The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1912-06-01
. RffGieGh Anniversary
By RANDALL PARRISH
? WAR Story
COPYRIGHT. 1903. By A.. {. MecLURG & CO..

OF low tangled bushes, OF drifting
smoke clouds. Of a solid gray PASS
breaking through. OF sunlight SHIN
mering along u front of ieveled steel;
then I jerked the lanyard and mingled
smoke and fame burst forth.
All that followed was paudemonium.
rush. oar leaping, ~shapeless figures.
! could perceive nothing clearly; all 1
remember was that we were firing
canister. the DETECTED guns leaping
madly back with the recoil. growing
hot to the hand.
l trod on bodies as ! toiled. ] heard
through the sitting volume OF smoke.
the Internal upFuJr. n hoarse shouting
OF unrecognizab!e orders. the wild
scream OF II wounded nUfse. a single
mad oath. an agonIzed voice yelling
from behind. Where The devil is the
infantry?' let all mat l actually rea-
lied Their 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 1 must stand
10 IL until / died. Two years or iron
discipline had made me into a ma
chine.
Something burned my shoulder Ike
a sudden squirt OF flame; | felt sick
from the shock and chung desperately
10 the breech TO keep from falling.
| saw faces here and there amid the
brown whirls OF smoke. strange, I'M
known repulsive faces. rendered hide
ous from the strain OF conflict My
gun toppled over. one wheel smashed
into splinters. / saw Wyatt turn and
run for the rear. and Parkhurst 6ung
backward as though shot from a cata-
putt. ! jerked the rammer out OF his
dead. clutching hands. and began strik-
ing tiercely at the crush OF gray figures
ieaping toward me. Then everything
went blank. andiI pitched over under
the wreck.
1t was dark when I 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 feverishiy from pain. and
my right side ached horribly as l FIRST
attempted to move my body. Above
me was the black breech OF the gun.
aud my extended hand touched the
single wheel UNFOLDING it. the spokes
ragged from splinters. 1t hurt me so
desperately to urn over that | remain
ed motionless for a long time. staring
straight up at the sky. listening intent
" for each sound. and endeavoring TO
think. In a measure the situation soon
became sufficiently c~lear-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
gurgiing breathing yonder TO the left!
One of my feet pressed against q body.
and l moved 1t 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 out cropping to-
ward the right it touched an ice cold
face. l was afraid to ascertain the
truth. Had | been badly injured!
Was I crippled for life?
At length. my teeth cllnched in final
determination to know the worst. l
endeavored to feel along my side
where the twinges of pain seemed
most severe. but only to discover my
rough wooden shirt stif from con-
cealed blood. My lips were dry and
cracked. my tongue parched and swol-
lea. Suddenly in the stiffness 1 dis
tincuished 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 jackals 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. Ike
hunted wild beasts. | recognized them
m the scourge Of the battleheid-bu