The Yale expositor., 1920-11-04

nj TIE gunners so that three pieces
out of six on our left were lying with
their men strewed I'm the mud all
round them. But the Duke had his
eyes everywhere, and up he galloped
ut that moment. thin, dark, wiry
man, with very bright eyes. a hooked
nose, and big cOckade on his cap.
There were a dozen officers at his
heels, all as merry as II II were fox
hunt; but of the dozen there was not
one left in the evening.
"Warm work, Adams" said he NJ
he rode up
every warm, your grace" said our
general
But we can outstay them at II, ]
think! Tut! tut! we cannot let Skin
mishers silence a battery. Just drive
those fellows out Of that, Adams"
Then first | knew what a devils
thrill runs through a man when he IL
given II bit of fighting to do. Up TO
now we had Just lain and been killed,
which is the weariest kind OF work.
Now II was our turn, and my word
the whole brigade. In four-deep line.
and rushed at the cornield as hard as
we could tear. The skirmishers snap
ped at us as we came, and then away
they bOlted like corn-crakes their
heads down, their backs rounded, and
their muskets at the trail. Half Of
them got away. but we caught up the
others, the officer first, for he was Q
very fat man who could not run fast
II gave me quite n turn when i saw
Rob Stewart on my right stick his
bayOnet into the mans broad back and
heard him howl like lost soul. There
was no quarter in that field, and IL
was butt or point for all of them. The
mems blood was aflame, and little won
der for those wasps had been sting
ing all morning without our being able
so much as see them.
And now. as we broke through the
farther edge OF the cornfied we got
in front of the smoke. and there was
the whole French army In position be.
fore us, with only two meadows and
n narrow lane between us. We set I'D
a yell as we saw them, and away we
should have gone, slap at them, II we
had been left to ourselves, for silly
young soldiers never think that harm
can come to them until II is there in
their midst But the Duke had can
tered his horse beside us as we adj
vanced and now he rOared something
to the general. and the officers all
rode in front Of our line, holding out
their arms for us 10 stop. There was
a blowing Of bugles. pushing and a
showing, with the sergeants cursing
and digging us with their halberts.
and in less time than IL takes me to
write IL there was the brigade in
three neat little squares, all bristling
with bayOnets and in echelon. as they
call II, so that each could fire across
the face of the other.
1t was the saving OF US, as even SO
young soldier as / was could very
easily see. And we had none too
much time, either. There was a low,
rolling hill on our right flank, and
from behind this there came a sound
like nothing on this earth so much
as the beat of the waves on Berwick
coast when the wind blows from the
east. The earth was all shaking with
that dull, roaring sound. and the air
was full of it. STEADY, Seventy-first
for Gods sake, steady" shrieked the
voice OF our colonel behind us, but in
front was nothing but the green, gen.
10 81 90 l,a oil
with daisies and dandelion.
And then suddenly, over the curve
we saw eight hundred brass helmets
rise up, all in q moment, each with
long tag OF horsehair flying from Its
crest. and then eight hundred fierce
glaring out from between the ears 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 I
down came the line OF muskets, and
our bullets smacked up against their
armor like the clatter of a hailstorm
upon a window. I fired with the rest,
and then rammed down another charge
as fast as l could, staring out through
the smoke in front of me, where |
could see some long. thin thing, which
tapped slowly backward and for
ward. bugle sounded for us TO
cease firing, and Whit of wind came
to clear the curtain from In front OF
us. and then we could see what ha6