Scotland/Scots > Wilson's tales of the Borders and of Scotland > Volume 3

104
TALKS OF THE BORDERS.
I could see, in the smoke and the confusion, that there
was a boat stove by a shell just beside us, and the man im¬
mediately behind me was shot through the head. But we
just cheered and pulled all the harder; and the moment our
keel touched the shore, we leaped out into the water, middle
deep, and, after one well directed volley, charged up the
beach -with our bayonets fixed. I missed footing in the
hurry, just as we closed, and a big whiskered fellow in blue,
would have pinned me to the sand, had not Bill struck him
through the wind-pipe, and down he fell above me; but
when I strove to rise from under him, he grappled with
me in his death agony, and the blood and breath came
rushing through his wound in my face. Ere I had thrown
him off, my comrades had broken the enemy, and were
charging up the side of a sand hill, where there were two
field-pieces stationed that had sadly annoyed us in the
landing. There came a shower of grape shot, whistling
round me, that carried away my canteen, and turned me
half round; and when I looked up, I saw, through the
smoke, that half my comrades were swept auray by the dis¬
charge, and that the survivors were fighting desperately
over the two guns, hand to hand with the enemy. Ere I
got up to them, however—and trust me, master, I did’nt
linger—the guns were our own. Bill stood beside one of
them, all grim and bloody, with his bayonet dripping like
an eaves-spout in a shower. He had struck down five of
the French, besides the one he had levelled over me; and
now, all of his own accord—for our sergeant had been
killed—he had shotted the two pieces, and turned them on
the enemy. They all scampered down the hill, master,
on the first discharge—all save one brave, obstinate fellow,
who stood firing upon us, not fifty yards away, half under
cover of a sand-bank. I saw him load thrice ere I could
hit him, and one of his balls whisked through my hat; but
I catched him at last, and down he fell—my bullet went