Year: 1877

long day of foodlessness, excite
ment, fatigue and exposure to sun,
and the chances Of the battlefield,
quivered under the prolonged ten
sion 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 disappoint-
ment, that it was a bootless tempt
ing Of fortune to linger longer on
this exposed spot, nor did any
man care to quit for the sake of
greater safety the companionship
which had endured throughout
the day. SO we fingered on till our
senses became dulled, and till some
dropped off into slumber, regardless
of the scream of the shells and the
hum of the bullets. 1t was a hu.
name object which SO long detained
the general in position SO exposed.
There was no force availableEto line
the hight and cover to ever so little
extent the wounded lying on and
behind it from the hi-BazOuks,
who too certainly were prowling in
the vicinity and ever coming nearer
and neares. An attempt had, in
deed, been made to get together a
detachment Of infantry for this pur-
pose, and a bugler, at the generals
order, persistently sounded the as
sembly, but the result was merely
to gather a handful of stragglers
from half dozen different regi-
ments; and although but a company
was wanted, that trivial strength
could not be collected, SO the gem
eral, his staff and his escort took
up for the time kind of informal
forepost duty, and there we waited
till the pale, calm moon rose and
| poured the sheen Of her white radi-
ance over the battlefield. While
it was yet dark there had been no
cessation of the firing, both ar
tillery and musketry, and now
that heaven was holding a candle
to hell, the fire waxed warmer and
brisker. Up from out of it, with
broken tramp, came detachment,
silent, jaded, powder -begrimmed.
There could not have been a COM
pany all told; a lieutenant marched
at its head, and it was the remnant,
so far as could be gathered, the sole
remnant, of one Of the finest regi-
ments of the Thirty-second division,
that had crossed the ridge over
which its debris was now listlessly
trailing itself, three fine battalions
strong.


At length the jingle of cavalry
accoutrements was heard, and a
squadron Of dragons rode on to
the nights and extended in skir-
mishing order relieved the head
quarter staff. 1t was a poor screen
to interpose between victorious
and remorseless army and a mass
of wounded men; but nothing
more was available. The general
had lost an army, the fragments of
an army had lost their general.
We turned the heads of our jaded
horses and silent and depressed
rode down the slope across the val
ley and up the slope beyond.


Our pace was a slow walk, for
there were wounded men every
where, limping along the narrow
pathway in front Of us, PROSTATE on
the grass by the side of it, or asleep
in the very dust. Occasionally we
struck detachments of infantry
who had climbed back out of the
fight, and were lying on their arms
in utter ignorance Of the best di-
rection in which to march. Or it
might be a battery Of artillery,
halted in perplexing dubiety
whether if they went on they might
march into the bosom of the Turk
ish army.