The Greeley tribune., 1906-05-10

| when l became conscious of faint
rumbling sound to the south. | held my
hand to my ear, strainng 10 hear and inter
| pret the sound. Fleschmann heard 1t ut
the same moment. He gripped my arm.
Listen. he said, g it is the French can
non coming north.''
keen suspense. A breeze blew lightly
| from the south. rustling the tree tops. The
| sound came again-a low, wel-defined roll
as of heavy wheels on u hard road. For
died away as the breeze fell.
They are not less than five miles away. Z"
said @ Lowenberg. God. how they creep!
| Well, let us move down.
We descended through the forest and
reaching the end of the woods worked
south; After advancing n couple OF miles
| the lines reformed and awaited the ap-
| proach of the unsuspectlng Gauls. Scouts
| reported the road two hundred yards IL
| way Later came the lancer skirmishers.
| They had seen the F'rench-u division OF
bntterles-twenty thousand men, more or
less. They were covering about six miles
an hour.
1t was a trying wait. Lowenberg con-
ferred with his officers. and j could but
stand there beside Fleischmann, quvering
with excitement: ! wondered what l
should do when the crisis arrived. l WAS
armed with revolver and sabre. hut did
not wish to fight, for | friendly to the
French. Yet knew that could not now
withdraw; that they would strike at me,
aud that must strike back or go down
Finally the clattcr of hoofs sounded
around a bend in the road, and minute
later the cavalry appeared. With helmets
and trappings flashing in the pale NOON
light they thundered by, a stream of horse
men II mile long, hurrying forward to select
4 camp, for 1t lacked hut two hours of day
light, and the troops We're hungry after
their night march
A long interval of silence then the tramp
OF Infantry. steady and regular, like the
lightened to a sickly. grayish yellow, they
came in sight. advancing in columns OF
four. We waited until they were well IA
had passed. | saw Lowenberg draw his re-
volver-the critical moment had arrived.
Our front was easily half Il mile long.
We were In two lines. each line four men
The hussars formed the center, with Low
enberg, Fleischmann and myself close be-
hind.
As the shot rang ont our whole line
moved into the open field, broke into trot, |
then into galop. Eight thousand German
voices Joined in one mighty cry Of battle; .,
rnh. Preussen. Norwaerts,"
Down we swept with thunder of hoOfs |
Cheer after cheer echoed back from the
high hills Fifty yardsEia hundred nara yards tha,
shouting ana gesticulating In
great confusion. Some leveled their rifles.
and pattcr OF bullets nngered the Ger,
mans. who opened with their carbines and
let loose n hail of lead.
can recall little of that mad rush. My |
horse was running away. | could not have
held him IL j would. The bullets flew |
thicker. The French were forming. kneel- |
Ing at the roadside and firing as rapidly MS
they could work their guns. Others We're
All, 1t was no use either to run
or to fire. That solid wall of men and
horses slid like an avalanche down the
grassy hill. 1t brushed the French back: 1t
tlattened them; 1t crushed them into mass
Of shrieking. cursing humanity. My horse
reared and came down In their midst, his
great hoofs crushing the skulls of two who
were struggling to their feet My very soul
sickened at the horrid smash of iron on
skull. On we went. straight through the
seething mass of men, and wheeling sharply |
In the field beyond the road came back In
another mad charge.
suddenly Lowenberg's horse stumbled,
wayered and went down with n bullet IN |
his brain. Fleischmann was at the left, |
fighting like demon, his long heavy sabre
playing havoc in the huddled groups OF de-
with his steed E'leischmann closed in, |
seized him by the collar, dragged him out