<TD></TD></TABLE>
theuglygashinhisyoungstersarandwasobliged
togooutintotheair
theartilleryheirfiretoldthatthe
frananswere
enteringthewidervalley
”youhavehadanarroining
ralphsar”aquarterofaninchlothe
inartery;andyouinutesas
itis,thereisnogreatharoneitisadeepishfleshwound
but,hyouryouthandnstitution,itwillhealupinavery
shorttiiheedgestogether,haneedleand
thread:putaferapsofplasteron,andabandage;andthenyou
hadbettergetintoanaulanceotherear,at
once”
”cantigointothefieldagain,now”ralphasked;”ifeelasif
iuldrideagain,now”
”no,youcandonothingofthesort,”thesurgeonsaid”youhave
lostalotofblood;andifyouightsetoff
theightbeadeadnbeforeyou
uldbebroughtbackherekeepquiet,anddoasyouareordered,
andinaaybeinthesaddleagain”
”itseeveryhard,”ralphbegan
”notatallhard,”thesurgeonsaid”youore
fighting,beforethiswarisover
”thisisahardcase,ifyoulike;youhaveeveryreasontobe
thankful”
ashespoke,hepointedtoayoungbilein,his
chestliterallytoopenhashell
”i,”thesurgeonsaid,afterabrief
inspectionofhishalfanhourtolive,andwill
probablynotrevessoweak
brandy,ander”
eninfast,andralphoutand
satdohedoor
”fastenhorseuphere,titheaulancewillbefullofpoor
fellorethanishallifiseethatweare
beingdrivenback,ishalluntandridequietlyback
”no,thereisnothingreyouegoandjoinpercy”
thefightans,veredbythe
fireoftheirartillery,haddebouchedfrohepassandwere
steadilypressingforhevillage
nearesttothethisthefrenchhadsetfireto,before
retreating,topreventitsservingasashelterfortheenethe
bilesstoodtheirground,forthestpartheheavy
fireofshotandshell;buttheirzzleloadersatchfor
thegesneedleguns,andtheeneeadily
fordoylerodeuptothestaff,thegeshad
takenanothervillage
”thatvillagestberetaken,”thegeneralsaid”barclay,ride
andorderthezouavestocarryit,hthebayo”
percygallopedofftohezouaves,lyingbehindaridgein
theground,of
shotandshellherodeuptotheofficerin
nd
”thezouavesaretoretakethevillage,hthebayo,”hesaid
thelonelgavetheorder,butthefireen
faceitagainandagaintheofficerreiteratedthe
order;standingexposedonthebank,infrontofhisn,togive
thefidenceithelonellookedtowards
percyhanairofdespairpercytuedhishorse,andgalloped
backtothegeneral
”thelonelhasdoneallhecan,sir,butthenadvance”
”thefireisveryheavy,”thegeneralsaid,”butusthavethe
villagebackagain”
andherodeoff,hielf,tothebattalionofzouavestheshotand
shell,buthesatonhishorseasiovable
asifatareview
”lads,”hesaid,inaloud,cleartone,”generallythe
difficultyhasbeentopreventthezouavesrushingtoanattack
dontletitbesaidthatafrenchgeneralhadtorepeat,tofrench
zouaves,anorderto”
inaninstantthezouavesheirfeetand,hacheer,
ansinpossessionfiredrapidly,as
thefrenchapproached,andthenhastilyevacuatedit;thezouaves
takingpossession,andholdingit,underatrendousfire
alltheafteoonthebattleraged,villagesbeingtakenand
retaken,severaltistheges,however,weregradually
gaininggroundsooftheregintsofbileshadquitelostall
orderanddiscipline,andtheirofficersinvaintriedtopersuade
theoholdthepositioninheyhe
staffofficershreeotherswounded
periracleoverandoveragain,hehad
carriedthegeneralsordersacrossgroundsys
shotandshellahorsehadbeenkilledunderhibuthehadnot
receivedevenascratch;andnoounteduponthehorseofoneof
theofficers,carryingan
orderacrossaveryopenpieceofground,atfullgallopsuddenly
hecauponasighthhurriedashewas,andexposedaswas
thepositioncausedhinstantlytodraetoa
fullstop
illustration:thechildrenonthebattlefield
there,intheopenfield,heoneaboy,ofsix
orsevenyearsold;theotheralittleflaxenhaired,blueeyed
girl,offivetheylypickingflowers
”ent
hespokeinfrenchand,receivingnoansedthequestion
inge
”areyoudoinghere”
”ifyouplease,sir,”theboyansinthe
ebacktherewas
agreatfireinthehouse,andagreatnoiseallround,andi
uldntfindfatherandther;andsoeout,tolookfor
the”
percydidnotknotodoitoopitifultoleavethepoor
littlecreatures
athattheirparentshewoods
”lookhere,”hesaid;”ifitakelizzieuponhorse,willyourun
alongafter”
”no,no,”thelittlegirlsaid,vehently
thereeforparley
”lookhere,doyouseethosesoldierslyingdoch”percy
asked,pointingtoalineofbiles,notfiftyyardsinfront
thechildrennodded
”nohebestthingyoucanpossiblydoistoplayat
beingsoldiersitiscapitalfunyouliedoeflatinthat
ditch,andthrotlestonesoverthebankdontyougoaway
dontgetup,everyoudo;andifyouaregoodchildren,and
playnicely,iothertoyou,ificanfind
theiftheydonte,yougoonplayingatsoldierstillall
thisnoisestops;andthen,e,
andothereback”
thechildrenedhtheidea,andthrehe
... </P></TD>
theuglygashinhisyoungstersarandwasobliged
togooutintotheair
theartilleryheirfiretoldthatthe
frananswere
enteringthewidervalley
”youhavehadanarroining
ralphsar”aquarterofaninchlothe
inartery;andyouinutesas
itis,thereisnogreatharoneitisadeepishfleshwound
but,hyouryouthandnstitution,itwillhealupinavery
shorttiiheedgestogether,haneedleand
thread:putaferapsofplasteron,andabandage;andthenyou
hadbettergetintoanaulanceotherear,at
once”
”cantigointothefieldagain,now”ralphasked;”ifeelasif
iuldrideagain,now”
”no,youcandonothingofthesort,”thesurgeonsaid”youhave
lostalotofblood;andifyouightsetoff
theightbeadeadnbeforeyou
uldbebroughtbackherekeepquiet,anddoasyouareordered,
andinaaybeinthesaddleagain”
”itseeveryhard,”ralphbegan
”notatallhard,”thesurgeonsaid”youore
fighting,beforethiswarisover
”thisisahardcase,ifyoulike;youhaveeveryreasontobe
thankful”
ashespoke,hepointedtoayoungbilein,his
chestliterallytoopenhashell
”i,”thesurgeonsaid,afterabrief
inspectionofhishalfanhourtolive,andwill
probablynotrevessoweak
brandy,ander”
eninfast,andralphoutand
satdohedoor
”fastenhorseuphere,titheaulancewillbefullofpoor
fellorethanishallifiseethatweare
beingdrivenback,ishalluntandridequietlyback
”no,thereisnothingreyouegoandjoinpercy”
thefightans,veredbythe
fireoftheirartillery,haddebouchedfrohepassandwere
steadilypressingforhevillage
nearesttothethisthefrenchhadsetfireto,before
retreating,topreventitsservingasashelterfortheenethe
bilesstoodtheirground,forthestpartheheavy
fireofshotandshell;buttheirzzleloadersatchfor
thegesneedleguns,andtheeneeadily
fordoylerodeuptothestaff,thegeshad
takenanothervillage
”thatvillagestberetaken,”thegeneralsaid”barclay,ride
andorderthezouavestocarryit,hthebayo”
percygallopedofftohezouaves,lyingbehindaridgein
theground,of
shotandshellherodeuptotheofficerin
nd
”thezouavesaretoretakethevillage,hthebayo,”hesaid
thelonelgavetheorder,butthefireen
faceitagainandagaintheofficerreiteratedthe
order;standingexposedonthebank,infrontofhisn,togive
thefidenceithelonellookedtowards
percyhanairofdespairpercytuedhishorse,andgalloped
backtothegeneral
”thelonelhasdoneallhecan,sir,butthenadvance”
”thefireisveryheavy,”thegeneralsaid,”butusthavethe
villagebackagain”
andherodeoff,hielf,tothebattalionofzouavestheshotand
shell,buthesatonhishorseasiovable
asifatareview
”lads,”hesaid,inaloud,cleartone,”generallythe
difficultyhasbeentopreventthezouavesrushingtoanattack
dontletitbesaidthatafrenchgeneralhadtorepeat,tofrench
zouaves,anorderto”
inaninstantthezouavesheirfeetand,hacheer,
ansinpossessionfiredrapidly,as
thefrenchapproached,andthenhastilyevacuatedit;thezouaves
takingpossession,andholdingit,underatrendousfire
alltheafteoonthebattleraged,villagesbeingtakenand
retaken,severaltistheges,however,weregradually
gaininggroundsooftheregintsofbileshadquitelostall
orderanddiscipline,andtheirofficersinvaintriedtopersuade
theoholdthepositioninheyhe
staffofficershreeotherswounded
periracleoverandoveragain,hehad
carriedthegeneralsordersacrossgroundsys
shotandshellahorsehadbeenkilledunderhibuthehadnot
receivedevenascratch;andnoounteduponthehorseofoneof
theofficers,carryingan
orderacrossaveryopenpieceofground,atfullgallopsuddenly
hecauponasighthhurriedashewas,andexposedaswas
thepositioncausedhinstantlytodraetoa
fullstop
illustration:thechildrenonthebattlefield
there,intheopenfield,heoneaboy,ofsix
orsevenyearsold;theotheralittleflaxenhaired,blueeyed
girl,offivetheylypickingflowers
”ent
hespokeinfrenchand,receivingnoansedthequestion
inge
”areyoudoinghere”
”ifyouplease,sir,”theboyansinthe
ebacktherewas
agreatfireinthehouse,andagreatnoiseallround,andi
uldntfindfatherandther;andsoeout,tolookfor
the”
percydidnotknotodoitoopitifultoleavethepoor
littlecreatures
athattheirparentshewoods
”lookhere,”hesaid;”ifitakelizzieuponhorse,willyourun
alongafter”
”no,no,”thelittlegirlsaid,vehently
thereeforparley
”lookhere,doyouseethosesoldierslyingdoch”percy
asked,pointingtoalineofbiles,notfiftyyardsinfront
thechildrennodded
”nohebestthingyoucanpossiblydoistoplayat
beingsoldiersitiscapitalfunyouliedoeflatinthat
ditch,andthrotlestonesoverthebankdontyougoaway
dontgetup,everyoudo;andifyouaregoodchildren,and
playnicely,iothertoyou,ificanfind
theiftheydonte,yougoonplayingatsoldierstillall
thisnoisestops;andthen,e,
andothereback”
thechildrenedhtheidea,andthrehe
... </P></TD>