Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-12-16

DOun1leSa NclUt. Inc uSual pTcCuu-
tons against surprises had been taken,
the oxen had been watcred, the rations
eaten, the last pipe smoked, and weary
men and patient, long-sufferlng emil
mails had lain down to rest. Only John
and Arthur seemed wakeful, and ex-
changed a few desultory remarks be-
fore turning in. They spoke Of tier
mother and of how lonely she must be,
and again Arthur remembered the
charge she had given him.
But darkness Is the best cover, and
under It's wing men who know the
country and its secrets can effect
movements in unbroken silence. Near
or and nearer through the mullied
hours Of night crcpt u foe who slnm-
berod not, whose case was desperate,
and whose existence as a lighting
force depended on the capture OF that
convoy. All they craved-food, cloth
ing, weapons, and. above all, ammu-
nition-was in those wagons.
AS the frs, glow of dawn deepenod
and burned in the eastern sky, a soil
tary rifle shot rang out over the plain;
then another and another, in sharp
succession, running into II long, un-
broken rattle of musketry. P%hit-ping,
p%hit-ping, sang the hail Of Mauser
lead that slung and blinded and be-
wildcred men and animals alike. Pitt
ping on every side, and no shelter ne
hand.
The moment of attack had been we'll
chosen-whcn Kanir drivers were har-
Messing the ox-teams, and the hustle
Of the start was on the u~npreparcd
men. Taken at a disadvantage. and
for the moment in hopeless disorder,
the men seized their rifles and wildly
returned the onrmy's fire, wasting
their bullets as fast as they could dis
charge their weapons.
In the midst of the excitement Ar
thur found time 70 think of John.
'Jic down, John" he said, WHATS
the good of exposing yourself like
that? The men are all right-they
viii be steadior presently he urged,
as n bullet hit his brothers helmet.
TO his amazcmcnt, Johns face
turned chastity pale. This must be
stopped" he said ~brOkcnly, like IA man
shaken with some terrible fear. we
must surrender. We are outnumbercd,
and the ammunition Is exhausted
Surrender. No fear returned Ar
thur rcassuringIy. ''Therc'3 plenty of
ammunition in the wagon. III have
some served ont"
lie turned, and AZ he did so John
slipped a handkerchief from his sleeve,
fastened It on n %bayonct, and held It
on high, where the breeze caught and
rocked 1t gently.
Almost at once the firing from the
kOpjc slackcncd, and then ceased, and
simultaneously the men heard the
buple sound cease fire" When they
looked round bcwIldcrcd, though nc
doubt to some extent relieved, they
saw their officers standing together
and on the ground between them
bayonct with a shameful pcnnon at
tached. Which Of the two had raised
It?
But nothing certain was known OF
the surrender until. by II OF the
strange chances of war that upset al
calculations and render the foresight
Of experience futile, Col. LIE Sage heard
from the RillnRtons Themselves an ac'
count Of what had happened.
For reasons of their own, the Beers
had set the two young officers free
having first relieved them Of their val
uahlcs. The brothers had trampct
back to camp, some so miles, In less
than 30 hours. They had had neither
food nor water, and had been soaked
to the skin in heavy rain. AS JOIN
was on the point Of collapse, shaking
In every limb, and almost unconscious
he was ordered into hospital By Thu
doctor. and on Arthur devolved thu
task Of giving the details OF the unfor
mate occurrence.
"Dcvilisl awkward for the boy, hav
inr such a story 10 tell when his owl
brother was in charge" thought tn
colonel, as he prepared himself to lie
ten TO the disclosure,
After the first few sentences his fac'
hardened. He misdoubtcd his owl
senses.
Il fail to follow you, Mr.. Ellington,
he interrupted, In Il tone that was sci
dom heard by the regiment. you
story Is incredible. Am ! to under
stand that, without your brother
knowledge or permission, you flew tn
white flag after a bare ten minutes
lighting, and with a total loss of thre'
men wounded and two killed."
Eyes. sir"