Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1912-06-01

of low tangled bushes, OF drifting
smoke clouds. of a solid gray mass
breaking through. of sunlight SHIN
mering along a front of leveled steel;
then jerked the lanyard and mingled
smoke and fame burst forth
All that followed was pandemonium.
rush. roar. leaping. shapeless figures
could perceive nothing clearly; all
remember was that we were firing
canister. the detected guns leaping
madly back with the recoIl. growing
hot to the band.
trod on bodies as / toiled- ] heard
through the sitting volume Of smoke.
the internal uproar. hoarSe shouting
OF uurecoGuizabie orders. the wild
scream or :; wounded horse. a single
mad oath. an aSoniZed voice yelling
from behind. Where the devil is the
infantry?" Yet all that 1 actually rea-
lized then were those distorted black
shapes springing back and forth from
that gun muzzle. and the lanyard
grasped in my hand. That alone was
my work. my duty, and l must stand
to it until | died Two years of iron
discipline lad made me into a ma
chine.
Something burned my shoulder like
a sudden squirt OF flame: l felt sick
from the shock and chung desperately
to the breech TO keep from falling.
j saw faces here and there amid the
brown whirs of smoke. strange, un-
known repulsive faces. rendered hide
Gus from the strain of conflict My
gun toppled over, one wheel smashed
into splinters. 1 saw Wyatt turn and
run for the rear, and Parkhurst flung
backward as though shot from cata-
pult- 1 Jerked the hammer out OF his
dead. clutching hands. and began strik-
ing fercely at the crush of gray figures
leaping toward me. Then everything
went blank, and l pitched over under
| the wreck.
1t was dark when / slowly reopened
my eyes and endeavored to look about,
dark and still. except for a faint CLEAN
of distant stars. and the awful CUR
Cling of some desperately wounded
/ man lying not far away. My head
throbbed feverishly from pain. and
my right side ached horribly as first
attempted to move my body. Above
me was the black breech of the gun.
and my extended hand touched the
single wheel upholding it. the spokes
ragged from splinters- 1t burt me so
desperately TO turnover that l remain
straight up at the sky. listening intent
ly for each sound. and endeavoring to
think. In n measure the situation soon
became sufficiently ciear-that fierce
charge OF the enemy had reached us
unchecked. and we had lost the guns
Had we also lost the battle?
How deadly still the night was. not
a shot echoing anywhere. not a foot
step. not a voice; only that awful
gurglin- breathing yonder TO the left!
One of my feet pressed against body.
and 1 moved It carefully. although
even this slight action resulted in a
sharp twinge Of pain / could per
ceive another form huddled in a
shapeless heap against the wheel. and
as my hand reached ont cropping to-
ward the right It touched an ice cold
face. l was afraid to ascertain the
truth. Had L been badly injured?
Was I crippled for life?
At length. my teeth clinched in final
! determination to know the worst. 1
endeavored to feel along my side
where the twinges OF pain seemed
most severe. but only TO discover my
rough wooden shirt stiff from con-
Eeafed blood. Ny lips were dry and
cracked. my tongue parched and swoi-
len. Suddenly in the stiffness l dis
tinguished the sound Of some one ap-
preaching and sank down again. mo-
tionless. listening.
They came sinking toward me from
out the night much as jackais might
creeping along from body to body.
mumbling to each other as they crop
ed around in the darkness. occasion
ally lifting their heads to listen. like
hunted wild beasts. 1 recognized them
as the scourge OF the battlefield-hu