Year: 1877

! L
sun was going, down behind the smoke
mantled heights in glow of lurld Grim.
son. The dusk was fast settling on one
of the bloodiest battle fields of the CEN
tury-closing in round the batteries,
whose guns were still firing round de-
tached parties of Russian soldiers, who
were doggedly maintaining the fight
against the swarns of Turks. who
formed 1 ring around them, firing fierce
| ly into their midst, round the dead and
wounded lying thick on the Stubbles, on
the grassy slopes, in the hollows among
the maize plants and oak copses, round
the knots of wounded who had crawled
for cover to the leeside Of the grain
stacks on the fields, and who lay there
in the unspeakable agony Of waiting for
the inevitable doom which they knew
too well was to belall theth, ronnd tile
group of mscreants trdmplng about the
battlefield intent upon wreaking that
| doom on the defenselesS wounded, and
and stopping ever and anon to perpe-
trate some barbarity. Prince Schackos-
10y and his staff stood on the summit
of the ridge above the village of Raids.
ova, which was crammed with wCuhd-
ed men. The fate of the battle had
hung in the scale for some time, but
now all hope of success had gone.
| There was no reserve at1iOng US in the
acknowledgement that the attack had
been a failure; all the concern now was
TO do whatever was possible toward
minimizing the results Of that failure.
There was no conversation mems
hearts were too heavy for talk. We
sat about on the knoll, gazing down in
to the patidemonium below. The Cen
eral, alone and apart, paced up and
down little open space In the oak
cOpSe; gloom settled ON his face. All
around tts the air was heavy with tile
low moaning of the Wounded, who,
having limped or been aided thus far
out of the fight, had cast themselves
down to gain little relief from the
agony of motion, There was not even
water for them, for Radisova is all but
a waterless village, and what water
ttickled In tiny rill from the fountain
behind the village was struggled for
eagerly by the parched and fevered
wounded who crowded around it, cov>
etlng with a longing, the agony of
| which the reader can never know, a
lew drops OF the precious fluid. can
not tell when most respect and ad.
hiire the simple, honest Russian soldier
whether when he Is plodding along
| without q murmur verst after Verst,
uBder burdeh just doG6le in weight
that which our soldiers carry, cheering
the way as he tramps with lusty Choir
| oh 10 ri.
sincerity, and with an alacrity which is
genuine, he presses forward into the
battle; or when he IL standing stubborn
ly confronting his enemy, coriscious of
being overmatched, yet never dreaming
Of running away; or when he Is lying
Wounded or hncolhpaining, helping
his neighbor IN the same plight with
some tritling act of tender Kindness, and
waiting for What God and the czar shall
send him, with a patient, unhurmuring
call that is truly heroisn.


The darkness closed IN around us,
and the enemy Seemed bent upon fol-.
lowing the example Of the darkness.
y e had been on this ridge for long
time, beyond the range OF tile enemies'
batteries; butnow these were advanced,
and we were once more under fire.
! through the darkness we could see the
flashes of the cannon shOts-they must
be back now in the position on the
knoll belOw-the position where four
hours ago the Russian soldiers had
charged home with the bayonet, and
whence two hours ago the cannon had
been firing. A second more, and near.
| eT came the whistle of the shells, with
a swiftly gradual crescendO into a
scream as they sped over us and crash
ed down into the village in the valley
behind us; and yet nearer there was
the flashing of the musketry FIRE In the
darkness; one could watch the streaks
of flame fore shortened down in the
valley there, and nerves tried by long
day of fOodlessness, excitement, fatigue
and exposure to sun, and the chances OF
the battle field, quivered under the pro-
lOpged tension of endurance, as the
thrObbing hum of the bullet sped
through or over the struggling group.
No man dared TO say to that stern, low
ering chief, eating his heart there in
the bitterness OF his disappointment,
that 1t was bottles tempting Of fortune
to linger longer on this exposed spot,
nor did any man care to quit, for the
sake of greater safety, the companion
ship which had endured throughout the
day. So we fingered on till our senses
became dulled, aud till some dropped
into slumher, regardless of the scream
OF shells aud the hun OF the bullets. 1t
was humane object which so long de-
tanned the General in position so ex.
posed, There was no force available
10 line the height and cover to ever so
little extent the wounded lying on and
behind 1t from the Bashi- BazOuks, Who
too certainly were prowling in the
vicinity, and ever coming nraTer and
nearer. An attempt had, indeed, been
made to get together a detachment of
infantry tor this purpose, aud bugler,
at the Generals order, persistently
sounded the assembly, but the result
was merely a handful of slraggiers from
half dozen different regiments; aud
although but company was wanted,
that trivial strength could not be col
lected, so the General, his staff aud his
escort took up for the time a kind of
informal totepost duty, and there we
waited till the pale, calm moon rose and
poured the sheen Of her white radiance
-