The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-01
CHAPTER III.
The Red Cornfield.

Rome made answer from his big black
charger Couronne. 'Sangdieu!" he
added under his breath, had we been
but three hours earlier the Bearnals
was lost"
The words were hardly out Of his
mouth when the cavalier to whom they
were addressed threw up his arms with
a scream, and falling forward from his
horse began to beat at the earth con-
vulsively with his hands, whilst he
gasped out his life. AS the death glaze
was covering his eyes, his empty sad
die was filled by figure that rose up
like a sprite through the dim smoke,
and Belin's even voice was heard:
Poor Garabay! But my horse was
shot under me an hour ago, and this
one will do me- eXcellently. Shall 1
carry your message, general?'
1T claim the honor, marquis; do not
deny me- Belin. I have been idle too
long" and 1 pressed forward as I
spoke.
"Oh, 1 yield to you, d'Auriac! there
is work enough for me at the other
end; the bear of Aumale is dancing to
a fine tune there" and Belin refined
back, whilst de Rome nodded assent,
with a meaning in his look that l alone
understood.
needed no second bidding, but turn
ing my Normans rein, galloped down
the blazing line Of battle. If 1 escap-
ed through the day, which to my mind
was already lost, I knew full well that
de Rome, smarting under disappoint-
ment and chagrin at defeat, would be
in no temper for mercy, and would
certainly keep his word to me.
There was not a doubt of it but that
the issue of the day was at crisis.
On our extreme right d'Aumale and
the exiles of France were pitted against
the Huguenot battalions, who went into
battle with a hymn on their lips and
had sworn by the faith for which so
many of them had died never to quit
the field alive. Be sure they strove bit
terly there, for the hatreds of sixty
years had met face to face on their last
field, and no quarter was asked for or
given. In the center Bouillon, the
Turenne of other days, and Biron-
men whose very names were victory
led the attack, which was slowly but
surely driving US back into the river.
At one time indeed the fiery marshal,
with the exception of the king per-
haps the most brilliant cavalry leader
of the age, had all but laid hands on
our standard, and so close was he to
me that I might have counted the
Jewels Of the order at his neck, and
clearly heard his deep "Mordieu! as
he slowly gave way before the desper-
ate rally that for the moment retrieved
the day. But it was on our left that
the greatest danger lay. Henry's rap
id movement during the night had
forestaIled de Rones plans, and had
practically shut in the left wing OF the
Lacquer general between two fires. For,
although de Rethelois was penned into
La Fere. yet his artillery had long
reach and CALLED US in the rear, whilst
the king, fully grasping the situation,
opened a heavy FIRE on our front, ana
that terrible battery from the cornfield
never ceased launching forth its mes
So ges Of death. These guns, no longer
hidden by the tall cornstalks, now beat
en- and trampled down, and as red as
the peoples that once starred them'
were in reality deciding the fortune of
the day. Twice had de Leyva in per-
son brought the veteran regiments or
Almagro and Algarve up to their very
muzzles, until the men could have
touched them with their Biscay pixies,
and twice had they been flung back,
but made good their retreat, beating
off the charge Of Schomberg's reiters
in SO savage a manner that the free
commander was unable to rally his
men for the rest of the day.
1 let my beast go with a loose head,
and there was no need of the spur to
urge him to his utmost effort as he
bore me to de Leyva. I found him
bare-headed and on foot, his
bleeding from wounds. His toison
dor had been shot away, though
its jeweled collar still elapsed his neck,
and his left arm hung useless by his
side. He stared at me when. I gave
him de Rone's answer, to which I added
the news that Garabay was dead. Then
he laughed through his cracked lips-a
laugh that seemed to stick in the knot
OF his throat, and making me no fur
Their reply, waved his sword in the air
with a cry on his men for yet another
effort, and a forlorn hope at the guns
And they who had never known defeat
before answered to his call and came
up again-a line Of men for whom the
bitterness of death was passed. I ought
to have gone back to de Rome, but the
lust Of battle was on me, and for me
there was nothing in the world but
the black guns behind the continuous
flashes, tightening through the thick
smoke which the wind was blowing in
our faces. My brave horse was killed
by q round shot, and as I scrambled
up and took my place by de Leyva's
side, his features relaxed and he said
with g thin smile:
& have had both my horses killed.
chevaiier, or would offer you mount"
We will replace them from Schom-
berg's reiters," and the bugles, sound
ing the attack, cut short all further
talk. It was win or lose now-all was
staked upon this hazard, and it
was well for us that Schomberg was
broken, for to protect the men as far
possible from the guns de Leyva ad-
Vanced in open files There was to be
no firing. The work was to be all cold
steel, and Bayonne knife and Biscay
pike were to make a last effort against
the long, black, snarling guns, behind
which d'Aussonville's ordnance men
yelped and danced with glee as each
discharge brought down it's tale of the
mangled and dead. But up the long
slope, never flinching, never swerving,
one man stepping where another fell
the veteran regiments marched, with
their gallant chief at their head. When
about fifty PAGES away, the drift was
so thick that we could see nothing save
the incessant flashes of light, which
possessed but enough power to show
themselves. At this moment the bugles
rang out shrilly, the ranks closed up
Ike magic, there was one tremen dous
roar of artillery, and the half of us
that were left were i'll the battery.
or,1 ia.