Year: 1866

Then he ate heartily OF the provisions


which he had brought with him, and sat


down to wait. He had absolutely formed


the heroic resolution to defend the tower


alone against the enemy.


There were some things in his favor in


such an undertaking. The pass was steep
and narrow, and the enemy troops could


enter it only in double files, and in doing


this would be fully exposed to the fire from


the tower. The original garrison of thirty


men could easily have held it against divi-
sion, and now one man was about to attempt
to hold it against a regiment.


1t was dark when La Tour D'Auvergne
reached the tower, and he had to wait some
time for the enemy. They were longer in
coming than he had expected, and for
while he was tempted to believe they had
abandoned the expedition.


About midnight, however, his practiced
ear caught the tramp of feet. Every mo-
ment the sound came nearer, and at last he
heard them entering the defle. Immedi-
ately he discharged a couple of muskets into
the darkness to let them know that he knew
of their presence and intentions, and he
heard the quick short commands of the Off
GERS, and from the sounds, he supposed
that the troops were retiring from the pass.
Until the morning he was undisturbed. The
Austrian commander, feeling assured that
the garrison had been informed of his move
ments, and was prepared to receive him, saw
that he could not surprise the post as he had
hoped to do, and deemed it prudent to wait
until daylight before making his attack.


At sunrise he summoned the garrison to
surrender. A grenadier answered the sum
mons.


" Say to your commander, he said, in re-
ply to the messenger, that this garrison viii
defend this post to the last extremity"


The officer who had borne the flag of
truce retired, and in about ten minutes a
piece of artillery was brought into the pass
and opened on the tower. But to effect this
the piece had to be placed directly in front
of the tower, and within easy musket range
Of it. They had scarcely got the gun in po-
sition when d rapid fire was opened upon it
from the tower, and continued with such
marked effect that the piece was withdrawn
after the second discharge, with loss of five
men.


This was a bad beginning, so half an hour
after the gun was withdrawn the Austrian
Colonel ordered an assault.


As the troops entered the defle they were
received with rapid and accurate FIRE, so
that when they had passed over half the
distance they had to traverse, they had lost
fifteen men. Disheartened by this, they re-
turned to the mouth of the defile.


Three more assaults were repulsed in this
manner, and the enemy by sunset had lost
forty five men, of whom ten were killed.


The firing from the tower had been rapid
and accurate, but the Austrian commander
had noticed this popularity about it-every
shot seemed to come from the same place.
For awhile this perplexed him, but at last
he came to the conclusion that. there were
q number of loop-holes close together in the
tower, SO constructed as to command the
ravine perfectly


At sunset the last assault was made and
repulsed, and at dark the Austrian comman-
der sent second summons to the garrison.
This time the answer was favorable. The
garrison offered to surrender at sunrise the
next morning, if allowed to march out with
their arms and return to the army unmo-
Iested. After some hesitation the terms
we're accepted.


Meantime, La Tour D'Auvergne had
passed an anxious day in the tower. He
had opened the fight with an armament of
thirty loaded muskets, but had not been able
to discharge them all. He had fred with |
surprising rapidity and with surprising accu-
racy,5 for it was well known in the army that
he never threw away shot He had deter
mined to stand to his post until he had ac-
his end, which was to hold the
place twenty-four hours, in order to allow
the French army time to complete its ma
neuvre. After that he knew the pass
would be of no use to the enemy.


When a demand came for him to surren- |
Ter after the last assault, he consented to it |
1pon the condition named.


The next day at sunrise the Austrian |
,roops lined the pass into files, extending
rom the mouth to the tower, leaving
space between for the garrison to pass out.
rhe heavy door of the tower opened slowly,
md in a few minutes brenzed and Scared |
yrenadier, literally loaded down with mus
zets, came out and passed down the line of |
roops. He walked with difficulty under his
leavy load.


To the surprise of the Austrians, no one
ollowed him from the tower.


In astonishment the Austrian Colonel rode
lp to him, and asked him in French, why
he garrison did not come out.


g am the garrison, Colonel" said the
older proudly.


ssWhatp excIaimnd tho Colonal ssdo vor, |