The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-07

we should know of her coming by sig
nails and would riddle her with bullets
or blow her to pieces with machine
guns before she did any harm.
But If she came by night?"
That would be a misfortune for us,
said De X, quietly. still you no
tice that our search lights are busy
among the clouds, even in time of
peace"
Then we said good night until
Jacques should come to wake me in
the morning.
BY noon of the next day 1t seemed
to me that / had seen great deal of
the fortress, but / was Informed that,
in comparison with what was forbid
den, had seen nothing,-and actually
nothing. a description of which would
serve as a guide to anybody.
Ramparts, towering walls built into
the sODd rork harrac'Cs and bastions.
meats and bomb proofs, and every
where the half-concealed glitter of ma
chine gunS,-these are my memories of
Montmedy. Once, following a narrow
rock-walled gully dominated by can
non, we came to a portcullis. Through
this / had an indistinct view of what
appeared to be a city square. The
street was broad and paved, filled with
soldiers OF the fortress artillery, en-
gineers hospital corps and administra-
ton corps. To this day do not under
stand why, but jacques evidently did
not wish to take me in, for he evaded
my questions with,-"Oh, it's not at all
interesting" and / knew better than
to insist
One incident I shall remember as
long as / live. We were strolling along
a scented woodland path. fiecked with
sunlight For some time l had been
noticing that the hedge which walled
US i'm on either side. was not an ordin-
airy hedge. Thorns and brambles
wound and braided themselves among
the stakes forming the support of the
lssfr o' f1d rf.~ as goa. 4lferhr.s
ed with barbed wire The hedge itself
was entirely composed of blackthorn,
in blossom, and scrub oak,-a hedge as
impossible to see through as IL was TO
penetrate. On the other side the slop-
ing ground seemed to be thickly COW
cred with oak and beech. A little way
down our path stood a carved granite
block from which hung a chain. What
IL had been used for do not know, but
wishing to see the other side of the
hedge, ! innocently enough jumped on
the block of stone-and was uncere-
moniously pulled down again by
Jacques. We looked at each other an
instant. l suppose from my face he
understood that / had seen something
besides Towering vines down there
among the thicket. but he only said
pleasantly: Remember ] am the key
to Blue-beard's closet. but If you use
me am lost
Confused and shocked by what I had
OWNED more than actually seen, beg
ged his pardon.
The view from the north rampant
was not at all like that from the south,
for now at our feet roads. bordered by
white stucco walls cut in and out
among fruit gardens and wooded
slopes From somewhere. miles beyond
the horizon, came the dull booming of
cannon. On a hill to the west some
thing glowed in the sun, II might have
been battery. Everywhere below us
troops were in motion. the red of their
trousers staining the green landscape
like blotches of blood. jacques called
my attention to some soldiers mounted
upon bicycles. They were spinning
along the road leaving a trail of white
dust behind. Suddenly. while we were
looking. a cloud of chasseurs- -cheval
burst from a wooded slope to the east
Half a dozen of them trotted down the
slope. but being blocked by the wall
began capering about in great agita-
ton Then the officer pulled up sharp,
the troopers sprang TO the ground. and
two OF them clambered upon the wall.
unslung their carbines, and began pop-
ping away at the bicyclists, who were
evidently thrown into confusion by this
maneuver. One of them. however
keeping on, but close beneath the over
hanging bank, slipped under the blue
1aeketed chasseurs and escaped. The
Others were considered hors- combat
by the rules of their game OF war, and
dismounted sulkily enough.
You ought to make a sketch of
that" said Jacques
Shall i put spiked helmets on the
cyclists 10 make il more Interestingly
replied.
IL was curious to see that pensiye
expression steal over his face as
spoke. He seemed silently interro-
eating the clouds. as though they were
those storm clouds which have so long
brooded over the frontier. black, me-
nacing. sitting in their depths, the
thunder which. one day, will shake
the world.
"A few years ago." I ventured, no
one thought that cavalry would. one
day, have TO contend with cyclists"