, 1897-11-18
MY I%NVINCIBLE FOE,

llu been shut up inactive for several
days, and very trying it was. knowing.
H. We did. that those cursed Germans
were making "a steady advance on our
beloved Paris. At last an order came
that 4 accommodating party was to be
sent out i'll the direction of Longboyean,
"A snail village some six miles distant.
The prospect of IL possible skirmish
raised Il spirits very considerably. No
me was more excited than myself, hear.
in. HS | did, shortly aftcrward that |
wa~ II be put in command.
W" started the following morning at
iru, Il Of day. For more than an hour
We usimpcd along with eyes and hear
ug alert, but saw no sign Of the enemy
unl'! we arrived mt n point where the
!1-'rnad hranchcd off into innmncrablc
pathways through a large wood.
| had paused to consider which was
tlr most advisable route To follow
Wl,n | heard coming toward us the
sound Of horses feet, the unm.istukLblo
tramp, tramp of cavalry.
II WAS the work of Il moment for me
tu post my men behind the shelter of a
hodge. and there we waited. Parblcu'
II W my comrades eyes CLEANED when
oul f the depths Of the forest there ll,d
Two ly two ONO 20 Prussians, headed
| iy3u officer. l can shut my eyes and
81" that ypnng man nov rs, Iaueing.
h" ave the word to advance in tOurs.
He WAS a magnifccntly built young frl.
low. with steely blue eyes and long. fair
mus uchc-a typical looking soldier.
God knows that during the last few
months enough French blood has been
spilled to lmIk" rs all burn for vrnyc-
anCc. Nevertheless, as l raised my mus
kct to my shoulder my hand shook. |
was not an old soldier III those days. |
lad never shot any one before at such
close quarters. aud this seemed to mo
almost like murder, for he was 50 ignO-
rant of all danger. Yet | knew it be-
hoolcd me to be steady, for they out
Il Irrcd us by some half Il dozen.
! ave the signal, and we all fred in
unison, every bullet going straight
home. In the stampede of horses which
ensured only four out Of the - of the
cI.IIy escaped death. and they, unncrv-
ed by their loss, turned tail and gallop-
I'd lack into tine depths of the forest.
Their leader lay his full length On the
ground, staring up into the cold winter
Sky with wide opcn, rapidly glazing
eye, one hand still graspins the bride
If is charger. The poor beast stood
Virruusly looking down at his dead mas
ter. AS l tried to seize him he reared.
and i'll doing so the corpse moved.
Could it be possible. l asked myself,
that he was still alive?
kuceling beside him. l tried to force
SOHO brandy down his throat, but found
il was useless. He was dcud-stono
dead.
Some. few days later, in one of our
many s~orties, lrcceived a slight scratch,
which vas followed by II bad attack Of
fever. On recovering Il weeks leave
was granted ne III which to recruit.
My regiment WIS at that time quarter
cd Ill Paris, IL circumstance | dCtcrmin
ed Ia take advantage Of in looking up
an old comrade who, l had heard, had
been badly wounded mt Bondy.
Ny inquiries led me to the Val de
Grace ambulance, where found Legras.
The poor fellow was delighted at seeing
a familiar face, and l staid and talked
tn him for I'M time. In his rambling
account of how he had received his
wuIHld my attention straycd to the &C.
cui MS of the other beds. One in par.
tIvI-,r fascinated me. 1t was the inert
lIg!" of Il man lying III IA cot facing
Lr4ts'.
| asked Legras if he knew who the
poor fellow was. He answered in II tone
Of mingled pity and satisfaction:
IA Prussian officer. He was brought
in some two days ago. The doctors mar
val uw he has fingered for so long, but
they say he is dying. The sooner
the letter, say t.
Hardly We're the words ont of Lcsras'
mouth when the sick man suddenly
raised himself, gave one choking sob
and tell backward. In that brief mo-
m,nt our eyes met. What l saw there
made me shrink back in my chair with
a s,M>' of bcwilderment-I may say ter
rur That mo:ionl,ss figure was the
san" Young German officer whom Il
week ago | had shot down with my own
hand On the road to L~ongboyeau.
Trembling like Il leaf, | bcnt over
him, He wa dead.
I'rtorc leaving | learned what partic.
ullr> | could. He was a Prussiau officer
wEo had been MORALLY wounded when
leading the attack on the ne~ishboring
'ili"-" Of Bondy.
This information restored my nerves
somewhat t. their proper balance. or. to
say more truthfully, l tried to think it
did. OF curse it could only have been n
chance r,>gmLlunCe, and yet
But i'll those days M had little lei.
sure in which to puzzle out mysteries.
Following this event came the battle of
Montrrtout.
1t lad rainCd almost necessarily the
night before. and the early morning
GHvr lao promiSe'of any cessation of r!'
heavy showers which had fallen for TN,
pr. ipus four and twenty hours. I'll
to@ and vapors of DIR citing rain were 81
thick rs morning broke tia. il co.,
scarcely see a yard in front Of ,-n.
length the fog lifted and Il pad. Witt.
looking sun shone out, disclosing too.
view the Germans strongly iU.rguyhyu
position. Our orders Were to suVFart our
leading column. The hugtcs Lad Just
sounded the advance when. " th0ut any
warning, three German squudfOns of
cavalry. led by an officer, made Il sud
den furious descent on our LETT flank.
Under cover of the fog they had crept
up unnoticed close to our lines. Had not