Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-05-28

exaggerated. but with.
In an hour the evidence multiplied ultil
doubt was no longer possible. Even
Vera, as Darrell was Informed by Colo.
mel Korna. no longer had hope Of
holding Vladikaukas. and preparations
for falling back to Gredskov were made
With haste.
Darrell was surprised to find how
many things were already prepared.
Prudence and discipline had not been
wanting In the garrison. The little ar
my was wonderfully mobile.
This march-begun at midnight un-
der frowning skies, enliVened in the
small hours by pyrotechnic struggle
In the darkness with the Russians who
were attempting to re-encircle Vladi-
kaukas and finished next day in deadly
WEAKNESS and the miseries Of driz-
zling rain-needs no extended descrip-
tion In this record. There were small
losses. A colonel was shot dead In his
saddle after the fighting seemed to be
over, the fatal bullet mere chance
wanderer in the air. Some Russian
horsemen dashed in upon line Of bag
gage wagons and butchered a few
teamsters. poorly paid day laborers
without military aspirations. A half
dozen soldiers were killed and fifty per-
haps endured the pain Of wounds dur
ing the long march. Darrell, viewing
as much Of this as man could see IN
the night and particularly the dead
tealnsters, who CHANGED to fall In his
way, was reminded Of the murdered
Turkish merchant and of the poor idiot,
Musef, shot In the back as he ran. and
there arose In his mind picture Of the
war god. like human being endowed
with an individual character and COM
PEELED to act according to it, so that
whether bawling upon the battlefield.
groaning upon the march or sodden
with the sloth Of the camp. he must
kill, and kill aimlessly, for the mere
sake Of killing.
Darrelrs position was one Of painfuf
isolation. For the first few miles lie
rode not far behind the princess; then
after the fighting was over and her
safety assured. as she sent no word to
him he fell farther to the rear, and In
the last hours Of the march. when the
rain had btgun, he lent some aid to
men who were struggling with cannon
In the roads that grew always worse.
In Gredskov on the second day he
formed the acquaintance Of an engi-
neering officer and was of some little
use in helping to strengthen the city's
defenses. He saw Korna occasionally
and learned from him that there had
been q memorable scene between Vera
and Kilziar and that the prince had
succeeded in presenting plausible ex-
cuses. The princess, however, had as
serted authority, and 1t was she who
issued paramount orders In the city.
The rain relented long enough to per-
NIT the Russian force to take up its
position, hemming in the place. and
then began again without violence. q
slow and steady dripping from the
leaden sky. The. besiegers exhibited
indomitable energy. They brought up
a surprising quantity Of artillery Ne
spite the state Of the roads, yet not
enough to give them any advantage.
The guns were too light for the reduc-
ton of we'll fortified place, and
Gredskov was fairly we'll fortified,
though at the time Of the Circassian at
tack it had been very badly defended.
The time came speedily when no
more cannon could be brought over the
roads. Spies reported that the Rus
slams were having all they could do to
bring up sufficient supplies in the light
est vehicles and on the backs Of mules
and camels. The game as 1t stood was
a draw. The Russians could not take
the town, and the besieged could not
get out. But the enemy had to hold
their ground only till better weather,
while the CircasSians had to hold theirs
forever. 1t Is fundamental principle
of war that town thoroughly invested
must fall eventually unless friends
from without arrive to raise the siege,
and this the Circassians could not eX'
pect. They were doomed, and the
thought Of it was madness to Darrell.
He saw little Of Vera. She was fe'
verishly busy. working day and night
upon plans for their useless defense
for it was like holding hilltop against
the flood. Darrell knew that she dread
ed to see him because he had foreseer
this evil, because he had shown him
self destitute of ncouragement-a mere
scarecrow in the field, as he expressed
1t to himself.
She had taken up her abode In wha
had been an inn. There was ground
floor room In a corner Of the house
which was her military workshop
Darrell sometimes saw her through 6
window in the daytime pitifully ell
gagged upon this travesty Of war, fight
ing q battle that was over. He knew
that she was in deadly peril; that these
wretched days might be all the life
they two could hope for. He shudderet
at the thought and cursed the scoun
drel who had brought her to this ca
lamity. yet curses upon Kilziar seemed
unnecessary. considering the position
in which the man stood.
One saw little of the prince In these
days except when he and Vera made
their rounds together that the soldiers
might have chance to cheer. 1t was
not pleasant for Darrell to hear theil
names thus Joined. yet he could moi