A GLIDPSE OF WAR.

Bush Advocate, Volume IX, Issue 668, 27 August 1892, Page 5

A GLIDPSE OF WAR.

By CiuijLiis A. Co-Lr.MANW*. Tvveuty years ago, when the Prussians, liko a ring of iron, drew their invincible army ilowJy around the fortiiications of Metz, I i'oimil myself in a little Freniij village that had just been taken possession of by the Germane. I was coriospondeut for .1 Cincinnati paper during what the French persist in calling the Fnmco-Germin war. A low stone coping ran along the road at the end of tho village, and one sunuy flay I stood hern leaning against tho wall, beside the sentry. For several days only some slight skirmishes had taken place between the two armies engaged at this point. They were separated here by a diminutive valley, whose sides were covered with that most 1 delicious fruit for which this region of tho Moselle is famous— bunches of glowing autumn grapeß. 1 Those grapes, as I gazed down upon them, tempted mo wonderfully. I knew the sentry beidome; hewssahuge Pomeranian, who, in tho capacity of his calling, had shaved me a number of times in the capital of Prussia. But as I expressed au inclination to descend the hillside and secure some of the fruit, the sentry shook his head. Down there, said he, in the midst of that thickest of trees and vines, the place wus swarming with Frenchmen only too eager to get a shot at a man. I laughed at his words. "Why, what can you. seo down there, Moritz ?" I said. And, in truth, as we gazed down, the scene seemed peaceful enough. Two peasant women, in gaudy costumes, 1 wove gathering grapeß in little baskets. Beyond, on the other side of the valley, ran a waH, upon which we could catch a glimpse of tho red trousers of ♦*■ ;> French seutry lolling there Af tur a moment's hesitation I leapod suddenly over the coping aud ran lightly down the hill. Moritz cried tha words of a hasty warning after me, but the sounds fell unintelligibly upon my ears. The two French pea3tsut women dropped their baskets and ran hastily away at the sight of what they took to bo the approach 01 one of those dreaded Prussians. In another moment my parched gums were feasting on those famous grapes. They were delicious. I can taste them yet. My pleasure was of short duration. From some close quarter a shot came suddenly and tore away a bunch a few inches from my outstretched hand. I thought at first that this was a joke on the part of my friend, the sentfy, and was just turning about to protest against such grim humour when another shot came in as close proximity, but fortunately without harming me. The bright sun dazed my faculties for an instant. What Bhould I do? I could not ascend that steep aud unprotected hill behind me and reach the stone coping alive. I plungad into tha thicket where probably the very danger was lurking, and yet it was my only rofuge. I slipped carefully through the rows of vines until I found myself in the shelter of the trees that covered the bottom of the valley. A little stream ran past here, and the wood, though small, was very dense. What troubled me mest was that the crackling twigs ceaselessly betrayed my footsteps. The whole ground was covered with dead branches. I halted and listened after every step for another Bound or sign of the enemy. If they were near they must infallibly have heard the noite of my movements, yet I could not hear the slightest noiße of their presence. As I stood here, unmolested for a time at least, I began 1o speculate on a way out of this dilemma into which I had thoughtlessly wandered. My eye restlessly roamed from tree to tree, seeking a Bafe avenue for retreat. All things were bo still that I could hear a faint rattling of musketry, so distant that the fall of a leaf would have drowned boruo ou the trembling wind. Of a sudden a grumbling voice broke upon my ears so close to me that it was Btavtling. "" On at il i'.oiic /" inquired the grumbler, in a voice that wbb intended for his companion only, but which reached me distinctly, so near were we to each other. The other answered, bat bis words escaped me. They spoke together in lowered tones as they stood there, and from what I overheard, they seemed to think that I, not being in nuiform, was a Bpy trying to creep through the French linos. A sudden groat crackling of the twigs made me retreat to the Dtream, and covered the sound of my progress. " Ah," I muttered to my6olf, "there come the two grape-dickers." I thought 'that the two Frenchmen were approaching to investigate my position, but here, instead,- ~ tlie .-noiso was caused by the heavy Babota of tho two peasant woineii, . who advanced, peering through the trees, as if they were also seeking tho whereabouts of the fugitive Prussian. '.There was something odd in their appearance, and, though I could gain but a passing glimpse of them, I made a discovery. The two tvoiiicii ttcyei'iD'i'i/'uiff nniskils in lhi\r hamh I Those, indeed, were masculine forms and faces. And their voices ! fool that I was, not to have recognised them before. I retreated softly and quickly, half nlong the sandy bed of the stream, half along the whito stones that lay in the shallow water. Thus I threaded tho bed of the stream until tho voicefl of my pursuers grew fainter. I had proceeded some distance, and now, through the thinning trees, I saw that I had como within shooting distance of the redtrowsered sentinel lying upon the wall, sunning himself. There were, iu fact, two sentries there ; one lolling upon the wall, and the other leaning against it with but head and shoulders visible. I observed them very distinctly ; I heard their voices now and (ben, and tho lazy yawning of the one that lay in the sunlight. I saw their chassepots gleaming in the sun and iu sucb close proximity they wore au ugly look. I was safe, however, as lonfr as their attention was not attracted toward me, and so I turned my thoughts to iuy two pursuers again. 1 had heard them hunting and cursing for a while far in my rear, but now all noiso of them had died away. Happening to turn my glance up to the stona coping, to which I longed to return, I eaw, t;i my surprise, that tho two grape-pickers had Kivwi up my pursuit and were enßtiged. in tlieiv former occupation again. But now they wore much nearer to tho coping than they had been before, and under cover of thoir pretended employment they were etill slowly but surely advancing. I woll perceived their obi ect. Here was a predicament, truly. The sentinel, not possessed of an abuudanco of wit, would let the two approach unchallenged, until they were near enough to turn suddenly and shoot them with their hidden weapons ; and yet woro I to attempt to warn him, swift and snre retribution would be upon my own head, both from before and behind me. But this was not all. At the place where I stood in hiding the foliage that sheltered tbo stream grew scarce and ended. Before mo was a wide plot of unprotected turf. On. tho other sido of this open space the thicket there began to stealthily bo ."tirred. I saw the tops of Ihe bushes nod. What other foe lay crouching there ? Was theje one who could soo me and was aiming at me oven now, porhaps ? Was tho thicket full of soldiers, who would rush forth when the death-shot of the sentry above should ring out ? This train of norvaus fancies, however, was now interrupted. Rising carefully from tbo midst of tho buiihcs I saw a well-known pointed helmet. A head roao, too, and a hand that waved a grnoting. It was Morit/i, who, grown' uneasy at iny ncn-appoarancc, had stolen down to ferret out the cause. Immense as was the figure of the Pomeranian, yet he concealed himself very ably. I noticed from bis actions that hs guarded himself only from the view of the two sentries by thu wall, Eeomiiiff to think that Bcreencd from tbem ho would bo safe. As he crawled carefully out into tho open, theiet'ore, 1 attracted his attention to tho two masculine females who had gradually stoleu close to tho copiug, Tho Pomeranian knelt in tho grass and looked up. As hu noted the two ligurea, ami tho intentions which thoir movements betrsypd, his face became transfixed with rage. So tflrriblo was tho wrath dopictod upon it that I whs glad to see it turned towards others than myself. One of those figures up there, in his guudy costume, had already reached the coping and with his obassepot to his shoulder ready for firing, peered stealthily over tho stone wall to locate the sentry. At thi3 act and those costumes of duplicity, the large Pomeranian, regardless of all consequences, leaped from the earth and fairly bellowed with mge. It scorned to infuriate him beyond reason that thote two rogues abovo should have thuß deceived him. A Rudden flash from his gun thoroughly annihilated tho (Utilised soldier at tha coping. Swinging his gun like a olub, and roaring with f«ry, ho ran up tha hillside toward tha other. Somehow his actions aroused me to a like fury, and we both tore madly up the hill toward ths skirted soldier who, turning,

cecim-cl struck us i: by n thuudtrbolt at our sudden approach. Tho shoi; of Tdorit,: had senr. tiia cchoe3 reverberating among tho hills. The French outposts leaped up, as if electrified, from ttieir suuny wall; innumerable others started up from the surrounding tbickots. A rain or' bullets fairly peppuicd the f.oassy slope. But oui- sudden onrush hod carried in in advance of this hail. The quick, uncertain aiming of the enemy aTso led to the fortunate fact that we remained unin jured. So (illicitly was tha Pomeranian ujion hi< foe that the latter had no time to recover from bis surprise, not even to raise his gun. The onslaught of the hugef ellow bore the little Frenchman to tbo earth, and the l'omeranijn picked him up, neck and crop, and dragged him over tha wall. The red-trous.ered grape-picker was then led, jeered and hooted ax, through tho village— a inost dejected skirniishci 1 . : The chassepotß across the way yelped angrily at us throughout the rest of the day ; but two days afterwards that hillside ever there was swarming with Prussians, and the iron ring had closed more closely about Metz.