The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-05-21
HAVING FUN UNDER FIRE.
Amusing Incidents in the Franco-Prus
sian War and the Iii Rebellion.


A retired major Of foreign service
was talking the other night Of expe-
riences under fire. He declared that II
was not all serious work. He said.
Il have had fun when soldering, and
that, too, under fire on the skirmish line.
1 remember once in France during the
Franco-German war when we were with
Bourbaki at Montbeliord. 1 was surpris-
ed 10 hear some Of my men laughing
hen we were about four hundred yards
from the Germans and while we were
lying on dirty. damp ground and with
Just the smallest incline in our FROM
10 protect US from the enemy's fire. We
were hungry and cold, and were obliged
to hug the dirty ground In order TO get
cover. 1t was no place for hilarious
amusement, and yet the men kept laugh.
ing, and they laughed so loudly that /
am sure the enemy heardethem.
Il could not stand up with any safety
and the only way l could reach the men
was to crawl. which / did. and after
crawling about twenty yards L found
myself in q good-slzed depression in the
ground. where there was fair shelter,
and there l found out the cause OF all
tho amusement. We had been out on
our post eight hours, and had used up
a good deal Of ammunition, and L had
ordred the men TO keep what they had
left FOR an emergency that 1 expected
any minute. This gave the men leisure
to grumble or make fun. just az they
thought best, and in this case II was all
fun.
They were playing ninepins with the
enemy They did IL I'm this way: They
made nine piles OF mud in the form and
about the size OF sugar loaves. and placed
these az distances Of about a yard from
each other. Then they made bets as 10
which pin would be hit first or which
would be hit the most times. and as each
pin was hit there was a laugh. but
found that each pin was named after
some unpopular member Of the battalion,
and when one OF the pins was shattered
the men would laugh and say: There
goes Long Legs or 'Sawbones is over
or Fly-by-Night IS disembowelled.' and
so on. / stopped the game.
"I remember an amusing incident dur
ing the Riel rebellion in the Canadian
Northwest In 1855. The Indians and half
breeds had dug pits at Batoche and we
were pounding at them FOR three days
with little or no effect During that
time our men were on the skrmish line
all day, and az night they Iourtu 10 ln'
corral wo had built Immediately I'm our
rear. But the half-breeds and Indians
we're evidently having fun at the eN-
pense OF our youngsters.
''Of course. even our militiamen were
prepared for the old ruse about putting
a cap on the end OF a stick, but the In.
dams made dummies. and they would
suddenly expose a part OF those dummies
the head or shoulder or the side, or II
one case the feet. and then our younl
feIlovs would begin an Independent tirinl
rapid enough 10 resist charge OF cav
airy. But the best part Of the joke was
that great many Of the youngest sol
diers who fired at the dummy were SURF
TO say: 4 hit him. 4 hit him" while there
Is no doubt even the stoical Indians II
their pits were laughing, and /. too en-
| joyed the Joke. for had an excellent nel1
sIaSs and could see the dummies yer,
.f.f,,t,. Nerv Work Sun.