The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1911-12-01

ZU3 lnSt1nct1Vely laid his niger on the
trigger of his rifle. Here and there q
shot was fired. but the officers inter
vened angrily. The shrapnel hail beat
on the line in savage bursts, but in
their interest in their now visible foe
the men were unmindful of it and its
effects.
The enemy were forming in dark
lines at the edge of the wood beyond
effective rifle range. A mass of them
appeared for a moment on the road
where 1t issued on to the plain.
Where are the guns?" the men asked
one another in impotent anger. Even
as they spoke another series OF
crashes was added to the din, and
white puffs began to burst over and
on the road and along the dark lines.
Then the enemy advanced in rushes.
A humming as of innumerable in
sects passed over the heads of the
regiment. A man raised himself to
get better view of the enemy. Lie
down." shouted the officers, them
selves lying prone. He fell huddled,
the blood running from his mouth.
Every man in the line was aching to
fire, but the officers restrained them
almost with entreaties. 1t was intoler-
able, to lie there and not reply to this
hail of death. At last the order ran
along the line, Fifteen hundred
yards!" The rifles seemed to go of
of themselves with simultaneous re-
port. Once started there was no stop
ping the men. They fred until their
magazines were empty. Each shot was
relief to their overstressed nerves.
Gradually the fire slackened and
grew steadier. Private 99203 stopped
for a minute or two to let his rife
cool. His head buzzed and was verN
hot. He felt atrociously hungry and
thirsty, his lips were cracked and his
mouth was dry with shouting, although
he did not know that he had uttered
sound. Gazing through the smoke
mist at the enemy he was amazed at
the small effect of the fire of the de-
Tense Bodies dotted the plain. but
great numbers of the dark figures
were still running forward. Some had
even reached the stream 800 yards
away and were firing from the shelter
of its banks. Shells were bursting
among them, and above the rifle fire
of his regiment Maxim was rafting
viciously Still the enemy advanced.
He looked at his comrade on the
right The man no longer fired; his
head had fallen on to the stock of his
rifle. Private 99203 felt suddenly
lonely. 1t seemed to him that he was
utterly alone, severed from all COM
panionship, encompassed by threaten
| ing death.
Fix bayonets!" He scarcely heard
! the order, but obeyed it automatically.
Thu fire of the regiment ceased for a
second and then the bullets leaped
out again from glittering line OF
steel The enemy were getting very
close. The shrapnel hail had ceased.
he Knew not when.
He took careful aim at one of the
running figures and saw it fall. A
| savage exultation filed him. He fired
again and again into the oncoming
crowd of rushing men. The foremost
were already halfway up the slope.
He heard volley above his head. The
supports were firing from the top of
the ridge. Somehow through the din
he caught the encouraging voices Of
the officers. He forget himself. forgot
his own danger, forgot everything but
the necessity of firing steadily into the
swiftly-advancing figures.
| The crowd dwindled. seemed to
| melt. Each group was swept away
by the tempest of lead. Isolated fig
ures turned and ran down the slope.
Others followed. Some few struggled
on to be shot down The remainder
raced back to the shelter of the
stream banks, where meeting their
advancing comrades they heaped
i themselves confusedly. 1t was the
regiments chance. Desperately. as
fast as they could aim and pull trig-
ger, the men poured bullets into the
mass It broke and ran in dire con-
fusion back across the plain, chased
by the bursting smoke-puffs. and drop
ping dark figures at every moment.
| At that moment above the noise OF
battle the regiment heard a mighty
rushing sound. 1t came nearer, swell.
ing every second. until it revealed
itself in a tremendous. soul-stirring
outburst of cheering. Swiftly the
sound approached. 1t ran along their
line also. The men sprang to their
feet. waving their helmets in the air.
and cheering as they had never cheer.
ed before. Somehow they knew that
they had won battle.
1 The guns still Numbered on the re
firing enemy.
r. RRITTEN AUSTIN.