The Connecticut labor press., 1920-10-09

that mad five minutes. I remember putting my musket against blue-coat, and pulling the trigger, and that the man could not fall, because he was so wedged in the crowd; but I saw horrid blOtch upon the cloth, and a thin curl of smoke from 1t, as if it had taken fire. Then I found myself thrown up against two big Frenchmen, and so squeezed together, the three of us, that>we could not raise a weapon. One of them, a fellow with a very large nose. got his hand up to my throat, and I felt that I was chicken in his grasp. Rendezvous, cOquin, rendezvous !" said he, and then sud- denly doubled up with a scream, for some one had stabbed him in the bow els with a bayonet. There was very little firing after the first sputter, but there was the crash of butt against barrel, the short cries of stricken men, and the roaring of the officers. And then, suddenly, they began to give ground, slowly, sullenly, step by step, but still to give ground. An, 1t was worth all we had gone through, the thrill of that moment, when we felt
 
 was one Frenchman before me, sharp-faced, dark-eyed man, who was loading and firing as quietly as if he were at practice, dwelling upon his aim, and looking round first to try and pick off an officer. I remember that it struck me that to kill so cool man as that would be a good service, and 1 rushed at him, and drove my bayonet into him. He turned as struck him, and fired full into my face, and the bullet left a veal across my cheek which will mark me to my dying day. I ripped over him as he fell, and, two others tumbling over me. was half smothered in the heap. When at last I struggled out and cleared my eyes, which were full of powder, saw that the column had fairly broken, and was shredding into groups of men who were either running for their lives, or fighting back to back, in vain at tempt to check the brigade, which was still sweeping. onward. My face felt as if red-hot iron had been laid across it, but I had the use of my limbs so. jumping over the litter of dead and mangled men, I scampered after my regiment, and fell in upon the right flank.
 Old Major Elliott was here, limping along, for his horse had been shot, but none the worse in himself. He saw me come up, and nodded, but it was too busy a time for words. The bri- gade was still advancing, but the gen. eral rode in front of me, with his chin upon his shoulder, looking back at the British position.
 'There is no general advance" said he. "But I'm not going back"
 ''The duke of Wellington has won great victory" cried the aide-de-camp in solemn voice, and then, his feel tngs getting the better of him, he .idded, eff the d-d fool would only push on p'-which set us all laughing in the flank company.
 But now anyone could see that the French army was breaking up. The columns and sQuadrons which had stood so squarely all day were now all ragged at the edges, and where there had been thick fringes of skirmishers in front there were now a spray of stragglers in the rear. The Guard thinned out in front of us as we pushed on, and we found twelve guns looking us in the face, but we were over them in a moment, and saw our youngest subaltern, next to him who had been killed by the lancer, scrib- bling great "71's" with a lump of chalk upon them, like the schoolboy he was. It was at that moment that we heard noise of cheering behind us, and saw the whole British army flood over the crest of the ridge, and come pouring down upon the remains of their enemies. The guns, too, came bounding and rattling forward, and our light cavalry-as much as was left of it-kept pace with our brigade upon the right. There was no battle after that. The advance went on without check, until our army stood lined up on the very ground which the French had held in the morning. Their guns were ours their foot were rabb1e, spread over the face of the country, and their gallant cavalry alone was able to preserve some sort of order, and to draw off unbroken from the field. Then at last, just as the night began to gather, our weary and starv- ing men were able to let the Prussians take the job over, and to stack their arms upon the ground that they had won. That was as much as I saw or can tell you about the battle of Water loo, except that I ate two-pound rye loaf for my supper that night, with as much salt meat as they would let me have, and a good pitcher of red wine. until had to bore a new hole at the end of my belt, and then it fitted me as tight as hoop to barrel. After that I lay down in the straw, where the rest of my company were sprawl ing, and in less than a minute l was in a dead sleep.