Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-16

talions, companies, and even to platoons
ana sections. appointing the full compile
nent OF officers on the long march I
schooled them In their duties, aud as fast
as one learned sent him among the others
as n teacher.
Before we reached the plain of Phutra
we were discovered by company Of Sa-
goths, who at first stood to give battle ::
but upon seeing the vast numbers of our
army they turned and fled toward Phutra
The result Of this was that when we came
N sight of the hundred towers which mark
the entrances TO the buried city we found
a great army OF Sagoths and Mahars lined
up to give us battle.
AT thousand yards we halted. and
placing our artillery upon a slight eminence
at either flank, we commenced to drop solid
shot among them. ia. who was chief ar.
tillery officer, was In command of this
branch of the service. and he did some ex-
ceilent work. for his Mezop gunners had
become rather proficient by this time. The
Sagoths couldn't stand much Of this sort
OF warfare, so they charged u.s. yelling
like fiends. We let them come quite close
and then the musketeers who formed the
first line opened up on thsm
The slaughter was something frightcul
but still the ramnants of them kent on COM
ing until 1t was matter of hand to hand
fighting.
We lost heavily IN the encounter after
the Sagoths reached us but they were alb
solutely oNterminated-- not q one remained
even as n prisoner. The Mahars seeing
how the bate was going. had fastened to
the safety of their buried city. When we
had overcome their gorilla men we fol-
| lowed after them
But we were doomed TO defeat. at least
temporarily for no sooner had tho first OF
our troops descended into the subterran mean
avenues than many of them came stumbling
~ inn lntr h,, 4.
| half-choked by the fumes of some deadly
gas that the reptiles had liberated upon
| them. We lost number OF men here.
Then | sent for Perry. who remained dis
oreetly in the rear, and had him construct
little affair that | had had in my mind
against the possibility of our meeting with
check at the entrances to the underground
| city.
Under my direction he stuffed one of his
J cannon fun OF powder, small bullets and
| pieces of stone, almost TO the muzzle.
| Then he plugged the muzzle tiCht with "A
| cone-shapcd block OF wood hammered and
| jammed in as tight as IL could be Next
| he inserted Il long fuse \ dozen men
rolled the cannon to the top of the stairs
| leading down TO the city first removing il
| from its carriage. one OF them then III
| the fuse and the whole thing was given q
| smart shove down the stairway. while the
| detachment turned and scampered to a safe
[ distance.
| For what seemed very long time moth.
| ing happened, We had commenced to think
| that the fuse had been put out while the
piece was rolling down the stairway. or thai
| the Mahars had guessed it's purpose ant
| extnguished it themselves. when the grount
| ABOUT the entrance rose suddenly into tn,
| air. to be followed by terrific explosion
| and burst of smoke and flame that sho
high in company with dirt stone and frag
| ments of cannon
a low ridge intervenes between the phu
| ira plain, where the city lies. and the inlan,
| sea, where the Mahars We're wont to dis
| port themselves in the cool waters No
| until we had topped this ridge did we ge
| a view of the sea.
Then we beheld scene that | shall neye
| forget so long | may live.
Along the beach were lined uu the troo,
of lidi while "a hundred yards from shor,
| the surface of the water was black will