The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-16
M VICTOR HUGO

etory is of the French Revolution, and deals with the series of feroeious wars Rr,ttsn n the northern provinces vendee and support of their Catholic faith and of their hereditary nobles against the commune of Paris. The wars of La though not unique, spectacle of an ops pressed people fighting against lib-
 "Ninety-t three" is a most dramatic and impassioned work--the Dance of like the sToiiers of the the Sea- fin one S famous incident to the misceiisneous @ reading of the whole world. This part of the story. which is rarely omitted iron any system of selected readings. of carronade from it's fastenings on the British sloop of war claymore.
 On the 2sth of April, 17s3, the com mune of Paris gave this order to the volunteers under Santerre, who were ino Brittany to stamp out the rebellion of the peasants; NO mercy, no quar- ter" At the end of May, of the Is,- 900 Parisian troops two-thirds were dead.
 Three hundred of these men ewere securing the terrible woods of La saudraie in this time of epic con flicts. The men marched cautiously. The forest of La Saudraie was tragic. The ferocious cripple Mousqueton had come out of its gloomy depths. The number of murders committed there made one's hair stand on end.
 Suddenly a soldier heard something lilke a whisper in the thicket. It seemed to another that he had just seen a movement among the leaves. Signs were made from man to man. Instantly circle of muskets was aim tng into the thicket from all sides at once and the soldiers waited for the command.
 h that moment the vivandiere who had came to the front yentured to peer through the branches. ana her cry interrupted the sergeant just as he was about to cry ''Firel'
 She rushed headlong in. A woman was sitting on the mosa. with an in- fant at her breast. and in her lap the blond heads of two sleeping children. The woman looked up. stupefied, petri- fled. She was young, thin, ragged. Her bare feet were bleeding.
 Bewildered, as in a dream. this hu.s man flotsam tossed in the tempest of war answered questions. Her village had been burned; by whom she did not know. Her husband had been shot; by whom she did not know. She was carrying her children away; whither she did not know. T am surrounded
  mered she. T don't know what 1t all means. They have killed my husband. I only understand that"
 The sergeant strengthened himself up. Let us adopt these three chill drenT cried he. Behold the children of the battalion of Bonnet-Rougei"
 At almost the very hour when this thing happened in La Saudraie, man-of-war was sailing in the cover of q welcome fog through the dan gerous passages between the Channel Islands. She was the Claymore. of thirty guns. Though she was British, her officers and crew were French picked men of undoubted. even fanatic, loyalty to the King.
 Al one of the islands this ship had taken on board a tall old man, straight and sturdy, with a stern face. full of years and strength. with white locks on his brow and fire in his eye. lie wore the threadbare costume or Breton peasant; but the officers Of the vessels addressed him as "GeneraF' and Prince"
 The sea grew more tempestuous hourly as the snip ran on. They drew near La Courbiere. Great surges be- gan to lift her and drop her heavily. Suddenly a wild cry was heard within inc shin, The gunners were swarmed in panic from the gundeck. One Of the carronades had broken loose.
 It was the fault of the gun captain. who had neglected his duty. heavy sea had struck. the carronade had moved, broken its moorings, and It's first terrible dart had killed four men of the battery d
 sliding back, and then shot out again as the ship rolled, 1t cut in two anoth- CT and unshipped a gun on the star hoard, The men had no recourse but nfa fna mi m a terrible than the most terrible intellt- gent foe.
 Alone it moved hither and yon on the gundeck. like drop of water run ming over glass It shattered four oth- CT guns. It smashed two holes in the side of the ship. Its four wheels passed back and forth over the dead men.
 Its convuIsive blows cracked the mig zenmast and cut into the mainmast. The battery was being reduced to noth- ing. The corvette was beginning to leak.
 Suddenly a nan sprang down with an iron barN It was the gun captain. In the semi darkness an unprecedented battle began--a gladiator of flesh at- taekIng a beast of brass. The carro- \ made was like gigantic insect of met al. having the will of demon.l It ran at the man. He writhed away from 1t
  the side of the ship.
 An end of broken chain hung to the cannon. It whirled desperately like an iron lash in a brazen hand.
 Suddenly the cannon made a quick dash at the gunner. He sprang out of the way. The monster. as if enraged, smashed carronade on the port side. Then 1t was hurled back to the star board side again. at the man. Three carronades gave way.
 As if blinded. 1t turned from the gum ner and rolled from stern to bow. rnak- ing another breach. The next instant 1t slid backward at the man swift as falling ax. He was driven against the side of the ship. The crew cried out in terror. , At that, moment the peasant dartsd down the ladder. He Ieaped like one leaping at the throat of death and threw a huge bundle between the wheels of the carronade. It stumbled | The gunner plunged his bar between the spokes of a wheel. It stopped, The man had conquered. He had conquered, but the cannon had conquered as well. Twenty of the thirty guns lay useless. The gun deck | was frightful. The ship had i've holes | In her aide, a gale had begun to blow. the vessel was far out of her course. On the deck of the half wrecked | toIe the man in the peasants dress. He took a cross of Saint Louis ana | pinned 1t on the gunner's jacket. The |