The diamond drill., 1921-02-05

4 et.aH AA"tH htA ~ NCA-DOOh anu kUllik
20 mass" AS pictured to myself that
quiet. happy life. could have burst
into tears.
But the drums began to beat and the
I trumpets sounded.
The first movement was when our
four divisions were ordered TO ad-
vance. We were about twenty thou
sand men marching In two lines and
sinking up TO our knees with every
step In the soft mud. Nobody spoke
a word.
Face 20 face with us were the Eng
llsh. In perfect order. their cannoneers
with lighted matches In their hands.
On all sides. as far as the eye could
reach. nothing was TO be seen but cui-
rasses, helmets. swords. lances and
rows OF bayonets.
what battlel" cried Buche, my
comrade-at-arms. "Woe to the Eng
lish I"
And thought as he did. believed
that not single Engllshman would
escape. But bad luck pursued us that
day; though, had IL not been for the
Prussans, think we should have ex-
terminated them all.
Down into the little valley we pour
ed right into the face of the English
fire, and shouting all the time give
them the bayonet"
The batteries hurled their grape-shot
point blank upon us. II was then. for
the first time, l saw the English close
az hand. They had fair skins and
we're clean shaven like respectable cit
liens. They can fight well. too-but
we are as good as they. Every shot
OF the English told and this forced
us TO break our ranks, for men are
not mere palisades.
And almost at the same moment we
saw a mass Of red dragons, on gray
horses, sweeping along like the wind
and sabring our stragglers without
mercy. II was one OF the most ter
rible moments Of my life as we were
driven back
What fearful thing IS a bnttle
Then out came Marshal Ney waving
his sword In the air. Older, thinner
and more bony than when | saw him
last but still the same brave soldier
with tie clear eyes that seemed 10
take us all in.
Forward" he cried, 81 shall lead
you myselfl" And we rushed ahead,
one after the other like pack OF
wolves, until we gained the principal
outpost of the British
But suddenly the rumor spread that
the Prussians were coming. felt
myself grow pale.
At that moment cries OF "Vlve rEm-
pereurw rose from thousands OF
throats behind us, and looking back
saw all our cavalry OF the right wing
advancing to attack the solid squares
OF the English IL was an awesome
sight. With waving sabres they rush
ed pell-mell again and again upon the
red-coats. Twenty such charges they
made, until the horses OF our culras-
siers, exhausted. could no longer even
walk--and there still firmly stood the
great red lines. steadfast as walls
Now all that remained for attack
was the Old Guard-those wonderful J
veterans who had fought In Germany, |
In Egypt. In Spain and I'm Russia, OF !
whom the Emperor took special care |,
and who no longer knew parents or
relations. They only knew the EN-
peror who was their god. When Il
was said in the ranks "The Guard Is
going to charge" is was the same as
saying, THE battle Is wonl"
And Ney commanded them
Upon the Guard fell the concentrated |
hail OF bullets. In twenty minutes /
every officer had been dsmounted and /
the Guard. reduced from three thou
sand men to twelve hundred. slowly
gave way.
Now the entire English army fell
upon us AAd. as the remnant of the
old Guard fell backward. across the !
field fled hussars. cuIrasslers. artillery
and infantry like an army of savages.
What can / tell you more? II was
utter rout. And in the valley old
Blucher, with forty thousand Prus-
sians was looming up.
The end had come--and wept like
child.
Back we scurried, borne down with
fatigue, hunger ami despair.
Keep on cried Buche, "the Prus-
SLAMS take no prisoners. Look they /
are cutting down everyone"
So back. back even 10 Paris we
fed. and there we learned that hos
tilItles were 10 b. suspended. that the
emperor had gone and that the king
was returning 20 the throne. Deser-
tlons' began.
hurried on from village to village
and at last reached Pfalzbourg-a
my home.
Up the stairs I sprang; Catherine
was in my arms. fell TO sobbing so
violently that one would have thought
misfortune had come upon me-
The first words of Catherine were.
Joseph, ! knew that you would come