At daybreak they were visible
from the trenches lying all by themselves within eighty yards of the
bastion.
A flag of truce came from the fort: the dead were removed on both sides
and buried. Some Prussian officers strolled into the French lines.
Civilities and cigars exchanged: "Bon jour," "Gooten daeg:" then at it
again, ding dong all down the line blazing and roaring.
At twelve o'clock the besieged had got a man on horseback, on top of a
hill, with colored flags in his hand, making signals.
"What are you up to now?" inquired Dard.
"You will see," said La Croix, affecting mystery; he knew no more than
the other.
Presently off went Long Tom on the top of the bastion, and the shot came
roaring over the heads of the speakers.
The flags were changed, and off went Long Tom again at an elevation.
Ten seconds had scarcely elapsed when a tremendous explosion took place
on the French right. Long Tom was throwing red-hot shot; one had fallen
on a powder wagon, and blown it to pieces, and killed two poor fellows
and a horse, and turned an artillery man at some distance into a seeming
nigger, but did him no great harm; only took him three days to get the
powder out of his clothes with pipe clay, and off his face with raw
potato-peel.
Pages:
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480