The Iola register., 1902-07-04

among the officers. one of them, in
deed. was seen to he distinguished by
rich attire. and the sunlight flashed
upon his plumed cap and the hilt of his
sword as if they were set with jewels.
A long cloak Of scarlet hung from his
shoulders. and that, too, seemed to be
jewcled upon the clasps at the throat.
The word ran along the ranks of the
defenders upon the wall:
"That 10 Motman .Khanw
And at the command of an officer
there was some trial of craftsmanship,
but the range, though not beyond the
power Of their weapons. was far too
long for the skill of the men. The
splendid cavHlcade moved on unharm-
ed.
For an hour or more the conditions
remained nearly unchanged, so far as
Darrell could observe. There was II
slight increase of artillery fire upon the
right, and the number of guns I'm ac-
tion surprised Darrell, for the country
round Gredskov was not favorable for
the transportation of cannon. They
seemed to be small pieces. II is true,
but of good modern type, to judge
by the execution wrought by some OF
the shells. Gredskov was on fire in
hundred places, and the smoke rose
straight up in the perfectly still air
hanging in the form of n great umbrel-
la that spread wider and darker over
the doomed city.
In the shelter OF n row OF stone build
ings on the other side Of an open space
that lay between tine wall where Oar
rell was and the close built portion Of
the town a crowd of terrified people
were huddled. They seemed to be
mostly old men and boys.
"Where are the womenf" asked Oar
rell of Kevski, and the latter replied
that a great many had left the city, the
besiegers having guaranteed them
safety among the hills.
Darrell was surprised at this evil
dence Of civilized warfare, and he said
SO.
"Wait till the town is taken," an
swered Kevski, with a shudder.
At this moment there came n great
access of tumult from across the city.
The noise of rifle firing increased
Terror stricken men and children, with
a few screaming women, poured out
from among the houses. Then came
n heavy explosion that shook the very
walls. A red glow famed in the over.
hanging cloud.
1T is the magazine under the east
wall" cried Kcvski. "a shell has
blown 1t up. There must be ruin as a
result of It,"
Even the officers had turned their
backs upon the enemy. They were
staring across the city. A horseman
came dashng across the open space.
lie yelled like maniac, addressing the
colonel commanding In that quarter.
Then a shell came groaning over the
housctops. It struck the earth almost
under the hoofs Of the horse that bore
the messenger, and they vanished, man
and beast, in a flash of flame and a
cloud of sand. through which Darrell
dimly saw the colonel who stood upon
the edge Of the wall. reellng and with
his hands clutching his breast. A cap
tain, springing forward, clasped his
superior in his arms, then lost his own
balance and they both fell headlong to
the ground, where they lay still.
1t was one of those incidents that
have the seeds of panic in them. Men
cried out with meaningless words, and
In the midst of the uproar officers could
be heard shouting orders that were
mostly curses. A shout arose:
"Our own men! The city Is takenw
And Darrell saw a struggling mass
of soldiers in the Russian uniform re-
treating in the narrow streets. Then
with a scurrying as of rats, the force
upon that part of the defenses scat,
tered, each man for himself.
"It is over" gasped Kevski, turning
a pallid face toward Darrell.
Not for us" answered the Amer
lean. I'VE are all right"
Every soldier will be butcheredr
cried Kevski.
II am n prisoner" said Darrell
"Just let me strip off this uniform
Now then! Wen get back to our dun
geon, and I'll look out for you"
They dropped off the wall and ran
along beside it. The prison was not