The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1912-03-30

me. There are times when a higher
law than that of military despotism
should control our actions | am go
ing there. orders or no orders. Fbers
can command your detachment and ac-
compiish all the service you pOso! bly,
could Your rightlul place is het~ cen
these ruftians and the woman sou
love. How many additional men viii
be required to make the back OF the
house secure"
Il feel like new man, Wayne, ne
said thankfully, and | know you are
right. Four more would be sufficient.
besides the one In command"
Good. Ebers." said, as my portly
sergeant again emerged from out the
darkness, take your four men back
to the kitchen and assume command.
The guertlias are preparing to make
a rush there. and you must drive them
back by d rapid fire. Hurry along
now"
The little group had barely van
ished beyond the glow of the light
when from without our ears were sud-
denly assailed by wild. exuiting yell
that bespoke the charge.
There they are!" cried. Now,
lads. come with met"
The dull. gray. chilling dawn re-
vealed a room In utmost disorder. the
windows shattered, the blinds cut anc
splintered. the walls SCARED with bull
let's and disfgured with stains Of
blood. the furniture overturned and
broken. dead soldier In gray uni
form lay In the center of the floor, his
life blood a dark stain upon the rich
carpet: a man with coat off. and blue
shirt ripped wide open. was leaning
against the further wall vainly endeav.
oring TO staunch a wound in his chest.
Brennan was upon one knee near the
central window, smoking gun In his
hand, a red welt showing CHASTITY
across his cheek All this saw In
single glance, and then, with the leap
of a panther l was beside him, gazing
out into the morning mist. and firing
as fast as ! could handle my gun.
Through the shifting smoke clouds
run-an ugly. motley line. part blue,
part gray, part notwithstanding
as they swept forward like pack OF
Infatuated wolves, their fierce faces
scowling savagely behind the rifles.
1t was half war, half riot-the reckless
inspired by lust, yet guided by rude
discipline.
| knew little of detail; faces were
blurred, unrecognizable: all | seemed
to note clearly was that solid. brutal.
heartless, blasphemous line OF desper-
ate men sweeping toward US with re-
lentless fury our puny bullets could
not check. Reckless ferocity was In
that mad rush; they pressed on more
like demons than human beings.
saw men fall; saw the living stumble
over the dead. heard cries OF agony.
shouts, curses, but there was no pause.
could mark their faces now. cruel.
angry. revengeful the hands that
grasped the veranda ratings; the leap
ing bodies; the rife butts uplifted to
batter down our frail defenses.
AS trapped tigers We fought. hurting
them back from the windows, slashing.
clubbing striking with fist and steel.
Two lay dead across the sill before
me, cioven to the very chin. but their
bleeding bodies were hurled remorse-
lessly aside, while others clambered
forward, mad from lust OF blood.
crazed with liquor. With dubbed
guns we cleared it again and again,
battering mercilessly at every head
that fronted U.s. Then a great giant
OF q fellcw-dead or alive, know
not-was hurled head-long through the
opening. an inert. limp weight. that
bore the two soldiers beside me to the
floor beneath his body With wide
sweep OF my gun l struck him. shat
tering the stock into fragments. and
swung back to meet the others. the
hot barrel falling to right and left like
a fail. They were through end on
me! Wild as any sea-rover OF the
north fought, crazed with blood, un-
conscious OF injury, animated solely
by desire to strike and stay! Back
had to 60; back trod on dead
bodies, on wounded shrieking In pain.
yet no man who came within sweep OF
that iron bar lived loved to hear
the thud OF It, and ] fronted those
glaring eyes. my blood afire. my arms
like steel Through the red mist be-
held Cation for an instant as twenty
brutal hands upilfted. and then hurled
him into the ruck beneath their feet
Whether l fought alone l knew not.
cared not. Then some one pressed
next to me, facing as I did, welding a
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