| Show ff S r ofa com right 1904 by dally daily story pub co for days the tired forces had fought over ver the same ground advancing and retreating tasting victory aad then the big guns all along the front kept up a continuous roar as the flaps poured in a remorseless rain of rhe ille russians Kus stubbornly con testing every inch of ground every trench and hill were being slowly driven griven back leaving their dead in cores the rows of ot silent bodies in the the captured tf trenches enches told a story of bogged resistance one position alone withstood the reckless att atticks hels of the japanese time after time kuroki had hurled his regi bents up the slope to have them re treat broken and shattered it was the key to the enemy s position and if it taken would turn an orderly retreat into a rout full well this was re ro allred and that morning came the or der from headquarters to take the po at any cost the weary powder begrimed rem nant gave place to fresh regiments jot of little brown men in khaki prep tL brat rations lons for the assault had begun both sides the firing became desultory and then ceased altogether it was the lull beffie the storm and the only sound that broke the stillness teas kvas the occasional murmur from the trenches ir enches and the tramp of a column as it moved into line among the reserves arriving from ahe south the night before was mas the battalion from dao dalo zaka zaha fresh young fellows follows with a scattering of toughened roughened veterans whose little eyes as they got pt a foretaste of the battle that was to come with the whir ot of bullets and the clash of steel lynx eed e ed the solemn faced officers squatted behind the line and talked in n monosyllables to the men now and then they grunted out a few gruff words of encouragement as some young fellow counting his chances of survival grew nervous under the strain among these was little amano jin buke suke with his round baba face and great brown eyes guilelessness shi ning from them he became at once the butt tor for all teasing and the gen eral favorite of the men with his quiet manners he had soon put a stop to the chaffing except now and then the grizzled sergeant who led his pla toon coon could not resist the temptation to tell him some harro harrowing NOng tale of bloody skirmishes or fierce assaults just to see his eyes grow larger with wonder and fear As he lay at full length waiting the general order for the advance his thoughts turned to his home in far off sunny japan his ees filled with tears as he saw his aged father and his tiny sister anxiously awaiting tl ti dings from the front as for onoto the gentle little sweetheart who had go w bravely bade him go he brushed his hand fiercely across his eyes and stared hard at the lines and lines of barbed wire stretching across the brown face of ane hill the sergeant saw his ge gesture sture and understanding gripped his arm in a friendly pressure the advance sounded and the long line arose and crept forward the big guns took up the fight and the bu bullets eilets from the hill crest zipped through the air ear again the order waa was given to lie down and while the center halted and 0 welded itself with the damp earth the two wings swept forward and in a X ap I 1 16 0 16 sprang into the air and foll baak moment the hill was a screaming mass of mur murder mad men the firing nov became heavier and little parts ot of dirt told that tho the enemy rire finding the range pale with dry lips and distended eves amano lay fascinated by the horror of it he ile shuddered as a man on the right dropped his gun and settled back in the mud As man after man dropped out of the fight the strain fit cf lil inaction action told on the men their i a was not to be cae ca ried led away by the mad exhilaration of the charge but to suffer the long im passive wait wit with the bullets song sapping their nerve and making them dig their nails halls in the wet grass and grit their teeth A man next to amano turned to him to make a remark mith ft ath an oath he sprang into the air and fell back while the warm blood from the wound spurted over the arm and shoulder of the boy by his side for a moment he lay rigid and then blanched to the lips fainted dead away it ran along the line that the quiet modest little fellow in the dango corn com pany had fainted at the first sight of blood sow laughed nervously others cruised As the sergeant poured a drop droppa pf brandy between the blue lips there was a fear ear tugging at his heart that after all the boy was a coward in spite of his timid ways the old man had vouched for his manhood realizing the shame of it as he re J they found him in the first trench amano s face tightened and his eyes grew hot As he patted him on the shoulder his comrade caught sight of a face filled with unalterable deter mi min atlon nation Dep deployed loed in line of skirmishers the ata attacking aking columns had twice swe swept pt up the hill bill to tall fall back crumpled and broken like ants they swarmed over the fences and gullies only to be hurled back decimated by the wither I 1 ing fire orderlies dashed up and down the line the bugles sounded the officers squatting behind the line scabbards on knees threw away avay their cigarettes and closed up at last came the corn mand forward and with a shout of relief the reserve sprang into ac tion on they swept gathering in the bro ken hen flanks as they went up the ascent scent a they dashed cutting the fences and leaping the pits as they ran for a moment the defenders held their fire and then from every rifle rine pit and trench poured a holocaust of lea lead d and shrapnel the line wavered and then in mad frenzy dashed on again and again they were swept by the rain of death pausing but a mo ment from the shock they stumbled blindly forward untouched by the first withering fire all his gentleness gone amano ran on no feeling in his heart save a mad debare to lay and tear out the throats of those who opposed him A bullet tore through his cap and he went down only to be up again his face covered with blood brushing it from his eyes he kent recklessly ton the thin line reeling from the ter natle volleying was slowly giving away the merciless slaughter was beyond human endurance and at points the men were turning headlong down the bill hill one man was follow ing another and the glorious charge was becoming a rout first one and then another and another took it up rippling alo along ng the line it grew in volume until dr drown own ing the roar of battle a hoarse cheer burst from the dusty throats of the men there yards in advance almost beneath the terrible guns of the enemy was amano he stood be beckoning phoning them on with the twisted bayonet he had wrenched from his discarded rifle W K u and faint he had haa stumbled on and on r until the terrible realization burst upon him that the men were falling back turning he held out his arms and with tears running down his blackened cheeks sobbed out an ap peal to them they saw hm in standing there heed less of the flying bullets and with cheer theer after cheer theer swept forward in a charge that was wag irresistible still wa ving the bayonnette bay onnette he led them over the crest they found him in the first trench a huddled bunch of timidity he was shot through the lung and was going fast the old sergeant sobbing like a child knelt and took him in his arms he opened his eyes and they were tender aulet the eyes his tiny sister would know far off in the sunrise lele isle As he saw the men standing around he understood for a moment the glow of battle was reflected in his face and the look that they had seen as he stood alone on the hill toy toli shone in sis his eyes he tried hard to raise himself but the effort was too much for him banzai banzal murmured the little chap as he sank back in the sergeants s arms |
