The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-26
TIE MASTER OF APPLEBY. &

| loyalist rallying signal. Captain de Peyster.
| too. did ample justice to the uniform he
| wore, and when CaInDbelrs Nirginians
| gained the summit at the far end of the
hilltop. twas de Peyster who led the
bayonet charge that forced the patriot rife
| men some little way down the slope.
But these are diGressions. No man sees
| more of battle than that little circle OF
which he Is the center: and the fighting was
hot enough at the wagon barricade to keep
both Tybee and me from knowing at the
/ time what was going on beyond our narrow
range OF sight or hearing. You must pic
ture. therefore. for yourselves, a very
devils pandemonium let loose upon the lit
, tie hilltop SO soon as the mountain men
gained their vantage ground at the 'front.'
ing of the rock breastwork: cries; frantic
| shouts OF God save the king!' yells fierce
and wordless; men in red and men In home
| spun rushing rladly hither and yon In a
vain attempt to repel q front and rear at
tack ut the same instant. Twas a hell set
free. with no quarter asked or given. and
where we stood the Tory defenders of the
wagon barrier were presently dropping
around US In heaps and windrows Of dead
| and dying. like men suddenly plague-smit-
ten.
In such time of asking you must not
think we stood aloof and looked on coldly.
AT the first fire Tybee stripped off his coat
and fell to work with the wounded, and I
quickly followed his lead. praying that now
my work was done. some one Of the flying
| missiles would find its mark in me and let
me die soldiers death.
30 1t was that saw littls more of tho
battle detail and of that fierce frenzy-time
l have memory pictures only Of the dead
and dying: Of the torn and wounded and
bleeding men with whom We wrought,
striving as We might to stanch the ebbng
life-tide or to ease the dying gently down
into the valley Of shadows
And as for my prayer, it went all unan-
swered. Once when 1 had a dying Tory's
head pillowed on my knee 1 saw rifieman
thrust his weapon between the wheel
spokes OF the outer wagon and draw
bead on me. 1 heard the crack of the
Deckard. the zip of the bullet singing at
my ear, and the mans angry oath at his
missing of me. Once again q rifle ball
passed through my hair at the braiding of
the queue and 1 felt the hot touch of 1t on
| my scalp like breath of fame. Another
time a mountaineer leaped the rock barrier
to beat me down with the butt of his rifle
and in the very act Tybee rose up and
| throttled him. 1 saw the grapple. sprang
to my feet and whipped out my sword.
Stop 1 commanded: you have broken
your parole, Lieutenant
The freed borderer glared from one to the
| other of us. 'Loonies!' he yelled; "Tll
slaughter the both of yer! And so he would
nave oOle. Hhke no QOuDt. naQ We not
laid hold Of him together and heaved him
back over the breastwork.
These are but incidents. points Of contact
where the fray touched us two at the
| wagon barricade. I pass them by with the
| mention, as 1 have passed by the sterner
horrors Of that furious killing time. These
last are too large for my poor pen. AS we
could gather In the din and tumult the
mountain men rushed again and again TO
ha and aftn t1o hro,,
or De Peyster led the bayonet charges that
pushed them back. Yet in the end the un-
erring bullet suppressed the bayonet: there
came time when flesh and blood could no
longer endure the death-dealing cross-fire
from front and rear.
I saw the end was near when the Major
ordered the final charge. and Captain de
Peyster formed his line and led 1t forward
at double-qufck. The mountaineers held
| moro than half the hilltop now and this
forlorn hope was to try to drive them
down the farther slopes. On It went AMI
l could see the men pitch and tumble out
Of the line until at bayonet-reach of the
| riflemen there were less than a dozen afoot
and fit to make the push.
De Peyster fought his way back to tho
wagons. gasping and bloody Some of the
Pories crowding around US raised white
nag. The Major, sorely wounded now and
all but disabled, swore a great oath and
rode rough shod into the ruck of covering
militiamen to pull down the flag. Again the
| white token Of surrender was raised. and
again the Major rode in to beat 1t down
with his sword. At this Captain de Peyster
put in his word.
"'Tis no use. Major; there Is no more
fight left in US! Five minutes more Of this
and We'll be shot down to a man.
Ferguson's reply was a raging oath,
broad enough to cover all the enemy and
his own beaten remnant as well; and then,
before a hand could be lifted to stay him,
he had wheeled hia horse and was galloping