The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-12-17

BAND UPON THE ENEMY.
by the feeble light of the burned build.
ings. Tho difficulties of the battlefield,
the snow, the darkness the fierce resist
ance Of the enemy, bis inability to drive
them back, filled him with the unreason.
ing rage Of youth. A man who despised
oaths he began to use them. with rapitiity
and junction and was unconscious Of do
ing SO. But his soldiers needed no spur
from their commander Evans, the sec.
ontl lieutenant, year younger than him
self-Flclning had reached the honorable
age Of ao-was by his side, firing with his
pistols at tho fitting black forms that op-
posed them, and around the two lieuten-
ants fought little band of splashed and
begrimed men with a courage and energy
equal to those Of their leaders.
A wall of house fell OH bed of live
GOALS and the timbers blazed up with sud-
den vividness, cutting through the dark
ness and casting distorting light over
the snow, the ruined village and the fight.
Ing men.
Fleming paused for moment to grasp
hts field Of battle by the new light that
had come. Tho flames magnified some OBJ
jects, diminished Others and made the
whole unreal and fantastic. The forms of
his enemies wavered as the flames flick.
cred and grew to gigantic size, tho bloody
spots on the snow spread and united, and
the scorched rafters of an abandoned house
made an ugly black tracery in the sky. In
tho momentary stiffness that had seized
them all Fleming heard the suffering of
the snowflakes as they fell in the flames.
Being able now to zee his battlefield, the
lieutenant knew that the little church
key, and, shouting to his men to follow, he
rushed forward that ho might seize 1t at
once md cut off his enemy.
The soldiers fred volley md dashed
toward the church, but tho leader Of the
hostile band was as quick of eye and as
ready of action as Fleming, and when the
lieutenant and his men entered one door
of the church their antagonists dashed in
at the other.
Fleming's wrath famed to its highest
pitch. 1t seemed personal injustice to
himself that his foe should be SO stubborn
and so prompt, and his resolve to over
come him grew with his anger. He stop.
ped just inside the door, and his men
gathered around him. The room was dim,
but Fleming saw the outlines Of the
benches and at the far end the pulpit. The
building, until thcn outside tho line of
battle, seemed to have been untouched.
The light from the blazing house fared in
at the window and fell across tho faces of
his enemies, who were entering at the
farther door, Neither side gave thought
to the character Of the place, but both
1,,o hat ,t. %>
follow for the possession Of SO strong
fort MS brick building, and they prepared
at once for the issue. Three or four Of the
heavy wooden benches, which served as
pews hastily thrown together, made good
brcastwork, and standing behind 1t Flem-
ing and his mon waited to see what the
enemy would do.
The hostile leader waited, too perhaps
with the same purpose, and again the
building was silent. The fallen wall was
burning finely and the light from it now
shone through the window with a steady
radiance and drove the dusk from the
room.
Fleming listened intently and heard
nothing from without. The battle, save
for his own part in It,, seemed to have end
ed or to have gone far away. The snow,
driven against the window panes, CLEANED
red In the light Of the flames, and the
wind increased in violence. All this was
but the affair Of u moment, and then
Fleming turned tho full attention Of eye
and ear to his enemy That the two little
bands had been left to fight their battle |
alone was no induccment to him to draw |
away from tho conflict; rather it increased
his desire to triumph, for tho field was now |
wholly his own Evans whispered to him
That they must rush the rebels, and Elem.
ing, holding his head, gave quick COM '
mand to the men, who leaped over the
hasty fertilization that they no longer de- I
sired and rushed upon their enemies, tho
lieutenants, as always, at their head.
Fleming knew that 1t was a bold plan
allied to rashness but he trusted that sue
cess would como from its suddenness and
that he would be upon his antagonists be-
fore they could recover from their surprise
and shoot down his men. A few swift
steps took him across the room. He was
filled with fierce exultation, for he be-
lieyed that ho was about to triumph, but
even in the wild rush Of the moment and
with mind concentrated upon the i'm
pending struggle, he observed the room
again, tho rows Of wooden. benches, the
aisles, the pulpit at the far end, the stair
way that led to the second floor, and the
light through the window faring redly
over everything. Then the wild rush car
ried his little band upon the enemy, and,
rs no had hoped, the surprise Of the sud.
den movement made its success.
A few aCAtterinQ shot8 TINT went wild |
were fired ut them, and then they were over
tho benches and In the,midst Of the trium.
plant combat. Fleming was burning with
the battle fever, and again he ;bsgan to
shout to his men and utter oaths Of which
he Was unconscious, stalking with his
sword and calling at times upon, his an,
Bagontsts to yield. 81
He found thot he was opposed by SOL
stars, ~ ssisar4 .na- his ,p~n Beaten by