The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-16
BALAKLAVA GHOSTS.

/
and groaning and carrying flaming lights
from window to window for apparently no
! earthly, or rather unearthly, purpose save
| that of terrifying out of its wits some poor
hind bearing home a bewildered brain after
| staying out too long. But for something
that has forever bafded me and made me
often wonder whether was dreaming or
| awake commend me to what 1 saw, or
thought I saw, the night before Balaklaya,
| Oct. 90, 1884,
| The subject of conversation had drifted
from the battlefelds of yesterday, in Abys-
sinia and Zululand, to those of 80 years
| before, when the tall heavy forms before
| us of my father and his old comrades in
/ arms, Sir Langley Fetherstone and Colo
| mel Elmhurst, were light as my own,
| Aubrey's, or Bob Fetherstone's that night
| as we sat around listening to the stories of
| the hot days when our fathers were men
| as young as we.
Hand me my memory, Aubrey" said
! my father, pointing to a huge cavalry
| saber that hung over the mantelpiece. My
| father drew the sword from it's scabbard
i and lovingly surveyed the glittering blade.
"Old never failed mel - he said. do
| you see that dent in it's edge, Lang? Got
that crossing the Alma off the helmet of a
| Russian cuirassier. 1 sent the blow
| through steel and skull together. There
is another. Got that the 25th of October
| from the commander of the Cossacks that
charged the left flank of the 'heavies.'
He struck at me; 1 parried; there is the
mark
"And then?" said Sir Langley.
81 swept it around and caught him
across the throat answered my father
abstractedly. 81 saw his body afterward,
when it was turned over to his relatives,
for he was noble, grand duke, / believe.
And here is another-but therel If once
got started telling anecdotes of every ex-
hot ola
my hands I would stay talking until
morning. Put it up again, Vic.
SIT was the night before the never to be
forgotten 25th of October. We were close
to the Russian lines, our pickets being al
most within hailing distance of the enemy.
II was riding out to inspect the sentries
stationed along the Grodno road. 1t was
wet, cold night, and 1 clasped my great
coat close about me and spurred my
charger along the muddy road.
GAS 1 reached the side of the valley I
drew him in quickly, as I heard distant
rumble, like the moving of some parks of
heavy ordnance at the extreme end. I
listened. All was still again.
81 rode on. I arrived at the station of
the sentry, ard as 1 did so some smart
firing broke out toward the rear. Our
pickets were evidently being driven in,
and 1 sent tbs sentry back to hasten up
the supports. He never returned.
an hour. When 1 again heard the same
rumbling Noise looked up the valley.
All was dark, but the rumble seemed to
be advancing at terrific pace. AS it was
coming from our lines thought it might
be night attack.
"a white streak appeared 900 feet away,
the noise crashed upon me with full force,
and in an instant saw the charging ranks
and the wild, eager forms of the soldiers
seated on their fOaming, ga1loping steeds.
"Forms, did L say? Yes, forms only.
Forms pale and shadowy. Horse and man
| alike woven, rs it were, out of the mist.
81 saw the form of Louis Nolan. He
was sitting half round in his saddle, his
sword hanging from his wrist, his forage
| cap in his hand, which he was waving ex-
ultingly.
''There rode Major Halket. His proud,
handsome face, set firmly and unf1inch-
ingly, his sword clinched in his hand, as
it was found next day when they raised
his body from the blood soaked soil. Then
came Lord Fitzgibbon.
GAS the last line of charging horse
passed from my sight L saw a shadowy
lieutenant of the guards beside me. He
pointed in the direction whittier they bad
gone, scornful smile was on his spectral
face. His hollow voice echoed tauntingly
in my ear:
" SO Major Hurst of the First royals
prefers discretion to valor, because he be-
longs to the heavy and not to the light
brigade?' -
II aimed blow at my traducer, but
my hand only struck into the empty air.
He laughed a knocking laugh, and,
again pointing down the valley, said, 'GoP
a. I will show you that at least one of
the 'heaviee' can do as well as the men of
the light brigadel' cried, jumping into
the saddle and galloping off after the van
ished cavalry. I galloped on and on in
the dark until saw again the white streak
approaching me in a contrary direction
and the rumbling echoing in the rear.
"A second, and it burst upon my sight.
But what change-horses, riderless,
terrified, wounded, maddened, with ex
citelnentl Not single form of a soldier
passed.
''Then 1 saw another white streak ap-
preaching. The fur caps, the long riding
coats, the leggings, the long 1ances, and,
above all, the superb horsemanship dis
played told me that they were the Cossacks
of the car. But their faces were rigid as
the dead.
81 saw one of the silent host bearing
full upon me- his lance in rest, his cold,
dead eyes holding me transfxed, SO that 1
could not move limb.
ga moment more, and pang shot
through my heart. Then all seemed dark,
save for an occasional star shooting by.
struggled to place my hands over my
eyes, and, as I did SO, heard a voice
above me say:
1" He's coming to. My, but it was a
close calll'
II opened my eyes. Twas lying swathed
in blankets in the tents of one of the boys
of the Ninety third.
81 recognized Heathcote, poor Heath
cote, who was afterward killed at Delhi,
just after his being gazetted COLONEL
=" why, old man, he said joyfully, you
kI,0 lob
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