Hewonderedwhatthosemenhadeatenthattheycouldbeinsuchhastetoforcetheirwaytogrimchancesofdeath。Ashewatchedhisenvygrewuntilhethoughtthathewishedtochangeliveswithoneofthem。Hewouldhavelikedtohaveusedatremendousforce，hesaid，throwoffhimselfandbecomeabetter。Swiftpicturesofhimself，apart，yetinhimself，cametohim——abluedesperatefigureleadingluridchargeswithonekneeforwardandabrokenbladehigh——ablue，determinedfigurestandingbeforeacrimsonandsteelassault，gettingcalmlykilledonahighplacebeforetheeyesofall。Hethoughtofthemagnificentpathosofhisdeadbody。
Thesethoughtsupliftedhim。Hefeltthequiverofwardesire。Inhisears，heheardtheringofvictory。Heknewthefrenzyofarapidsuccessfulcharge。Themusicofthetramplingfeet，thesharpvoices，theclankingarmsofthecolumnnearhimmadehimsoarontheredwingsofwar。Forafewmomentshewassublime。
Hethoughtthathewasabouttostartforthefront。Indeed，hesawapictureofhimself，dust—
stained，haggard，panting，flyingtothefrontatthepropermomenttoseizeandthrottlethedark，leeringwitchofcalamity。
Thenthedifficultiesofthethingbegantodragathim。Hehesitated，balancingawkwardlyononefoot。
Hehadnorifle;hecouldnotfightwithhishands，saidheresentfullytohisplan。Well，riflescouldbehadforthepicking。Theywereextraordinarilyprofuse。
Also，hecontinued，itwouldbeamiracleifhefoundhisregiment。Well，hecouldfightwithanyregiment。
Hestartedforwardslowly。Hesteppedasifheexpectedtotreaduponsomeexplosivething。
Doubtsandhewerestruggling。
Hewouldtrulybeawormifanyofhiscom—
radesshouldseehimreturningthus，themarksofhisflightuponhim。Therewasareplythattheintentfightersdidnotcareforwhathappenedrearwardsavingthatnohostilebayonetsap—
pearedthere。Inthebattle—blurhisfacewould，inawaybehidden，likethefaceofacowledman。
Butthenhesaidthathistirelessfatewouldbringforth，whenthestrifelulledforamoment，amantoaskofhimanexplanation。Inimagina—
tionhefeltthescrutinyofhiscompanionsashepainfullylaboredthroughsomelies。
Eventually，hiscourageexpendeditselfupontheseobjections。Thedebatesdrainedhimofhisfire。
Hewasnotcastdownbythisdefeatofhisplan，for，uponstudyingtheaffaircarefully，hecouldnotbutadmitthattheobjectionswereveryformidable。
Furthermore，variousailmentshadbeguntocryout。Intheirpresencehecouldnotpersistinflyinghighwiththewingsofwar;theyrendereditalmostimpossibleforhimtoseehim—
selfinaheroiclight。Hetumbledheadlong。
Hediscoveredthathehadascorchingthirst。
Hisfacewassodryandgrimythathethoughthecouldfeelhisskincrackle。Eachboneofhisbodyhadanacheinit，andseeminglythreatenedtobreakwitheachmovement。Hisfeetwereliketwosores。Also，hisbodywascallingforfood。Itwasmorepowerfulthanadirecthunger。
Therewasadull，weightlikefeelinginhisstom—
ach，and，whenhetriedtowalk，hisheadswayedandhetottered。Hecouldnotseewithdistinct—
ness。Smallpatchesofgreenmistfloatedbeforehisvision。
Whilehehadbeentossedbymanyemotions，hehadnotbeenawareofailments。Nowtheybesethimandmadeclamor。Ashewasatlastcompelledtopayattentiontothem，hiscapacityforself—hatewasmultiplied。Indespair，hedeclaredthathewasnotlikethoseothers。Henowconcededittobeimpossiblethatheshouldeverbecomeahero。Hewasacravenloon。
Thosepicturesofglorywerepiteousthings。Hegroanedfromhisheartandwentstaggeringoff。
Acertainmothlikequalitywithinhimkepthiminthevicinityofthebattle。Hehadagreatdesiretosee，andtogetnews。Hewishedtoknowwhowaswinning。
Hetoldhimselfthat，despitehisunprecedentedsuffering，hehadneverlosthisgreedforavictory，yet，hesaid，inahalf—apologeticmannertohisconscience，hecouldnotbutknowthatadefeatforthearmythistimemightmeanmanyfavor—
ablethingsforhim。Theblowsoftheenemywouldsplinterregimentsintofragments。Thus，manymenofcourage，heconsidered，wouldbeobligedtodesertthecolorsandscurrylikechickens。Hewouldappearasoneofthem。
Theywouldbesullenbrothersindistress，andhecouldtheneasilybelievehehadnotrunanyfartherorfasterthanthey。Andifhehimselfcouldbelieveinhisvirtuousperfection，hecon—
ceivedthattherewouldbesmalltroubleincon—
vincingallothers。
Hesaid，asifinexcuseforthishope，thatpreviouslythearmyhadencounteredgreatdefeatsandinafewmonthshadshakenoffallbloodandtraditionofthem，emergingasbrightandvaliantasanewone;thrustingoutofsightthememoryofdisaster，andappearingwiththevalorandconfidenceofunconqueredlegions。
Theshrillingvoicesofthepeopleathomewouldpipedismallyforatime，butvariousgeneralswereusuallycompelledtolistentotheseditties。
Heofcoursefeltnocompunctionsforproposingageneralasasacrifice。Hecouldnottellwhothechosenforthebarbsmightbe，sohecouldcenternodirectsympathyuponhim。Thepeoplewereafarandhedidnotconceivepublicopiniontobeaccurateatlongrange。Itwasquiteprobabletheywouldhitthewrongmanwho，afterhehadrecoveredfromhisamazementwouldperhapsspendtherestofhisdaysinwrit—
ingrepliestothesongsofhisallegedfailure。Itwouldbeveryunfortunate，nodoubt，butinthiscaseageneralwasofnoconsequencetotheyouth。
Inadefeattherewouldbearoundaboutvindicationofhimself。Hethoughtitwouldprove，inamanner，thathehadfledearlybecauseofhissuperiorpowersofperception。Aseriousprophetuponpredictingafloodshouldbethefirstmantoclimbatree。Thiswoulddemon—
stratethathewasindeedaseer。
Amoralvindicationwasregardedbytheyouthasaveryimportantthing。Withoutsalve，hecouldnot，hethought，wearthesorebadgeofhisdishonorthroughlife。Withhisheartcon—
tinuallyassuringhimthathewasdespicable，hecouldnotexistwithoutmakingit，throughhisactions，apparenttoallmen。
Ifthearmyhadgonegloriouslyonhewouldbelost。Ifthedinmeantthatnowhisarmy’sflagsweretiltedforwardhewasacondemnedwretch。Hewouldbecompelledtodoomhimselftoisolation。Ifthemenwereadvancing，theirindifferentfeetweretramplinguponhischancesforasuccessfullife。
Asthesethoughtswentrapidlythroughhismind，heturneduponthemandtriedtothrustthemaway。Hedenouncedhimselfasavillain。
Hesaidthathewasthemostunutterablyselfishmaninexistence。Hismindpicturedthesoldierswhowouldplacetheirdefiantbodiesbeforethespearoftheyellingbattlefiend，andashesawtheirdrippingcorpsesonanimaginedfield，hesaidthathewastheirmurderer。
Againhethoughtthathewishedhewasdead。
Hebelievedthatheenviedacorpse。Thinkingoftheslain，heachievedagreatcontemptforsomeofthem，asiftheywereguiltyforthusbecominglifeless。Theymighthavebeenkilledbyluckychances，hesaid，beforetheyhadhadopportunitiestofleeorbeforetheyhadbeenreallytested。Yettheywouldreceivelaurelsfromtradition。Hecriedoutbitterlythattheircrownswerestolenandtheirrobesofglori—
ousmemorieswereshams。However，hestillsaidthatitwasagreatpityhewasnotasthey。
Adefeatofthearmyhadsuggesteditselftohimasameansofescapefromtheconsequencesofhisfall。Heconsidered，now，however，thatitwasuselesstothinkofsuchapossibility。Hiseducationhadbeenthatsuccessforthatmightybluemachinewascertain;thatitwouldmakevictoriesasacontrivanceturnsoutbuttons。Hepresentlydiscardedallhisspeculationsintheotherdirection。Hereturnedtothecreedofsoldiers。
Whenheperceivedagainthatitwasnotpossibleforthearmytobedefeated，hetriedtobethinkhimofafinetalewhichhecouldtakebacktohisregiment，andwithitturntheexpectedshaftsofderision。
But，ashemortallyfearedtheseshafts，itbecameimpossibleforhimtoinventatalehefelthecouldtrust。Heexperimentedwithmanyschemes，butthrewthemasideonebyoneasflimsy。Hewasquicktoseevulnerableplacesinthemall。
Furthermore，hewasmuchafraidthatsomearrowofscornmightlayhimmentallylowbeforehecouldraisehisprotectingtale。
Heimaginedthewholeregimentsaying：
"Where’sHenryFleming？Herun，didn’t’e？
Oh，my！"Herecalledvariouspersonswhowouldbequitesuretoleavehimnopeaceaboutit。Theywoulddoubtlessquestionhimwithsneers，andlaughathisstammeringhesi—
tation。Inthenextengagementtheywouldtrytokeepwatchofhimtodiscoverwhenhewouldrun。
Whereverhewentincamp，hewoulden—
counterinsolentandlingeringlycruelstares。Asheimaginedhimselfpassingnearacrowdofcomrades，hecouldhearsomeonesay，"Therehegoes！"
Then，asiftheheadsweremovedbyonemuscle，allthefaceswereturnedtowardhimwithwide，derisivegrins。Heseemedtohearsomeonemakeahumorousremarkinalowtone。
Atittheothersallcrowedandcackled。Hewasaslangphrase。
chapter12
CHAPTERXII。
THEcolumnthathadbuttedstoutlyattheobstaclesintheroadwaywasbarelyoutoftheyouth’ssightbeforehesawdarkwavesofmencomesweepingoutofthewoodsanddownthroughthefields。Heknewatoncethatthesteelfibershadbeenwashedfromtheirhearts。
Theywereburstingfromtheircoatsandtheirequipmentsasfromentanglements。Theychargeddownuponhimliketerrifiedbuffaloes。
Behindthembluesmokecurledandcloudedabovethetreetops，andthroughthethicketshecouldsometimesseeadistantpinkglare。Thevoicesofthecannonwereclamoringinintermi—
nablechorus。
Theyouthwashorrorstricken。Hestaredinagonyandamazement。Heforgotthathewasengagedincombatingtheuniverse。Hethrewasidehismentalpamphletsonthephiloso—
phyoftheretreatedandrulesfortheguidanceofthedamned。
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Thefightwaslost。Thedragonswerecom—
ingwithinvinciblestrides。Thearmy，helplessinthemattedthicketsandblindedbytheover—
hangingnight，wasgoingtobeswallowed。War，theredanimal，war，theblood—swollengod，wouldhavebloatedfill。
Withinhimsomethingbadetocryout。Hehadtheimpulsetomakearallyingspeech，tosingabattlehymn，buthecouldonlygethistonguetocallintotheair："Why——why——what——what’sth’matter？"
Soonhewasinthemidstofthem。Theywereleapingandscamperingallabouthim。
Theirblanchedfacesshoneinthedusk。Theyseemed，forthemostpart，tobeveryburlymen。
Theyouthturnedfromonetoanotherofthemastheygallopedalong。Hisincoherentquestionswerelost。Theywereheedlessofhisappeals。
Theydidnotseemtoseehim。
Theysometimesgabbledinsanely。Onehugemanwasaskingofthesky："Say，wheredeplankroad？Wheredeplankroad！"Itwasasifhehadlostachild。Heweptinhispainanddismay。
Presently，menwererunninghitherandthitherinallways。Theartillerybooming，forward，rearward，andontheflanksmadejumbleofideasofdirection。Landmarkshadvanishedintothegatheredgloom。Theyouthbegantoimaginethathehadgotintothecenterofthetremendousquarrel，andhecouldperceivenowayoutofit。Fromthemouthsofthefleeingmencameathousandwildquestions，butnoonemadeanswers。
Theyouth，afterrushingaboutandthrowinginterrogationsattheheedlessbandsofretreatinginfantry，finallyclutchedamanbythearm。Theyswungaroundfacetoface。
"Why——why——"stammeredtheyouthstrug—
glingwithhisbalkingtongue。
Themanscreamed："Letgome！Letgome！"Hisfacewaslividandhiseyeswereroll—
inguncontrolled。Hewasheavingandpanting。
Hestillgraspedhisrifle，perhapshavingfor—
gottentoreleasehisholduponit。Hetuggedfrantically，andtheyouthbeingcompelledtoleanforwardwasdraggedseveralpaces。
"Letgome！Letgome！"
"Why——why——"stutteredtheyouth。
"Well，then！"bawledthemaninaluridrage。Headroitlyandfiercelyswunghisrifle。
Itcrushedupontheyouth’shead。Themanranon。
Theyouth’sfingershadturnedtopasteupontheother’sarm。Theenergywassmittenfromhismuscles。Hesawtheflamingwingsoflight—
ningflashbeforehisvision。Therewasadeaf—
eningrumbleofthunderwithinhishead。
Suddenlyhislegsseemedtodie。Hesankwrithingtotheground。Hetriedtoarise。Inhiseffortsagainstthenumbingpainhewaslikeamanwrestlingwithacreatureoftheair。
Therewasasinisterstruggle。
Sometimeshewouldachieveapositionhalferect，battlewiththeairforamoment，andthenfallagain，grabbingatthegrass。Hisfacewasofaclammypallor。Deepgroanswerewrenchedfromhim。
Atlast，withatwistingmovement，hegotuponhishandsandknees，andfromthence，likeababetryingtowalk，tohisfeet。Pressinghishandstohistempleshewentlurchingoverthegrass。
Hefoughtanintensebattlewithhisbody。
Hisdulledsenseswishedhimtoswoonandheopposedthemstubbornly，hismindportrayingunknowndangersandmutilationsifheshouldfalluponthefield。Hewenttallsoldierfashion。
Heimaginedsecludedspotswherehecouldfallandbeunmolested。Tosearchforonehestroveagainstthetideofhispain。
Onceheputhishandtothetopofhisheadandtimidlytouchedthewound。Thescratchingpainofthecontactmadehimdrawalongbreaththroughhisclinchedteeth。Hisfingersweredabbledwithblood。Heregardedthemwithafixedstare。
Aroundhimhecouldhearthegrumbleofjoltedcannonasthescurryinghorseswerelashedtowardthefront。Once，ayoungofficeronabesplashedchargernearlyranhimdown。Heturnedandwatchedthemassofguns，men，andhorsessweepinginawidecurvetowardagapinafence。Theofficerwasmakingexcitedmotionswithagauntletedhand。Thegunsfollowedtheteamswithanairofunwillingness，ofbeingdraggedbytheheels。
Someofficersofthescatteredinfantrywerecursingandrailinglikefishwives。Theirscold—
ingvoicescouldbeheardabovethedin。Intotheunspeakablejumbleintheroadwayrodeasquadronofcavalry。Thefadedyellowoftheirfacingsshonebravely。Therewasamightyaltercation。
Theartillerywereassemblingasifforacon—
ference。
Thebluehazeofeveningwasuponthefield。
Thelinesofforestwerelongpurpleshadows。
Onecloudlayalongthewesternskypartlysmotheringthered。
Astheyouthleftthescenebehindhim，heheardthegunssuddenlyroarout。Heimaginedthemshakinginblackrage。Theybelchedandhowledlikebrassdevilsguardingagate。Thesoftairwasfilledwiththetremendousremon—
strance。Withitcametheshatteringpealofopposinginfantry。Turningtolookbehindhim，hecouldseesheetsoforangelightilluminetheshadowydistance。Thereweresubtleandsuddenlightningsinthefarair。Attimeshethoughthecouldseeheavingmassesofmen。
Hehurriedoninthedusk。Thedayhadfadeduntilhecouldbarelydistinguishplaceforhisfeet。Thepurpledarknesswasfilledwithmenwholecturedandjabbered。Sometimeshecouldseethemgesticulatingagainsttheblueandsombersky。Thereseemedtobeagreatruckofmenandmunitionsspreadaboutintheforestandinthefields。
Thelittlenarrowroadwaynowlaylifeless。
Therewereoverturnedwagonslikesun—driedbowlders。Thebedoftheformertorrentwaschokedwiththebodiesofhorsesandsplinteredpartsofwarmachines。
Ithadcometopassthathiswoundpainedhimbutlittle。Hewasafraidtomoverapidly，how—
ever，foradreadofdisturbingit。Heheldhisheadverystillandtookmanyprecautionsagainststumbling。Hewasfilledwithanxiety，andhisfacewaspinchedanddrawninanticipationofthepainofanysuddenmistakeofhisfeetinthegloom。
Histhoughts，ashewalked，fixedintentlyuponhishurt。Therewasacool，liquidfeelingaboutitandheimaginedbloodmovingslowlydownunderhishair。Hisheadseemedswollentoasizethatmadehimthinkhisnecktobeinadequate。
Thenewsilenceofhiswoundmademuchworriment。Thelittleblisteringvoicesofpainthathadcalledoutfromhisscalpwere，hethought，definiteintheirexpressionofdanger。
Bythemhebelievedthathecouldmeasurehisplight。Butwhentheyremainedominouslysilenthebecamefrightenedandimaginedter—
riblefingersthatclutchedintohisbrain。
Amidithebegantoreflectuponvariousincidentsandconditionsofthepast。Hebe—
thoughthimofcertainmealshismotherhadcookedathome，inwhichthosedishesofwhichhewasparticularlyfondhadoccupiedprominentpositions。Hesawthespreadtable。Thepinewallsofthekitchenwereglowinginthewarmlightfromthestove。Too，herememberedhowheandhiscompanionsusedtogofromtheschool—
housetothebankofashadedpool。Hesawhisclothesindisorderlyarrayuponthegrassofthebank。Hefelttheswashofthefragrantwateruponhisbody。Theleavesoftheoverhangingmaplerustledwithmelodyinthewindofyouth—
fulsummer。
Hewasovercomepresentlybyadraggingweariness。Hisheadhungforwardandhisshoulderswerestoopedasifhewerebearingagreatbundle。Hisfeetshuffledalongtheground。
Heheldcontinuousargumentsastowhetherheshouldliedownandsleepatsomenearspot，orforcehimselfonuntilhereachedacertainhaven。Heoftentriedtodismissthequestion，buthisbodypersistedinrebellionandhissensesnaggedathimlikepamperedbabies。
Atlastheheardacheeryvoicenearhisshoulder："Yehseemt’beinaprettybadway，boy？"
Theyouthdidnotlookup，butheassentedwiththicktongue。"Uh！"
Theownerofthecheeryvoicetookhimfirmlybythearm。"Well，"hesaid，witharoundlaugh，"I’mgoin’yourway。Th’hullgangisgoin’yourway。An’IguessIkingiveyehalift。"Theybegantowalklikeadrunkenmanandhisfriend。
Astheywentalong，themanquestionedtheyouthandassistedhimwiththereplieslikeonemanipulatingthemindofachild。Sometimesheinterjectedanecdotes。"Whatreg’mentdoyehb’longteh？Eh？What’sthat？Th’304thN’
York？Why，whatcorpsisthatin？Oh，itis？
Why，Ithoughttheywasn’tengagedt’—day——
they’re’wayoverinth’center。Oh，theywas，eh？Well，prettynearlyeverybodygottheirshare’afightin’t’—day。Bydad，Igivemyselfupferdeadanynumber’atimes。Therewasshootin’
herean’shootin’there，an’hollerin’herean’
hollerin’there，inth’damn’darkness，untilI
couldn’ttellt’savem’soulwhichsideIwason。
SometimesIthoughtIwassure’noughfromOhier，an’othertimesIcould’asworeIwasfromth’bitterendofFlorida。Itwasth’mostmixedupdernthingIeversee。An’theseherehullwoodsisareg’larmess。It’llbeamiracleifwefindourreg’mentst’—night。Prettysoon，though，we’llmeeta—plentyofguardsan’provost—
guards，an’onethingan’another。Ho！theretheygowithanoff’cer，Iguess。Lookathishanda—draggin’。He’sgotallth’warhewants，Ibet。
Hewon’tbetalkin’sobigabouthisreputationan’allwhentheygot’sawin’offhisleg。Poorfeller！Mybrother’sgotwhiskersjestlikethat。
Howdidyehgit’wayoverhere，anyhow？Yourreg’mentisalongwayfromhere，ain’tit？Well，Iguesswecanfindit。Yehknowtherewasaboykilledinmycomp’nyt’—daythatIthoughtth’worldan’allof。Jackwasanicefeller。Byginger，ithurtlikethundert’seeol’Jackjestgitknockedflat。Wewasa—standin’purtypeaceableferaspell，’thoughtherewasmenrunnin’ev’rywayall’roundus，an’whilewewasa—standin’
likethat，’longcomeabigfatfeller。Hebegant’peckatJack’selbow，an’heses：’Say，where’sth’roadt’th’river？’An’Jack，heneverpaidnoattention，an’th’fellerkeptona—peckin’athiselbowan’sayin’：’Say，where’sth’roadt’th’
river？’Jackwasa—lookin’aheadallth’timetryin’t’seeth’Johnniescomin’throughth’
woods，an’heneverpaidnoattentiont’thisbigfatfellerferalongtime，butatlastheturned’roundan’heses：’Ah，got’hellan’findth’
roadt’th’river！’An’jestthenashotslappedhimbangonth’sideth’head。Hewasasergeant，too。Themwashislastwords。Thunder，Iwishwewassure’afindin’ourreg’mentst’—night。It’sgoin’t’belonghuntin’。ButIguesswekindoit。"
Inthesearchwhichfollowed，themanofthecheeryvoiceseemedtotheyouthtopossessawandofamagickind。Hethreadedthemazesofthetangledforestwithastrangefortune。Inencounterswithguardsandpatrolshedisplayedthekeennessofadetectiveandthevalorofagamin。Obstaclesfellbeforehimandbecameofassistance。Theyouth，withhischinstillonhisbreast，stoodwoodenlybywhilehiscompanionbeatwaysandmeansoutofsullenthings。
Theforestseemedavasthiveofmenbuzzingaboutinfranticcircles，butthecheerymancon—
ductedtheyouthwithoutmistakes，untilatlasthebegantochucklewithgleeandself—satisfaction。
"Ah，thereyehare！Seethatfire？"
Theyouthnoddedstupidly。
"Well，there’swhereyourreg’mentis。An’
now，good—by，ol’boy，goodluckt’yeh。"
Awarmandstronghandclaspedtheyouth’slanguidfingersforaninstant，andthenheheardacheerfulandaudaciouswhistlingasthemanstrodeaway。Ashewhohadsobefriendedhimwasthuspassingoutofhislife，itsuddenlyoc—
curredtotheyouththathehadnotonceseenhisface。
chapter13
CHAPTERXIII。
THEyouthwentslowlytowardthefirein—
dicatedbyhisdepartedfriend。Ashereeled，hebethoughthimofthewelcomehiscomradeswouldgivehim。Hehadaconvictionthathewouldsoonfeelinhissoreheartthebarbedmissilesofridicule。Hehadnostrengthtoin—
ventatale;hewouldbeasofttarget。
Hemadevagueplanstogooffintothedeeperdarknessandhide，buttheywerealldestroyedbythevoicesofexhaustionandpainfromhisbody。Hisailments，clamoring，forcedhimtoseektheplaceoffoodandrest，atwhatevercost。
Heswungunsteadilytowardthefire。Hecouldseetheformsofmenthrowingblackshadowsintheredlight，andashewentneareritbecameknowntohiminsomewaythatthegroundwasstrewnwithsleepingmen。
Ofasuddenheconfrontedablackandmonstrousfigure。Ariflebarrelcaughtsomeglintingbeams。"Halt！halt！"Hewasdis—
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mayedforamoment，buthepresentlythoughtthatherecognizedthenervousvoice。Ashestoodtotteringbeforetheriflebarrel，hecalledout："Why，hello，Wilson，you——youhere？"
Theriflewasloweredtoapositionofcautionandtheloudsoldiercameslowlyforward。Hepeeredintotheyouth’sface。"Thatyou，Henry？"
"Yes，it’s——it’sme。"
"Well，well，ol’boy，"saidtheother，"byginger，I’mgladt’seeyeh！Igiveyehupferagoner。Ithoughtyehwasdeadsureenough。"Therewashuskyemotioninhisvoice。
Theyouthfoundthatnowhecouldbarelystanduponhisfeet。Therewasasuddensinkingofhisforces。Hethoughthemusthastentopro—
ducehistaletoprotecthimfromthemissilesalreadyatthelipsofhisredoubtablecomrades。
So，staggeringbeforetheloudsoldier，hebegan：
"Yes，yes。I’ve——I’vehadanawfultime。I’vebeenallover。Wayoveronth’right。Ter’blefightin’overthere。Ihadanawfultime。Igotseparatedfromth’reg’ment。Overonth’right，Igotshot。Inth’head。Ineverseesechfightin’。Awfultime。Idon’tseehowIcould’agotseparatedfromth’reg’ment。Igotshot，too。"
Hisfriendhadsteppedforwardquickly。
"What？Gotshot？Whydidn’tyehsaysofirst？Poorol’boy，wemust——hol’onaminnit;
whatamIdoin’。I’llcallSimpson。"
Anotherfigureatthatmomentloomedinthegloom。Theycouldseethatitwasthecorporal。
"Whoyehtalkin’to，Wilson？"hedemanded。
Hisvoicewasanger—toned。"Whoyehtalkin’
to？Yehth’derndestsentinel——why——hello，Henry，youhere？Why，Ithoughtyouwasdeadfourhoursago！GreatJerusalem，theykeepturnin’upeverytenminutesorso！Wethoughtwe’dlostforty—twomenbystraightcount，butiftheykeepona—comin’thisway，we’llgitth’comp’nyallbackbymornin’yit。Wherewasyeh？"
"Overonth’right。Igotseparated"——begantheyouthwithconsiderableglibness。
Buthisfriendhadinterruptedhastily。"Yes，an’hegotshotinth’headan’he’sinafix，an’wemustseet’himrightaway。"Herestedhisrifleinthehollowofhisleftarmandhisrightaroundtheyouth’sshoulder。
"Gee，itmusthurtlikethunder！"hesaid。
Theyouthleanedheavilyuponhisfriend。
"Yes，ithurts——hurtsagooddeal，"hereplied。
Therewasafalteringinhisvoice。
"Oh，"saidthecorporal。Helinkedhisarmintheyouth’sanddrewhimforward。"Comeon，Henry。I’lltakekeer’ayeh。"
Astheywentontogethertheloudprivatecalledoutafterthem："Put’imt’sleepinmyblanket，Simpson。An’——hol’onaminnit——here’smycanteen。It’sfull’acoffee。Lookathisheadbyth’firean’seehowitlooks。Maybeit’saprettybadun。WhenIgitrelievedinacouple’aminnits，I’llbeoveran’seet’him。"
Theyouth’ssensesweresodeadenedthathisfriend’svoicesoundedfromafarandhecouldscarcelyfeelthepressureofthecorporal’sarm。
Hesubmittedpassivelytothelatter’sdirectingstrength。Hisheadwasintheoldmannerhang—
ingforwarduponhisbreast。Hiskneeswobbled。
Thecorporalledhimintotheglareofthefire。"Now，Henry，"hesaid，"let’shavelookatyerol’head。"
Theyouthsatdownobedientlyandthecor—
poral，layingasidehisrifle，begantofumbleinthebushyhairofhiscomrade。Hewasobligedtoturntheother’sheadsothatthefullflushofthefirelightwouldbeamuponit。Hepuckeredhismouthwithacriticalair。Hedrewbackhislipsandwhistledthroughhisteethwhenhisfingerscameincontactwiththesplashedbloodandtherarewound。
"Ah，hereweare！"hesaid。Heawkwardlymadefurtherinvestigations。"JestasIthought，"
headded，presently。"Yeh’vebeengrazedbyaball。It’sraisedaqueerlumpjestasifsomefellerhadlammedyehonth’headwithaclub。
Itstoppeda—bleedin’longtimeago。Th’mostaboutitisthatinth’mornin’yeh’llfeelthatanumbertenhatwouldn’tfityeh。An’yourhead’llbeallhetupan’feelasdryasburntpork。
An’yehmaygitalot’aothersicknesses，too，bymornin’。Yehcan’tnevertell。Still，Idon’tmuchthinkso。It’sjestadamn’goodbeltonth’
head，an’nothin’more。Now，youjestsitherean’don’tmove，whileIgoroutoutth’relief。
ThenI’llsendWilsont’takekeer’ayeh。"
Thecorporalwentaway。Theyouthre—
mainedonthegroundlikeaparcel。Hestaredwithavacantlookintothefire。
Afteratimehearoused，forsomepart，andthethingsabouthimbegantotakeform。Hesawthatthegroundinthedeepshadowswasclutteredwithmen，sprawlingineverycon—
ceivableposture。Glancingnarrowlyintothemoredistantdarkness，hecaughtoccasionalglimpsesofvisagesthatloomedpallidandghostly，litwithaphosphorescentglow。Thesefacesexpressedintheirlinesthedeepstuporofthetiredsoldiers。Theymadethemappearlikemendrunkwithwine。Thisbitofforestmighthaveappearedtoanetherealwandererasasceneoftheresultofsomefrightfuldebauch。
Ontheothersideofthefiretheyouthobservedanofficerasleep，seatedboltupright，withhisbackagainstatree。Therewassome—
thingperilousinhisposition。Badgeredbydreams，perhaps，heswayedwithlittlebouncesandstarts，likeanoldtoddy—strickengrandfatherinachimneycorner。Dustandstainswereuponhisface。Hislowerjawhungdownasiflackingstrengthtoassumeitsnormalposition。Hewasthepictureofanexhaustedsoldierafterafeastofwar。
Hehadevidentlygonetosleepwithhisswordinhisarms。Thesetwohadslumberedinanembrace，buttheweaponhadbeenallowedintimetofallunheededtotheground。Thebrass—mountedhiltlayincontactwithsomepartsofthefire。
Withinthegleamofroseandorangelightfromtheburningstickswereothersoldiers，snoringandheaving，orlyingdeathlikeinslumber。Afewpairsoflegswerestuckforth，rigidandstraight。Theshoesdisplayedthemudordustofmarchesandbitsofroundedtrousers，protrudingfromtheblankets，showedrentsandtearsfromhurriedpitchingsthroughthedensebrambles。
Thefirecrackledmusically。Fromitswelledlightsmoke。Overheadthefoliagemovedsoftly。Theleaves，withtheirfacesturnedtowardtheblaze，werecoloredshiftinghuesofsilver，oftenedgedwithred。Farofftotheright，throughawindowintheforestcouldbeseenahandfulofstarslying，likeglitteringpebbles，ontheblacklevelofthenight。
Occasionally，inthislow—archedhall，asoldierwouldarouseandturnhisbodytoanewposi—
tion，theexperienceofhissleephavingtaughthimofunevenandobjectionableplacesuponthegroundunderhim。Or，perhaps，hewouldlifthimselftoasittingposture，blinkatthefireforanunintelligentmoment，throwaswiftglanceathisprostratecompanion，andthencuddledownagainwithagruntofsleepycontent。
Theyouthsatinaforlornheapuntilhisfriendtheloudyoungsoldiercame，swingingtwocanteensbytheirlightstrings。"Well，now，Henry，ol’boy，"saidthelatter，"we’llhaveyehfixedupinjestaboutaminnit。"
Hehadthebustlingwaysofanamateurnurse。Hefussedaroundthefireandstirredthestickstobrilliantexertions。Hemadehispatientdrinklargelyfromthecanteenthatcontainedthecoffee。Itwastotheyouthadeliciousdraught。
Hetiltedhisheadafarbackandheldthecanteenlongtohislips。Thecoolmixturewentcaress—
inglydownhisblisteredthroat。Havingfinished，hesighedwithcomfortabledelight。
Theloudyoungsoldierwatchedhiscomradewithanairofsatisfaction。Helaterproducedanextensivehandkerchieffromhispocket。Hefoldeditintoamannerofbandageandsousedwaterfromtheothercanteenuponthemiddleofit。Thiscrudearrangementheboundovertheyouth’shead，tyingtheendsinaqueerknotatthebackoftheneck。
"There，"hesaid，movingoffandsurveyinghisdeed，"yehlookliketh’devil，butIbetyehfeelbetter。"
Theyouthcontemplatedhisfriendwithgrate—
fuleyes。Uponhisachingandswellingheadthecoldclothwaslikeatenderwoman’shand。
"Yehdon’thollernersaynothin’，"remarkedhisfriendapprovingly。"IknowI’mablack—
smithattakin’keer’asickfolks，an’yehneversqueaked。Yeragoodun，Henry。Most’amenwoulda’beeninth’hospitallongago。Ashotinth’headain’tfoolin’business。"
Theyouthmadenoreply，butbegantofumblewiththebuttonsofhisjacket。
"Well，come，now，"continuedhisfriend，"comeon。Imustputyeht’bedan’seethatyehgitagoodnight’srest。"
Theothergotcarefullyerect，andtheloudyoungsoldierledhimamongthesleepingformslyingingroupsandrows。Presentlyhestoopedandpickeduphisblankets。Hespreadtherubberoneuponthegroundandplacedthewoolenoneabouttheyouth’sshoulders。
"Therenow，"hesaid，"liedownan’gitsomesleep。"
Theyouth，withhismannerofdoglikeobe—
dience，gotcarefullydownlikeacronestoop—
ing。Hestretchedoutwithamurmurofreliefandcomfort。Thegroundfeltlikethesoftestcouch。
Butofasuddenheejaculated："Hol’onaminnit！Whereyougoin’t’sleep？"
Hisfriendwavedhishandimpatiently。
"Rightdowntherebyyeh。"
"Well，buthol’onaminnit，"continuedtheyouth。"Whatyehgoin’t’sleepin？I’vegotyour——"
Theloudyoungsoldiersnarled："Shetupan’goont’sleep。Don’tbemakin’adamn’fool’ayerself，"hesaidseverely。
Afterthereprooftheyouthsaidnomore。
Anexquisitedrowsinesshadspreadthroughhim。
Thewarmcomfortoftheblanketenvelopedhimandmadeagentlelanguor。Hisheadfellfor—
wardonhiscrookedarmandhisweightedlidswentsoftlydownoverhiseyes。Hearingasplatterofmusketryfromthedistance，hewonderedindifferentlyifthosemensometimesslept。Hegavealongsigh，snuggleddownintohisblanket，andinamomentwaslikehiscom—
rades。
chapter14
CHAPTERXIV。
WHENtheyouthawokeitseemedtohimthathehadbeenasleepforathousandyears，andhefeltsurethatheopenedhiseyesuponanunex—
pectedworld。Graymistswereslowlyshiftingbeforethefirsteffortsofthesunrays。Anim—
pendingsplendorcouldbeseenintheeasternsky。Anicydewhadchilledhisface，andim—
mediatelyuponarousinghecurledfartherdownintohisblanket。Hestaredforawhileattheleavesoverhead，movinginaheraldicwindoftheday。
Thedistancewassplinteringandblaringwiththenoiseoffighting。Therewasinthesoundanexpressionofadeadlypersistency，asifithadnotbegunandwasnottocease。
Abouthimweretherowsandgroupsofmenthathehaddimlyseenthepreviousnight。Theyweregettingalastdraughtofsleepbeforetheawakening。Thegaunt，carewornfeaturesanddustyfiguresweremadeplainbythisquaint139
lightatthedawning，butitdressedtheskinofthemenincorpselikehuesandmadethetangledlimbsappearpulselessanddead。Theyouthstartedupwithalittlecrywhenhiseyesfirstsweptoverthismotionlessmassofmen，thick—
spreadupontheground，pallid，andinstrangepostures。Hisdisorderedmindinterpretedthehalloftheforestasacharnelplace。Hebelievedforaninstantthathewasinthehouseofthedead，andhedidnotdaretomovelestthesecorpsesstartup，squallingandsquawking。Inasecond，however，heachievedhispropermind。
Hesworeacomplicatedoathathimself。Hesawthatthissomberpicturewasnotafactofthepresent，butamereprophecy。
Heheardthenthenoiseofafirecracklingbrisklyinthecoldair，and，turninghishead，hesawhisfriendpotteringbusilyaboutasmallblaze。Afewotherfiguresmovedinthefog，andheheardthehardcrackingofaxeblows。
Suddenlytherewasahollowrumbleofdrums。Adistantbuglesangfaintly。Similarsounds，varyinginstrength，camefromnearandfarovertheforest。Thebuglescalledtoeachotherlikebrazengamecocks。Thenearthunderoftheregimentaldrumsrolled。
Thebodyofmeninthewoodsrustled。Therewasageneralupliftingofheads。Amurmuringofvoicesbrokeupontheair。Inittherewasmuchbassofgrumblingoaths。Strangegodswereaddressedincondemnationoftheearlyhoursnecessarytocorrectwar。Anofficer’speremptorytenorrangoutandquickenedthestiffenedmovementofthemen。Thetangledlimbsunraveled。Thecorpse—huedfaceswerehiddenbehindfiststhattwistedslowlyintheeyesockets。
Theyouthsatupandgaveventtoanenormousyawn。"Thunder！"heremarkedpetulantly。
Herubbedhiseyes，andthenputtinguphishandfeltcarefullyofthebandageoverhiswound。
Hisfriend，perceivinghimtobeawake，camefromthefire。"Well，Henry，ol’man，howdoyehfeelthismornin’？"hedemanded。
Theyouthyawnedagain。Thenhepuckeredhismouthtoalittlepucker。Hishead，intruth，feltpreciselylikeamelon，andtherewasanun—
pleasantsensationathisstomach。
"Oh，Lord，Ifeelprettybad，"hesaid。
"Thunder！"exclaimedtheother。"Ihopedye’dfeelallrightthismornin’。Let’sseeth’
bandage——Iguessit’sslipped。"Hebegantotinkeratthewoundinratheraclumsywayuntiltheyouthexploded。
"Gosh—dernit！"hesaidinsharpirritation;
"you’rethehangdestmanIeversaw！Youwearmuffsonyourhands。Whyingoodthunderationcan’tyoubemoreeasy？I’dratheryou’dstandoffan’throwgunsatit。Now，goslow，an’don’tactasifyouwasnailingdowncarpet。"
Heglaredwithinsolentcommandathisfriend，butthelatteransweredsoothingly。
"Well，well，comenow，an’gitsomegrub，"hesaid。"Then，maybe，yeh’llfeelbetter。"
Atthefiresidetheloudyoungsoldierwatchedoverhiscomrade’swantswithtender—
nessandcare。Hewasverybusymarshalingthelittleblackvagabondsoftincupsandpour—
ingintothemthestreaming，ironcoloredmixturefromasmallandsootytinpail。Hehadsomefreshmeat，whichheroastedhurriedlyuponastick。Hesatdownthenandcontemplatedtheyouth’sappetitewithglee。
Theyouthtooknoteofaremarkablechangeinhiscomradesincethosedaysofcamplifeupontheriverbank。Heseemednomoretobecon—
tinuallyregardingtheproportionsofhispersonalprowess。Hewasnotfuriousatsmallwordsthatprickedhisconceits。Hewasnomorealoudyoungsoldier。Therewasabouthimnowafinereliance。Heshowedaquietbeliefinhispurposesandhisabilities。Andthisin—
wardconfidenceevidentlyenabledhimtobeindifferenttolittlewordsofothermenaimedathim。
Theyouthreflected。Hehadbeenusedtoregardinghiscomradeasablatantchildwithanaudacitygrownfromhisinexperience，thought—
less，headstrong，jealous，andfilledwithatinselcourage。Aswaggeringbabeaccustomedtostrutinhisowndooryard。Theyouthwonderedwherehadbeenborntheseneweyes;whenhiscomradehadmadethegreatdiscoverythatthereweremanymenwhowouldrefusetobesubjectedbyhim。Apparently，theotherhadnowclimbedapeakofwisdomfromwhichhecouldperceivehimselfasaveryweething。Andtheyouthsawthateverafteritwouldbeeasiertoliveinhisfriend’sneighborhood。
Hiscomradebalancedhisebonycoffee—cuponhisknee。"Well，Henry，"hesaid，"whatd’yehthinkth’chancesare？D’yehthinkwe’llwal—
lop’em？"
Theyouthconsideredforamoment。"Day—
b’fore—yesterday，"hefinallyreplied，withboldness，"youwould’a’betyou’dlickthehullkit—an’—
boodleallbyyourself。"
Hisfriendlookedatrifleamazed。"WouldI？"heasked。Hepondered。"Well，perhapsI
would，"hedecidedatlast。Hestaredhumblyatthefire。
Theyouthwasquitedisconcertedatthissur—
prisingreceptionofhisremarks。"Oh，no，youwouldn’teither，"hesaid，hastilytryingtore—
trace。
Buttheothermadeadeprecatinggesture。
"Oh，yehneedn’tmind，Henry，"hesaid。"Ibe—
lieveIwasaprettybigfoolinthosedays。"Hespokeasafteralapseofyears。
Therewasalittlepause。
"Allth’officerssaywe’vegotth’rebsinaprettytightbox，"saidthefriend，clearinghisthroatinacommonplaceway。"Theyallseemt’thinkwe’vegot’emjestwherewewant’em。"
"Idon’tknowaboutthat，"theyouthreplied。
"WhatIseenoveronth’rightmakesmethinkitwasth’otherwayabout。FromwhereIwas，itlookedasifwewasgettin’agoodpoundin’
yestirday。"
"D’yehthinkso？"inquiredthefriend。"I
thoughtwehandled’emprettyroughyestir—
day。"
"Notabit，"saidtheyouth。"Why，lord，man，youdidn’tseenothingofthefight。Why！"
Thenasuddenthoughtcametohim。"Oh！
JimConklin’sdead。"
Hisfriendstarted。"What？Ishe？JimConklin？"
Theyouthspokeslowly。"Yes。He’sdead。
Shotinth’side。"
"Yehdon’tsayso。JimConklin……poorcuss！"
Allaboutthemwereothersmallfiressur—
roundedbymenwiththeirlittleblackutensils。
Fromoneofthesenearcamesuddensharpvoicesinarow。Itappearedthattwolight—
footedsoldiershadbeenteasingahuge，beardedman，causinghimtospillcoffeeuponhisblueknees。Themanhadgoneintoarageandhadsworncomprehensively。Stungbyhislanguage，histormentorshadimmediatelybristledathimwithagreatshowofresentingunjustoaths。
Possiblytherewasgoingtobeafight。
Thefriendaroseandwentovertothem，mak—
ingpacificmotionswithhisarms。"Oh，here，now，boys，what’sth’use？"hesaid。"We’llbeatth’rebsinless’nanhour。What’sth’
goodfightin’’mongourselves？"
Oneofthelight—footedsoldiersturneduponhimred—facedandviolent。"Yehneedn’tcomearoundherewithyerpreachin’。Is’poseyehdon’tapprove’afightin’sinceCharleyMorganlickedyeh;butIdon’tseewhatbusinessthishereis’ayoursoranybodyelse。"
"Well，itain’t，"saidthefriendmildly。"StillIhatet’see——"
Therewasatangledargument。
"Well，he——，"saidthetwo，indicatingtheiropponentwithaccusativeforefingers。
Thehugesoldierwasquitepurplewithrage。
Hepointedatthetwosoldierswithhisgreathand，extendedclawlike。"Well，they——"
Butduringthisargumentativetimethede—
siretodealblowsseemedtopass，althoughtheysaidmuchtoeachother。Finallythefriendre—
turnedtohisoldseat。Inashortwhilethethreeantagonistscouldbeseentogetherinanamiablebunch。
"JimmieRogerssesI’llhavet’fighthimafterth’battlet’—day，"announcedthefriendasheagainseatedhimself。"Heseshedon’tallownointerferin’inhisbusiness。Ihatet’seeth’boysfightin’’mongthemselves。"
Theyouthlaughed。"Yerchangedagoodbit。Yehain’tatalllikeyehwas。Irememberwhenyouan’thatIrishfeller——"Hestoppedandlaughedagain。
"No，Ididn’tuset’bethatway，"saidhisfriendthoughtfully。"That’strue’nough。"
"Well，Ididn’tmean——"begantheyouth。
Thefriendmadeanotherdeprecatorygesture。
"Oh，yehneedn’tmind，Henry。"
Therewasanotherlittlepause。
"Th’reg’mentlostoverhalfth’menyestir—
day，"remarkedthefriendeventually。"Ithoughtacoursetheywasalldead，but，laws，theykep’
a—comin’backlastnightuntilitseems，afterall，wedidn’tlosebutafew。They’dbeenscatteredallover，wanderin’aroundinth’woods，fightin’
withotherreg’ments，an’everything。Jestlikeyoudone。"
"So？"saidtheyouth。
chapter15
CHAPTERXV。
THEregimentwasstandingatorderarmsatthesideofalane，waitingforthecommandtomarch，whensuddenlytheyouthrememberedthelittlepacketenwrappedinafadedyellowenvelopewhichtheloudyoungsoldierwithlugu—
briouswordshadintrustedtohim。Itmadehimstart。Heutteredanexclamationandturnedtowardhiscomrade。
"Wilson！"
"What？"
Hisfriend，athissideintheranks，wasthought—
fullystaringdowntheroad。Fromsomecausehisexpressionwasatthatmomentverymeek。
Theyouth，regardinghimwithsidelongglances，feltimpelledtochangehispurpose。"Oh，noth—
ing，"hesaid。
Hisfriendturnedhisheadinsomesurprise，"Why，whatwasyehgoin’t’say？"
"Oh，nothing，"repeatedtheyouth。
Heresolvednottodealthelittleblow。It148
wassufficientthatthefactmadehimglad。Itwasnotnecessarytoknockhisfriendontheheadwiththemisguidedpacket。
Hehadbeenpossessedofmuchfearofhisfriend，forhesawhoweasilyquestioningscouldmakeholesinhisfeelings。Lately，hehadas—
suredhimselfthatthealteredcomradewouldnottantalizehimwithapersistentcuriosity，buthefeltcertainthatduringthefirstperiodofleisurehisfriendwouldaskhimtorelatehisadventuresofthepreviousday。
Henowrejoicedinthepossessionofasmallweaponwithwhichhecouldprostratehiscom—
radeatthefirstsignsofacross—examination。Hewasmaster。Itwouldnowbehewhocouldlaughandshoottheshaftsofderision。
Thefriendhad，inaweakhour，spokenwithsobsofhisowndeath。Hehaddeliveredamel—
ancholyorationprevioustohisfuneral，andhaddoubtlessinthepacketofletters，presentedvari—
ouskeepsakestorelatives。Buthehadnotdied，andthushehaddeliveredhimselfintothehandsoftheyouth。
Thelatterfeltimmenselysuperiortohisfriend，butheinclinedtocondescension。Headoptedtowardhimanairofpatronizinggoodhumor。
Hisself—pridewasnowentirelyrestored。Intheshadeofitsflourishinggrowthhestoodwithbracedandself—confidentlegs，andsincenothingcouldnowbediscoveredhedidnotshrinkfromanencounterwiththeeyesofjudges，andallowednothoughtsofhisowntokeephimfromanattitudeofmanfulness。Hehadperformedhismistakesinthedark，sohewasstillaman。
Indeed，whenherememberedhisfortunesofyesterday，andlookedatthemfromadistancehebegantoseesomethingfinethere。Hehadlicensetobepompousandveteranlike。
Hispantingagoniesofthepastheputoutofhissight。
Inthepresent，hedeclaredtohimselfthatitwasonlythedoomedandthedamnedwhoroaredwithsincerityatcircumstance。Fewbuttheyeverdidit。Amanwithafullstomachandtherespectofhisfellowshadnobusinesstoscoldaboutanythingthathemightthinktobewronginthewaysoftheuniverse，orevenwiththewaysofsociety。Lettheunfortunatesrail;theothersmayplaymarbles。
Hedidnotgiveagreatdealofthoughttothesebattlesthatlaydirectlybeforehim。Itwasnotessentialthatheshouldplanhiswaysinregardtothem。Hehadbeentaughtthatmanyobligationsofalifewereeasilyavoided。Thelessonsofyesterdayhadbeenthatretributionwasalaggardandblind。Withthesefactsbeforehimhedidnotdeemitnecessarythatheshouldbecomefeverishoverthepossibilitiesoftheensuingtwenty—fourhours。Hecouldleavemuchtochance。Besides，afaithinhimselfhadsecretlyblossomed。Therewasalittleflowerofconfidencegrowingwithinhim。Hewasnowamanofexperience。Hehadbeenoutamongthedragons，hesaid，andheassuredhimselfthattheywerenotsohideousashehadimaginedthem。
Also，theywereinaccurate;theydidnotstingwithprecision。Astoutheartoftendefied，anddefying，escaped。
And，furthermore，howcouldtheykillhimwhowasthechosenofgodsanddoomedtogreatness？
Herememberedhowsomeofthemenhadrunfromthebattle。Asherecalledtheirterror—
struckfaceshefeltascornforthem。Theyhadsurelybeenmorefleetandmorewildthanwasabsolutelynecessary。Theywereweakmortals。
Asforhimself，hehadfledwithdiscretionanddignity。
Hewasarousedfromthisreveriebyhisfriend，who，havinghitchedaboutnervouslyandblinkedatthetreesforatime，suddenlycoughedinanintroductoryway，andspoke。
"Fleming！"
"What？"
Thefriendputhishanduptohismouthandcoughedagain。Hefidgetedinhisjacket。
"Well，"hegulped，atlast，"Iguessyehmightaswellgivemebackthemletters。"Dark，prick—
lingbloodhadflushedintohischeeksandbrow。
"Allright，Wilson，"saidtheyouth。Heloosenedtwobuttonsofhiscoat，thrustinhishand，andbroughtforththepacket。Asheex—
tendedittohisfriendthelatter’sfacewasturnedfromhim。
Hehadbeenslowintheactofproducingthepacketbecauseduringithehadbeentryingtoinventaremarkablecommentupontheaffair。
Hecouldconjurenothingofsufficientpoint。Hewascompelledtoallowhisfriendtoescapeunmolestedwithhispacket。Andforthishetookuntohimselfconsiderablecredit。Itwasagenerousthing。
Hisfriendathissideseemedsufferinggreatshame。Ashecontemplatedhim，theyouthfelthisheartgrowmorestrongandstout。Hehadneverbeencompelledtoblushinsuchmannerforhisacts;hewasanindividualofextraordi—
naryvirtues。
Hereflected，withcondescendingpity："Toobad！Toobad！Thepoordevil，itmakeshimfeeltough！"
Afterthisincident，andashereviewedthebattlepictureshehadseen，hefeltquitecom—
petenttoreturnhomeandmaketheheartsofthepeopleglowwithstoriesofwar。Hecouldseehimselfinaroomofwarmtintstellingtalestolisteners。Hecouldexhibitlaurels。Theywereinsignificant;still，inadistrictwherelaurelswereinfrequent，theymightshine。
Hesawhisgapingaudiencepicturinghimasthecentralfigureinblazingscenes。Andheimaginedtheconsternationandtheejaculationsofhismotherandtheyoungladyattheseminaryastheydrankhisrecitals。Theirvaguefeminineformulaforbelovedonesdoingbravedeedsonthefieldofbattlewithoutriskoflifewouldbedestroyed。
chapter16
CHAPTERXVI。
ASPUTTERINGofmusketrywasalwaystobeheard。Later，thecannonhadenteredthedis—
pute。Inthefog—filledairtheirvoicesmadeathuddingsound。Thereverberationswerecon—
tinued。Thispartoftheworldledastrange，battlefulexistence。
Theyouth’sregimentwasmarchedtorelieveacommandthathadlainlonginsomedamptrenches。Thementookpositionsbehindacurv—
inglineofriflepitsthathadbeenturnedup，likealargefurrow，alongthelineofwoods。Beforethemwasalevelstretch，peopledwithshort，deformedstumps。Fromthewoodsbeyondcamethedullpoppingoftheskirmishersandpickets，firinginthefog。Fromtherightcamethenoiseofaterrificfracas。
Themencuddledbehindthesmallembank—
mentandsatineasyattitudesawaitingtheirturn。Manyhadtheirbackstothefiring。Theyouth’sfriendlaydown，buriedhisfaceinhis154
arms，andalmostinstantly，itseemed，hewasinadeepsleep。
Theyouthleanedhisbreastagainstthebrowndirtandpeeredoveratthewoodsandupanddowntheline。Curtainsoftreesinterferedwithhiswaysofvision。Hecouldseethelowlineoftrenchesbutforashortdistance。Afewidleflagswereperchedonthedirthills。Behindthemwererowsofdarkbodieswithafewheadsstickingcuriouslyoverthetop。
Alwaysthenoiseofskirmisherscamefromthewoodsonthefrontandleft，andthedinontherighthadgrowntofrightfulproportions。
Thegunswereroaringwithoutaninstant’spauseforbreath。Itseemedthatthecannonhadcomefromallpartsandwereengagedinastupendouswrangle。Itbecameimpossibletomakeasen—
tenceheard。
Theyouthwishedtolaunchajoke——aquota—
tionfromnewspapers。Hedesiredtosay，"AllquietontheRappahannock，"butthegunsrefusedtopermitevenacommentupontheiruproar。
Heneversuccessfullyconcludedthesentence。
Butatlastthegunsstopped，andamongthemenintheriflepitsrumorsagainflew，likebirds，buttheywerenowforthemostpartblackcreatureswhoflappedtheirwingsdrearilyneartothegroundandrefusedtoriseonanywingsofhope。Themen’sfacesgrewdolefulfromtheinterpretingofomens。Talesofhesitationanduncertaintyonthepartofthosehighinplaceandresponsibilitycametotheirears。Storiesofdisasterwereborneintotheirmindswithmanyproofs。Thisdinofmusketryontheright，grow—
inglikeareleasedgenieofsound，expressedandemphasizedthearmy’splight。
Themenweredisheartenedandbegantomutter。Theymadegesturesexpressiveofthesentence："Ah，whatmorecanwedo？"Anditcouldalwaysbeseenthattheywerebewilderedbytheallegednewsandcouldnotfullycompre—
hendadefeat。
Beforethegraymistshadbeentotallyob—
literatedbythesunrays，theregimentwasmarch—
inginaspreadcolumnthatwasretiringcarefullythroughthewoods。Thedisordered，hurryinglinesoftheenemycouldsometimesbeseendownthroughthegrovesandlittlefields。Theywereyelling，shrillandexultant。
Atthissighttheyouthforgotmanypersonalmattersandbecamegreatlyenraged。Heex—
plodedinloudsentences。"B’jiminey，we’regeneraledbyalot’alunkheads。"
"Morethanonefellerhassaidthatt’—day，"
observedaman。
Hisfriend，recentlyaroused，wasstillverydrowsy。Helookedbehindhimuntilhismindtookinthemeaningofthemovement。Thenhesighed。"Oh，well，Is’posewegotlicked，"heremarkedsadly。
Theyouthhadathoughtthatitwouldnotbehandsomeforhimtofreelycondemnothermen。
Hemadeanattempttorestrainhimself，butthewordsuponhistongueweretoobitter。Hepresentlybeganalongandintricatedenunciationofthecommanderoftheforces。
"Mebbe，itwa’n’tallhisfault——notallto—
gether。Hedidth’bestheknowed。It’sourluckt’gitlickedoften，"saidhisfriendinawearytone。Hewastrudgingalongwithstoopedshouldersandshiftingeyeslikeamanwhohasbeencanedandkicked。
"Well，don’twefightlikethedevil？Don’twedoallthatmencan？"demandedtheyouthloudly。
Hewassecretlydumfoundedatthissentimentwhenitcamefromhislips。Foramomenthisfacelostitsvalorandhelookedguiltilyabouthim。Butnoonequestionedhisrighttodealinsuchwords，andpresentlyherecoveredhisairofcourage。Hewentontorepeatastatementhehadheardgoingfromgrouptogroupatthecampthatmorning。"Thebrigadiersaidheneversawanewreg’mentfightthewaywefoughtyestirday，didn’the？Andwedidn’tdobetterthanmanyanotherreg’ment，didwe？
Well，then，youcan’tsayit’sth’army’sfault，canyou？"
Inhisreply，thefriend’svoicewasstern。"’A
coursenot，"hesaid。"Nomandaresaywedon’tfightliketh’devil。Nomanwilleverdaresayit。Th’boysfightlikehell—roosters。Butstill——still，wedon’thavenoluck。"
"Well，then，ifwefightlikethedevilan’
don’teverwhip，itmustbethegeneral’sfault，"
saidtheyouthgrandlyanddecisively。"AndI
don’tseeanysenseinfightingandfightingandfighting，yetalwayslosingthroughsomedernedoldlunkheadofageneral。"
Asarcasticmanwhowastrampingattheyouth’sside，thenspokelazily。"Mebbeyehthinkyehfitth’hullbattleyestirday，Fleming，"
heremarked。
Thespeechpiercedtheyouth。Inwardlyhewasreducedtoanabjectpulpbythesechancewords。Hislegsquakedprivately。Hecastafrightenedglanceatthesarcasticman。
"Why，no，"hehastenedtosayinaconcili—
atingvoice，"Idon’tthinkIfoughtthewholebattleyesterday。"
Buttheotherseemedinnocentofanydeepermeaning。Apparently，hehadnoinformation。
Itwasmerelyhishabit。"Oh！"herepliedinthesametoneofcalmderision。
Theyouth，nevertheless，feltathreat。Hismindshrankfromgoingneartothedanger，andthereafterhewassilent。Thesignificanceofthesarcasticman’swordstookfromhimallloudmoodsthatwouldmakehimappearprominent。
Hebecamesuddenlyamodestperson。
Therewaslow—tonedtalkamongthetroops。
Theofficerswereimpatientandsnappy，theircountenancescloudedwiththetalesofmisfor—
tune。Thetroops，siftingthroughtheforest，weresullen。Intheyouth’scompanyonceaman’slaughrangout。Adozensoldiersturnedtheirfacesquicklytowardhimandfrownedwithvaguedispleasure。
Thenoiseoffiringdoggedtheirfootsteps。
Sometimes，itseemedtobedrivenalittleway，butitalwaysreturnedagainwithincreasedinsolence。Themenmutteredandcursed，throwingblacklooksinitsdirection。
Inaclearspacethetroopswereatlasthalted。
Regimentsandbrigades，brokenanddetachedthroughtheirencounterswiththickets，grewtogetheragainandlineswerefacedtowardthepursuingbarkoftheenemy’sinfantry。
Thisnoise，followingliketheyellingsofeager，metallichounds，increasedtoaloudandjoyousburst，andthen，asthesunwentserenelyupthesky，throwingilluminatingraysintothegloomythickets，itbrokeforthintoprolongedpealings。
Thewoodsbegantocrackleasifafire。
"Whoop—a—dadee，"saidaman，"hereweare！
Everybodyfightin’。Bloodan’destruction。"
"Iwaswillin’t’betthey’dattackassoonasth’sungotfairlyup，"savagelyassertedthelieutenantwhocommandedtheyouth’scompany。
Hejerkedwithoutmercyathislittlemustache。
Hestrodetoandfrowithdarkdignityintherearofhismen，whowerelyingdownbehindwhateverprotectiontheyhadcollected。
Abatteryhadtrundledintopositionintherearandwasthoughtfullyshellingthedistance。
Theregiment，unmolestedasyet，awaitedthemomentwhenthegrayshadowsofthewoodsbeforethemshouldbeslashedbythelinesofflame。Therewasmuchgrowlingandswearing。
"GoodGawd，"theyouthgrumbled，"we’realwaysbeingchasedaroundlikerats！Itmakesmesick。Nobodyseemstoknowwherewegoorwhywego。Wejustgetfiredaroundfrompillartopostandgetlickedhereandgetlickedthere，andnobodyknowswhatit’sdonefor。Itmakesamanfeellikeadamn’kitteninabag。
Now，I’dliketoknowwhattheeternalthunderswewasmarchedintothesewoodsforanyhow，THEREDBADGEOFCOURAGE161
unlessitwastogivetherebsaregularpotshotatus。Wecameinhereandgotourlegsalltangledupinthesecussedbriers，andthenwebegintofightandtherebshadaneasytimeofit。
Don’ttellmeit’sjustluck！Iknowbetter。It’sthisdernedold——"
Thefriendseemedjaded，butheinterruptedhiscomradewithavoiceofcalmconfidence。
"It’llturnoutallrightinth’end，"hesaid。
"Oh，thedevilitwill！Youalwaystalklikeadog—hangedparson。Don’ttellme！Iknow——"
Atthistimetherewasaninterpositionbythesavage—mindedlieutenant，whowasobligedtoventsomeofhisinwarddissatisfactionuponhismen。"Youboysshutrightup！Therenoneed’ayourwastin’yourbreathinlong—windedargumentsaboutthisan’thatan’th’other。
You’vebeenjawin’likealot’aoldhens。Allyou’vegott’doistofight，an’you’llgetplenty’athatt’doinabouttenminutes。Lesstalkin’an’
morefightin’iswhat’sbestforyouboys。Ineversawsechgabblingjackasses。"
Hepaused，readytopounceuponanymanwhomighthavethetemeritytoreply。Nowordsbeingsaid，heresumedhisdignifiedpacing。
"There’stoomuchchinmusican’toolittlefightin’inthiswar，anyhow，"hesaidtothem，turninghisheadforafinalremark。
Thedayhadgrownmorewhite，untilthesunshedhisfullradianceuponthethrongedforest。
Asortofagustofbattlecamesweepingtowardthatpartofthelinewherelaytheyouth’sregi—
ment。Thefrontshiftedatrifletomeetitsquare—
ly。Therewasawait。Inthispartofthefieldtherepassedslowlytheintensemomentsthatpre—
cedethetempest。
Asinglerifleflashedinathicketbeforetheregiment。Inaninstantitwasjoinedbymanyothers。Therewasamightysongofclashesandcrashesthatwentsweepingthroughthewoods。
Thegunsintherear，arousedandenragedbyshellsthathadbeenthrownburlikeatthem，suddenlyinvolvedthemselvesinahideousalter—
cationwithanotherbandofguns。Thebattleroarsettledtoarollingthunder，whichwasasingle，longexplosion。
Intheregimenttherewasapeculiarkindofhesitationdenotedintheattitudesofthemen。
Theywereworn，exhausted，havingsleptbutlit—
tleandlaboredmuch。Theyrolledtheireyestowardtheadvancingbattleastheystoodawait—
ingtheshock。Someshrankandflinched。Theystoodasmentiedtostakes。
chapter17
CHAPTERXVII。
THISadvanceoftheenemyhadseemedtotheyouthlikearuthlesshunting。Hebegantofumewithrageandexasperation。Hebeathisfootupontheground，andscowledwithhateattheswirlingsmokethatwasapproachinglikeaphan—
tomflood。Therewasamaddeningqualityinthisseemingresolutionofthefoetogivehimnorest，togivehimnotimetositdownandthink。
Yesterdayhehadfoughtandhadfledrapidly。
Therehadbeenmanyadventures。Forto—dayhefeltthathehadearnedopportunitiesforcontem—
plativerepose。Hecouldhaveenjoyedportrayingtouninitiatedlistenersvariousscenesatwhichhehadbeenawitnessorablydiscussingthepro—
cessesofwarwithotherprovedmen。Tooitwasimportantthatheshouldhavetimeforphysicalrecuperation。Hewassoreandstifffromhisex—
periences。Hehadreceivedhisfillofallexer—
tions，andhewishedtorest。
Butthoseothermenseemednevertogrowweary;theywerefightingwiththeiroldspeed。
163
Hehadawildhatefortherelentlessfoe。Yester—
day，whenhehadimaginedtheuniversetobeagainsthim，hehadhatedit，littlegodsandbiggods;to—dayhehatedthearmyofthefoewiththesamegreathatred。Hewasnotgoingtobebadgeredofhislife，likeakittenchasedbyboys，hesaid。Itwasnotwelltodrivemenintofinalcorners;atthosemomentstheycouldalldevelopteethandclaws。
Heleanedandspokeintohisfriend’sear。Hemenacedthewoodswithagesture。"Iftheykeeponchasingus，byGawd，they’dbetterwatchout。Can’tstandTOOmuch。"
Thefriendtwistedhisheadandmadeacalmreply。"Iftheykeepona—chasin’usthey’lldriveusallintehth’river。"
Theyouthcriedoutsavagelyatthisstate—
ment。Hecrouchedbehindalittletree，withhiseyesburninghatefullyandhisteethsetinacur—
likesnarl。Theawkwardbandagewasstillabouthishead，anduponit，overhiswound，therewasaspotofdryblood。Hishairwaswondrouslytousled，andsomestraggling，movinglockshungovertheclothofthebandagedowntowardhisforehead。Hisjacketandshirtwereopenatthethroat，andexposedhisyoungbronzedneck。
Therecouldbeseenspasmodicgulpingsathisthroat。
Hisfingerstwinednervouslyabouthisrifle。
Hewishedthatitwasanengineofannihilatingpower。Hefeltthatheandhiscompanionswerebeingtauntedandderidedfromsincereconvic—
tionsthattheywerepoorandpuny。Hisknowl—
edgeofhisinabilitytotakevengeanceforitmadehisrageintoadarkandstormyspecter，thatpos—
sessedhimandmadehimdreamofabominablecruelties。Thetormentorswerefliessuckingin—
solentlyathisblood，andhethoughtthathewouldhavegivenhislifeforarevengeofseeingtheirfacesinpitifulplights。
Thewindsofbattlehadsweptallabouttheregiment，untiltheonerifle，instantlyfollowedbyothers，flashedinitsfront。Amomentlatertheregimentroaredforthitssuddenandvaliantre—
tort。Adensewallofsmokesettledslowlydown。
Itwasfuriouslyslitandslashedbytheknifelikefirefromtherifles。
Totheyouththefightersresembledanimalstossedforadeathstruggleintoadarkpit。Therewasasensationthatheandhisfellows，atbay，werepushingback，alwayspushingfierceon—
slaughtsofcreatureswhowereslippery。Theirbeamsofcrimsonseemedtogetnopurchaseuponthebodiesoftheirfoes;thelatterseemedtoevadethemwithease，andcomethrough，between，around，andaboutwithunopposedskill。
When，inadream，itoccurredtotheyouththathisriflewasanimpotentstick，helostsenseofeverythingbuthishate，hisdesiretosmashintopulptheglitteringsmileofvictorywhichhecouldfeeluponthefacesofhisenemies。
Thebluesmoke—swallowedlinecurledandwrithedlikeasnakesteppedupon。Itswungitsendstoandfroinanagonyoffearandrage。
Theyouthwasnotconsciousthathewaserectuponhisfeet。Hedidnotknowthedirectionoftheground。Indeed，onceheevenlostthehabitofbalanceandfellheavily。Hewasupagainimmediately。Onethoughtwentthroughthechaosofhisbrainatthetime。Hewonderedifhehadfallenbecausehehadbeenshot。Butthesuspicionflewawayatonce。Hedidnotthinkmoreofit。
Hehadtakenupafirstpositionbehindthelit—
tletree，withadirectdeterminationtoholditagainsttheworld。Hehadnotdeemeditpossi—
blethathisarmycouldthatdaysucceed，andfromthishefelttheabilitytofightharder。Butthethronghadsurgedinallways，untilhelostdirectionsandlocations，savethatheknewwherelaytheenemy。
Theflamesbithim，andthehotsmokebroiledhisskin。Hisriflebarrelgrewsohotthatordi—
narilyhecouldnothaveborneituponhispalms;
buthekeptonstuffingcartridgesintoit，andpoundingthemwithhisclanking，bendingram—
rod。Ifheaimedatsomechangingformthroughthesmoke，hepulledhistriggerwithafiercegrunt，asifheweredealingablowofthefistwithallhisstrength。
Whentheenemyseemedfallingbackbeforehimandhisfellows，hewentinstantlyforward，likeadogwho，seeinghisfoeslagging，turnsandinsistsuponbeingpursued。Andwhenhewascompelledtoretireagain，hediditslowly，sul—
lenly，takingstepsofwrathfuldespair。
Oncehe，inhisintenthate，wasalmostalone，andwasfiring，whenallthosenearhimhadceased。
Hewassoengrossedinhisoccupationthathewasnotawareofalull。
Hewasrecalledbyahoarselaughandasen—
tencethatcametohisearsinavoiceofcontemptandamazement。"Yehinfernalfool，don’tyehknowenought’quitwhenthereain’tanythingt’
shootat？GoodGawd！"
Heturnedthenand，pausingwithhisriflethrownhalfintoposition，lookedatthebluelineofhiscomrades。Duringthismomentofleisuretheyseemedalltobeengagedinstaringwithastonishmentathim。Theyhadbecomespecta—
tors。Turningtothefrontagainhesaw，undertheliftedsmoke，adesertedground。
Helookedbewilderedforamoment。Thenthereappearedupontheglazedvacancyofhiseyesadiamondpointofintelligence。"Oh，"hesaid，comprehending。
Hereturnedtohiscomradesandthrewhim—
selfupontheground。Hesprawledlikeamanwhohadbeenthrashed。Hisfleshseemedstrange—
lyonfire，andthesoundsofthebattlecontinuedinhisears。Hegropedblindlyforhiscanteen。
Thelieutenantwascrowing。Heseemeddrunkwithfighting。Hecalledouttotheyouth：
"Byheavens，ifIhadtenthousandwildcatslikeyouIcouldtearth’stomachoutathiswarinless’naweek！"Hepuffedouthischestwithlargedignityashesaidit。
Someofthemenmutteredandlookedattheyouthinawe—struckways。Itwasplainthatashehadgoneonloadingandfiringandcursingwithouttheproperintermission，theyhadfoundtimetoregardhim。Andtheynowlookeduponhimasawardevil。