Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-10-11
CHAPTER XXI.
The Charge.

pany F, band OF twenty-five
men now, able to bayonet
N "a, az building, was gone. n "a
had become purely position. ram
part Of cotton bales and ballast bags
chinked up with bricks and stone
from the debris of the warehouse. 1t
was a section Of firing trench which
girded the Manhattan water front from
the Battery to the Bronx and then
along the Hudson and the Harlem, too.
as the regent drew his lines about the
billion dollar fortress Of Manhattan.
1t was ten days after that first as
sault. according to Jim's reckoning
the reckoning did not agree with that
Of Kilbane, who knew 1t was eleven
days-that the infantry Of the regent
crossed to Manhattan island near the
old line Of Manhattan bridge. Tho reg
ulars, who had held the line up there,
must have been killed, and the Ameri-
can batteries about there either were
destroyed or ont Of ammunition. That
was more likely, Jim thought. for II
twenty-five men at N 81 couldn't get
rife cartridges except at night when
some one crept to the opening of
the subway the artillerymen farther
away must he having their troubles.
Or perhaps more Of the guns had burst
and killed their crews.
Guns were bursting pretty often now,
Jim knew, but that wasn't strange:
they were defective guns-a lot Of 200
guns made for the allies during the Eu-
ropean war. They hadn't been accept
ell on account Of defects, 80 they'd
been returned. and when this war came
the army had grabbed them, for Mt
least they were guns: they would shoot
a good many times, maybe. before they
burst. Suppose they were going to
kill the men who had to fire them!
More American men would be killed II
the guns weren't fred, II riflemen were
going to try TO fight infantrymen and
artillery without any artillery support
at all. Resides. If the Americans used
those defective, foreign guns the Amer
lean factories, could supply them with
shells right away without having to
change pattern or rip out a machine.
The regents men were coming on
on toward the ramparb Of N 81.
The twenty-five men there were be.
coming trained to holding position,
or Winslow and Houston had convinc-
ed them all that II man tried to run
he surely would be shot through the
head. So. as the regents men moved
On IN 94' twenty-five rifles fred over
the cotton bales.
rBayonets now, boys! Bayonets!
Stand up and give It to them! They're
coming! Give 1t to them! oh. stand
and give 'em the steel or you'll set It!
Now-bayonets! Bayonets!"
The recruits could not all stand to
that. Some Of them ran and were
shot. not by Winslow or Houston, but
by the regents men. Others fell down
and tried TO hide behind the cotton
bales. But when Winslow jumped up
on bale to fight and Houston. stun
bling a little because Of his wooden
leg. stood up also others followed
them. Paddy Kilbane. for one. and
for another Swenson, the ex-janitor.
Jim Ashby fought beside him.
Steel against steel! Kilbane was
quick. He lunged low and got man
before one got him. But Swenson was
a bit slow He tried 10 club his mus.
ket and was thrust through Yet the
man opposite Jim was fighting with
dubbed musket. and Jim could. not
reach him. Instead. Jim went down,
quite helpless. but not quite uncon.
scious. and felt other men falling upon
him. They did not move because they
were dead. and as he did not move the
enemy considered him dead also. They
went over him md past him abou,
business which they had yet to dc