The Delta independent., 1906-05-11
Compiled by wmRMaekrill.

when I became conscious Of faint.
rumblinR sound to the south. l held my
| hand to my ear, strnining TO hear and inter.
| pret the sound. Fleischmann heard 1t AT
| the same moment. He gripped my arm'
Listen" he said. % 1t 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. weli.denned roll.
as of heavy wheels on u hard road. For
full a minute we heard 1t plainly; then II
died away the breeze fell. :,
They are not less than tve miles away, .
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 a couple of miles
the lines reformed and awaited the ap-
proach of the unsuspecting Gauls. Scouts
reported the road two hundred yards a
They had seen the French-a division of
cavalry. followed by infantry and field
bntteries-twenty thousand men, more or
less. They We're covering about six miles
IL was n trying wait. Lowenberg con-
ferred with his officers. and 1 could but
with excitement: ] wondered what !
should do when the crisis arrived. ! was
armed with revolver and sabre, but I did
not wish TO nght, for l was friendly TO the
French. Yet i knew that ! could not now
Withdraw: that they would strike at me,
and that must strike back or 20 down.
around bend In the road. and minute
later the cavalry appeared. With helmets
and traPpings flashing in the pale moon
light they thundercd by. a stream OF horse
men q mile long, hurrying forward to select
camp. for Il lacked but two hours OF day
light. and the troeps were hungry after
their night march.
A long interval OF silence-then the tramp
OF Infantry. steady and regular. like the
throbblng Of n great engine. As the sky
lirhtened 10 sickiy. grayish yellow. they
came In sight. advancing In columns OF
four. We waited until they were well n
long In front of us. A mile OF the column
had passed. saw Lowenbcrg draw his re-
volver-the critical moment bad arrived.
Our front was easily half mile long.
We were In two lines. each line four men
deep. with space OF ten yards between.
The hussarr formed the center. with Low
enberg, F1eischmnnn and myself close be-
hind.
A. the shot rang out our whole line
moved into the open field. broke into trot.
then into a gnliop. Eight thousand German
voices Joined In one mighty cry of battle;
''Hurrah. Preussen,'' Aud aga!u: "Hur-
rsh. Preussen. Norwaerts.'
Down We swept with thunder OF hoofs.
Cheer after cheer echoed back from the
hirh hills. Fifty yards hundred yards
standards. shouting and rcstlcuia ting In
great confusion. Some lcyeled their rifles.
and patter Of bullets nnger"d the Ger
mans. who opened with their carbines and
let loose hail Of lead.
can recall little Of that mad rush. Ny
horse was running away. l could not have
held him 4 ! would. The bullets fcS
lug at the roadside and nring as rapidly as
they could work their guns. Others were
running. All. u wns no use either to run
or TO nre. That solid wall OF men and
hors~s aid like an avalanche down the
crHssy hill. IL brushed the French back: IL
fntteued them; It crushed them into mass
of shrieking, cursinS humanity. Ny 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 horrii smash OF iron on
skull On we went. straight through the
sccthing mass Of men. and wheeling sharply
In the neld beyond the road came back In
another mad charge.
Suddenly Lowcnberg's horse stumbled.
wavered. aud went down with n bullet In
his brain. F1cischmann was at the left.
fighting like a demon. his long heavy sabre
plny Ing havoc In the huddlcd groups OF de-
moraliEed French. But ms the Colonel sank
with his steed F1eischmann closed In,
seized him by the collar. dragged him out