by John McElroy
CHAPTER II. THE DEADLY BAYONET
IT IS USED FOR NEARLY EVERYTHING ELSE THAN FOR PRODDING MEN.
IN COMMON with every other young man who enlisted to defend theglorious Stars and Stripes, Si Klegg, of the 200th Ind., had a profoundsuperstition concerning the bayonet. All the war literature he hadever read abounded in bloodcurdling descriptions of bayonet charges andhand-to-hand conflicts, in which bayonets were repeatedly thrust up tothe shanks in the combatants' bodies just as he had put a pitch-forkinto a bundle of hay. He had seen pictures of English regimentsbristling with bayonets like a porcupine with quills, rushing towardFrench regiments which looked as prickly as a chestnut-bur, and in hisignorance he supposed that was the way fighting was done. Occasionallyhe would have qualms at the thought of how little his system was suitedto have cold steel thrust through it promiscuous-like, but he comfortedhimself with the supposition that he would probably get used to it intime--"soldiers get used to almost anything, you know."
When the 200th Ind. drew its guns at Indianapolis he examined all thestrange accouterments with interest, but gave most to the triangular bitof steel which writers who have never seen a battle make so important aweapon in deciding contests.
It had milk, molasses, or even applejack, for Si then was not a memberof the Independent Order of Good Templars, of which society he is now anhonored officer. Nothing could be nicer, when he was on picket, to bringbuttermilk in from the neighboring farm-house to his chum Shorty, whostood post while he was gone.
SI's CHUM, "SHORTY" ELLIOTT 026 ]
