El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-04-14

one, two three
l. deluge of rain and darkness.
one might have believed that they
came out Of the water. for the tor
rents of rain which had been railing
incessantly for more than month mad
made the plain around AurlahOpIe ana
Devanjaros look like sea
In the uncertain twilight each OF
them looked like an immense bundle
I Of sheepskin out OF WhlCh eIleI Seu
the barrel OF a rifle Al So y OF SaPS
of green velvet bordered Win astra-
Il was a patrol of Macedonians en-
rolled in the Bulgarian army, passing
through the line OF ouJposls- Hesltat-
ing and uncertain they moved their
long arms like windmllls, made the
sign of the cross, pointed. rlSnL and
left and peered about cautiously
Fifty PAGES away a branch STUCK INTO
the ground and reflected IN pool OF
water began to move back and forth
The Nacedonians started towards the
hole from which this signal was given.
IT was the abandoned trench. Ser
geant Naritch and his five Bulgarian
soldiers were down IheEe anu Adu
given them the signal
The six Bulgarians loved the SIX
MacedonianS. DiplOVltch ana halOuD
were old comrades. POtrOff and Ref
were cousins and had almost cried
with ioy when they first met; the
Suleiman and Nazif who both had be-
loved ones whose deaths cried for re-
venge were more than brothers to each
other.
ment these L men were in the habit
of meeting on the hour Of twilight
when the guns became blind and are
forced to sleep.
They met in the abandoned trench
which was no longer used There
they sat down close together in the
deep mud. They exchanged only few
words The war is going to last
long timer or May the Lord give the
Turks into our hands" was the burden
of their remarks
Then they sat silent and pOndered
until it was time to seaprate and
each party went back to its camp.
On this night they felt unusually
depressed and melancholy. The ince1
SAINT rain, the everlasting cold and
the enforced idleneSS and hOpeleSSneSS
overwhelmed them
The war Will never end said ka-
loub making a wry face
Never" said Nazif and yawned like
a hungry wolf.
They all bowed their heads and spat
into the mud, then, as always happens
when men are dOWnherted and de-
pressed. they began to talk about mys-
CeriOuS things.
The moon looks like a crescent to-
night" said KalOub-
a bad sign" said Alexis, the veneer
able brigand, who knew everything
between life and death. 1T is a vic
iOus little moon"
And he told the legend of the vic
iOuS little moon which kills all those
on whom it looks down from above.
They raised their heads and glanced
furtiveIy toward the sky.
"One must not tempt the moon"
said POtrf who was newly married al
though his hair Yves gray. Woe unto
I am sleepy" said Ref plaintively
like a child
Let us 60 back" growled Alexis.
and stuck his bayOnet into his boot
MacedOnians left one at a time The
Bulgarians looked after them and re
GREETED they had let them 60. Then
instead of leaving themselves they re
NAMED in the abandoned trench, op-
pressed by vague sense OF danger,
afraid Of the moon that was looking
down upon them half senseless with
fatigue and superstition.
Each was dreaming his own dreams.
Sergeant Natrich saw his little house
and his wife in her gaily cOlOred dress
He saw her looking at a gOlden-haired
child and smile, and he smelled the fro
GRANGE >Of the Towering hedges and
saw the long rows Of willow trees
standing like sentries along the bank
Of the brook.
Suddenly he raised his head with a
jerk and rubbed his eyes. He could
see nothing now but the darkness and
He shook himself What were they
thinking of 1t was late. Little father
colonel would surely hear them coming
back
Come along, boys, we must get
back to camp" he said
The others yaWned, stretched their
limbs and crawled out Of the trench.
They marched and marched on
through the muddy pools with the rain
beating into their faces and soaking
the fur Of their heavy sheepskin
coats. From time TO time they
glanced at the moon.
They stopped They had lost their
way 1t was the moon, the vicious
little moon which had led them astray
with its treacherOus light
They shuddered and started again,
tramping through the mud Time and
again they nearly fell into the deep
mUdhOles made by the bursting shells.
half an hour passed and still no sign
Of lights or campfires-
Suddenly a shot rang out.
The sergeant raised hisShead, looked
about and listened.
we are inside the Turkish lines"
he said.
we ought to have set out when the
MacedOnians left" grOwled KalOub,
they know their way here and would
not have wandered astray'
Look" said DipIovitch, there are
some soldiers over there watching US"
And at the faint light Of the moon
Llltg QAllA4g llduE OuL SOlle uEtS q
short distance away The Bulgarians,
now quite convinced that the vicious
little moon had led them into an am
bush. felt like bowling with supersti-
uOus fear.
In a low voice Natrich commanded:
''Firer'
The enemy was quicker, however.
and fired first
With a groan Potrof, the newly mar
ried fell to the ground like a log. The
firing was kept up by both sides and
men dropped where they stood.
The last man to remain standing fin
ally sank to the ground. He thought
he heard somebody whisper his name
from among those he had shot down.
Then everything was silent.
Towards morning a passing patrol
found the dead bodies Of six MacedOn-
ians and six Bulgarians, who had
been led astray by the vicious little
moon, that kills those on whom il
looks down from above.
TWO ARRESTED ON
DOTT TAv nuADNTC