The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-10-03
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The smoke OF the DISCHARGE botioo
out from under the leaves and rose
through the branches IN razy scarves
and balloons OF miik-colored mist
Presently through the trunks men
appeared. waking slowly. They
were working their way steadily
backward IN good order They
paused 20 ere calmly deliberately.
as they INJURED
The most considerable body OF mon
was that TO tho right The watcher
picRed out the uniform and the oolcf
Of the faces: they were Britishers
and Lsncs-R Those on the left were
nstivss. Beagaiis-and Lancers. toe,
like the British Lancers they were
disnorntsd and using their carbines
What astogaded the watcher was
tie smaiiness OF the fierce There
zero less than sc3 men. and they
wers opposed to thousands. rossibiy
tens OF thousands
The wat-hsr on tho roof began &c
grow feebly excitsd
They'll be wiped OUT ne nut.
tered. wiped right out" nc raised
himself on his elbows 20 see tho bet
ter. Ills old soldierly instincts re
asserted themselves Some fool has
made a mistake" he muttored. "A
rotten bad mistake They'll he
wiped out"
He did not know. he could not
Know. hue. as a matter OF fact. no
one had made a mistake The force
beneath him. General Massy's. had
been moved out by General Roberts
from Kabul. 70 help, with smother
and stronger force. break up a com
bination OF various scattered bands
OF Afghans and ghazis These bands
threatened TO gather together. and
under the latest OF the Amirs pre-
tending 10 the throne OF Afghanistan
Mahomed Jan. menace Kabul. Gen
erai Massey should have. by this time
formed a conjunction with the
stronger column. General Macpher.
sons. Owing 10 several things a de-
lay IN Macpherson's start and the
rapidity of the afghan advance. the
conjunction had not been made, and
Masy had 20 face the great army
alone with his hopeiessly inadequate
force.
The situation Of the little force
was desperate. yet even the watcher
on the roof did not know that so des-
perate was II that the keenest and
quickest brain in the Indian army
General Roberts. had himself gal.
loped out from Kabul 10 endeavor
by all the resources OF his genius. 10
save the day.
General Roberts had perceived a;
one glance. trivial though the Skin
mish seemed. II held in its balance
the safety OF the whole of the Brit.
ish force In Afghanistan. Let the
Afghans break through TO the heights
above Kabul. and KabuI might be
rushed before the garrisons could
pre- pare. Let Kabui be rushed. and
the British rule in Afghanistan would
he swept away utterly.
The guns and the covering cavalry
mad come out IN the open plain now
The guns had swung about and were
humping on steadily The mer
moved about their pieces wiz
nschanica; zest. collected. fell bacl
and fired with unnurried regularity
collected fell back and cred again
oh. good men," whispered tn
man on the roof Good! Good"
lie was painting a little WITH En-
element His labored breath CAM
wheeziiy through his rusty throat
Ills pulse had quickened. He WASH
an Engiishman. OF course. now. An,
oil these things didn't interest min
much He'd washed mis- MAIDS o
them stiil-s,i1 70 was good WORK
capable FORK. soldier work All tina
had been good. soidieriy IN his pas
weilod up within him. pushed bacl
his drink stupor. warned his dul
brain He was no. an Enslishmai
now. still
Presently he heard what they coull
not hear down there on the plain.
furry OF shooting over by the VII
lage Of DehiMazanE lie iookel
toward a. Hs saw a thin reck o
smoke hanging over tho gorge BY m
village. and nothing else The
} through a burst Of open ground cats
quilted a tiny horseman. his horse
legs coins Ike india rubber IT
J man on the roof nodded Tie a.,
wisdom IN This Some one was 90
, ing into Kabui 10 raiss the darn
That was good especially az the
, hadn't hit him
IN a moment he frowned TIE n
, membered that stream % runnin
B men who had ief' BhaFwana vinaE
, for the gorge. The gorge was IN
only road 10 Kabul-the only way on
p ~ the valley a single horsema
might GET through ths .mbushe
: Afghaus. but would "a force 20 gun
2 and cavalry get through ~
a.