The Red Cloud chief., 1902-03-14

amy, uhu uotu metZ anu tne capital
besieged.
Everywhere the German arms had
been victorious.
Paul Rhinelander had alredy seen
much Of wars horrors. and AL that
was martial in his nature had been
stirred by the scenes of excitement
that had come his way.
There had been news of Hoffman.
81, The man was a traitor to his coun-
try-madness had seized upon him.
and making use of the fact that his
maternal grandparents were A~lsations,
hence French subjects, he had gone
over to the enemy, bag and baggage,
Paul heard this with grim .satisfac-
ton. Paul, who knew to a certainty
that this change Of heart had been
wrought through the witchery of that
beautiful and magnetic creature, the
countess, and that Conrad was her
latest victim.
All unknown to Rhinelander, events
we're under full Roadway and driving
swiftly toward a most dramatic eli
max. at which altar his fate must be
decided.
1t was an October evening.
The mutter and growl Of heavy
siege guns, that for hours had been
sending their pfojectiles into the
forts defending the citadel of Metz.
had by degrees died away, and night
was spreading her mantle of rest over
the tragic scene. MacMahon's great
army was hemmed in more securely
than ever.
This October night was destined to
be forever marked by a white stone
In the annals of Paul's romantic life
history-ere the morning sta shone
upon Metz he would have passed
through another experience that must
have a decided influence upon his
whole future.
He was sauntering about after com.
ing from the field hospital, when he
met by chance an aide Of the general
in command at this post.
From him he heard news that cleo.
trified him; news that indicated so
daring a night assault on the fortress
that Paul hardly believed 1t to be
true. Immediately he sought al au.
dience with the commander to beg for
indulgence and the coveted opportun.
ity of seeing whatever Of action there
might prove to be in the assault.
Rhinelander had seer much OF ser.
0ytrn hut hto daotro 90 hnya ,auA
Of share in everything that came to
pass led him to Join the forces Sc
lected for this hazardous task. He
was in the van, Of course-men OF
his stamp usually find some means OF
reaching the front rank when the bat
tie is in progress.
When the French opened fire it
seemed as though the whole outer
works blazed with the fury of a We
suvius.
Chassepot and mitrailleuse mingled
their bark until 1t became a thunder.
roar-men shouted and cheered,
while above it all could be heard the
hollow rattle Of the fiat Bavarian
drums.
To Paul the music was a hideous
nightmare. but he could appreciate the
fact that 1t served to animate and
enthuse these Bavarians Just as the
pibroch thrills the Highlander-mus-
cles grew as stiff as iron. teeth
snapped close together. eyes were set
in that steady stare that tells Of in.
will power-and into the
jaws of death they went.
They were now at the foot of the
apparently impregnable fortress.
The fire above was Just as furious,
but most of the missiles overshot the
mark, and had they chosen to wait,
chance for a breathing spell now Of
fered itself. However, they vent IN
over the walls like the wild chamois of
the Swiss Alps, those little Bavarians
did.
In the eyes Of the amazed French
they must have appeared little
short of devils Matched out of the in.
fernal fires that blazed all around.
Once in the Notifications they came
into hand-to-hand conflict with the
French. and then the f~iercest kind of
was ~inaugurated.
The Bavarians might have had held
the fort had they been quickly rein.
forced, but it was not the policy of the
generals to bring on a bat
tie, since starvation must decide the
question speedily enough.
Their object had been attained in
teaching the French that after all
their position was not so impregnable
they might have believed.
And hence the signal Of recall
sounded.
Surrounded by struggling forms en-.
gagged in a desperate death graphic,
with fires and the blaze Of still boom.
Ing cannon lighting up the scene as
with the glow Of Internal coniagra.
tions, the spectacle of Paul engaged
with a French swordsman was one
~ For tha Ialaotatinn 90 tIn .~l 49,