The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-15

| had covered him almost concealed his face,
nevertheless recognized him. He was my
| Paul. holding the flag there alone in the
midst of the dead.
AS I could not drag myself to him
shouted
rs it you. Paul: my dear Paul."
| Paul looked back. and when he saw me
| he waved the banner, shouting:
Long live the Gar
| At the same moment two balls whizzed
! over his head; he did not even Vouchsafe
Paul, dearest Paul. are you wounded"
asked.
Il believe So" he replied "A grape shot
| tore off both my feet. and now l am stand
! ing with my knees in the sand, just as
was surprised. His mother had bathed
| him in consecrated wine that no hos
| tile bullet should harm him. But he bold
| ly waved his banner. | looked back to see
| whether the rest of the troops were has
| tening to our relief and perceived that the
! regiments had all been recalled and 10 one
! was approaching us OF course this was
| all right; private soldier must never criti-
| else the acts of his superiors
Our commanders sounded the recall. but
| the Turks dared not leave their bastions.
| but when they saw my Paul sitting on the
| ground with his banner they began to fire
| at him as if he were target. But there
| he sat listening to the whistling and buzz
| Zing of the bullets. telling me whence each
one came and where it would 60 One
struck the staff another pierced his hat.
a third tore his OvercOat and remained in
his pocket Paul took it out and showed it
to me.
10 you see lnaL the DulletS cannot Marin
| your l said to him. Il can't understand
| how your feet were torn off.
In the evening, when the fog and dark
ness began to gather the sharpshOoters on
| Even in Siberia the nights are not so long
| Even in Siberia the nights are not as long
| as that one. The stars moved through the
moon was visible, then it disappeared. We
| had expected to be carried to the camp
| when darkness closed in. but no one came.
| to do.
I lay there a long. long time half awake,
| half asleep. tortured by thousands of hor
rible visions, until the horizon gradually
| dawned.
My Paul was still sitting among the
| corpses, and when he saw that 1 could no
| longer raise myself, he turned toward me,
| saying:
THE enemy has put out a white flag"
The Turks granted our people an armis
| tice to bury their dead. The bearers APP
| peared with their biers ACCOMPANIED by
| several officers and a surgeon whom the
soldiers dreaded more than the hostile can
non. He inspected the bodies in turn, and
said:
This man is dead; this one is dead, too"
Ihey were buried. We were the only ones
| who gave any sign of life. | did not tell the
| surgeon that 1 was wounded, or he would
| have had my arm amputated at once; |
pretended that 1t was only the weight of
| the cOrpSes which had kept me PROSTATE,
| and soon they We're removed l rushed
| to Paul With the utmost caution we took
! him by the arms and lifted him from the
ILL.,
| injured; they were both as sound as mine
| or any of the others. Yet he had told me
| himself that a bullet had carried them
| away. The surgeon explained this by say
| ing that the ball had undoubtedly passed
close beneath his feet and eXcavated the
| earth under them, so that he supposed his
| feet were torn away because he had sunk
| into the pit so suddenly made and could
| rot discover his mistake.
The incident created the greatest aston
| ishment. The soldiers carried my Paul on
| their shoulders back to the camp with the
ct dor had md hn off n1y
| amined in amazement his clothing, which
| was riddled with holes, while there was not
| even a scratch on his body.
| The great general reported to st. Peters,
| burg that the Oran Regiment had done its
| duty
| Paul was made colonel, and afterward
| he pressed steadily on in the pathway of
| fame and the favor of the Car. No matter
| how high he rose he never forgot me, but
always managed to have me ordered wher-
| ever he went Whenever he rode along the
| front he always SPOKE to me. When 1 was
| among the SentinelS he often came to me,
| drank from my canteen and kept me sup
| piled with money. Every one knew by this
| time that he vas invulnerable and that
no hostile weapon could harm him. he
moved through the blOodiest battle just as
a man with leather gloves thrusts his hand
INTO beehive. All good soldiers loved and
| honored him; only towards and traitors
| bore him grudge. To them he could be in
| exorable, and he never forgave any one a
neglect of duty-nOt even me.
Once | lost the bayOnet from my gun
| and he ordered fifty lashes to be given me.
| But l deserved the punishment.
When he was sent to SebaStOpOl, where
| visions of fame aIured every soldier, the
| enemy quickly discovered his presence for
| the Entertainments which he defended could
| constantly pushed forward toward them
He always led the attacking parties him
| self; he directed the work of constructing
| the Notifications and cared no more for
| bullets than | did for flies.
Sometimes he left his bed at midnight to
inspect the cannon. During one of these
rounds ha found SlPQninx
beside a mortar intrusted to his care. Paul
furiously seized his pistol and shouted to
the man to rise. He started up and his face
blanched with terror at the sight of the
dreaded commander.
You have been asleep at your post" said
Il haven't slept any for four nights"
stammered the youth Il could not keep
my eyes open.
This wretched excuse enraged my Paul,
and he dealt the fellow such blow in the
face with the butt of his pistol that he
knocked out one of his eyes.
There you Scoundrel. Now your eyes
| won't shut again"
Then he did not vouchsafe him another
glance or he would have seen that the
youth staggered to an old seaman, who
caught him in his arms and wiped the blood
from his face with his HANDKERCHIEF.
1t was the young marines father.
One night the enemy opened tremendous
fire upon the KornilOff redoubt. | was at
my post, covered by my gabion, which was
already half shattered by the bullet. Hail
stones do not fall so thickly as the proJec-
tiles sent by the foe Every moment three
or four shells exploded near me, and my
comrades fell like flies. a shrek, and an
other man died. In the midst of this ter
rife fire l saw the general walking over
the baStiOnS.
When his plumes were seen by the light
of the rockets, hundreds of bullets Whizzed
past him at the same moment. But ne
moved on smiling. Just as he passed by me
kissing rocket shot by us.
Take care, general" l shouted.
"You here Peter?" he said, turning, and
hnnxnnP6 ma n follow him.
He led the way to a corner OF the basuon,
where all but two of the cannon in bat
terry had been sienced.
why are you not firing hereF ne asked.
when he reached the spot. An old marine
answered from the darkness:
our cannon are shattered
Then more must be had, said Paul. ana
sent me at once to the bottom of the walls,
new cannon could be brought through the
covered passages in five minutes.
They must be placed in position, crled
Paul, and twenty men sprang forward 10
push them to the loophOles. Before one
could count ten, not man remained alive.
Twenty others leaped into their places; the
guns moved forward. The enemy poured a
shower of grapeshOt upon them. Ihe SdD-
ions were adjusted sacks were heaped upon
the breastwork. OF the second twenty only
four men returned-but the cannon were
in position.
Who is the gunner here?" asked the gen.
eral.
Il" replied the old marine.
Look carefully in the direction from
which you see the enemy fir Ing, said Paul.
Notice the point and aim for 1t.
''Very we'll" replied the man, throwing
himself down beside the cannon to pe able
to get a better signt over the bredslwork.
The enemy were now firing without light