Show T CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE The Vivid Story Told by a I Survivor Harpers Well Veli our trumpeter sounded the charge and we went off oft at a trot I 1 Iwas Iwas was In the front rank and from the first It looked like a bit o 0 work but Lord bless ye we have hae haenny any real Idee till we were well under underWay Way vay Then It came to us for we saw what we had started to do doAnd doAnd doAnd And I said to my mate on the right of ot me Well Bill Id rather be shot In n front than stabbed stubbed behind I really mean to say anything I sup su lse K se le an It was wall Just by b way of speak tog Ing ng But anyhow 1 I remember that I Isaid Isaid said Well Bill Id rather be shot eliot In front than stabbed behind But like enough he hear me for I speak up loud the ranks In Ina Ina ina a charge Those were the only words I said sad as we W went Vent down In the charge but I remember that a little prayer came rame to me and I found myself asay tug Dg of it to myself as we went on onI onI onI I dont know just how far It was wat down that valley valle but it ft must have han been be en close chose on to a mile mlle and a half halt But maybe Im wrong Anyhow It was a j goodish distance and the valley allo Seemed to narrow down at the end oed endI I where we was charging at and we went down it like water down a fun funnel funnel I nel nd And still not a hard gallop for Lord Cardigan out there in front let his horse hoe go too fast it t being a long way war we had to charge I and of course the brigade beb him go than the pace pate he set I There was batteries on our right blazing down at us and batteries on our left blazing down and batteries right in front and I felt In my m face the bits of rock or pebble thrown up by the shot hitting on the hard hardground hardground hardground ground I 1 was waS as In the front rank and I saw that behind us dragoons came the lan Ian lancers lancers I cers and I 1 remember thinking It queer that they had put us swordsmen to charge In front of or I dont I know why I thought of it t ju just t cairn to me in a flash that it was All 11 the time was the terrible plunging fire from the batteries on th the hill hIlI at our sides and there were can cannon cannon cannon non blazing away in our front and there we to with our men falling failing and the order Close up Close up upcoming upcoming upcoming coming all nil the tho time from the officers officer and we kept closing up and gallop gallopIng gallopIng Ing on with the nolee noise gett ng louder I and the smoke thicker and our ranks getting thinner And many was the horse that had joined us lIS and ald was galloping right on In the charge There anybody wanted to turn back I dont suppose anybody any thought of such a thing There wa 3 our general going on ahead of ot us and the lie other officers officer and o 0 course there theN I we was as all going on too AH Mt we e wanted to do was to set get at the Roo h hans ans ass Shot and shall plunging men fall falling I ing rifle bullets grape round shot pho i and shell and I wa was spurring m my chestnut fierce and I 1 suppose I 1 was yelling and I know that all I 1 wanted wante i ito to do was to get right there at the end of It with the rest refit of us when all 11 at once I 1 w went nt over my m horses head I I 1 fell feU clear but even eyen while I was wap waIn in the air airor or at least Iet It E seems ems so to tome tome tome me now the thought came to ra m me that there was I an dragoon I of four years ears service for I 1 listed in 30 disgracing myself and the regi regiment re i I mont ment by being baing thrown But in a min minute mm i ute I knew it was my ray horse for sh shwas shwas was killed and in falling failing had pitched me A fine horse she was waa she ehe was i im my m best friend and there she lad I open by b a shell shellI I 1 got to my feet and looked ahead j I Everything was wild and smoky with great and antI I tried to catch horse that ripped past me and then I tried to run ahead and get at where our men was gripping with the enemy enem Men falling failing pitching off of in all an sorts orts I of ways VaI and other men like me on oh their feet and wounded horses scream screaming Ing and kicking Awful the no nOse se a wounded horse make makes hut but Its the this kicking the worst for it lashes out in every direction with Its It hoofs hoof and many a wounded man was Wll kicked as he was trying to get up or to crawl away awa I could Just make out what my corn com comrades rades rados were doing just In front of me riding around and cutting and slashing I right among the guns and even past j I Ithe the batteries Just our handful against I Ian an army arm And I 1 tried to hurry hum for forward forward forward ward on foot and I 1 could have cried I that I right In with them And then it seemed all In a mo ml moment i ment mont and It was only a minute or so I there they was as coming back still sUII striking strikIng i ing and slashing and firing their pie pis pistols i and big crowds of try tryIng tI Ing In to surround them or get In front to head us off I started back too And of course I 1 I and so we went up the valley alle that wed ed been down downall all that was left I of at ua usall all that was left As I 1 wont on o I 1 saw ono one of the cap captains I Captain Webb it was lying on the ground and there thero was two troop troopers ors ers trying to help him And one of ot I them called to me mo Lamb he h says say cant you give gie Captain Webb a drink I of water Now my m water bottle was strapped stra ped to my saddle wo we could carry our bot bet bottles bottles bettIes I tIes that way a if we wanted or strapped to ourselves ou elves and I always kept mine strapped trapped to my m saddle to keep my m sword arm free tree So I any water ater and there was Wll Captain Webb ebb wounded and suf suffering sUffering fering foring And afterwards he died sir sirWell sirWell Well Yeu I 1 felt that of course I must get that water for tor the captain and so soI soI soI I went back picking my m way wa over horses and men looking locking for an un smashed bottle I suppose It seemed to see me inc Just walking back again the wrong way but I never novel took thought o that I just wanted to get set some water for Captain Webb ebb for he be beas I was as a fine officer and he was wa suffer suffering sufferIng ing irig I 1 think of calling it bray bra bravery cry ery I 1 Just wanted to get some wa water wat ter t cr and pretty soon I 1 found It it strapped to the saddle of at a dead horse I unfastened It and all In a minute I It H came to me that I never neer was so j thirsty in all my life lite That th u n was something awful the way wa It come over oyer me th tho minute I got that water i bottle in my m hand and so I 1 took a pull j jat at it before I started back for Captain Well Yell There was Wll enough for us both ha he added naively I r got back to the captain Men IEn IEnI I leave ve me rae and save yourselves he was saying aing but he felt better bettor with the drink of water and then the two troop troopers I Iera era ers helped him to get ahead And so we got back all that was alI left of us Ive rye heard the verses erses that calls it that and good soldier verses I j they are Good soldier verses erse just like j I galloping and slashing and the sound of guns They got some come of ot us on a j I stage you ou know a few years ears ago at a public concert or show and one of at the tg ig actresses I think it was Il Miss Tee Ter Terry I ry she recited all aU those verses about the charge and the people In the the theatre theatre atre they the Just cheered for us ua old Bala Balaclava ala clava olata men sitting there He K was as silent for tor a 8 little going over oyer the he events of the long past battle Then I he be le said wistfully I almost got the V V C Co for that Mt lit littIe tie le matter of the drink of ot water vater For some of ot the men or the officers saw I it ft t and so lO when it was decided to pick picka I a man roan from each of the five regi i ments meats for the V C for they said that i though every man deserved It yet et they give it to every one of us well for tor the Thirteenth It was decided i that hat It was between my m comrade Ma Maone lone one and me and an l we were told to draw lots for it And Malone he drew first i and so he got It |