Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1921-03-04
By A. CONAN DOYLE

they've got one another by the throt-
tie.
Then the colonel did wise stroke,
for he reckoned that this would stave
Off the cavalry for five minutes. so he
wheeled us into line and got us back
into deeper hollow, out Of reach
of the guns. before they could
open again. This gave us time to
breathe. and we wanted 1t, too, for
the regiment had been melting away
like an icicie in the sun. But bad
as Ii was for us, It was a deal worse
for some OF the others. The whole
of the Dutch Belglans were cut off by
this time heller SHELTER, fifteen thou
sand of them, and there were great
gaps left in our line. through which
the French cavalry rode as pleased
them best. Then the French guns had
been too many and too good for ours,
bits, so that things were none too
merry with us. On the other hand,
HougoumOnt, a blood soaked ruin, was
still ours, and every British regiment
was firm. though, to tell the honest
truth as a man is bound to do, there
were a sprinklng Of red coats among
the blue ones who made for the rear.
But these were lads and stragglers,
the faint hearts that are found every
where, and | say again that no regi-
ment flinched. 1t was little we could
see Of The battle, but man would be
blind not to know that all the fields
behind us were covered Wiz. flying
men. But then. though we on the
right wing knew nothing of 1t, the
Prussans had begun to show, and Ma
poleon had set twenty thousand of his
men to face them. which made up for
ours that had bolted, and left us much
as we began. That was all dark to us,
however. and there was time when
the French horsemen had flooded In
between us and the rest OF the army,
that we thought we were the only
brigade left standing, and had set
our teeth with the intention of selling
our lives as dearly as we could.
At that time 1t was between four
and five in the afternoon, and we had
had nothing to eat. the most of us,
since the night before, and were
soaked with rain into the bargain. 1t
had drizzled off and on all day. but for
the last few hours we had not had a
thought to spare either upon the
weather or our hunger. Now we be-
gan to look around and tighten our
waistbelts. and ask who was hit. and
who was spared. was glad to see
Jim, with his face all blackened with
powder, standing on my right rear,
leaning on his fire-lock. He saw me
looking at him. and shouted out to
know If l were hurt
"All right. jim" l answered.
Il fear I'm here on wild-goose
chase" said he gloomily, but it's not
over yet BY God, I'll have him or
he'll have met" He had brooded so
much on his wrong, had poor jim, that
l really believe 1t had turned his head.
for he had glare in his eyes as he
spoke that was hardly human. He
was always a man that took even Il
little thing to heart. and since Edie
had left him am sure that he was no
longer his own master.
1t was at this time that we saw two
single fights which they tell me We're
common enough in the battles of old.
before men We're trained in masses.
As we luy in the hollow, two horse
men came squirting along the ridge in
front of us. riding as hard as hoof
could rattle. The first was an English
dragoon. his face right down on his
horses name. with French cuirassier,
an old. gray-headed fellow, laundering
behind him on big. black mare. Our
chaps set up hooting as they came
flying on. for 1t seemed shame to see
an Englishman run like that; but as
they swept across our front we saw
where the trouble lay. The dragon
had dropped his sword and was I'M
armed. while the other was pressing
him so close that he could not get
weapon. At last, stung maybe by our
hooting. he made up his mind to chance
1t. His eye fell on a lance beside
dead Frenchman. so he swerved his
horse to let the other pass, and hop
piuS WI SVNSIiS eiiOuSu, lie STippeu
hold of 1t. But the other was too
tricky for him. and was on him like
a shot, The dragon thrust up with
the lance, but the other turned and
sliced him through the shoulder-blade.
1t was all done In an instant, and the
Frenchman cantered his horse up the
brae. showing his teeth at us over
his shoulder like "A snarllng dog.
That was one to them, but We scored
one for us presently They had pushed
forward a skirmish-line whose fire was
toward the batteries on our right and
left rather than on us, but we sent out
two companies of the Ninety-tifth to
keep them In check. Ii was strange
to hear the cracking kind of noise that
they made, for both sides We're using
the rifle. An officer stood among the
French skirmishers, tall, lean man
with a mantle over his shoulders, and
as our fellows came forward he ran
out midway between the two parties
and stood as feneer would. with his
sword up and his head back can
see him now. with his lowered eye
lids, and the kind of sheer that he had
upon his face. On this the subaltern