A ROMANCE OF THE WAR.

Inangahua Times, Volume V, Issue 22, 18 January 1878, Page 2

A ROMANCE OF THE WAR.

A correspondent, of tho London Times, who is with iUoliemcfc Alt's forces in tho field, narrates tho following extraordinary incident, which wliilo reminding some of us of stovies wo hnve rend in childhood, stnmls in affecting centrist lo the cccnorol run of wnr intellijjonco vrliioh dnily readies us : — " On Thursday, tho Oh Septomhor, a combined attack on TC:icolyovo wns enrriod out in excellent style. Tho Bussinna dofondod themselves estromcly well nnd made tho most of tho Advantages of their position ; hut it was manifest that t.h<\y wore- outnumbered. Tho Turks sliowed good courage, nnd advanced with coolness ogainftt a vory heavy artillery firo, delivoied with admirable precision. Tho enemy had entrenched themselves in three lines, hut tlio first; was soon anrriod. Tho second was moro obstinately con* tested and horo occurrod, probably, one of tUo most extraordinary episodes of tho

\v:it\ A« the Russians he^tm to \v:uv mid their Iro to slacken nst,i»eTurkwe.ro pressing Toward with increased vicrour, n young Ivvminn ofllivr wns seen standing behind ono of their bitterie*. wnvni«j his swo r d nnd bol lly rnc'onr.miiur inj? hi* nion to stand their ground. Over nnd over aaain ho rallied tl'o troop* pairing out of tho treue.li, but it; was of no uso # it was not in his pow«»r alone to atom tho tide, of victory. His nvn, nnimntod by his example turned and holil their own for a few minutes, but tho life waa too heavy for nny human tiling tostand nnd live. They oould not bear it They fell on their knees, nnd entreated him to fly, but. not nn inch would ho stir, nnd nt last % he stood for almost n minuto pbsolutely nlone, snvo for the dying nnd de.-ul piled in heaps nround him. It could only end one way amid the storm of (nilleU which vcro raining round him ns thick us hnil ; ono nt last found its wny to Hint noblo henrt, nnd ho fell dend. As tho Turks swept ovor iho i pnrnprt nnd dashed passed tho spot whoro ho lny. tho Colonel, struck by tho boy 'a cstiMordinnry cour.-iijo nnd devotion, gtiVoorder.i thiit ho should bo decently buried. In the evening ho reported to tho Com* mnnder-in-Chicf that the body was that of n girl, I giro this moat astounding declaration of tho Colonel upon tho nuihority of one of tho Knglish offioor* on the Sed.ir's slnfl', who tells mo he wan nctually present when it, was made. It feoms almost incredible; hut true or Inlse, no truer lie.irr, er.»r heat than now sloops in that little «rave on tho snnny slope of JCneelyi'vo.