Page:Poet Lore, volume 34, 1923.djvu/508

 Burris.—Yes, he muttered something about you, but what it was I could not make out. I am sure that he thought of you.

( threatens some unknown distance with clenched fist, then wrings her hands despairingly, and covering her face with her apron goes into the kitchen.)

Lena.—Poor thing.

Rudolph (Impatient at the interruption).—Und was weiter?

Burris.—All at once the rebel guns went silent. The captain understood what it meant; the rebels were attempting to encompass us, get at us from the rear also, in order to leave not one man of us alive. He rose to give the command, but as he opened his mouth to shour [sic], “Freiwillige!”, his cap flew off, he stiffened on his legs, and catching his head in his hands, he fell on his face. He was dead—never so much as stirred. He got the first bullet fired from the rear. We were surrounded. At that I lost all self control. Some unknown power seized me by the collar, yanked me out of my covert, and thrust me forward. In a voice more terrible than I ever hope to command again, I roared: “Sopotians, forward!” You should have seen your fellow townsmen! Half of them fell before they half rose to their feet, but nothing could stop us now. We had only to make a fifty yard dash up to their invested stronghold. It was their last chance to sprinkle us with their lead. The slope we scaled was not so long as it seemed from below. To me, at least, it seemed as if I had been carried up there on winged sandals. Before I knew it, I was kneeling on their ramparts, the first one of them all. Behind the breastwork dangled the tassel of a green turban, the only one among a lot of fezzes. I thought I was swinging my sabre with all my might, but it felt as if I had hit a pillow with a stick. Before my blow fell, however, I beheld a dark skinned face rise like a kettle from behind the rock, I saw the gleam of white teeth, and I felt a dart of pain in my ribs. I dropped my sword and fell. As I hurtled down the slope, I caught at something to break my fall. What was it? In my semi-conscious state, I could not tell. Holding tight, I collapsed at the foot of the ledge. Before I went under completely, I heard the fire from our battery, and then I knew no more. (After an impressive pause.)

They picked me up for dead, but before they could move me they had to remove my would be murderer. He was dead as a door nail. Across my body he lay, strangled with my own hands