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。
