The Yale expositor., 1920-10-28

shadow. Then we closed up again,
while the growing ahead of us grew
louder and deeper than ever.
There's three batteries there" said
the sergeant. "There's Bulls and
Weber Smiths, but the other is new.
There's some more on ahead OF us.
for here's the track OF nine-pounder,
and the others were all twelves. Choose
a twelve II you want TO get hit, for
a nine mashes you up, but a twelve
snaps you like a carrot"-and he went
on to tell about the wonderful wounds
that he had seen until my blood ran
like iced water In my veins, and you
might have rubbed all our faces In
pipeclay and we should have been no
whittier. "Aye, you'll look sicklier yet
when you get hatful of grape into
your tripes," said he; and then, as
saw some Of the old soldiers laughing,
began to understand that this man
was trying TO brighten us so l began
to laugh also. and the others as well,
but IL was not a very hearty laugh
either.
The sun was almost above us when
we stopped at little place called Hal,
where there is an old pump from
which | drew and drank a shake full
Of water-and never did a mug of
Scotch ale taste as sweet. More guns
passed us here, and Vivian's hussars,
three regiments Of them, smart men
with bonny brown horses, a treat 10
fhn hn ~ hn xro
louder than ever now, and II tingled
through my nerves just as II had done
years before when, with Edie by my
side. / had seen the merchant ship
fight with the priTateers. II was so
loud now that II seemed to me that
the battle must be going on just be-
yond the nearest wood, but my friend
the sergeant knew better.
IT'S twelve to fifteen miles or" said
he. you may be sure that the general
knows that we are not wanted, or we
should not be resting here at Hal"
What he said proved to be true, for
a minute later down came the colonel
with orders that we should stack arms
and bivouac where we were, and there
we stayed all day, while horse and
foot and guns, English, Dutch and
HanoverianS, were streaming through.
The DEVILS music went on till evening,
sometimes rising into a roar, some
times sinking into grumble, until
about eight o'clock in the evening II
stopped altogether We were eating
our hearts out, as you may think, to
know what 1t all meant. but we knew
that what the Duke did would be for
the best, so we just waited in patience.
Next day the brigade remained at
Hal In the morning, but about midday
came an order from the Duke, and we
pushed on once more until we came to
a village called Bralne something, and
there we stopped, and time. too, for
sudden thunderstorm came on and
plump of rain that turned all The roads
and the fields into bog and mire. We
got into the barns at this village for
shelter, and there we found two strag-
glers, one from killed regiment and
the other q man OF the German legion,
who had a tale to tell that was as
dreary as the weather.
Boney had thrashed the Prussians
the day before, and our fellows had
been sore put 10 it to hold their own
against Ney, but had beaten him of at
last. 1t seems an old, stale story to
you now, but you cannot think how we
scrambled around those two men in
the barn, and pushed and fought just
to catch word OF what they said, and
how those who had heard were In turn
mobbed by those who had not. We
laughed and cheered and groaned all
in turn, as we were told how the Forty
fourth had received cavalry in line,
how the Dutch-Belgians had fed, and
how the Black Watch had taken the
lancers into their square. and then had
killed them at their leisure. But the
lancers had had the laugh on their
side when they crumpled up the Sixty
ninth and carried Off one OF the colors.
To wind II all up, the Duke was In re-
treat, in order to keep In touch with
the Prussians. and II was rumored that
he would take up his ground and fight
a big battle just at the very place
where we had been halted.
And soon we saw that this rumor
was true, for the weather cleared
toward evening. and we were all out
on the ridge to see what we could see.
II was such a bonny stretch OF corn
and grazing land, with the crops just
half green and half yellow, and fine
rye as high as a mans shoulder. A
scene more full of peace you could not
think Of, and look where you would
over the low, curving, corn-covered
hills, you could see the little village
steeples prlcking mp their spires among
the poplars. But slashed right across
this pretty picture was long trail
Of marching men, some red, some
green, some blue, some black, zigzag-
ging over the plain and choking the
roads, one end so close that we could
shout to them as they stacked their
muskets on the ridge az our left, and
the other end lost among the woods
as far as we could see. And then on
other roads we saw the teams of