The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-02-21
AGiftonth
Field Of
Battle
A Storyofth the Balkan War
BY F. A. Mitchell

One of those bloody battles between
the allied Balkan forces and the Turks.
e Adrianople, had been fought. and
the latter had been defeated. but not
without terrible cost to their enemies.
From the field arose the mingled cries
Of Turks and Balkans, the former ap-
pealing to Allah to send them succor.
the latter to the Christians God.
Two wounded M~ontenegrin soldiers
lay side by side. One of them. whose
leg had been shattered by a rifle ball.
sat up and. pulling a little flask from
his pocket. was about to take the
single drink it contained when he saw
the other, who seemed to be wounded
unto death, looking at it longingly. A
struggle arose within the man who
possessed it. He would soon likely
be carried off the field to recover from
his wound. while the other gave evil
dence of being in a dying condition.
Both men craved the single dram
that remained in the flask. To either
it was more than untold wealth. But
the possessor Of the treasure could not
withstand the look on the face of the
other. Slowly. reluctantly. longingly.
he reached out his hand and held it
to his companions lips. who drank It
down greedily.
The latter closed his eyes for a few
moments. then. seeming to gather
strength. there came a regret that he
should have been so weak as to accept
a gift Of what a fellow soldier needed
for himself.
pardon" he said family. 1.-THE
temptation was too strong for me; !
couldn't resist it."
"You needed it far more than l. l
will recover without 1t. It may be
the lean of saving your life"
II would that l might live to reward
you for your sacrifice. but I cannot: !
am dying"
"Cheer up. Exercise your will power
Remember that there are those at home
who love you and are looking for your
return. This will pull you through"
AC1C IL OuL PIX OUSA PCASOA ! NAC
world-my wife-and she would prefer
that l should return"
do you mean it?"
II do. She loved another. Fate de-
prived her of him and gave her to me.
Our parents arranged a marriage be-
tween us. My heart was in it, but not
hers. l have hated this man, though
l have never seen him. l only know
that he exists. But now. since l am
about to die, all that has gone from
me. l an ven willing that my wife
should be happy with him."
AS he spoke the last words he passed
into unconsciousness. while the atten-
ton Of the other. hearing sounds of an
approaching rescue party, was turned
in another direction.
Darkness fell upon the battlefield, but
only caused the cries of those lying
there to sound more melancholy. as the
whippoorwill sings saddest when the
twilight has passed.
Lights appeared here and there. NOV
ing about from place to place as rescue
parties relieved the wounded or carried
them away to the hospitals. The man
with the broken leg. supporting him.
self by an arm, looked eagerly at the
lights. praying that some Of them
might come his way. A party drew
near him and he called to them. but
either there too many such calls
for them to heed his or he had not the
strength to make them hear. At any
rate they passed on, leaving him bleed
ing in the cold. He sank in a stupor.
doubtless from loss Of blood, from
which he was aroused by a bright light
which dazzled his eyes. Behind it was
the dark figure Of a soldier.
'"This one is alive" said the man.
Bring q s~tretcher."
There was just enough animation in
the sufferer to remember the compan-
lon to whom he had given his last
drink of liquor. and he wondered If he
still lived and would be carried of the
field or would later be shoveled with
the other dead into a trench. But with
bodily weakness both our finer and
coarser, feelings are benumbed. and lie
did not even ask the question. He was
carried to a h~ospital-or, rather. a de-
pot for the wounded-where surgeons
were at work amid hundreds Of poor
wretches who were awaiting their
turn to be examined. Finally a sur
geon approached him. looked at his leg
and at once began to amputate It.
Louis Nader when he left the hospi
tai did so with the help Of a pair OF
clutches. He had made his contribu
ton to the grim god of war in a lee
and was reserved to die a natura
death, for his fighting days were over
He sought his home in a little noun
tain village of Montenegro. where. will
| other of wars wrecks. he was received
thankfully that he had returned at al
by those who were near and dear t.
him. He would sit by the fireplace
telling his friends Of the battles il
which he had fought and the privations
he had endured.
One day a young widow who hat
1 49, 49, a..-A--A 4-&kl~ 80 - An~.