The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1903-05-28
UNDER TWO FLAGS
orr costly as defeat IN it, achieve.

tory costly as defeat In its achieve
fnent.
And for The moment they recoilcd an-
der the shock Of that fiery onslaught.
For the moment they parted and wa
vered and oseillated beneath the impe-
tus with which be hurled his hundred
ehassenrs On them with that light,
twift, Understandable rnpidity and re-
~tistlcesness of attack characteristic OF
the African cavalry.
Though q score or more, one on an
other, had singled him out with a spc-
eial and violent attack, he had gone as
ret unwounded save for q lance thrust
In his shoulder, Of which, in the heat
NJ the conflict he was unconscious
The lighting fury" was upon him.
Az be spurred his horse down on
them now 20 blades glittered against
him. The foremost would have cut
ftraight down through the bone of his
barred chest and killed him at q single
lunge, but as its steel flashed in the
one Of his troopers threw himself
against 1t and parted the stroke from
him b. sheathlng 1t in his W breast.
The blow was mortal. and the n who
bad saved him feeled down off his sad
die Under the hoofs of the trampling
charges. "Picpon remembers" he MUIR
INJURED, with a smile, and as the charge
swept onward Cecil, with a great Cry
Of horror. saw the feet of the madden
ed horses strike to pulp the writing
body and saw the black, wistful eyes
Of the child of Paris look upward to
him once with love and fealty and UNI
speakable sweetness cleaning through
their darkeDed sight.
But to pause was impossible. Though
the French horses were forced with
marvellous dexterity through a bfistling
forest Of steel. though the remnant of
the once glittering squadron was cast
against them in as headlong a daring
rs II 1t had half the regiments of the
empire at its back, the charge availed
little against the hosts of the desert
that had rallied and swooped down
Afresh almost as soon as they had been
for the instant of the shock panic
bNklCACns 4uC} ClOSCu III OA WHY oidts
wheeling their swift coursers hither
and thither, striking with lance and
blade, hemming in beyond escape the
doomed fragment of the Frankish
squadron till there remained of them
but one small nucleus-a ring of horse
men, Of whom every n had his face
to the foe; a solid circle c%uriously
wedged one against the other, with the
bodies of chargers and of men deep
around them and with the ground soak
ed with blood till the sand was one red
morass.
Cecil held the eagle still and looked
round on the few left to him.
you are the sons of the Old Guard.
Die like them"
They answered with a pealing cry.
terrible as the cry of the lion in the
hush Of the night, but a shout that had
In 1t assent, triumph, fealty, victory,
even as they obeyed him and drew up
to die, while In their front was the
young brow Of Petit Picpon turned up
ward to the glare of the skies.
The Arabs honored these men. who
alone and In the midst of the hostile
force held their ground and prepared
thus to be slaughtered one by one till
Of all the squadron that had ridden out
In the darkness Of the dawn there
should be only a black, huddled. stiff
ened heap Of dead men and of dead
beasts. The chief who led them press
ed them back, Withholding them from
the end that was so near to their hands
when they should stretch that single
ring Of horsemen all lifeless in the dust.
You are great warriors!" he cried In
the Sabir tongue. Surrender! We
will sparep'
Cecil looked back once more ON the
fragment Of his troop and raised the
eagle higher aloft where the wings
should glIsten In the fuller day. Half
naked. scorched. blinded. with an open
cash In his shoulder where the lance
had struck and with bis brow wet with
the great dews Of the noon heat and
the breathless toll. his eyes were clear
Is they flashed with the light of the
sun In them. His mouth smiled as he
answered:
Have We shown ourselves towards
that you think we shall yleldT'
A yell of wild delight from the chas-
seurs he led greeted and ratified the
choice. ITO the death! We will not
= MM