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。