Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-08-12

LIZ hlSSdC, anu lue party Wheeled anu
dashed away, while there came the
bang Of a gun and a white spray Of
smoke from a battery along the ridge.
At the same instant the assembly was |
blown in our village, and we rushed
for u arms and fell in. There was a
burst of firing all along the line, and
we thought that the battle had begun,
but it came really from our fellows
cleaning their pieces, for their prim-
ing was in some danger of being wet
from the damp night.
From where we stood it was a sight
now that was worth coming over the
seas to see. On our own. ridge was
the checker Of red and blue, stretching
right away to a village over two miles
from us. 1t was whispered from man
to man in the ranks, however, that
there was too much of the blue and
had shown on the day before that their
hearts were too soft for the work. and
we had twenty thousand of them for
comrades. Then even our British
troops were half made up of militia
men and recruits, for the pick of the
old Peninsula regiments were on the
ocean in transports, coming back from
some FOOLS Grand with our kinsfolk
of America. But for all that we could
see the bearskins of the Guards. two
strong brigades of them, and the bon
nets of the Highlanders. and the blue
of the old German legion, and the red
lines of Packs brigade, and Kempt's
brigade, and the green-dotted rifle
men in front: and we knew that, come
what might, these were men who would
bide where they were placed, and that
they had a man to lead them who
would place them where they should
bide.
OF the French we had seer little,
ave the twinkle of their fires and a
few horsemen here and there on the
curves of the ridge; but as we stood
and waited there came suddenly a
grand blare from their bands, and
their whole army came flooding over
the low hill which had hid -them-bri-
gade after brigade, and division after
division-until the broad slope in it's
whole length and depth was blue with
their uniforms and bright with the
CLINT of their weapons. 1t seemed that
they would never have done, still pour
ing over ara pouring over, while u
crest, and then eight hundred fierce
brown faces, all pushed forward, and
glaring out from between the airs of
as many horses. There was an instant
Of cleaning breast-plates, waving
swords, tossing names, fierce red nos
trils opening and shutting, and hoofs
paving the air before us, and then
down came the line of muskets, and
our bullets smacked up against their
m like the cla*ter Of a hailstorm
upon a window. I fired with the rest.
and then rammed down another charge
as fast as 1 could, staring out through
the smoke in front of me, where |
could see some long. thin thing, which
tapped slowly backward and for
ward. A bugle sounded for us to
firing, and a Whit of wind came
to clear the curtain from in front of
us, and then we could see what had
happened.
had expected to find half that reg
iment of horse lying on the ground {;
but whether it was that their breast
plates had shielded them, or whether,
being young and a little shaken at
their coming, we had fired high, our
volley had done no very great harm.
About thirty horses lay about, three of
them together within ten yards of
me, the middle one right on it's back,
with it's four legs in the air, and it
was one of. these that / had seen flap
ping through the smoke. Then there
were eight or ten dead men, and about
as many wounded, sitting dazedly on
the grass for the most part, though
one was shouting "Vive l'Empereur!"
at the top Of his voice. Another fell
low who had been shot in the thigh
a great, black-mustached chap he was,
too-leaned his back against his dead
horse. and, picking up his carbine.
fred as coolly as if he had been shoot
ing for a prize, and hit Angus Myres,
who was only two feet from me, right
through the forehead. Then he out
with his hand to get another carbine
that lay near, but before he could
reach it big Hodgson, who was the
piyot-man Of the grenadier company,
ran out and passed his bayonet
through his throat, which was a pity,
for he seemed to be a very fine man.
At first I thought that the cuirassiers
had run away in the smoke, but they
were not men who did that very cas-,
fly. Their horses had swerved at our
volley, and they had raced past our
square and taken the fire of the two
other ones beyond. Then they broke
through a hedge, and coming on a regi-
ment OF Hanoverians who were In line,
they treated them as they would have
treated us lie we had not been so quick,
and cut them to pieces In an instant.
1t was dreadful to see the big Germans
running and screaming, while the
cuirasslers stood up In their stirrups
10 have a better sweep for their Iona