One thing delighted me. Guillaumin was attached to the same unit. I had so often experienced his good-nature and devotion. He would be invaluable3, perfect, on active service.
But what other non-coms., should we have as companions?
Directly we got to our quarters, we saw two men detach themselves from the group standing4 there. Two more of the old lot, two school-teachers.... Guillaumin whispered their names to me—Descroix, a squat5, red-haired chap, with an imperial and a clumsy way of walking; and Humel, a small slight man with a thin pale face, and a rather cunning expression. We greeted one another cordially, pretending to congratulate ourselves on the lucky chance. They lost no time in addressing us in the most familiar terms, and we put on no side. Conversation soon began to lag, however, as we lacked any interests in common.
Guillaumin suddenly went off. He brought back a man named De Valpic to introduce to us. He was tall[Pg 80] and slim and distinguished-looking with a gentle, sad expression.
As he was already in uniform the company sergeant-major, who was passing, requisitioned him.
When he had gone, we asked Guillaumin who he was.
"Oh, you know the De Valpics—the historical ones! He is the ambassador's nephew. I met him in camp at Mailly, and he asked me to go and see him—A mansion6 in the Rue de Grenelle, with a courtyard of sixty yards. But quite unspoilt, a very good sort, you'll see!"
"He'd better not give himself airs here!" said Descroix.
He and Humel did not seem in the least disposed to make friends with the new-comer.
Reservists kept on arriving in an uninterrupted string, their rejoining orders in their hands.
"Here are the people we're going to get killed with," Guillaumin said. "What sort do they look?"
Beaucerons for the most part, reserved, obstinate7, weather-beaten beings, who did not talk much. When they did it was with a guttural accent. I was able to identify the faces of a certain number of worthy8 farmers, the Simeons and Gaudéreaux whom I had noticed during my year's services. From a distance they all seemed our elders, with their scored faces, and their bodies bent9 and thickened by the rough work in the fields. A minority of Parisians were making four times more noise than the others. I raised my eyebrows10. I had caught sight of Judsi with his queer clown's face—a bad stock—and further on, Lamalou, a huge fellow with a weakness for the fair sex, who had come back from the punishment battalions11 in[Pg 81] Africa; a good sort, but terrible when he had been drinking.
"The deuce!" I said to Guillaumin. "We've got some bad hats."
"They make the best soldiers!"
Judsi was raising roars of laughter by handing round the hat, his hat, an extraordinary object which he must have picked up for fun on the high road.
"Help a pore man!"
He humbugged: Didn't his pals12 agree that it was just the time to go and fetch a few kilos of red wine? Who knew whether they wouldn't have kicked the bucket by to-morrow.
He ended by collecting about four francs. He went off and came back in ten minutes' time carrying seven or eight bottles.
They made him a speech, they smacked13 each other on the back, they went into fits simply at the sight of him clicking his tongue or rolling his eyes.
I suddenly caught sight of someone coming towards me ... the brick red cheeks, the flat nose, the crisp hair, and full lips exposing the receding14 gums ... all these were familiar to me. The man was wearing a dirty grey suit. He held out his hairy paw to me.
"Halloa, my 'rooky'!"
The sound of his voice enabled me to place him.
"Bouillon!"
Eight years before, when I first joined, I had found him rejoicing in good conduct and efficiency badges, and acting15 as barrack-room orderly. The excellent fellow had at once taken me under his protection, and had seen me through the first three weeks, teaching me the rudiments16 of manual and platoon exercises. He was not a little proud of it. I was "his rooky."[Pg 82] A little later on Bouillon had got into trouble. He had been led away by Lamalou, and mixed up in some night brawl17, and had lost his stripes in consequence. When I rejoined the company I had been able, without causing him any humiliation18 to get him attached to me as batman and we had both congratulated ourselves on our understanding, he because I occasionally gave him a tip to supplement his weekly three francs, I because my kit19 was so well cared for, from that day onwards.
I had not seen him since. The joy of having found me again lit up his face.
He said insinuatingly20:
"If only you could get me into your section?"
I promised to try and arrange the matter for him shortly.
"That chap seems very much attached to you," said Guillaumin.
"Pooh! He hopes to get some money out of me!"
"I say, you're the N.C.O.'s of the 22nd, aren't you? Come and get changed: Then you can lend a hand ... with the men!"
We followed him to the clothing-store which had been installed in a yard.
An officer was there, a sub-lieutenant in the reserves, a young fellow with a fine head, and a long brown moustache, which he twirled mechanically. We reported ourselves to him. He timidly asked each one of us what our profession was.
"That's right!" he said approvingly; "quite right. Yes!"
[Pg 83]
"Some preparation—what!—in spite of all they say!"
We soon found what we wanted, all that is, except him, whose arms were so long as to be out of all proportion.
We laughed at his build, resembling that of a monkey.
"First-rate for bayonet work!" he retorted.
We were ready. The quartermaster brought us a dozen men.
A nice business this: these two hundred fellows to fit out! They all kept coming out of turn. And they weren't a bit easy to manage, as they did not care a rap for us! And then how nice and easy it was to find one's way about among these marks. M III, G II, E IV...! A foul25 dust flew out of the piles of clothing which were lying about, out of the heaps of caps which had come undone26.... And the stink27 of these people in their shirt-sleeves!... Heavens! I did the best thing I could do under the circumstances, and bolted surreptitiously.
Having got over the railings I saluted28 a couple standing on the pavement, hand-in-hand. Little Frémont and his wife whom I thought insignificant-looking. I went on, but was not displeased29 at the idea of his being in the 22nd; one more pleasant comrade.
I did not reappear in quarters until evening. Guillaumin at once warned me charitably to look out! I was marked! Descroix and Humel had soon noticed my disappearance30 and had made no bones about reporting me. The quartermaster had stormed and raged; a regular hullabaloo!
[Pg 84]
"What does it matter!" I interrupted.
I saw, however, that there was a certain amount of danger in allowing a hostile clan31 to form itself at the very beginning. I went into the little room reserved for us. I found Descroix in his shirt-sleeves, and offered him a cigarette, which he accepted. Humel came back, and we joked. Neither of them uttered a word about the afternoon's occurrence.
However, the quartermaster-sergeant came to tell me, in a tone that I did not half like, that I had been warned for orderly duty at the gates.
"The sergeant-major."
The others were chuckling33 inwardly. I made the best of a bad job. All right! My turn would come in time no doubt! I was looking for the necessary equipment when a counter order arrived. The guard would be drawn34 entirely35 from the 23rd to-day.
Still better! I went out calmly, taking Guillaumin with me. Frémont had vanished. We met De Valpic:
"Are you coming to dine with us?"
He excused himself. Not this evening, he preferred to rest.
Rest after what? His refusal shocked me. If he was going to refuse to associate with us, he would have to be taken down a peg36.
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1
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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2
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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3
invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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4
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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5
squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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6
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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7
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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8
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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9
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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10
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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battalions
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| n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍 | |
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12
pals
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| n.朋友( pal的名词复数 )；老兄；小子；（对男子的不友好的称呼）家伙 | |
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13
smacked
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| 拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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15
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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16
rudiments
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| n.基础知识，入门 | |
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17
brawl
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| n.大声争吵，喧嚷；v.吵架，对骂 | |
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18
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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19
kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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20
insinuatingly
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21
accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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22
tunics
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| n.（动植物的）膜皮( tunic的名词复数 )；束腰宽松外衣；一套制服的短上衣；（天主教主教等穿的）短祭袍 | |
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23
marvelled
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
batch
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| n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量 | |
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25
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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26
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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27
stink
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| vi.发出恶臭；糟透，招人厌恶；n.恶臭 | |
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28
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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29
displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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30
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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31
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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32
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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33
chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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34
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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35
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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36
peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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