New-York tribune., 1903-06-28

Blasted favortism' swore the man next
TO me. Amt there no other battalion com
pany in the regiment, that Number 3's been
picked for special twice in four days?"
The majors sweet on EN- that's why"
snarIed another.
Il amt saying nothing against the bobs But
what's the matter with US I'd like to know?
Why Number 3 again? Ugh it makes me sickl"
Our fun'n come later, lads" said the ser
geant. cheerfully- When you reach my years
you'll have learned to wait Now. if you'd
asked me. I'd have chosen the grenadiers;
they're every bit good as a light company
for this work
! "Ay-grenadiers and Number 4 Why not?
It's cruel hard"
] asked. in my ignorance what happen
ing. My neighbor turned to me with grin
Happening? Why. you've a-lost your chance
Of death or victory. that's all Here you are,
company bugler for twenty-four hours by the
grace Of Heaven and the sergeant's contrivance,
ard because every ones forgot you and because,
as ii happens. for twenty-four hours there's no
bngljng wanted. Tomorrow you'll be found out
and sent back to the band, where there's five
supernumeraries waiting for your shoes. And
the bandmaster'u cuff your head every day for
months before you get such another chance.
Whereas, if Number 4 Company had been
chosen for tonight, by tomorrow you'd have
blown the charge, and half the drummers in the
regiment would be backing your eyes out Of
envy. See?'
I did not, very clearly. rs there to be an
attack tonight" I asked. And sha'n't we
even see it?'
oh. yes, wen see it fast enough. I reckon
they won't go so far as to grudse US free seats
for the show
Sure enough. at s o'clock. we formed up by
companies and were marched over the dark
crest Of the hill and a short way down it in face
of the lights of Ciudad Rodrigo. Right below
US on our left shone a detached light. We our
selves showed none The word for silence in the
ranks had been given at starting and the cap
tains spoke in the lowest of voices as they drew
their companies together in battalions. The
| light cavalry having been withdrawn, We found
| ourselves on the extreme left flank, parted by a
few yards only from another dark mass Of men
the 43d as a talIish young bugler whispered
| close beside me.
But how the doose do you come here?" he
went on rnis;aking me in the darkness. I sup
pose. for one of the youngsters in the band
Shut your head. bugler'' commanded a cor
poral close on my right.
The men grounded arms and waited, their
breath rising like fog the frozen air. Their
two tall ranks made wall before US. shutting
out all view of the lights in the valley The
short or supernumerary line of non-commis-
stoned officers on our right stood motioness as
row of statues.
Suddenly rocket shot up from below, arched
its trail of light, and exploded; and on the in
slant the whole valley answered and exploded
below US. Between the detonations cheer rang
I'D the hillside and drowned in the noise Of
rnusketry-as under crackle Of laughter. For
getting discipline I crawled forward three PAGES
| and tried to peer between the legs of the rank
in front, but was hailed back by the ear and
soundlv cursed The musketry cracked on
without interrission Away in Cudad Rodrigo
the walls seemed to open and vomit fireworks,
shell after shell curving UP and dropping into
the valley.
GLORY be-" cried some one. the old mans
/ done iti The Johnnies wouldn't be Smelling
their own works"
All be quiet with ye" answered an irish
voice and the fun not ten minutes old"
Hes done it. I say! Whist now, see yonder
there's Elder going down with his Greasers'
Heb? What did I tell you?"
silence in the ranks,' commanded an Off
Ger. but his own voice shook with excitement,
and we read that he believed the news to be
true
I "Arrah now, sir" a man in the front rank
| uheedled softly. ITS against flesh and blood
/ you're ordering US"
Wait a moment then. They've done 1t,
! believe-but no cheering, mind"
What had been done was this-frorn the sum-
NIT Of the hill where we stood We looked into
Ciudad Rodrigo over a lesser hill and between
these two called the Great and the Lesser Tes-
( sonp the French had fortified and palsaded a
/ convent and built q Iunette before it, protect
/ ing that side of the tower where the ground was
least rocky and could be worked by the sap
/ pers. Upon the Iunette before this Convent OF
san Francisco. CoIborne (our colonel Of the 52d)
had now flung himself, with two companies
from each Of the Light Division regiments, and
carried it with q rush. and this feat, made pos
sibIe by our night march across Agueda and
tn, Incidence Of the French sentries, in its turn
gave the signal for the siege to open The place
MS scarcely carried before Elder had his Portu-
e71aea ~ work spading a trench to the right Of
II and under what cover its walls afforded from
the artillery of the town, which ceased not al
v,;gr+ to mound away at the lost redoubt
r,ba cacadores-seven hundred in all-toHed
With . will under shot and shell, and when day
broke q trench three feet deep and four feet
wide had been opened and pushed for no less
.ba, six hundred yards toward the town. Next
v,,gf+ rha Portuguese were replaced by the First
I,i,-feior which had been marched over the
Aeuela While the Light Division cooked and
aDioved itself on Mount lesson, the others had
n cross and recross the river between thelr
,,,orly and their quarters, and fear mat we
,ool- their lnisfortunes phiiosophicalIy, feeilhS
+ba, our luck was deserved. TO be sure hao
taar, IA ken from Eay company and reIegated 10
a. hand but during the twelve days the siege
,.e7 4bere was always a call for boys TO watch
=. .-r1oeions from the town and warn the
-t-,,ay, when a shell was coming, and, on the
-, since Ctudad Rodrigo contained plenty
of ammunition and did not spare 1t, enjoyed