The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1915-07-01
CHAPTER V.-contInued.

eho frusslAn soldiers.
CHAPTER V.-contInued.
An old house across the street
which had been on fire, had collapsed
into mere mound OF slate. charred
beams, and plaster. Through the
brown heat which quivered above the
ruins ! could see out into the country
And what ! saw was a line of hills,
crowned with smoke. = rolling stretch
OF meadow below. set here and there
with shot-torn trees and hoppolcs !;
and over this uneven ground two regi.
ments of French cuirassiers and two
squadrons of lancers moving slowly
forward as though on parade.
The cuirassiers moved on slowly.
the sun binding sheet OF fire on
their armor; now and then a horse
tossed his beautiful head, now and
then a steel helmet turned, flashing.
Griefstricken. | groaned aloud :
Madame. there rides the finest cav
AIRY in the world!-to annihilation. !"
How could l know that they were
coming deliberately to sacrifice them
selves7-that they rode with death
heavy on their souls. knowing we'll
there was no hope, understanding that
they were to die to save the frag-
nents Of a beaten army?
They are doomed. like their ia
TIERS" l muttered-"sons of the cui-
rassiere of Waterloo. Look. madame.
Look on the men of France You say
you do not understand the narrow love
Of country! Look!"
1T Is too pitiful, too horrible" she
said. hoarse1y How the horses fall
In the meadow"
They will fall thicker than that
IN this street,"
See" she cried; they have begun
TO gallop! They are coming! Oh,
cannot look!-I-cannot!"
Far away. thin cry sounded above
the cannon din: the doomed cuiras-
siers were cheering. 1t was the first
charge they had ever made; nobody
had ever seen cavalry OF their arm on
any battlefield OF Europe since Wa
terloo.
Now among the thicket Of hop.vines
long lines Of black arose: there was a
nash, belt Of smoke, another flesh
then the metallic rattle of bullets on
steel breastplates. Entire ranks of
cuirassiers went down in the smoke of
the Prussian rifleeAthe sinister clash
and crash Of falling armor filled the
air. And. above the Internal fracas
rose the heavy cheering of the
doomed riders
Into the deep. narrow street wheeled
the horsemen, choking road and side
walk with their galloping squadrons,
a solid cataract of impetuous horses,
flashing torrent of armored men
and then! Crash! the first squadron
dashed headlong against the barri.
cade of wagons and went down.
Into them tore the squadron behind
unable to stop their maddened horses,
and into these Numbered squadron
after squadron, unconscious Of the
dead wall ahead.
Posted behind the upper and lower
windows of the houses, the Prussians
shot Into them. SO close that the
hames from the rifles set the Jackets
OF the cuirassiers on fire. Then ter
rble butchery OF men and horses he
gan.
In front OF the barricade huge
fellow reined in his horse and turned
white-gloved hand raised. red epau
lets tossing
Halt. Haiti" he shouted "Stot
the lancers!" And trumpeter. dis
engaging himself from the frantic
chaos, set his long, silver trumpe
to his lips and blew the Halt"
Then into this awful struggle gal
loped the two squadrons of the Ian
GERS. For moment the street swan
under their fiuttering red-and-white
lance-pennons, then d volley sven
-another-another- e and dow1
they went
The street was still crowded witt
entrapped cuirassiers, huddled II
groups or riding up and down tn,
walls mechanically seeking shelter, 4
few OF these, dismounted, were wear
lily attempting to drag a heavy car
away from the barricade; the Prus
slams shot them, one at a time. bu
others came TO help, and a few Ian
GERS aided them, and at length the,
managed to drag hay-wagon aside
giving narrow passage to the opel
country beyond. Instantly the Prus
sian infantry swarmed out of tn
houses and into the street, shouting
Prisoners" pushing, striking. an
dragging the exhausted cuirasser
hrom their saddles But contact wit