REPRISALS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6437, 17 March 1899, Page 4

REPRISALS.

(By- GEORGES 3 TONTBAED). {Emjlish Illustrated Zlagntine.) A detaclxuient of Prussian- iKfantry,com> manded by a single officer, was occupying;. _ the village ■■ of Lorges, i*- th & Ardennes. All 1 the valid adult male inhabitants were serv- I ing with th&- French colours. Onl T women, ! children, old -poopie, and a iW- invalids and cripples remained in their homes, whdj-e ' they had to endure the invasion biu-ricaded behind their doors. The detiicfcaienfc had | 1 been iittackcd _£ daybreak by- sv party of i ! Prancs-tireurs. The sentry, a PcHiieranian - ! ! giant, liad been. surprised and strangled by ! ! one of the most determined of the* cor^s, j.and-the Prussians), after desperate resist- ' |;aoce, had been all slaughtered, with'-the ex- i Inception of a JiandM of. prisoners rteleased-- ) after the fight, ancU a soldier, dangerously ■Jw__r(dert, lying fn a bam beaido ji dying Franos-tiVeur, birth of whom > •Xe'Cl-ived- attention irom an • old ; p.feas- j ant wcnian. The' Francs-tireurs,- on; .theif side, had met with heavy .6ss; ! the cni-pses of both parties, rigid- anci.lior- ! nbly disfigured, lay stitewn on the grotind, ! givuiJs proof of the rage of the adversaa-ies : and the- violence of t_e struggle. The i Pnissiin-r officer, in a hs-iid-to-lhind cont&at j with Jean Ilenan, comniroiding the Francs- ' tii-curs, Aad fallen wirh his skull cloven* in two by ;n .sabre-cut. The Prancs-tireurs had fast left the bat.i_. field. A* the last lsitn (-.appeared in fhefringe of the forest, si sqifidron of hussars .at lull gatt-op diished into the villa.c. The y burst info the street with a sound of • thunder, making the very ground tremhi. ! An order resounded, a mighty flash 'flamed' above tlie heads of the horsemen y they had drawn therr sabres. 'Twenty-paces from. -.he :- corpses the commander shouted:' "Halt>' : The squadron halted , shot-tr wifh a great ; clanking of steel. The commander urged:- ' forward his liorse, which stopped three lee. : from the bfoody liecatombV •' The anima ij' affrighted, shied, and with a blow of hrV ': I hoof staved m the skull of a -corpse. Tlie- ; ; chief looker. :on the scene. His old face— - : i yellow, parchment-like, wriii_l__, all pleatudi ' ; near the eyes— Became m_vbfeif_wlth greenisi* '. • tints, and beneath his grey -moustache of' coarse hair, trimmed brash fashion, his lip..* \ were crisped! Intense rage rose within* j rum, and he- marfe a violent effort to sup- , press it. Air "liis orders four troopers fell" I out and posted- themselves at the head of the* ■ bridge. As-^tfley passed,'-' guidS'og t their!. r- -! mounts with a firm grip of the rein, the : terrified anim.ris neiglied loudis*', reared, and' refused to advance; Then the- men pricked tftein with t„_*sp_i-, and thej- dai-ted off in ! a gallop. ■■ Tlie commander dismounted.' and in the company of air officer mbveii- among the*idead. From time to time, inlpresence of a wound more iAxtfaV than the wtfiera. he pronounced a few- Brief words-,'. and" liis vcicett*embled. They- saw the slant- officer lying* Ins head.spfit in two, _nd' tJren both ;gav. a start. Tiiey- had come tb the Pom er--■anian soldier. Tlie four troopers-; in vedette..'a few paces nt- adrance, hat. difficultr in then- horses, wliich -snort ed, : ■ ; sniffiing the air behind them. The- impi mr of the fingers was still deeplj -marlted in th.;I soldier's blackened', swollen tfesh-, and tli.* face had become- dreadful. Tiie coraman dez • .shuddered — his. '■ countenance- was deadlj4jpale. Then his rage, contro_.d. for fche '1110---;ment, knew ao: bounds. It -Wurst out.like;- -; savage thundefr bofflng over in a torrent oif inqirecations. He made a gesture of vrihii? 'passion, and., abnigtly .etr.xeihg his st<,;ps_. . ] yelled out orders. * .■•, .. . : Four hussars .ruslied at fuii'-gallap to-sv; irds* the Mayors house-, two hundred', pnees offa part of the squadron dismounted *. esti iets._et out in diß-rent direction.. Tiie angorof the chief had'spread to the -solffiers. Those* ih the first rank- had described- the ter.ribf. j scene of carnage to those in- the- second, sui-iKJ the horrible detaiTs had past, -ed: from rank 'to*: r rank, goading tii& men to mud', excitenient).- . Restrained hy ar discipline oJ'iiton-, they %\~ I'owed nauglrfrtobe seen of ' tlie* passion 'thafe gpwled within them, andi'xemained imp.i_t sive, stiff, riveted to their saddles. Then the commander in* a- hoarse vofceV 'ordered: " Bteaf. in the 'doors* Search tlie- ; Houses. Make* .he inmatssf o.me out, _ril--lihgly or by-forae — men, women, imd chikUiren — and bring me all th _fc* scum." The chiefs let loose the* worst instinct.: ,of these armed' brutes. A' Wast of fiiryj coursed over tiie men, -and' witl. savage.,, : clamour they dashed against! the houses;. ] : The doors- -flew to piece, -beneath- the pres- '■ : wire of shouldeas, beneatli'tlie* shock of bciuiis ] that they procured and Vised! as battei-mg^ : rams when- the wood di'd'rwib cede to- the^ 1 pressure of 'bodies. Then- they poured* -'in.. ! the inteiior. l_ke v hurrrcaiiß, sabres abo-re : their heads,. ajWidst a deafening raek&b- iff • spurs, of steel scabbards rebounding on t__e ; board., khoclb'ng again.fc' tlie wa>ls. Aitd' m j a frenzy to- (_3stroy tligysrfi-uclc abo_rfc' at hazard, as* if seized witli madness, lik.-verft-•ible en_pgun__ies'. smashing the Inunble > f_rniture o^f tl'ia u_iori_tiate* inhi_bitai.it_j. reducing to> a .oms; the f6w pieces of cmcled crockeiy spread out on tli. dressers, sacfiang everytning. within thou-i«nch. The women, pantißjjj, will parc_j?d- throats, hiigjgird looks, ran ike hunted beasts seeking- tn_ escape. Tihe soldiers ■ pursued thorn amid ahuminablVy ribaldry, . roughly clutcb'ed' hold of tLeffn,. and dragged : tl»m into the street. They oliasad, cruel aath_, the .children, ■who ifed, bewildered*, anif white wi% ; terror, calling aSJer tlieir mot«_*rs with-i' patrcing !*lirieks; An invcJ id was n-.ot going quick enough •: thej- drove him along with- blows fronb tlie pummels 'of their sabres, and! when, ovt_cpow_.-Qd by their violence, th. wsetched creature*, lost his equilibrium and fell at full length,. ■_ ounding-.rtjiuijelf in tb_.i; llfead, and tlien ia.*de vain'"etf6its to riso, they burst • out lliaghing ar.xjind him, and pricked him . witli tile points of tliair sabre:; to furrce him : i^fge. np. A Ifisncl of tlrSse iorantic HKnycanEc to tin?.; | barn -jxlicre the «tw(_ wounded -were lying. The old peasant woman, had jiist finished- '. dressing their wcuuds. They -caught sighb . of 1 1 te Fraiicsiireur beside a wounded com- : : rade, and they ut*<!ei*ed a wild ' cieer. One- 1 Vsoldia- raised ui^-si a&i-c. The pcasaint wonifj*-.,. jail and thin, lnu. stood uj>> Bit. uttered a j .'supplicalioii,...and instinctively stretched her'arm over tha head of the dying man to ppo- - tet;t him. The blade came clown, cutting; on? hei* hantfcajutJ splitting th^ Ti-ans-tireur's : h_id. She remained erect; threatening,-, as p_!c as death, her arm, witli: the bleeding V sinmp, held": out, and fixed" t&cm with" her eyes widei'j) distended. Hijii.lii.vrsh and heavy took, fill .d-.w-ith crushing -coi .tempt, feli upon them. Then,, in the -silence that had all j at once ensued, she spat-iti. tlieir facets, i ■ " Cowanls !" And she leant tottering against. tb-e.yall, her arni-smll rigidly- pouit- | ing to t{i"c dl.x>r with ite-iniet ilatcd wrjst. 1 Mute terror, inexpressible shame* nailed ; the hussars, to the ground bofore their com- j rade gaspi.g his last* l)i*sath, before tlie wounded, man they liijd just put an end to, before., this white-haii.<_ grandmother t}-ey had struck, and who,- bad just branded them with, til© most cruel insult that ««n be inHjottid: nn man. TlfiMii. while tile deadened iinnblo of tlie sol ,jei;j-* buffetingr aaid insult-, ing- tlieir prisoners growled ojl&side, they,lcftrth* place in .i__i.ee, one by one in singly . file, witliout raising their cy os. When the, j 'Ittf* md left, the oU woman sank down !.».- ! t\\v.....i the two. uojeyses.