The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-09-29


"The children of the white devil
had conquered once again. it coult
not last, however. The enemy haC
shown more boldness than hitherto
the G. ages were woefully less, ant
a fire. -ttack was clearly impend.
ing.
The l~ieutenant's heart sank within
! him, and yet he spoke a few words
of praise and encouragement 20 his
men. His speech was never ended.
Distant but distinct there rang out
a bug.c-call, and then from the green
depths around came the rafting
crash of a fusillade and the constant
pop. pop. pop of the ubiquitous
Maxim.
Fort Mutt was relieved.
splendid, my dear boy!!" said q
major of the line 20 minutes later.
You have done capitally, and if l
can manage :: ycu1l have the D.S.O.,
for you deserve it if anyone does.
Now take a pull at this"
Perhaps he guessed that the lieu
tenant was OF the verge of ~disgracing
his manhood.
Three weeks had come and gone,
just half as long as the ordeal at
Fort Mutt had lasted, and the %reliev-
ing column was cutting its arduous
way through the dense bush to yet
another isolated post whose fate
hung in the balance.
The lieutenant had been offered his
chance to return to the coast or to
accompany the expedition. and, like
a boy, he had chosen the latter
alternative. His feeling of malaise-
those shivers down his spine, that
dragging pain, slight. but never alb
sent from his left s~ide-should have
warned him. The surgeon did so;
but the lieutenant merely laughed
and lied to him, and threw dust in
his eyes, for the surgeon was wound
ed and scarcely so keen at a diagno-
sis as was his won't. So the lieuten-
ant journeyed with the rest, and was
wild with delight at having four
white men to talk to and something
decent 10 eat. while the fizz Of soda
water was as the FLASHING of foun-
tains in his ears. His spirits were
high. and his head just a little
swelled with success. He began to
talk big. and was somewhat of a
nuisance with his tales of how 81
thought this" and how Il did that"
but his fe~llow-officers pardoned much
and smiled grimly. 1t was one thing,
they told him, to fight from cover,
and quite another to face death in
the open; and the lieutenant was Of
Tended and sulked. and wondered why
his head swan, and why he started
at every sudden noise from beyond
the double wall of creeper-clad trees
which hemmed in the long. snake
like. crawling column.
He grew snappish and irritable. and
was no pleasant companion. The
others, who did not know him well,
put him down as a conceited young
ass. for their test of illness was APP
petite. and the lieutenant ate like
a horse. They did not know that
after each meal he was sick as 4
dog. The malaria. a peculiar and in
sidious form. fastened upon him slow
ly; for his body had been healthy,
and he was young and sober, but its
grip was lone the less sure. His
poisoned blood reacted on his brain,
and as he stumbled forward he would
start at the sight of a snake, and
peer fearfuily into the green screen
behind him. where. had he but known
it. glided the naked foe. At last the
column received a sudden check.
Without warning, just as its head
debouched from the long gloomy
lane into an open space leading to
a sluggish stream crossed by a mar
row bridge. d heavy fire was opened
upon it both in front and on the
tanks. Men fell rapidly, but there
was no graphing with the enemy
in their beloved jungle. The bridge
must be carried and the cluster of
mud kuts beyond it captured. The
major glanced about him. His senior
officer was down. shot in the leg,
and the. surgeon was already getting
tourniqnet upon his femoral. The
in command was far in the
rear: but the lieutenant was close
at hand.
Take Il couple of dozen men and
the bridge" shouted the major.
The lieutenant looked at him and
looked at the bridge. a f1imsy thing
of cane and creepers, swept by a
hot fire from the low mud wall, above
cropped up the domed roofs
of the native huts. The brown river
sullenly beneath it. The air
was full of death: men were becom-
ing confused; il was no time to lin
ger. Mechanically the lieutenant sa-
but he made no move, he is
sued no order.
Instead he crouched a little. and his
hands shook. while his yellow lips
went white.
do o hear me. lieutenant?"
roarsd his commanding officer.
Take that bridge. and at once, sir"
Still the ping ping went on. min
gled now and then with dull. sicken-
ing thuds and the cry of men in pain.
the horrid gurgle which blood
makes in the Threats of those who
die.
The lieutenant looked behind him.