The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-06-11
CHAPTER Xxx.
THE FIGHT AT THE FENCE.

THE FIGHT Al IhE fhNSE.
YES" said Sergeant Mick as l made
haste 20 get his carbne, ammunition and
some percussion caps, I'VE are here to
hould the fnce tin the rigimint comes.
Dye mond me?'
IF the gov ovment''-began big Pat Cal
iahan. but Mick snarled.
"Iiould yer jaw an talk wild yer car
binei All av We fix yer carbine soights at
600 yards. Loie down an take good
rest on the fnce rails. Count off from
the roight up to 10. Whin l give the
worrud. number wan is TO foire at the
first mounted officer at the right forninst
him, number two at the mkt, an so on,
an aich av ye kape on shootin till yez
bring down yer man. Win they amt
got any ginerals an colonels an majors
an things. mebbe they'll shtop TO talk
about It an give our rigimint a chance
TO come up an charge 'em. Them min
that amt got no mounted officers 10
shoot at. foire loike blazes at the coors.
Don't any man shoot till holler
'toimev"
The Jacket filling heart throb that all
soldiers can recall came upon me as !
lay down and selected n rest" where
there was a clear way between the
shrubbery and weeds which always infest
q country fence row. The promise was
OF fight of kind for which had al
ways longed--a fight with mass OF
troops instead OF with occasional heads
and shoulders half screened by trees and
etumps. But l had also longed TO be in
the saddle and following dashing
trusty commander and with an even
chance OF success. Now l was hugging
the ground with an unfamiliar carbine
in my hands. a Summerton ruffian for my
commands and the odds against me at
least 80 10 /.
"Toime" screamed Mick.
Our carbines reported almost In volley
force style. The heat simmer prevented
good aim, yet there were three less heads
visible above the gray line when the
smoke had been blown away.
'Kape peggtn' at 'em!" said Mick as he
learned on the fence, shaded his eyes and
peered forward. A few more shots were
fired in quick succession by each man. af-
ter which no more mounted officers vera
visible. The gray line stopped quvering
like heat band Evidently II had halt
ed
''Kape on foirin'." Mick ordered. ''an'
make aich shot tell, Pepper all along
their loine Take a lot OF ground 10 the
roight an lift. youse fellers on the
fianks. so they'll think our loine is longer
an there's more of US than there be-"
The order was obeyed. The gray line
had decreased the distance between us 10
about a quarter OF mile, so we could
note breaks In the ranks whenever our
shots told.
Aim CAREFUL Mick ordered "It's no
tonne TO fool away cartridges"
i was OF the same opinion, and was
beginning to wonder what would happen
should we run out OF cartridges There
was standing order In the regiment that
every man should always have 20 carbine
cartridges In his box and 10 full rounds
for his revolver, but so short had been our
many previous fights that all OF us had
become careless as 20 quantity OF ammu.
milton. Seldom had any man more pistol
ammunition that that already I'm his re-
volver No one was astonished 20 hear big
Callahan growl:
'Dhivil another cartridge hev to me
name"
"Nor l." said Brainarc.
'Ye're dhivils, both av We! But kape
yer revolvers-all av ye--fer close actionH'
shouted Mick, "an' pray fer the rest av
our rigmint TO come up"
The carbine fire continued, but more
slowly, while men who were out OF car
tridges borrowed from comrades with full
er boxes. Soon the firing ceased entirely.
Mick frowned. glared wildly and said to
me:
"Coppyral Frost. we've the biggest ears
in all Summerton. Go out TO the road an
lay yer ear down TO II an see av ye
can hear the rigimint a-comin'."
ara .l~t.1 .1~tx
my heartbeats for hoofbeats. but I was
Obliged 20 report that could hear moth
ing.
The silence was becoming appalling, for
the enemy had not yet fired n shot The
Johnnies, more sensible than their ad-
versaries, seldom or never wasted their
bullets on smoke puffs and covers be-
hind which figures did not show.
'Ord loike 10 LUX into the oiye av the
felIy that's a-bossin' 'em an see that his
thrtck'u be-" said Sergeant Mick. "Av OF
was him an things so quoit In front av
me. Old think ne was sneakin' for back
holt. Coppyral Brainard, that's yer own
opinion?"
"same as yours. sergeant" Rrainard re-
n,ied ''He doesn't know how few we are,
for we've fired great many shots. and
ne doesn't imagine We have breechload-
.rs Probably he thinks his enemy has left
his front and is trying TO flank him.
wonder. though. that he doesn't send out
skirmishers 10 look into the situation
over here"
.sThrue fer yez. It's ividient yez didn't
lave Yer brains in yer bunk back In camp
Now molnd whole OF spake 20 yez ALL
Call in thin min on the nanks-tell EN-
10 come on their hans an knees. Are
vez all here7 Thin listen: Av they sind
administers over we mustn't let none
av 'em KIT back. ilse their boss'll know
how wake our line ls. an they'll try 10
cut OF the rigimint from camp, unless
mavbe the regiments already done the
same b. them. an they'll ate us up IN
toirely.
$50 we must kape livery dhivil av
'em from Citing back Scatter 10 the
roieht an iift whin the skirmishers come.
let 'em get over the fnce an toward the
horses. Thin close In an give IL TO EN-
IN the back wild yer pistols. an don't
foire tiil yer so close that yez can't miss
'en. They can't foire more than wan
shot apiece-the skirmishers can't--if ys
don't give 'em a chance 20 reload
An how'll we git away then. with tho
Johnnies close 10 our horses7' asked big
Pat Callahan.
s'cit away. IL itg We don't git away
ffi We XIII me-ye or ony ave Yc. Were