in
the direction whittier they had gone. A
scornful smile was on his spectral face.
His hollow voice echoed tauntingly in my
ear:
q So Major Hurst of the First Royals
prefers discretion to valor because he be-
longs to the heavy and not to the light
brigade!
81 aimed blow at my traducer, but
my hand only struck into the empty air.
''He laughed mocking laugh, and
again pointing down the valley said, 'GoP
L will show you that at least one Of
the "heavies" can do as well as. the men of
the light brigade, cried, jumping into
the saddle and galloping off after the van
ished cavalry. I felt like one bereft of his
senses. 1 galloped on and on in the dark
until I saw again the white streak ap-
preaching me in contrary direction and
the rumbling echoing in the rear. A Sec
ond, and it burst upon my sight. But
what a change! Horses, riderless, terri
fed wounded, maddened with excitement.
Not a single form of soldier passed
Riderless hersesl Riderless horses! Rider
less horsesl Here and there opaque spots
upon the shadowy saddles, showing where
human blood had rushed down. drew
aside from the apparent stampede of ghost
ly steeds and waited. Then saw another
white streak approaching 1t came near
erl 1t was upon mel The fur caps, the
long riding coats, the leggings, the long
lances, and above all, the superb horse
manship displayed told me that they were
the Cossacks of the czar. But their faces
were rigid as the dead. Instead of the
habitual yells, in victory or defeat not a
sound escaped from the tightly closed lips
AS gazed like man walking in his sleep
I saw one of the silent host bearing full
upon me, his lance in rest, his cold, dead
eyes holding me transfxed SO that I could
not move limb. I felt my charger trem-
BILE beneath me, but he never made an ef-
fort to break away. A moment more and
pang shot through my heart. Then all
seemed dark, save for an occasional star
shooting by. The stars increased in num-
Der; then more and more, until they
formed disk like the full moon that again
was transfgured into sun, whose in
tense light almost blinded me. struggled
to place my hands over my eyes, and as l
did SO heard a voice above me say:
He's coming to. My, but it was q
close callp
"I opened my eyes, ! was lying swath-
ed in blankets in the tent of one of the
boys of the Ninety third. My limbs and
body were tingling from recent friction,
and five bearded faces were peering anx-
iously into my half opened eyes.
81 recognized Heathcote. Poor Heath.
cote, who was afterward killed at Delhi,
just after his being gazetted as colonel OF
his gallant corps.
, Why, old man, he said joyfully, you
were near saving the Russians job. ]
found you lying stiff and stark near the
Grodno road as our boys came along to
help the Twenty sixth drive back the at
tack on the outposts. We brought you
here an6 have had big job getting you
around. 1t a wonder you are not minus
toes and fingers, but there's only the tip
Of your car frozen.
"And," added my father, touching the
uneven upper surface of his left ear.
''there is the mark where the Russian frost
bit me, but the vision saw that night is
in view Of the events of the following day,
far moro indelibly implanted on my mem
ory. "--Chicsgo Times.