A MOCK ASSAULT ON A FORT IN WINTER.
A detachment made up of several battalions of Pioneers and Grenadier Guards was sent across country on a long march during one of these manœuvres, in an attempt to surprise and capture a fortress. The attack was to be made entirely without the aid and support of artillery. The troops arrived before the fortress in the evening, and were immediately ordered to the attack, the plan being to take the place by assault. The bastions and ramparts, of course, were covered with snow, and the water in the moat, if there was any, was frozen hard. They approached as quietly as they could, with the intention of crossing the moat, but before they could get their scaling-ladders into position the garrison had been alarmed by the sentries, and immediately opened fire upon the attacking party. Search-lights were also brought into play to throw their glare into the moat, where the Grenadiers had gathered in order to climb the ramparts. But in spite of this the Guards scaled the inner defences, being protected by the Pioneers, who were drawn up on the other side of the moat, and kept up such a constant fire on the garrison that these troops were unable to prevent the approach of the Grenadiers. As soon as the latter had successfully climbed the ramparts, they in turn opened a hot fire upon the defenders, while the Pioneers crossed the moat behind them. And when the whole attacking force had thus surmounted their greatest obstacle, they made a rush over the inner defences of the fortress and captured it. This is only one of the many kinds of winter manœuvres that the German troops practise. Sometimes whole army corps are sent to capture a city or to take possession of a line of railroad; and if the snows are so heavy that these roads are impassable, the railway corps of the German army can construct a road made of light steel tracks across country over the ice and the drifts. In this way they keep up communication with their base of supplies.
[ON THE CELLAR-DOOR.]
We fellows held a meeting, and Tommy had the floor;
Ned Parks was in the chair, sir, on Charley's cellar-door.
We'd voted for a lot of things and ruled some others in,
When Tommy's mother sent for him, which made no end of din.
'Twas in the middle of his speech, but Tommy had to go,
For if your mother sends for you, you haven't half a show.
The thing that we complained of was that neither just nor kind
Is the way a fellow's mother veers, and dares to "change her mind."
Old Tommy said his mother said that he might spend the day
A-playing by that cellar-door; then would not let him stay,
But thought of errands he must run, and broke our meeting square
In two just at the height of fun, and I tell you 'twasn't fair.
Grown people have such funny ways. If we should change our mind
When we had made a promise, why, they wouldn't be so blind,
They'd call it fibbing, if you please, or something worse than that,
A small black word of letters three; I've heard them plain and pat.
But we left our ruined meeting and went to playing ball,
And kicked it well, with might and main, there by Tom's mother's wall;
For we couldn't bear to stand around the dreary cellar-door
When Tommy's mother changed her mind just when he had the floor.
M. E. S.