Ahatlessgeneralpulledhisdrippinghorsetoastandnearthecolonelofthe304th。Heshookhisfistintheother’sface。\"You’vegottohold’emback!\"heshouted,savagely;\"you’vegottohold’emback!\"
Inhisagitationthecolonelbegantostammer。
\"A—allr—right,General,allright,byGawd!We—
we’lldoour——we—we’lld—d—do——doourbest,Gen—
eral。\"Thegeneralmadeapassionategestureandgallopedaway。Thecolonel,perchancetorelievehisfeelings,begantoscoldlikeawetparrot。Theyouth,turningswiftlytomakesurethattherearwasunmolested,sawthecom—
manderregardinghismeninahighlyregretfulmanner,asifheregrettedaboveeverythinghisassociationwiththem。
Themanattheyouth’selbowwasmumbling,asiftohimself:\"Oh,we’reinforitnow!oh,we’reinforitnow!\"
Thecaptainofthecompanyhadbeenpacingexcitedlytoandfrointherear。Hecoaxedinschoolmistressfashion,astoacongregationofboyswithprimers。Histalkwasanendlessrepetition。\"Reserveyourfire,boys——don’tshoottillItellyou——saveyourfire——waittilltheygetcloseup——don’tbedamnedfools——\"
Perspirationstreameddowntheyouth’sface,whichwassoiledlikethatofaweepingurchin。
Hefrequently,withanervousmovement,wipedhiseyeswithhiscoatsleeve。Hismouthwasstillalittlewaysopen。
Hegottheoneglanceatthefoe—swarmingfieldinfrontofhim,andinstantlyceasedtode—
batethequestionofhispiecebeingloaded。Be—
forehewasreadytobegin——beforehehadan—
nouncedtohimselfthathewasabouttofight——
hethrewtheobedient,well—balancedrifleintopositionandfiredafirstwildshot。Directlyhewasworkingathisweaponlikeanautomaticaffair。
Hesuddenlylostconcernforhimself,andfor—
gottolookatamenacingfate。Hebecamenotamanbutamember。Hefeltthatsomethingofwhichhewasapart——aregiment,anarmy,acause,oracountry——wasinacrisis。Hewasweldedintoacommonpersonalitywhichwasdominatedbyasingledesire。Forsomemo—
mentshecouldnotfleenomorethanalittlefingercancommitarevolutionfromahand。
Ifhehadthoughttheregimentwasabouttobeannihilatedperhapshecouldhaveamputatedhimselffromit。Butitsnoisegavehimassur—
ance。Theregimentwaslikeafireworkthat,onceignited,proceedssuperiortocircumstancesuntilitsblazingvitalityfades。Itwheezedandbangedwithamightypower。Hepicturedthegroundbeforeitasstrewnwiththediscom—
fited。
Therewasaconsciousnessalwaysofthepres—
enceofhiscomradesabouthim。Hefeltthesubtlebattlebrotherhoodmorepotenteventhanthecauseforwhichtheywerefighting。Itwasamysteriousfraternitybornofthesmokeanddan—
gerofdeath。
Hewasatatask。Hewaslikeacarpenterwhohasmademanyboxes,makingstillanotherbox,onlytherewasfurioushasteinhismove—
ments。He,inhisthought,wascareeringoffinotherplaces,evenasthecarpenterwhoasheworkswhistlesandthinksofhisfriendorhisenemy,hishomeorasaloon。Andthesejolteddreamswereneverperfecttohimafterward,butremainedamassofblurredshapes。
Presentlyhebegantofeeltheeffectsofthewaratmosphere——ablisteringsweat,asensationthathiseyeballswereabouttocracklikehotstones。Aburningroarfilledhisears。
Followingthiscamearedrage。Hedevel—
opedtheacuteexasperationofapesteredanimal,awell—meaningcowworriedbydogs。Hehadamadfeelingagainsthisrifle,whichcouldonlybeusedagainstonelifeatatime。Hewishedtorushforwardandstranglewithhisfingers。Hecravedapowerthatwouldenablehimtomakeaworld—sweepinggestureandbrushallback。Hisimpotencyappearedtohim,andmadehisrageintothatofadrivenbeast。
Buriedinthesmokeofmanyrifleshisangerwasdirectednotsomuchagainstthemenwhomheknewwererushingtowardhimasagainsttheswirlingbattlephantomswhichwerechokinghim,stuffingtheirsmokerobesdownhisparchedthroat。Hefoughtfranticallyforrespiteforhissenses,forair,asababebeingsmotheredattacksthedeadlyblankets。
Therewasablareofheatedragemingledwithacertainexpressionofintentnessonallfaces。
Manyofthemenweremakinglow—tonednoiseswiththeirmouths,andthesesubduedcheers,snarls,imprecations,prayers,madeawild,bar—
baricsongthatwentasanundercurrentofsound,strangeandchantlikewiththeresoundingchordsofthewarmarch。Themanattheyouth’selbowwasbabbling。Inittherewassomethingsoftandtenderlikethemonologueofababe。Thetallsoldierwasswearinginaloudvoice。Fromhislipscameablackprocessionofcuriousoaths。Ofasuddenanotherbrokeoutinaquerulouswaylikeamanwhohasmislaidhishat。\"Well,whydon’ttheysupportus?Whydon’ttheysendsupports?Dotheythink——\"
Theyouthinhisbattlesleepheardthisasonewhodozeshears。
Therewasasingularabsenceofheroicposes。
Themenbendingandsurgingintheirhasteandragewereineveryimpossibleattitude。Thesteelramrodsclankedandclangedwithincessantdinasthemenpoundedthemfuriouslyintothehotriflebarrels。Theflapsofthecartridgeboxeswereallunfastened,andbobbedidioticallywitheachmovement。Therifles,onceloaded,werejerkedtotheshoulderandfiredwithoutapparentaimintothesmokeoratoneoftheblurredandshift—
ingformswhichuponthefieldbeforetheregi—
menthadbeengrowinglargerandlargerlikepuppetsunderamagician’shand。
Theofficers,attheirintervals,rearward,neg—
lectedtostandinpicturesqueattitudes。Theywerebobbingtoandfroroaringdirectionsandencouragements。Thedimensionsoftheirhowlswereextraordinary。Theyexpendedtheirlungswithprodigalwills。Andoftentheynearlystoodupontheirheadsintheiranxietytoobservetheenemyontheothersideofthetumblingsmoke。
Thelieutenantoftheyouth’scompanyhaden—
counteredasoldierwhohadfledscreamingatthefirstvolleyofhiscomrades。Behindthelinesthesetwowereactingalittleisolatedscene。Themanwasblubberingandstaringwithsheeplikeeyesatthelieutenant,whohadseizedhimbythecollarandwaspommelinghim。Hedrovehimbackintotherankswithmanyblows。Thesol—
dierwentmechanically,dully,withhisanimal—
likeeyesupontheofficer。Perhapstherewastohimadivinityexpressedinthevoiceoftheother——stern,hard,withnoreflectionoffearinit。Hetriedtoreloadhisgun,buthisshakinghandspre—
vented。Thelieutenantwasobligedtoassisthim。
Themendroppedhereandtherelikebundles。
Thecaptainoftheyouth’scompanyhadbeenkilledinanearlypartoftheaction。Hisbodylaystretchedoutinthepositionofatiredmanresting,butuponhisfacetherewasanastonishedandsorrowfullook,asifhethoughtsomefriendhaddonehimanillturn。Thebabblingmanwasgrazedbyashotthatmadethebloodstreamwidelydownhisface。Heclappedbothhandstohishead。\"Oh!\"hesaid,andran。Anothergruntedsuddenlyasifhehadbeenstruckbyaclubinthestomach。Hesatdownandgazedruefully。Inhiseyestherewasmute,indefinitereproach。Fartherupthelineaman,standingbehindatree,hadhadhiskneejointsplinteredbyaball。Immediatelyhehaddroppedhisrifleandgrippedthetreewithbotharms。Andthereheremained,clingingdesperatelyandcryingforassistancethathemightwithdrawhisholduponthetree。
Atlastanexultantyellwentalongthequiver—
ingline。Thefiringdwindledfromanuproartoalastvindictivepopping。Asthesmokeslowlyeddiedaway,theyouthsawthatthechargehadbeenrepulsed。Theenemywerescatteredintoreluctantgroups。Hesawamanclimbtothetopofthefence,straddletherail,andfireapart—
ingshot。Thewaveshadreceded,leavingbitsofdarkdebrisupontheground。
Someintheregimentbegantowhoopfren—
ziedly。Manyweresilent。Apparentlytheyweretryingtocontemplatethemselves。
Afterthefeverhadlefthisveins,theyouththoughtthatatlasthewasgoingtosuffocate。
Hebecameawareofthefoulatmosphereinwhichhehadbeenstruggling。Hewasgrimyanddrippinglikealaborerinafoundry。Hegraspedhiscanteenandtookalongswallowofthewarmedwater。
Asentencewithvariationswentupanddowntheline。\"Well,we’vehelt’emback。We’vehelt’emback;dernedifwehaven’t。\"Themensaiditblissfully,leeringateachotherwithdirtysmiles。
Theyouthturnedtolookbehindhimandofftotherightandofftotheleft。Heexperiencedthejoyofamanwhoatlastfindsleisureinwhichtolookabouthim。
Underfoottherewereafewghastlyformsmotionless。Theylaytwistedinfantasticcontor—
tions。Armswerebentandheadswereturnedinincredibleways。Itseemedthatthedeadmenmusthavefallenfromsomegreatheighttogetintosuchpositions。Theylookedtobedumpedoutuponthegroundfromthesky。
Fromapositionintherearofthegroveabat—
terywasthrowingshellsoverit。Theflashofthegunsstartledtheyouthatfirst。Hethoughttheywereaimeddirectlyathim。Throughthetreeshewatchedtheblackfiguresofthegunnersastheyworkedswiftlyandintently。Theirlaborseemedacomplicatedthing。Hewonderedhowtheycouldrememberitsformulainthemidstofconfusion。
Thegunssquattedinarowlikesavagechiefs。
Theyarguedwithabruptviolence。Itwasagrimpow—wow。Theirbusyservantsranhitherandthither。
Asmallprocessionofwoundedmenwerego—
ingdrearilytowardtherear。Itwasaflowofbloodfromthetornbodyofthebrigade。
Totherightandtotheleftwerethedarklinesofothertroops。Farinfronthethoughthecouldseelightermassesprotrudinginpointsfromtheforest。Theyweresuggestiveofun—
numberedthousands。
Oncehesawatinybatterygodashingalongthelineofthehorizon。Thetinyriderswerebeatingthetinyhorses。
Fromaslopinghillcamethesoundofcheer—
ingsandclashes。Smokewelledslowlythroughtheleaves。
Batterieswerespeakingwiththunderousora—
toricaleffort。Hereandtherewereflags,theredinthestripesdominating。Theysplashedbitsofwarmcoloruponthedarklinesoftroops。
Theyouthfelttheoldthrillatthesightoftheemblem。Theywerelikebeautifulbirdsstrangelyundauntedinastorm。
Ashelistenedtothedinfromthehillside,toadeeppulsatingthunderthatcamefromafartotheleft,andtothelesserclamorswhichcamefrommanydirections,itoccurredtohimthattheywerefighting,too,overthere,andoverthere,andoverthere。Heretoforehehadsup—
posedthatallthebattlewasdirectlyunderhisnose。
Ashegazedaroundhimtheyouthfeltaflashofastonishmentattheblue,pureskyandthesungleamingsonthetreesandfields。ItwassurprisingthatNaturehadgonetranquillyonwithhergoldenprocessinthemidstofsomuchdevilment。
chapter06
CHAPTERVI。
THEyouthawakenedslowly。Hecamegrad—
uallybacktoapositionfromwhichhecouldre—
gardhimself。Formomentshehadbeenscruti—
nizinghispersoninadazedwayasifhehadneverbeforeseenhimself。Thenhepickeduphiscapfromtheground。Hewriggledinhisjackettomakeamorecomfortablefit,andkneel—
ingrelacedhisshoe。Hethoughtfullymoppedhisreekingfeatures。
Soitwasalloveratlast!Thesupremetrialhadbeenpassed。Thered,formidabledifficultiesofwarhadbeenvanquished。
Hewentintoanecstasyofself—satisfaction。
Hehadthemostdelightfulsensationsofhislife。
Standingasifapartfromhimself,heviewedthatlastscene。Heperceivedthatthemanwhohadfoughtthuswasmagnificent。
Hefeltthathewasafinefellow。Hesawhimselfevenwiththoseidealswhichhehadcon—
sideredasfarbeyondhim。Hesmiledindeepgratification。
Uponhisfellowshebeamedtendernessandgoodwill。\"Gee!ain’tithot,hey?\"hesaidaffablytoamanwhowaspolishinghisstream—
ingfacewithhiscoatsleeves。
\"Youbet!\"saidtheother,grinningsociably。
\"Ineverseensechdumbhotness。\"Hesprawledoutluxuriouslyontheground。\"Gee,yes!An’
Ihopewedon’thavenomorefightin’tillaweekfromMonday。\"
Thereweresomehandshakingsanddeepspeecheswithmenwhosefeatureswerefamiliar,butwithwhomtheyouthnowfeltthebondsoftiedhearts。Hehelpedacursingcomradetobindupawoundoftheshin。
But,ofasudden,criesofamazementbrokeoutalongtheranksofthenewregiment。\"Heretheycomeag’in!Heretheycomeag’in!\"Themanwhohadsprawleduponthegroundstartedupandsaid,\"Gosh!\"
Theyouthturnedquickeyesuponthefield。
Hediscernedformsbegintoswellinmassesoutofadistantwood。Heagainsawthetiltedflagspeedingforward。
Theshells,whichhadceasedtotroubletheregimentforatime,cameswirlingagain,andex—
plodedinthegrassoramongtheleavesofthetrees。Theylookedtobestrangewarflowersburstingintofiercebloom。
Themengroaned。Thelusterfadedfromtheireyes。Theirsmudgedcountenancesnowexpressedaprofounddejection。Theymovedtheirstiffenedbodiesslowly,andwatchedinsul—
lenmoodthefranticapproachoftheenemy。Theslavestoilinginthetempleofthisgodbegantofeelrebellionathisharshtasks。
Theyfrettedandcomplainedeachtoeach。
\"Oh,say,thisistoomuchofagoodthing!Whycan’tsomebodysendussupports?\"
\"Weain’tnevergoin’tostandthissecondbanging。Ididn’tcomeheretofightthehulldamn’rebelarmy。\"
Therewasonewhoraisedadolefulcry。\"I
wishBillSmithershadtrodonmyhand,in—
steadermetreddin’onhis’n。\"Thesorejointsoftheregimentcreakedasitpainfullyflounderedintopositiontorepulse。
Theyouthstared。Surely,hethought,thisimpossiblethingwasnotabouttohappen。Hewaitedasifheexpectedtheenemytosuddenlystop,apologize,andretirebowing。Itwasallamistake。
Butthefiringbegansomewhereontheregi—
mentallineandrippedalonginbothdirections。
Thelevelsheetsofflamedevelopedgreatcloudsofsmokethattumbledandtossedinthemildwindnearthegroundforamoment,andthenrolledthroughtheranksasthroughagate。Thecloudsweretingedanearthlikeyellowinthesunraysandintheshadowwereasorryblue。
Theflagwassometimeseatenandlostinthismassofvapor,butmoreoftenitprojected,sun—
touched,resplendent。
Intotheyouth’seyestherecamealookthatonecanseeintheorbsofajadedhorse。Hisneckwasquiveringwithnervousweaknessandthemusclesofhisarmsfeltnumbandbloodless。
Hishands,too,seemedlargeandawkwardasifhewaswearinginvisiblemittens。Andtherewasagreatuncertaintyabouthiskneejoints。
Thewordsthatcomradeshadutteredprevioustothefiringbegantorecurtohim。\"Oh,say,thisistoomuchofagoodthing!Whatdotheytakeusfor——whydon’ttheysendsupports?I
didn’tcomeheretofightthehulldamnedrebelarmy。\"
Hebegantoexaggeratetheendurance,theskill,andthevalorofthosewhowerecoming。
Himselfreelingfromexhaustion,hewasaston—
ishedbeyondmeasureatsuchpersistency。Theymustbemachinesofsteel。Itwasverygloomystrugglingagainstsuchaffairs,woundupperhapstofightuntilsundown。
Heslowlyliftedhisrifleandcatchingaglimpseofthethickspreadfieldheblazedatacanteringcluster。Hestoppedthenandbegantopeerasbesthecouldthroughthesmoke。Hecaughtchangingviewsofthegroundcoveredwithmenwhowereallrunninglikepursuedimps,andyelling。
Totheyouthitwasanonslaughtofredoubt—
abledragons。Hebecamelikethemanwholosthislegsattheapproachoftheredandgreenmonster。Hewaitedinasortofahorrified,listeningattitude。Heseemedtoshuthiseyesandwaittobegobbled。
Amannearhimwhouptothistimehadbeenworkingfeverishlyathisriflesuddenlystoppedandranwithhowls。Aladwhosefacehadborneanexpressionofexaltedcourage,themajestyofhewhodaresgivehislife,was,ataninstant,smittenabject。Heblanchedlikeonewhohascometotheedgeofacliffatmidnightandissud—
denlymadeaware。Therewasarevelation。He,too,threwdownhisgunandfled。Therewasnoshameinhisface。Heranlikearabbit。
Othersbegantoscamperawaythroughthesmoke。Theyouthturnedhishead,shakenfromhistrancebythismovementasiftheregimentwasleavinghimbehind。Hesawthefewfleetingforms。
Heyelledthenwithfrightandswungabout。
Foramoment,inthegreatclamor,hewaslikeaproverbialchicken。Helostthedirectionofsafety。Destructionthreatenedhimfromallpoints。
Directlyhebegantospeedtowardtherearingreatleaps。Hisrifleandcapweregone。Hisunbuttonedcoatbulgedinthewind。Theflapofhiscartridgeboxbobbedwildly,andhiscanteen,byitsslendercord,swungoutbehind。Onhisfacewasallthehorrorofthosethingswhichheimagined。
Thelieutenantsprangforwardbawling。Theyouthsawhisfeatureswrathfullyred,andsawhimmakeadabwithhissword。Hisonethoughtoftheincidentwasthatthelieutenantwasapecul—
iarcreaturetofeelinterestedinsuchmattersuponthisoccasion。
Heranlikeablindman。Twoorthreetimeshefelldown。Onceheknockedhisshouldersoheavilyagainstatreethathewentheadlong。
Sincehehadturnedhisbackuponthefighthisfearshadbeenwondrouslymagnified。Deathabouttothrusthimbetweentheshoulderbladeswasfarmoredreadfulthandeathabouttosmitehimbetweentheeyes。Whenhethoughtofitlater,heconceivedtheimpressionthatitisbettertoviewtheappallingthantobemerelywithinhearing。Thenoisesofthebattlewerelikestones;hebelievedhimselfliabletobecrushed。
Asheranhemingledwithothers。Hedimlysawmenonhisrightandonhisleft,andheheardfootstepsbehindhim。Hethoughtthatalltheregimentwasfleeing,pursuedbytheseominouscrashes。
Inhisflightthesoundofthesefollowingfoot—
stepsgavehimhisonemeagerrelief。Hefeltvaguelythatdeathmustmakeafirstchoiceofthemenwhowerenearest;theinitialmorselsforthedragonswouldbethenthosewhowerefol—
lowinghim。Sohedisplayedthezealofaninsanesprinterinhispurposetokeepthemintherear。
Therewasarace。
Ashe,leading,wentacrossalittlefield,hefoundhimselfinaregionofshells。Theyhurtledoverhisheadwithlongwildscreams。Ashelistenedheimaginedthemtohaverowsofcruelteeththatgrinnedathim。Onceonelitbeforehimandthelividlightningoftheexplosioneffectuallybarredthewayinhischosendirec—
tion。Hegroveledonthegroundandthenspringingupwentcareeringoffthroughsomebushes。
Heexperiencedathrillofamazementwhenhecamewithinviewofabatteryinaction。Thementhereseemedtobeinconventionalmoods,altogetherunawareoftheimpendingannihila—
tion。Thebatterywasdisputingwithadistantantagonistandthegunnerswerewrappedinadmirationoftheirshooting。Theywerecon—
tinuallybendingincoaxingposturesovertheguns。Theyseemedtobepattingthemonthebackandencouragingthemwithwords。Theguns,stolidandundaunted,spokewithdoggedvalor。
Theprecisegunnerswerecoollyenthusiastic。
Theyliftedtheireyeseverychancetothesmoke—
wreathedhillockfromwhencethehostilebatteryaddressedthem。Theyouthpitiedthemasheran。Methodicalidiots!Machine—likefools!Therefinedjoyofplantingshellsinthemidstoftheotherbattery’sformationwouldappearalittlethingwhentheinfantrycameswoopingoutofthewoods。
Thefaceofayouthfulrider,whowasjerkinghisfrantichorsewithanabandonoftemperhemightdisplayinaplacidbarnyard,wasim—
presseddeeplyuponhismind。Heknewthathelookeduponamanwhowouldpresentlybedead。
Too,hefeltapityfortheguns,standing,sixgoodcomrades,inaboldrow。
Hesawabrigadegoingtothereliefofitspes—
teredfellows。Hescrambleduponaweehillandwatcheditsweepingfinely,keepingformationindifficultplaces。Theblueofthelinewascrustedwithsteelcolor,andthebrilliantflagsprojected。
Officerswereshouting。
Thissightalsofilledhimwithwonder。Thebrigadewashurryingbrisklytobegulpedintotheinfernalmouthsofthewargod。Whatman—
nerofmenwerethey,anyhow?Ah,itwassomewondrousbreed!Orelsetheydidn’tcompre—
hend——thefools。
Afuriousordercausedcommotionintheartil—
lery。Anofficeronaboundinghorsemademani—
acalmotionswithhisarms。Theteamswentswingingupfromtherear,thegunswerewhirledabout,andthebatteryscamperedaway。Thecannonwiththeirnosespokedslantinglyatthegroundgruntedandgrumbledlikestoutmen,bravebutwithobjectionstohurry。
Theyouthwenton,moderatinghispacesincehehadlefttheplaceofnoises。
Laterhecameuponageneralofdivisionseateduponahorsethatprickeditsearsinaninterestedwayatthebattle。Therewasagreatgleamingofyellowandpatentleatheraboutthesaddleandbridle。Thequietmanastridelookedmouse—coloreduponsuchasplen—
didcharger。
Ajinglingstaffwasgallopinghitherandthither。Sometimesthegeneralwassurroundedbyhorsemenandatothertimeshewasquitealone。Helookedtobemuchharassed。Hehadtheappearanceofabusinessmanwhosemarketisswingingupanddown。
Theyouthwentslinkingaroundthisspot。
Hewentasnearashedaredtryingtooverhearwords。Perhapsthegeneral,unabletocompre—
hendchaos,mightcalluponhimforinformation。
Andhecouldtellhim。Heknewallconcerningit。Ofasuretytheforcewasinafix,andanyfoolcouldseethatiftheydidnotretreatwhiletheyhadopportunity——why——
Hefeltthathewouldliketothrashthegen—
eral,oratleastapproachandtellhiminplainwordsexactlywhathethoughthimtobe。Itwascriminaltostaycalmlyinonespotandmakenoefforttostaydestruction。Heloiteredinafeverofeagernessforthedivisioncommandertoapplytohim。
Ashewarilymovedabout,heheardthegen—
eralcalloutirritably:\"Tompkins,gooveran’
seeTaylor,an’tellhimnott’beinsuchanall—
firedhurry;tellhimt’halthisbrigadeinth’
edgeofth’woods;tellhimt’detachareg’ment——sayIthinkth’center’llbreakifwedon’thelpitoutsome;tellhimt’hurryup。\"
Aslimyouthonafinechestnuthorsecaughttheseswiftwordsfromthemouthofhissuperior。
Hemadehishorseboundintoagallopalmostfromawalkinhishastetogouponhismission。
Therewasacloudofdust。
Amomentlatertheyouthsawthegeneralbounceexcitedlyinhissaddle。
\"Yes,byheavens,theyhave!\"Theofficerleanedforward。Hisfacewasaflamewithexcite—
ment。\"Yes,byheavens,they’veheld’im!
They’veheld’im!\"
Hebegantoblithelyroarathisstaff:\"We’llwallop’imnow。We’llwallop’imnow。We’vegot’emsure。\"Heturnedsuddenlyuponanaid:
\"Here——you——Jones——quick——rideafterTompkins——seeTaylor——tellhimt’goin——everlastingly——
likeblazes——anything。\"
Asanotherofficerspedhishorseafterthefirstmessenger,thegeneralbeamedupontheearthlikeasun。Inhiseyeswasadesiretochantapaean。Hekeptrepeating,\"They’veheld’em,byheavens!\"
Hisexcitementmadehishorseplunge,andhemerrilykickedandsworeatit。Heheldalittlecarnivalofjoyonhorseback。
chapter07
CHAPTERVII。
THEyouthcringedasifdiscoveredinacrime。
Byheavens,theyhadwonafterall!Theim—
becilelinehadremainedandbecomevictors。
Hecouldhearcheering。
Heliftedhimselfuponhistoesandlookedinthedirectionofthefight。Ayellowfoglaywal—
lowingonthetreetops。Frombeneathitcametheclatterofmusketry。Hoarsecriestoldofanadvance。
Heturnedawayamazedandangry。Hefeltthathehadbeenwronged。
Hehadfled,hetoldhimself,becauseannihila—
tionapproached。Hehaddoneagoodpartinsavinghimself,whowasalittlepieceofthearmy。
Hehadconsideredthetime,hesaid,tobeoneinwhichitwasthedutyofeverylittlepiecetores—
cueitselfifpossible。Latertheofficerscouldfitthelittlepiecestogetheragain,andmakeabattlefront。Ifnoneofthelittlepieceswerewiseenoughtosavethemselvesfromtheflurryofdeathatsuchatime,why,then,wherewouldbethearmy?Itwasallplainthathehadproceededaccordingtoverycorrectandcommendablerules。Hisac—
tionshadbeensagaciousthings。Theyhadbeenfullofstrategy。Theyweretheworkofamas—
ter’slegs。
Thoughtsofhiscomradescametohim。Thebrittlebluelinehadwithstoodtheblowsandwon。
Hegrewbitteroverit。Itseemedthattheblindignoranceandstupidityofthoselittlepieceshadbetrayedhim。Hehadbeenoverturnedandcrushedbytheirlackofsenseinholdingthepo—
sition,whenintelligentdeliberationwouldhaveconvincedthemthatitwasimpossible。He,theenlightenedmanwholooksafarinthedark,hadfledbecauseofhissuperiorperceptionsandknowledge。Hefeltagreatangeragainsthiscomrades。Heknewitcouldbeprovedthattheyhadbeenfools。
Hewonderedwhattheywouldremarkwhenlaterheappearedincamp。Hismindheardhowlsofderision。Theirdensitywouldnoten—
ablethemtounderstandhissharperpointofview。
Hebegantopityhimselfacutely。Hewasillused。Hewastroddenbeneaththefeetofanironinjustice。Hehadproceededwithwisdomandfromthemostrighteousmotivesunderheaven’sblueonlytobefrustratedbyhatefulcircumstances。
Adull,animal—likerebellionagainsthisfel—
lows,warintheabstract,andfategrewwithinhim。Heshambledalongwithbowedhead,hisbraininatumultofagonyanddespair。Whenhelookedloweringlyup,quiveringateachsound,hiseyeshadtheexpressionofthoseofacriminalwhothinkshisguiltandhispun—
ishmentgreat,andknowsthathecanfindnowords。
Hewentfromthefieldsintoathickwoods,asifresolvedtoburyhimself。Hewishedtogetoutofhearingofthecracklingshotswhichweretohimlikevoices。
Thegroundwasclutteredwithvinesandbushes,andthetreesgrewcloseandspreadoutlikebouquets。Hewasobligedtoforcehiswaywithmuchnoise。Thecreepers,catchingagainsthislegs,criedoutharshlyastheirspraysweretornfromthebarksoftrees。Theswishingsap—
lingstriedtomakeknownhispresencetotheworld。Hecouldnotconciliatetheforest。Ashemadehisway,itwasalwayscallingoutprot—
estations。Whenheseparatedembracesoftreesandvinesthedisturbedfoliageswavedtheirarmsandturnedtheirfaceleavestowardhim。Hedreadedlestthesenoisymotionsandcriesshouldbringmentolookathim。Sohewentfar,seek—
ingdarkandintricateplaces。
Afteratimethesoundofmusketrygrewfaintandthecannonboomedinthedistance。Thesun,suddenlyapparent,blazedamongthetrees。Theinsectsweremakingrhythmicalnoises。Theyseemedtobegrindingtheirteethinunison。A
woodpeckerstuckhisimpudentheadaroundthesideofatree。Abirdflewonlightheartedwing。
Offwastherumbleofdeath。ItseemednowthatNaturehadnoears。
Thislandscapegavehimassurance。Afairfieldholdinglife。Itwasthereligionofpeace。
Itwoulddieifitstimideyeswerecompelledtoseeblood。HeconceivedNaturetobeawomanwithadeepaversiontotragedy。
Hethrewapineconeatajovialsquirrel,andheranwithchatteringfear。Highinatreetophestopped,and,pokinghisheadcautiouslyfrombehindabranch,lookeddownwithanairoftrepi—
dation。
Theyouthfelttriumphantatthisexhibition。
Therewasthelaw,hesaid。Naturehadgivenhimasign。Thesquirrel,immediatelyuponrec—
ognizingdanger,hadtakentohislegswithoutado。Hedidnotstandstolidlybaringhisfurrybellytothemissile,anddiewithanupwardglanceatthesympatheticheavens。Onthecon—
trary,hehadfledasfastashislegscouldcarryhim;andhewasbutanordinarysquirrel,too——
doubtlessnophilosopherofhisrace。Theyouthwended,feelingthatNaturewasofhismind。
Shere—enforcedhisargumentwithproofsthatlivedwherethesunshone。
Oncehefoundhimselfalmostintoaswamp。
Hewasobligedtowalkuponbogtuftsandwatchhisfeettokeepfromtheoilymire。Paus—
ingatonetimetolookabouthimhesaw,outatsomeblackwater,asmallanimalpounceinandemergedirectlywithagleamingfish。
Theyouthwentagainintothedeepthickets。
Thebrushedbranchesmadeanoisethatdrownedthesoundsofcannon。Hewalkedon,goingfromobscurityintopromisesofagreaterobscurity。
Atlengthhereachedaplacewherethehigh,archingboughsmadeachapel。Hesoftlypushedthegreendoorsasideandentered。Pineneedleswereagentlebrowncarpet。Therewasareli—
gioushalflight。
Nearthethresholdhestopped,horror—strickenatthesightofathing。
Hewasbeinglookedatbyadeadmanwhowasseatedwithhisbackagainstacolumnliketree。Thecorpsewasdressedinauniformthatoncehadbeenblue,butwasnowfadedtoamel—
ancholyshadeofgreen。Theeyes,staringattheyouth,hadchangedtothedullhuetobeseenonthesideofadeadfish。Themouthwasopen。
Itsredhadchangedtoanappallingyellow。
Overthegrayskinofthefaceranlittleants。
Onewastrundlingsomesortofabundlealongtheupperlip。
Theyouthgaveashriekasheconfrontedthething。Hewasformomentsturnedtostonebe—
foreit。Heremainedstaringintotheliquid—look—
ingeyes。Thedeadmanandthelivingmanex—
changedalonglook。Thentheyouthcautiouslyputonehandbehindhimandbroughtitagainstatree。Leaninguponthisheretreated,stepbystep,withhisfacestilltowardthething。Hefearedthatifheturnedhisbackthebodymightspringupandstealthilypursuehim。
Thebranches,pushingagainsthim,threat—
enedtothrowhimoveruponit。Hisunguidedfeet,too,caughtaggravatinglyinbrambles;andwithitallhereceivedasubtlesuggestiontotouchthecorpse。Ashethoughtofhishanduponitheshudderedprofoundly。
Atlastheburstthebondswhichhadfastenedhimtothespotandfled,unheedingtheunder—
brush。Hewaspursuedbyasightoftheblackantsswarminggreedilyuponthegrayfaceandventuringhorriblyneartotheeyes。
Afteratimehepaused,and,breathlessandpanting,listened。Heimaginedsomestrangevoicewouldcomefromthedeadthroatandsquawkafterhiminhorriblemenaces。
Thetreesabouttheportalofthechapelmovedsoughinglyinasoftwind。Asadsilencewasuponthelittleguardingedifice。
chapter08
CHAPTERVIII。
THEtreesbegansoftlytosingahymnoftwi—
light。Thesunsankuntilslantedbronzeraysstrucktheforest。Therewasalullinthenoisesofinsectsasiftheyhadbowedtheirbeaksandweremakingadevotionalpause。Therewassilencesaveforthechantedchorusofthetrees。
Then,uponthisstillness,theresuddenlybrokeatremendousclangorofsounds。Acrimsonroarcamefromthedistance。
Theyouthstopped。Hewastransfixedbythisterrificmedleyofallnoises。Itwasasifworldswerebeingrended。Therewastherip—
pingsoundofmusketryandthebreakingcrashoftheartillery。
Hismindflewinalldirections。Heconceivedthetwoarmiestobeateachotherpantherfashion。Helistenedforatime。Thenhebegantoruninthedirectionofthebattle。Hesawthatitwasanironicalthingforhimtoberun—
ningthustowardthatwhichhehadbeenatsuchpainstoavoid。Buthesaid,insubstance,tohim—
selfthatiftheearthandthemoonwereabouttoclash,manypersonswoulddoubtlessplantogetupontheroofstowitnessthecollision。
Asheran,hebecameawarethattheforesthadstoppeditsmusic,asifatlastbecomingcapableofhearingtheforeignsounds。Thetreeshushedandstoodmotionless。Everythingseemedtobelisteningtothecrackleandclatterandear—
shakingthunder。Thechoruspealedoverthestillearth。
Itsuddenlyoccurredtotheyouththatthefightinwhichhehadbeenwas,afterall,butperfunctorypopping。Inthehearingofthispresentdinhewasdoubtfulifhehadseenrealbattlescenes。Thisuproarexplainedaceles—
tialbattle;itwastumblinghordesa—struggleintheair。
Reflecting,hesawasortofahumorinthepointofviewofhimselfandhisfellowsduringthelateencounter。Theyhadtakenthemselvesandtheenemyveryseriouslyandhadimaginedthattheyweredecidingthewar。Individualsmusthavesupposedthattheywerecuttingthelettersoftheirnamesdeepintoeverlastingtabletsofbrass,orenshriningtheirreputationsforeverintheheartsoftheircountrymen,while,astofact,theaffairwouldappearinprintedreportsunderameekandimmaterialtitle。Buthesawthatitwasgood,else,hesaid,inbattleeveryonewouldsurelyrunsaveforlornhopesandtheirilk。
Hewentrapidlyon。Hewishedtocometotheedgeoftheforestthathemightpeerout。
Ashehastened,therepassedthroughhismindpicturesofstupendousconflicts。Hisaccumulatedthoughtuponsuchsubjectswasusedtoformscenes。Thenoisewasasthevoiceofaneloquentbeing,describing。
Sometimesthebramblesformedchainsandtriedtoholdhimback。Trees,confrontinghim,stretchedouttheirarmsandforbadehimtopass。
Afteritsprevioushostilitythisnewresistanceoftheforestfilledhimwithafinebitterness。ItseemedthatNaturecouldnotbequitereadytokillhim。
Butheobstinatelytookroundaboutways,andpresentlyhewaswherehecouldseelonggraywallsofvaporwherelaybattlelines。Thevoicesofcannonshookhim。Themusketrysoundedinlongirregularsurgesthatplayedhavocwithhisears。Hestoodregardantforamoment。Hiseyeshadanawestruckexpression。Hegawkedinthedirectionofthefight。
Presentlyheproceededagainonhisforwardway。Thebattlewaslikethegrindingofanimmenseandterriblemachinetohim。Itscom—
plexitiesandpowers,itsgrimprocesses,fascinatedhim。Hemustgocloseandseeitproducecorpses。
Hecametoafenceandclamberedoverit。
Onthefarside,thegroundwaslitteredwithclothesandguns。Anewspaper,foldedup,layinthedirt。Adeadsoldierwasstretchedwithhisfacehiddeninhisarm。Fartherofftherewasagroupoffourorfivecorpseskeepingmournfulcompany。Ahotsunhadblazeduponthespot。
Inthisplacetheyouthfeltthathewasaninvader。Thisforgottenpartofthebattlegroundwasownedbythedeadmen,andhehurried,inthevagueapprehensionthatoneoftheswollenformswouldriseandtellhimtobegone。
Hecamefinallytoaroadfromwhichhecouldseeinthedistancedarkandagitatedbodiesoftroops,smoke—fringed。Inthelanewasablood—stainedcrowdstreamingtotherear。
Thewoundedmenwerecursing,groaning,andwailing。Intheair,always,wasamightyswellofsoundthatitseemedcouldswaytheearth。
Withthecourageouswordsoftheartilleryandthespitefulsentencesofthemusketrymingledredcheers。Andfromthisregionofnoisescamethesteadycurrentofthemaimed。
Oneofthewoundedmenhadashoefulofblood。Hehoppedlikeaschoolboyinagame。
Hewaslaughinghysterically。
Onewasswearingthathehadbeenshotinthearmthroughthecommandinggeneral’smisman—
agementofthearmy。Onewasmarchingwithanairimitativeofsomesublimedrummajor。
Uponhisfeatureswasanunholymixtureofmerrimentandagony。Ashemarchedhesangabitofdoggerelinahighandquaveringvoice:
\"Singasong’avic’try,Apocketful’abullets,Fivean’twentydeadmenBakedina——pie。\"
Partsoftheprocessionlimpedandstaggeredtothistune。
Anotherhadthegraysealofdeathalreadyuponhisface。Hislipswerecurledinhardlinesandhisteethwereclinched。Hishandswerebloodyfromwherehehadpressedthemuponhiswound。Heseemedtobeawaitingthemomentwhenheshouldpitchheadlong。Hestalkedlikethespecterofasoldier,hiseyesburningwiththepowerofastareintotheunknown。
Thereweresomewhoproceededsullenly,fullofangerattheirwounds,andreadytoturnuponanythingasanobscurecause。
Anofficerwascarriedalongbytwoprivates。
Hewaspeevish。\"Don’tjoggleso,Johnson,yehfool,\"hecried。\"Thinkm’legismadeofiron?
Ifyehcan’tcarrymedecent,putmedownan’
letsomeoneelsedoit。\"
Hebellowedatthetotteringcrowdwhoblockedthequickmarchofhisbearers。\"Say,makewaythere,can’tyeh?Makeway,dickenstakeitall。\"
Theysulkilypartedandwenttotheroad—
sides。Ashewascarriedpasttheymadepertremarkstohim。Whenheragedinreplyandthreatenedthem,theytoldhimtobedamned。
Theshoulderofoneofthetrampingbearersknockedheavilyagainstthespectralsoldierwhowasstaringintotheunknown。
Theyouthjoinedthiscrowdandmarchedalongwithit。Thetornbodiesexpressedtheawfulmachineryinwhichthemenhadbeenentangled。
Orderliesandcouriersoccasionallybrokethroughthethrongintheroadway,scatteringwoundedmenrightandleft,gallopingonfol—
lowedbyhowls。Themelancholymarchwascontinuallydisturbedbythemessengers,andsometimesbybustlingbatteriesthatcameswing—
ingandthumpingdownuponthem,theofficersshoutingorderstocleartheway。
Therewasatatteredman,fouledwithdust,bloodandpowderstainfromhairtoshoes,whotrudgedquietlyattheyouth’sside。Hewaslis—
teningwitheagernessandmuchhumilitytotheluriddescriptionsofabeardedsergeant。Hisleanfeaturesworeanexpressionofaweandad—
miration。Hewaslikealistenerinacountrystoretowondroustalestoldamongthesugarbarrels。Heeyedthestory—tellerwithunspeak—
ablewonder。Hismouthwasagapeinyokelfashion。
Thesergeant,takingnoteofthis,gavepausetohiselaboratehistorywhileheadministeredasardoniccomment。\"Bekeerful,honey,you’llbea—ketchin’flies,\"hesaid。
Thetatteredmanshrankbackabashed。
Afteratimehebegantosidleneartotheyouth,andinadifferentwaytrytomakehimafriend。Hisvoicewasgentleasagirl’svoiceandhiseyeswerepleading。Theyouthsawwithsurprisethatthesoldierhadtwowounds,oneinthehead,boundwithablood—soakedrag,andtheotherinthearm,makingthatmemberdanglelikeabrokenbough。
Aftertheyhadwalkedtogetherforsometimethetatteredmanmusteredsufficientcouragetospeak。\"Wasprettygoodfight,wa’n’tit?\"
hetimidlysaid。Theyouth,deepinthought,glancedupatthebloodyandgrimfigurewithitslamblikeeyes。\"What?\"
\"Wasprettygoodfight,wa’n’tit?
\"Yes,\"saidtheyouthshortly。Hequick—
enedhispace。
Buttheotherhobbledindustriouslyafterhim。
Therewasanairofapologyinhismanner,butheevidentlythoughtthatheneededonlytotalkforatime,andtheyouthwouldperceivethathewasagoodfellow。
\"Wasprettygoodfight,wa’n’tit?\"hebeganinasmallvoice,andthenheachievedtheforti—
tudetocontinue。\"DernmeifIeverseefellersfightso。Laws,howtheydidfight!Iknowedth’boys’dlikewhentheyonctgotsquareatit。
Th’boysain’thadnofairchanctupt’now,butthistimetheyshowedwhattheywas。Iknowedit’dturnoutthisway。Yehcan’tlickthemboys。
No,sir!They’refighters,theybe。\"
Hebreathedadeepbreathofhumblead—
miration。Hehadlookedattheyouthforen—
couragementseveraltimes。Hereceivednone,butgraduallyheseemedtogetabsorbedinhissubject。
\"Iwastalkin’’crosspicketswithaboyfromGeorgie,onct,an’thatboy,heses,’Yourfellers’llallrunlikehellwhentheyoncthearnagun,’
heses。’Mebbetheywill,’Ises,’butIdon’tb’lievenoneofit,’Ises;’an’b’jiminey,’Isesbackt’’um,’mebbeyourfellers’llallrunlikehellwhentheyoncthearnagun,’Ises。Helarfed。
Well,theydidn’trunt’day,didthey,hey?No,sir!Theyfit,an’fit,an’fit。\"
Hishomelyfacewassuffusedwithalightofloveforthearmywhichwastohimallthingsbeautifulandpowerful。
Afteratimeheturnedtotheyouth。\"Whereyehhit,ol’boy?\"heaskedinabrotherlytone。
Theyouthfeltinstantpanicatthisquestion,althoughatfirstitsfullimportwasnotborneinuponhim。
\"What?\"heasked。
\"Whereyehhit?\"repeatedthetatteredman。
\"Why,\"begantheyouth,\"I——I——thatis——
why——I——\"
Heturnedawaysuddenlyandslidthroughthecrowd。Hisbrowwasheavilyflushed,andhisfingerswerepickingnervouslyatoneofhisbuttons。Hebenthisheadandfastenedhiseyesstudiouslyuponthebuttonasifitwerealittleproblem。
Thetatteredmanlookedafterhiminastonishment。
chapter09
CHAPTERIX。
THEyouthfellbackintheprocessionuntilthetatteredsoldierwasnotinsight。Thenhestartedtowalkonwiththeothers。
Buthewasamidwounds。Themobofmenwasbleeding。Becauseofthetatteredsoldier’squestionhenowfeltthathisshamecouldbeviewed。Hewascontinuallycastingsidelongglancestoseeifthemenwerecontemplatingthelettersofguilthefeltburnedintohisbrow。
Attimesheregardedthewoundedsoldiersinanenviousway。Heconceivedpersonswithtornbodiestobepeculiarlyhappy。Hewishedthathe,too,hadawound,aredbadgeofcour—
age。
Thespectralsoldierwasathissidelikeastalkingreproach。Theman’seyeswerestillfixedinastareintotheunknown。Hisgray,appallingfacehadattractedattentioninthecrowd,andmen,slowingtohisdrearypace,werewalkingwithhim。Theywerediscussinghisplight,questioninghimandgivinghimadvice。
91
Inadoggedwayherepelledthem,signingtothemtogoonandleavehimalone。Theshadowsofhisfaceweredeepeningandhistightlipsseemedholdingincheckthemoanofgreatdespair。
Therecouldbeseenacertainstiffnessinthemovementsofhisbody,asifheweretakinginfinitecarenottoarousethepassionofhiswounds。Ashewenton,heseemedalwayslook—
ingforaplace,likeonewhogoestochooseagrave。
Somethinginthegestureofthemanashewavedthebloodyandpityingsoldiersawaymadetheyouthstartasifbitten。Heyelledinhorror。Totteringforwardhelaidaquiveringhandupontheman’sarm。Asthelatterslowlyturnedhiswaxlikefeaturestowardhim,theyouthscreamed:
\"Gawd!JimConklin!\"
Thetallsoldiermadealittlecommonplacesmile。\"Hello,Henry,\"hesaid。
Theyouthswayedonhislegsandglaredstrangely。Hestutteredandstammered。\"Oh,Jim——oh,Jim——oh,Jim——\"
Thetallsoldierheldouthisgoryhand。Therewasacuriousredandblackcombinationofnewbloodandoldblooduponit。\"Whereyehbeen,Henry?\"heasked。Hecontinuedinamonoto—
nousvoice,\"Ithoughtmebbeyehgotkeeledover。There’sbeenthundert’payt’—day。Iwasworryin’aboutitagooddeal。\"
Theyouthstilllamented。\"Oh,Jim——oh,Jim——oh,Jim——\"
\"Yehknow,\"saidthetallsoldier,\"Iwasoutthere。\"Hemadeacarefulgesture。\"An’,Lord,whatacircus!An’,b’jiminey,Igotshot——
Igotshot。Yes,b’jiminey,Igotshot。\"Hereiteratedthisfactinabewilderedway,asifhedidnotknowhowitcameabout。
Theyouthputforthanxiousarmstoassisthim,butthetallsoldierwentfirmlyonasifpro—
pelled。Sincetheyouth’sarrivalasaguardianforhisfriend,theotherwoundedmenhadceasedtodisplaymuchinterest。Theyoccupiedthem—
selvesagainindraggingtheirowntragediestowardtherear。
Suddenly,asthetwofriendsmarchedon,thetallsoldierseemedtobeovercomebyaterror。
Hisfaceturnedtoasemblanceofgraypaste。
Heclutchedtheyouth’sarmandlookedallabouthim,asifdreadingtobeoverheard。Thenhebegantospeakinashakingwhisper:
\"ItellyehwhatI’m’fraidof,Henry——I’lltellyehwhatI’m’fraidof。I’m’fraidI’llfalldown——an’thenyehknow——themdamnedartillerywagons——theylikeasnot’llrunoverme。That’swhatI’m’fraidof——\"
Theyouthcriedouttohimhysterically:\"I’lltakecareofyeh,Jim!I’lltakecareofyeh!I
sweart’GawdIwill!\"
\"Sure——willyeh,Henry?\"thetallsoldierbeseeched。
\"Yes——yes——Itellyeh——I’lltakecareofyeh,Jim!\"protestedtheyouth。Hecouldnotspeakaccuratelybecauseofthegulpingsinhisthroat。
Butthetallsoldiercontinuedtobeginalowlyway。Henowhungbabeliketotheyouth’sarm。Hiseyesrolledinthewildnessofhisterror。\"Iwasallusagoodfriendt’yeh,wa’n’tI,Henry?I’veallusbeenaprettygoodfeller,ain’tI?An’itain’tmucht’ask,isit?Jestt’pullmealongouterth’road?I’ddoitferyou,Wouldn’tI,Henry?\"
Hepausedinpiteousanxietytoawaithisfriend’sreply。
Theyouthhadreachedananguishwherethesobsscorchedhim。Hestrovetoexpresshisloyalty,buthecouldonlymakefantasticgestures。
However,thetallsoldierseemedsuddenlytoforgetallthosefears。Hebecameagainthegrim,stalkingspecterofasoldier。Hewentstonilyforward。Theyouthwishedhisfriendtoleanuponhim,buttheotheralwaysshookhisheadandstrangelyprotested。\"No——no——no——
leavemebe——leavemebe——\"
Hislookwasfixedagainupontheunknown。
Hemovedwithmysteriouspurpose,andalloftheyouth’soffershebrushedaside。\"No——no——
leavemebe——leavemebe——\"
Theyouthhadtofollow。
Presentlythelatterheardavoicetalkingsoftlynearhisshoulders。Turninghesawthatitbelongedtothetatteredsoldier。\"Ye’dbettertake’imoutath’road,pardner。There’sabatt’rycomin’helitywhoopdownth’roadan’he’llgitrunnedover。He’sagoneranyhowinaboutfiveminutes——yehkinseethat。Ye’dbettertake’imoutath’road。Whereth’blazesdoeshegithisstren’thfrom?\"
\"Lordknows!\"criedtheyouth。Hewasshakinghishandshelplessly。
Heranforwardpresentlyandgraspedthetallsoldierbythearm。\"Jim!Jim!\"hecoaxed,\"comewithme。\"
Thetallsoldierweaklytriedtowrenchhimselffree。\"Huh,\"hesaidvacantly。Hestaredattheyouthforamoment。Atlasthespokeasifdimlycomprehending。\"Oh!Intehth’fields?Oh!\"
Hestartedblindlythroughthegrass。
Theyouthturnedoncetolookatthelashingridersandjouncinggunsofthebattery。Hewasstartledfromthisviewbyashrilloutcryfromthetatteredman。
\"Gawd!He’srunnin’!\"
Turninghisheadswiftly,theyouthsawhisfriendrunninginastaggeringandstumblingwaytowardalittleclumpofbushes。Hisheartseemedtowrenchitselfalmostfreefromhisbodyatthissight。Hemadeanoiseofpain。
Heandthetatteredmanbeganapursuit。Therewasasingularrace。
Whenheovertookthetallsoldierhebegantopleadwithallthewordshecouldfind。\"Jim——Jim——whatareyoudoing——whatmakesyoudothisway——you’llhurtyerself。\"
Thesamepurposewasinthetallsoldier’sface。
Heprotestedinadulledway,keepinghiseyesfastenedonthemysticplaceofhisintentions。
\"No——no——don’ttechme——leavemebe——leavemebe——\"
Theyouth,aghastandfilledwithwonderatthetallsoldier,beganquaveringlytoquestionhim。
\"Whereyehgoin’,Jim?Whatyouthinkingabout?Whereyougoing?Tellme,won’tyou,Jim?\"
Thetallsoldierfacedaboutasuponrelentlesspursuers。Inhiseyestherewasagreatappeal。
\"Leavemebe,can’tyeh?Leavemebeferaminnit。\"
Theyouthrecoiled。\"Why,Jim,\"hesaid,inadazedway,\"what’sthematterwithyou?\"
Thetallsoldierturnedand,lurchingdanger—
ously,wenton。Theyouthandthetatteredsoldierfollowed,sneakingasifwhipped,feelingunabletofacethestrickenmanifheshouldagainconfrontthem。Theybegantohavethoughtsofasolemnceremony。Therewassomethingrite—
likeinthesemovementsofthedoomedsoldier。
Andtherewasaresemblanceinhimtoadevoteeofamadreligion,blood—sucking,muscle—wrench—
ing,bone—crushing。Theywereawedandafraid。
Theyhungbacklesthehaveatcommandadreadfulweapon。
Atlast,theysawhimstopandstandmotion—
less。Hasteningup,theyperceivedthathisfaceworeanexpressiontellingthathehadatlastfoundtheplaceforwhichhehadstruggled。Hissparefigurewaserect;hisbloodyhandswerequietlyathisside。Hewaswaitingwithpatienceforsomethingthathehadcometomeet。Hewasattherendezvous。Theypausedandstood,ex—
pectant。
Therewasasilence。
Finally,thechestofthedoomedsoldierbegantoheavewithastrainedmotion。Itincreasedinviolenceuntilitwasasifananimalwaswithinandwaskickingandtumblingfuriouslytobefree。
Thisspectacleofgradualstrangulationmadetheyouthwrithe,andonceashisfriendrolledhiseyes,hesawsomethinginthemthatmadehimsinkwailingtotheground。Heraisedhisvoiceinalastsupremecall。
\"Jim——Jim——Jim——\"
Thetallsoldieropenedhislipsandspoke。
Hemadeagesture。\"Leavemebe——don’ttechme——leavemebe——\"
Therewasanothersilencewhilehewaited。
Suddenly,hisformstiffenedandstraightened。
Thenitwasshakenbyaprolongedague。Hestaredintospace。Tothetwowatcherstherewasacuriousandprofounddignityinthefirmlinesofhisawfulface。
Hewasinvadedbyacreepingstrangenessthatslowlyenvelopedhim。Foramomentthetremorofhislegscausedhimtodanceasortofhideoushornpipe。Hisarmsbeatwildlyabouthisheadinexpressionofimplikeenthusiasm。
Histallfigurestretcheditselftoitsfullheight。
Therewasaslightrendingsound。Thenitbegantoswingforward,slowandstraight,intheman—
nerofafallingtree。Aswiftmuscularcontortionmadetheleftshoulderstrikethegroundfirst。
Thebodyseemedtobouncealittlewayfromtheearth。\"God!\"saidthetatteredsoldier。
Theyouthhadwatched,spellbound,thisceremonyattheplaceofmeeting。Hisfacehadbeentwistedintoanexpressionofeveryagonyhehadimaginedforhisfriend。
Henowsprangtohisfeetand,goingcloser,gazeduponthepastelikeface。Themouthwasopenandtheteethshowedinalaugh。
Astheflapofthebluejacketfellawayfromthebody,hecouldseethatthesidelookedasifithadbeenchewedbywolves。
Theyouthturned,withsudden,lividrage,towardthebattlefield。Heshookhisfist。Heseemedabouttodeliveraphilippic。
\"Hell——\"
Theredsunwaspastedintheskylikeawafer。
chapter10
CHAPTERX。
THEtatteredmanstoodmusing。
\"Well,hewasreg’larjim—dandyfernerve,wa’n’the,\"saidhefinallyinalittleawestruckvoice。\"Areg’larjim—dandy。\"Hethoughtfullypokedoneofthedocilehandswithhisfoot。\"I
wonnerwherehegot’isstren’thfrom?Ineverseenamandolikethatbefore。Itwasafunnything。Well,hewasareg’larjim—dandy。\"
Theyouthdesiredtoscreechouthisgrief。
Hewasstabbed,buthistonguelaydeadinthetombofhismouth。Hethrewhimselfagainuponthegroundandbegantobrood。
Thetatteredmanstoodmusing。
\"Look—a—here,pardner,\"hesaid,afteratime。
Heregardedthecorpseashespoke。\"He’supan’gone,ain’t’e,an’wemightaswellbegint’
lookoutferol’numberone。Thisherethingisallover。He’supan’gone,ain’t’e?An’he’sallrighthere。Nobodywon’tbother’im。An’I
mustsayIain’tenjoyinganygreathealthm’selfthesedays。\"
Theyouth,awakenedbythetatteredsoldier’stone,lookedquicklyup。Hesawthathewasswinginguncertainlyonhislegsandthathisfacehadturnedtoashadeofblue。
\"GoodLord!\"hecried,\"youain’tgoin’t’——
notyou,too。\"
Thetatteredmanwavedhishand。\"Narydie,\"hesaid。\"AllIwantissomepeasoupan’
agoodbed。Somepeasoup,\"herepeateddreamfully。
Theyoutharosefromtheground。\"Iwonderwherehecamefrom。Ilefthimoverthere。\"
Hepointed。\"AndnowIfind’imhere。Andhewascomingfromoverthere,too。\"Hein—
dicatedanewdirection。Theybothturnedtowardthebodyasiftoaskofitaquestion。
\"Well,\"atlengthspokethetatteredman,\"thereain’tnouseinourstayin’herean’tryin’t’
askhimanything。\"
Theyouthnoddedanassentwearily。Theybothturnedtogazeforamomentatthecorpse。
Theyouthmurmuredsomething。
\"Well,hewasajim—dandy,wa’n’t’e?\"saidthetatteredmanasifinresponse。
Theyturnedtheirbacksuponitandstartedaway。Foratimetheystolesoftly,treadingwiththeirtoes。Itremainedlaughingthereinthegrass。
\"I’mcommencin’t’feelprettybad,\"saidthetatteredman,suddenlybreakingoneofhislittlesilences。\"I’mcommencin’t’feelprettydamn’
bad。\"
Theyouthgroaned。\"OLord!\"Hewon—
deredifhewastobethetorturedwitnessofanothergrimencounter。
Buthiscompanionwavedhishandreassur—
ingly。\"Oh,I’mnotgoin’t’dieyit!Theretoomuchdependin’onmefermet’dieyit。No,sir!
Narydie!ICAN’T!Ye’doughtaseeth’swada’chil’renI’vegot,an’alllikethat。\"
Theyouthglancingathiscompanioncouldseebytheshadowofasmilethathewasmakingsomekindoffun。
Astheyploddedonthetatteredsoldiercon—
tinuedtotalk。\"Besides,ifIdied,Iwouldn’tdieth’waythatfellerdid。Thatwasth’funniestthing。I’djestflopdown,Iwould。Ineverseenafellerdieth’waythatfellerdid。
\"YehknowTomJamison,helivesnextdoort’meuphome。He’sanicefeller,heis,an’wewasallusgoodfriends。Smart,too。Smartasasteeltrap。Well,whenwewasa—fightin’thisatternoon,all—of—a—suddenhebegint’ripupan’
cussan’belleratme。’Yershot,yehblamedinfernal!’——heswearhorrible——hesest’me。I
putupm’handt’m’headan’whenIlookedatm’fingers,Iseen,sure’nough,Iwasshot。I
giveaholleran’begint’run,butb’foreIcouldgitawayanotheronehitmeinth’arman’whirl’
meclean’round。Igotskearedwhentheywasalla—shootin’b’hindmean’Irunt’beatall,butIcotchitprettybad。I’veanideeI’da’beenfightin’yit,ift’wasn’tferTomJami—
son。\"
Thenhemadeacalmannouncement:\"There’stwoof’em——littleones——butthey’rebeginnin’t’
havefunwithmenow。Idon’tb’lieveIkinwalkmuchfurder。\"
Theywentslowlyoninsilence。\"Yehlookprettypeek—edyerself,\"saidthetatteredmanatlast。\"Ibetyeh’vegotaworseronethanyehthink。Ye’dbettertakekeerofyerhurt。Itdon’tdot’letsechthingsgo。Itmightbeinsidemostly,an’themplaysthunder。Whereisitlocated?\"Buthecontinuedhisharanguewith—
outwaitingforareply。\"Isee’afellergithitpluminth’headwhenmyreg’mentwasa—standin’
ateaseonct。An’everybodyyelledoutto’im:
Hurt,John?Areyehhurtmuch?’No,\"seshe。
Helookedkindersurprised,an’hewentontellin’
’emhowhefelt。Hesedhedidn’tfeelnothin’。
But,bydad,th’firstthingthatfellerknowedhewasdead。Yes,hewasdead——stonedead。So,yehwantawatchout。Yehmighthavesomequeerkind’ahurtyerself。Yehcan’tnevertell。
Whereisyour’nlocated?\"
Theyouthhadbeenwrigglingsincetheintro—
ductionofthistopic。Henowgaveacryofex—
asperationandmadeafuriousmotionwithhishand。\"Oh,don’tbotherme!\"hesaid。Hewasenragedagainstthetatteredman,andcouldhavestrangledhim。Hiscompanionsseemedevertoplayintolerableparts。Theywereeveruprais—
ingtheghostofshameonthestickoftheircuriosity。Heturnedtowardthetatteredmanasoneatbay。\"Now,don’tbotherme,\"here—
peatedwithdesperatemenace。
\"Well,LordknowsIdon’twantabotherany—
body,\"saidtheother。Therewasalittleaccentofdespairinhisvoiceashereplied,\"LordknowsI’vegota’noughm’ownt’tendto。\"
Theyouth,whohadbeenholdingabitterde—
batewithhimselfandcastingglancesofhatredandcontemptatthetatteredman,herespokeinahardvoice。\"Good—by,\"hesaid。
Thetatteredmanlookedathimingapingamazement。\"Why——why,pardner,whereyehgoin’?\"heaskedunsteadily。Theyouthlookingathim,couldseethathe,too,likethatotherone,wasbeginningtoactdumbandanimal—like。Histhoughtsseemedtobeflounderingaboutinhishead。\"Now——now——look——a——here,youTomJamison——now——Iwon’thavethis——thisherewon’tdo。Where——whereyehgoin’?\"
Theyouthpointedvaguely。\"Overthere,\"
hereplied。
\"Well,nowlook——a——here——now,\"saidthetatteredman,ramblingoninidiotfashion。Hisheadwashangingforwardandhiswordswereslurred。\"Thisthingwon’tdo,now,TomJami—
son。Itwon’tdo。Iknowyeh,yehpig—headeddevil。Yehwantagotrompin’offwithabadhurt。Itain’tright——now——TomJamison——itain’t。
Yehwantaleavemetakekeerofyeh,TomJami—
son。Itain’t——right——itain’t——feryeht’go——
trompin’off——withabadhurt——itain’t——ain’t——
ain’tright——itain’t。\"
Inreplytheyouthclimbedafenceandstartedaway。Hecouldhearthetatteredmanbleatingplaintively。
Oncehefacedaboutangrily。\"What?\"
\"Look——a——here,now,TomJamison——now——
itain’t——\"
Theyouthwenton。Turningatadistancehesawthetatteredmanwanderingabouthelplesslyinthefield。
Henowthoughtthathewishedhewasdead。
Hebelievedthatheenviedthosemenwhosebodieslaystrewnoverthegrassofthefieldsandonthefallenleavesoftheforest。
Thesimplequestionsofthetatteredmanhadbeenknifethruststohim。Theyassertedasocietythatprobespitilesslyatsecretsuntilallisapparent。Hislatecompanion’schancepersist—
encymadehimfeelthathecouldnotkeephiscrimeconcealedinhisbosom。Itwassuretobebroughtplainbyoneofthosearrowswhichcloudtheairandareconstantlypricking,dis—
covering,proclaimingthosethingswhicharewilledtobeforeverhidden。Headmittedthathecouldnotdefendhimselfagainstthisagency。
Itwasnotwithinthepowerofvigilance。
chapter11
CHAPTERXI。
HEbecameawarethatthefurnaceroarofthebattlewasgrowinglouder。Greatbrowncloudshadfloatedtothestillheightsofairbeforehim。
Thenoise,too,wasapproaching。Thewoodsfilteredmenandthefieldsbecamedotted。
Asheroundedahillock,heperceivedthattheroadwaywasnowacryingmassofwagons,teams,andmen。Fromtheheavingtangleissuedexhortations,commands,imprecations。Fearwassweepingitallalong。Thecrackingwhipsbitandhorsesplungedandtugged。Thewhite—
toppedwagonsstrainedandstumbledintheirexertionslikefatsheep。
Theyouthfeltcomfortedinameasurebythissight。Theywereallretreating。Perhaps,then,hewasnotsobadafterall。Heseatedhimselfandwatchedtheterror—strickenwagons。Theyfledlikesoft,ungainlyanimals。Alltheroarersandlashersservedtohelphimtomagnifythedangersandhorrorsoftheengagementthathemighttrytoprovetohimselfthatthethingwithwhichmencouldchargehimwasintruthasymmetricalact。Therewasanamountofpleas—
uretohiminwatchingthewildmarchofthisvindication。
Presentlythecalmheadofaforward—goingcolumnofinfantryappearedintheroad。Itcameswiftlyon。Avoidingtheobstructionsgaveitthesinuousmovementofaserpent。Themenattheheadbuttedmuleswiththeirmusketstocks。Theyproddedteamstersindifferenttoallhowls。Themenforcedtheirwaythroughpartsofthedensemassbystrength。Thebluntheadofthecolumnpushed。Theravingteam—
sterssworemanystrangeoaths。
Thecommandstomakewayhadtheringofagreatimportanceinthem。Themenweregoingforwardtotheheartofthedin。Theyweretoconfronttheeagerrushoftheenemy。Theyfelttheprideoftheironwardmovementwhentheremainderofthearmyseemedtryingtodribbledownthisroad。Theytumbledteamsaboutwithafinefeelingthatitwasnomattersolongastheircolumngottothefrontintime。Thisimportancemadetheirfacesgraveandstern。
Andthebacksoftheofficerswereveryrigid。
Astheyouthlookedatthemtheblackweightofhiswoereturnedtohim。Hefeltthathewasregardingaprocessionofchosenbeings。Theseparationwasasgreattohimasiftheyhadmarchedwithweaponsofflameandbannersofsunlight。Hecouldneverbelikethem。Hecouldhaveweptinhislongings。
Hesearchedaboutinhismindforanade—
quatemaledictionfortheindefinitecause,thethinguponwhichmenturnthewordsoffinalblame。It——whateveritwas——wasresponsibleforhim,hesaid。Therelaythefault。
Thehasteofthecolumntoreachthebattleseemedtotheforlornyoungmantobesome—
thingmuchfinerthanstoutfighting。Heroes,hethought,couldfindexcusesinthatlongseethinglane。Theycouldretirewithperfectself—respectandmakeexcusestothestars。