The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-01-27


Rastatz, who came alive. II not with a
whole skin. out OF the encounter and
lived TO reach middle age under a new
regime so unappreclative Of his serv-
Ices that II cashiered him for getting
drunk within year from this date.
He ended his days as a billiard marker
at the Golden Lion. a fact agreeable to
poetic justice. but not otherwise mate
rial. While occupying that capacity he
was always ready TO open his mouth TO
talk provided he were afforded also a
better reason for opening 1t.
Safnitz and his men felt that their
hard work was done. They were with
In touch OF Slavna. and they had no
reason, as they supposed. 10 fear any
attack. The colonel had INDUCED them
in something approaching TO a carouse.
Songs had been sung and speeches
made; congratulations were freely Of
fered TO the colonel; illusions We're
thrown out not too carefully yelled TO
the predlcament IN which Stenovics
focnd himself. Hard work. a good
supper and plentiful wine had their
effect. Save the sentries all were asleep
Mt 10 o'clock and game to sleep till the
reveille sounded at G.
Their presence was a surprise to their
assailants, who had perhaps approach
ell IN too rash a confidence that they
were first on the ground. But the
greater surprise befell those who had
now TO defend the barges and the
guns. When the man who had found
the dead sentry ran back and told his
tale. all OF them. from Stafnitz down
ward. conceived that the attack must
rome from Stenovics. None thought OF
sophy and her Volsenians There they
were packed In the barn. separated
from their horses and with their car
blnes laid aside. The carblnes were
easily caught up. the horses not so
easily reached. supposing an active.
skillful enemy ut hand outside.
For themselves their position was
good 20 stand siege. But Stafnltz
could not afford that. His mind few
where Sophy's had. Throughout and
on both sides the guns were the factor
which dominated the tactics OF the
fight Il was no use for Stafnitz to
stay snug In the barn while the enemy
oyerpowered the barges (supposIng
they tried tighD. disposed OF the sentry
stationed on each deck and captured
the guns. Let the assailant carry them
or and the coloners game was up.
Whoever the foe was. the fight was for
the guns and for one other thing no
doubt. for the colonel's life.
I'VE felt In the deuce OF a mess"
Rastatz related. "for we didn't know
how many they were, and we couldn't
out OF the barn cool as a cucumber and
locked and listened. He called 70 me
to go with him, and so / did. keeping
as much behind his back as possible.
Nothing was TO be seen. nothing 20 be
heard. He pointed 10 the rising ground
opposite. That must hide them he
said. Back he went and called the first
half company. You follow me In sin
gle file out Of the barn and round to
the back OF It. Let there be n foot be-
tween each OF you. room enough 10
miss. When once you get IN rear Of
the barn. make for the barges. Never
mind the horses. The second half COM
pany viii cover the horses with their
fire. Rastatz. see my detachment round
and then follow. Wen leave the ser
geant major In command here. Now.
quick. follow mer
anrt ba ,,.opt o,a A. MOS, t,ora, o.,
follow In their order / had TO stand In
the doorway and regulate the distance
between man and man. | hadn't been
there two seconds before a dozen heads
came over the hill and a dozen rifles
cracked. Luckily the colonel was Just
round the corner. Down went the
heads again. but they'd bagged two OF
our fellows. I shouted to more TO como
out and at the same time ordered the
sergeant major TO send a file forward
to answer the fire. Up came the heads
again. and they bagged three more.
Our fellows blazed away IN reply, but
they'd dropped too quickly. ! don't
think we got one.
''Well. we didn't mind so much about
keeping our exact distances after that,
and l wouldn't swear that the whole
fifty OF us faced the fire. II was devil
lsh discOncerting. you know, but in a
few minutes thirty or five and thirty OF
rs got round the side OF the barn some
how and for the moment out OF harms
way. We heard the fire going on still
In front, but only In a desultory way
They weren't trying TO rush us, and !
ion't think we had any idea Of rushing
them. For all we knew they might be
200 or they might be n dozen. At any
rate. with the advantage Of position
they were enough to bottle our men up |
In the barn for the moment at all
events"
This account makes what had hap |
pened pretty plain Half OF Sophy's |
force had been left 10 hold the enemy !
Or as many Of them as possible In the
barn. They had dlsmounted and, well
covered by the hill, could make good
practice without much danger 70 them
selves. Lukoyitch was in command Of
this section OF the little troop. Sophy.
and Peter yassip, also on
foot 1.-THE horses hoofs would have be-
trayed them. We're stealing round, In