The times., 1897-07-25
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esteady, men -steady."

Half mile in the rear OF the Third
division, as it stands in the battle-line. is n
brigade held in reserve, massed in q
hollow OF the open field to protect it
from the direct fire OF the enemy. Down
on the lines men are cheering as they
load and fire. Back here there is curs-
Ing and scowling only, with now and
then shrek of pain or low groan as
missile of war finds its billet.
At first the men mumbied their sa tis-
faction at being held in reserve. Then
the suspense OF waiting began to tell on
them, and man after man began 70 shift
about uneasily, to gTowl and complain,
To grow pale-faced and look furtiyely
about
Put raw recruit on battle-line and
he will load and fire shoot to kill
make a helo OF himself sometimes Put
an old veteran in reserve, where he has
no chance to strike back. and where the
suspense vii! eat up his nerve, and in an
hour he il ready to bolt
Say, now. but what's the matter with
vou?' growls the old second sergeant as
the man on his left swings his cap and cries
out in a broken voice.
Lets cheer" replies the man through
his clicking teeth.
''You keep quiet. Say, Bings. the boys
viii git on 70 your racket If you dont slow
up. Hang it, man, you are ready 20 run.
but il yoa trY it youll git dropped. Brace
up. can't you7''
There We're a hundred similar cases in
the brigade. Suspense viii make man
more cowar;liy than the sight OF a dozen
Tne sergeant himself was paIe-faced and
weak In the knees, but he had fin mer grip
on his nerves.
Yes, it's q hot place." he said. 5 IL
speaking to hin self, but they won Z keep
Us here long. They are doing some awful
fighting down there On tie left, and ven
be needed soon TO stop gap. There goes
another poor devil. but what in Texas
does he want TO yell out that way for?
He isn't the only man who'll he food for
the crows before sandown. Keep off. 1
sayl If you don't stop cTovding NE III
give you the bGoti The idea of a q old cuss
like you PLAYING babyi"
At the end OF an hour the brigade
needs but lHIl in the crash Of a uattIe
"a shrek from some one hit by a bull
Leland the ranks viii break back and
take the officers with them and disgrace
themselves forever. The men know it
the officers feel it-and all cheer again
and again as an aide dashes up with or
ders 10 the brigadier Our lines on the
eft are being forced back Every musket
barrel is red hot-every foot of ground has
It's blood spot-but the enemy is too strong.
The .etner rgency calls for the reserves.
A ont
march,
AYE, this Is BETTER growls the old
sergeant. as the lines march away ssIf
mans going TO be killed it's a blamed
mean trick TO keep him waiting all day
for the bullet. What did you say,
Bingse''
'welI-weH git hell down there," re-
piled Bngs as he nodded his head and
'hut his teeth hard to keep his chin from
quivering.
You bet, hut that's what we're here
for Yes. the next hour viii make a
heap o widders and orphans in our State.
Woosh, That bullet didn't miss my head
by more'n an inchi"
by the night into une-forward
march,
A dozen men fling up their arms and pitch
forward as the lines top the ridge-a
dozen more are left behind on the edge
Of the black cloud hanging low over the
fighters. Then the Second filings itself
down in the gap and pours its voIIeys into
the gray lines brea king out OF the orchard
There is cheering with the first voIIeyS;
then no man uses his voice except tomuttes
and curse Exultation is followed by grim
ness, but grimuess is not followed by silence
Some men talk TO themselves as theS Load
and fire others to the man on the right or
left Hear the old veteran with the scar
on his cheek apostrophizing:
"'Ohl Won ara down there are you and YOU
want to Kill some nnei Well, damn you
take that, and I've got some more left, and
want you TO understand that we can XIII
as many as you can't
And the sergeants and corporals curse
the men curse and reyile them-and the
men curse each other and the enemy and
all else, and whenever the musketry
slackens this growing and cursing is a
distinct sound up and down the lines TO
be compared to the pickering Of wolves
over q hone. No man is himself. Look
into the face of the comrade who has
every familiar line has disappeared from
his face. There is look OF mingled
fcrocity and apprehension look as
you would find in the face of an outlaw
driven to hay and determined to die alone
No on viii admit tomorrow that ne cursed
God and mamie will not remember that
he heard others curse
Here and there an officer may note the
flight OF tim me i'll battle. but a private soldier
never Time is absolutely forgotten. or
a sudden-so it seemed to the men
of the Second-the sun dropped out OF
sight, and twilight and the powder
smoke brought darkness. The firing slack
ened away to a growl. and as the stars
came out sigh Of relief went up and down
the long front. The battle was over Those
who had survived death looked about at
each other in a strange, dazed away, andIf
they spoke it was in whispers. Like au-
tonlatons, they moved at the aoarse CON-
mands of the Officers, and ere any man
flung himself down TO rest the lines Were
reformed for the attack that daylight
| would bring Over the dead and over the
wounded marched the living, moving like
| phantoms in the darkness. and never a
wounded man cried out. 1t was only when
there came such silence that the crickets
i'll the grass began TO sing that a wall Of
war assembled TO heaven from the neutral
| ground between the lines 1t was a low.
strange sound at first-one 10 make the
! heart beat faster. Then it grew into u
wail-into moan-into a cry of distress
which made even the hungry horses lift
their heads and point their ears and stare
II, rI-nnSu tr,sh t.n.tIn Il