The Tucumcari news. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1906-12-29

m00u the early Stages OI any uctiou'
But once through his baptism OF fire
or warmed to his work, the soldier
recks little Of bullets and shells. Use
is everything.
Thus. later, when | have become par
ticipant in a score or more fights, l
find my early emotions gone entirely or
at least so modified as scarcely to be
worth consideration. A spirit Of fatal
ism has succeeded those agonies Of
anxiety. 1t is impossible to dodge the
bullets. l am here and the enemy's
fire is thick and hot upon me. II 1t
is fated hat / am to be hit, hit | shall
be. II not-tant mieuX. l come to dis
regard the singing of the bullets and
begin to have even a contempt for cov-
er. If / wish 10 move from one point
Of vantage to another / no longer cast
about for the seemingly safest route.
/ am as likely to be hit n way as an
other, and I go straight in conse-
quence.
It happened once In South Africa
that during an action the general in
command, walking round his DISPOSE
lions on a tour of inspection, came
upon q gun that had temporarily been
ordered out Of action. Seated On the
trail, scorning cover, was a gunner
deep in the blushing pages Of a well
known sporting contemporary. The
general paused and gazed for a mo-
ment. Then he turned to the staff off,
Ger who accompanied him. Modern
warfare" he remarked, pointing to the
unconscious gunner, and passed on.
Think Of the infantryman, lying
prone for hours, 1t may be in the same
place, while the bullets fly. twanging
over his PROSTATE body. He dare not
disobey orders by raising his head.
With his eye to the ground he looks
along the level Of the plain to where
the sky line rims it or the hills from
which the enemy's fire Is coming in
close 1t. For foreground he has some
coarse grass, the blades Of which he
Idly tries to count again and again,
and for middle distance the inartistic
boots, ~perhaps-if In close order-of a
comrade lying some few feet ahead to
right or left.
~Steadiness under fire, however, is not
the only thing which the soldier must
learn. War holds other things to shat
ter the toughest of nerves. We speak
not Of certain sights and sounds which
those who have witnessed and heard
them will recall to mind. This is not
the place to paint too wildly the hor-
rors Of battlefield and hospital. But
heaven grant the soldier may never
have to face a charge of cavalry. To
moniac horsemen sweeping onward, to
hear the swelling thunder Of hoofs as
the vengeful horde rushes down upon
him, to catch with unfaltering eye the
CLINT of bare steel brandished fercely-
these are the things at which the stout
est heart may quail.
Worse still the foot soldiers plight
when the square of which he forms a
part breaks up in disorder and stays
not to receive the shock Of the charge.
Panic seizes him. His self control Is
gone. Reason deserts him. Flight,
flight, flight, is the one idea that RACES
In his mind.
Like a startled hare he turns and
fees, whittier he knows not. Hot foot
the cavalry pursue. He hears the thud-
ding of the hoofs behind him, and,
screaming in his agony of terror, he
filings away rifle, bandolier and belt in
his blind endeavor to escape. Louder
and louder drum the thudding hoofs In
his ears. AS he stumbles on he throws
a glance of terror over his shoulder.
His pursuer is On him now. He sees
the snorting nostrils and bloodshot eye
OF the giant war horse as it seems to
prcnce about him and peerlng around
its neck the fierce face of his enemy
with grim, set features, distorted into
q ~frightful look of inhuman savagery.
His eye catches the cleaning of bur-
nished steel, and as he looks along the
leveled lance that points toward him
30 u~nerringly he sees the elbow crook
ed to launch the vicious thrust. His
heart seems near to bursting, his head
Is singing and his mouth Is marched