The Monticellonian., 1915-01-14
CHAPTER ix-Continued.

But would one? He understood
that with their smokeless powder the
Gray guns could be located only by
their flashes, which would not be WIS.,
ible unless the refraction of light were
favorable Then 'thur-eesh-thur-
eesh" above every other sound in
long wall, No man ever forgets the
first crack of a shrapnel at close quar-.
tiers, the first bullet breath on his
cheek. or the first supporting shell
above him.
THAT is ourst" called Dellarme.
.Ours," shouted the sergeant.
"Ours!" sang the thought of every
one of them.
Over the Gray batteries on the plain
an explosive ball of smoke hung In
the still air; then another beside It,
"Thur-eesh thureesh - thur-eesh.
the screaming overhead became a gale
that built cloud of blue smoke over
the offending Gray batteries-be auti-
full, soft blue smoke from which
spray of steel descended. There was
no spotting the flashes of the Browns
guns in order to reply to them, for
they were under the cover of a hill,
using indirect aim as nicely and ac-
curately as II firing pointbiank. The
gunners of the Gray batteries could
not go on with their work under such
a hail-storm; they were checkmated.
rNt G,i,1
to a new position. where their com.
mander hoped to remain undiscovered
long enough to support the 12Sth by
loosing his lightnings against the de-
tenders at the critical moment of the
next charge, which would be made as
soon as Fracasse's men had been rein
forced
There was an end to the eoneus-
sions and the thrashing of the air
around Dellarme's men, and they had
the relief of breaking abscess in the
ear But they became more conscious
Of the spits of dust In front of their
faces and the passing whistles of bull
let's. In return, they made the sec
tons of Gray infantry In reserve rush
ing across the levels. leave many gray
Jumps behind. But Fracasses men at
the foot of the slope poured in a heav
Ter and still heavier fire.
Down there's where we need the
shells now" spoke the thought of Del
larme's men, which he had anticipated
by word to the signal corporal. who
waved his flag one-two-three-fo
five times. Come on, now, with
more of your special brand of death.
fire-control officeri Your own head is
above the skyline, though your guns
are hidden. Five hundred yards be-
yond the knoll is the rangek Come
on
He came with a burst of screams so
low in fight that they seemed to
brush the back Of the mems necks
with hair broom at the rate of a
thousand feet a second Having
watched the result. Dellarme turned
with a confrmatory gesture, which the
corporal translated into the wigwag
Of Correct" The shrapnel smoke
hanging over Fracasses men appeared
heavenly blue to pellarme's men.
They are going to start for Us
soon! On but Wen get a lot of
them! whispered stranshy gleefully
to his rifle.
Dellarme glanced again toward the
colonels station. No sign of the re-
firing flag He was glad of that He
did not want 10 fall back In face of
a charge 10 have his men silhouetted
In the valley as they retreated. And
the Grays would not endure this show
er-bath long without going one way or
the other. He gave the order to fix
bayonets, and hardly was II obeyed
when he saw flashes OF steel through
the shrapnel smoke as the Grays fixed
theirs The Grays had 800 yards to
go: the Browns had the time that it
takes running men to cover the dis
taAce in which TO stop the Grays.
Wen spear an of them who has
the luck to get this far" whispered
Stransky to his rifle The sentence
was spoken in the midst of a salvo of
shrapnel cracks, 1.hIch he did not
hear. He heard nothing, thought moth
ing. except to kill
The Gray batteries on the plain.
having taken up a new position and
being reinforced, played on the crest
at top speed instantly the Gray line
rose and started up the slope at the
run. With the purpose of confusing
no less than killing, they used percus-
sion. which burst on striking the
ground, as We'll as shrapnel, which
burst by a time-fuse in the air Foun-
tains Of sod aud dirt shot upward TO
NEE. descending SPRAYS of bullets. The