Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-02-20

yelling fiends reached us, and it was little
to me at the time whether any of the corps
saw me or not. 1t was unlikely they had,
for there was no time to note who ran or
who stood his ground. Near me, 80 feet
beyond, lay the man who had been my
next but one in the ranks, and there is no
need to say what he looked like. He was
dead. Stiff, too, was the young subaltern,
not Is feet away. It's odd how one no
tees such small details at such times. 1
felt no shame, only a longing to be yet
safer. The remaining Afghans were scud-
ding back to shelter, and the company,
which had chased them for a short while,
was now in cover 800 yards away to the
left.
Presently there doomed a sight on my
left that made me SILVER and crouch against
the iron rock like a squatting partridge.
A little band of Pathans were nimbly run
ming up in my direction, Martins slung
to their backs, knives in hand, and evil
IDENTIFY hoping for plumber from stray
bodies or camp followers. They had not
seen me, but I could not hope for further
concealment. l saw the lowering sun
flash on one of the long knives and looked
back at the ring of lead on the dancing
plain. On either hand there was as
certain death as a man could meet with,
and my blackened lips cracked as the cold
sweat broke from my forehead.
Then I looked at the body of the young
subaltern, at the stealthy devils behind
me, and anew at the deadly bullet zono
outside. I stole out and picked up the
boy. He was nothing of a weight in such
nv,,,, NC wilma o~1 r c1,Y,rp bip, Of y~u I,n1,
and looked for the last time at the leaping
dust. The range was extreme. His body
would easily stop the plunging lead, and l
dashed out with a short beastlike cry that
haunts my sleep even now and spun away
through the fire Il
Plut! wut plack! sang the bullets round
my twinkling legs, and one hurtled SO
close to my forehead that the wind of it
was painful, but l kept the subaltern's
body between me and the hillmen and ran
through the belt of lead like a charmed
man. AS I tore along 1 listened for the
smack of lead against the corpse and won
dered if it might by any chance rip
through. There was safety with the regi-
ment, and Icould see men standing among
the rocks and dimly buzZing with cries.
OF the shame that was to be mine / cared
nothing at the time. Toward the last one
struck me-. Might it mean court martial
and shooting at the hands of my own
corps?
At last / dashed among the men, and a
wild pandemonium of cheers whirled
around me. saw the black rocks and
to the ground with the body in my arms.
When consciousness came back, 1 was
under cover of a strip of canvas, and the
first voice l heard was the surgeons.
HELL do; nothing the matter" was
the verdict. And as I looked round for
the stern faces that should reflect my
shame I sorrowed for awhile that l had
ever seen the light. But they were not
there. The surgeon shook me boisterously
by the hand and babbled something 1 did
not hear. They let me get upon my feet,
and without aposse Of my own corps press
ed round. My own particular chum came
to the fore.
"He's all right, mate, said that worthy.
"You've took your chance, Jack, and
there's nowt but grit in you, as l always
said. Straight, I'd liefer be you than be
colonel, so I would"
"Who's all right?''I suffered, for I was
very dazed, and this reception unstrung
me.
"Why, young Rathesely," snorted my
chum. What ais you, lnanp Deed,
Jack, but you're as sure o. the cross as I
am O. the cut across my forearm" J. had
not noticed that Pete's arm was bound
with many folds of lint.
l very nearly dropped again under the
reaction. l, the sinking coward, who
had thought of nothing but my own hide,
was a hero worthy of the greatest soldierly
distinction Great Britain could bestow,
and it would come to my part to figure as
q man for any corps to be proud Of instead
Of a bringer of BLACKLIST shame upon my
own. And for the first time 1 dared to
think of Millie again. But somehow l
wasn't any happier than before--or very
little.
1t was two days before we took the field
in earnest again, and l stepped out with
the rest-a weary march it was. But l
walked with u new step and a new heart,
and when we had struggled over the bro
ken ground and the sniper's slugs cano
tipping down from above I felt nothing
but a yearning to feel my own steel bite
through the shooters.
Later came the %thudding, sickening
blow of a bullet in the shoulder, md 1
fell like a tower. With the shock half my
misery of mind departed, but there was
still a weight of depression behind. I lay
in hospital three weeks, and ktter three
weeks they were to me. Scores of friends
came to see Inc and tortured me with ref
erences to the "brave deed" that was mine,
and if ever a man was heavily punished it
was l. l did not dare write home-not
even to Mile. In course of time 1 was
invalided back to England, and / had tc
face her whether I would or not.
II knew you'd do it, Jack" she lispcd
as we stood on the quay, land I wouldn',
change you for Wellington"
I don't know what I said. The whole
term of homecoming seems a blue gray
mist to me-away to the time when n
glorious little woman in black pinned an
iron cross to my breast as l stood at rigid
attention with three others. Millie and /
have been married a year now, but ]
haven't left the army. There ring wars
and rumors of wars from day to day, and
I, John Redruth, am awaiting the time
when I may win back the other half of my
lost honor.-Answers.
- UvnIfnu Nukfu,> ru~,~u.~,