The tireless musketry fire rolled from the valley head, and enemy shells still burst haphazard2 along the beach and over the sea. But for an hour or more headquarters had been free from such attention, and that was all that concerned us. Instead of pondering over shells, old Sam Oxbridge had grown homesick again, and was holding forth3 now on a theory of his own—that after six months’ active service, the Government would send home all men wanting to go. His reasoning seemed a bit faulty; but he convinced himself.
In spite of the lazy shelling, the beach was thick with the usual crowds. And the bay was full of vessels4. Old Sam stood up at last, tall and with a stoop, and remarked all this with[204] unappreciative eye. I went on stirring Welsh rabbit in a mess-tin lid, all my hopes fixed5 on it. The fire was nearly done, and called for new wood, and the cheese was simmering. It was a toss up which would win.
Sam’s arguments had not impressed us much, but somehow or other we stopped talking, and one looked out to sea, and one cleaned his pipe, and I went on cooking. We were all sick of the business, that was the truth. Men climbed up and down the hillside, moving to their dug-outs and that sort of thing; fragile clouds passed across the sun and darkened its face a few moments; the breeze rustled6 over the few bushes spared by the cook’s axe7: such things I saw while I knelt and watched the Welsh rabbit through critical moments. Old Sam still stared into the distance, I noticed that too, and just then a gust8 of wind filled my eyes with smoke, and with an oath I sprang up behind him. As my eyes cleared he turned to move away, and that instant something struck him with a hard, dull sound, and he breathed out a long-drawn “Oh!” and threw his hands forward and fell upon the ground. He got up again and fell down once more. A shell had burst along the hill.
The doctor, who saw it happen, ran up, and we carried Sam under shelter of the cookhouse and laid him on his back. His eyes were shut, and his breathing was loud and difficult, and already he was turning a horrid9 grey. The Red Cross orderlies joined us.
We, who could not help, drew back out of the[205] way under the shelter of the cookhouse walls. The doctor leaned forward and pulled up Sam’s shirt, baring his chest. Below the heart was a small red mark. A second shell burst upon the hill, and a third farther along. They were ranging for us again.
None of us said a word, and only one man moved: the doctor was taking a syringe from its case. First he held it against the light, and next pushed it into the dying man’s arm.
A fresh burst of fire swept the hillside, and each man looked to himself wondering if he were next. Shells began to fall about us. They began to fall fast and to burst close around us. Soon I was looking at the sea through a wall of red dust. We huddled10 back against the cookhouse, and Stone’s heart went thump11, thump, against my chest, and he lay as still as a mouse. Prince, on the other side of him, had lost his head altogether, and, as the shells burst, threw his arms out to push them off. The dust rose thicker and thicker, and finally the sun shone through it in the form of a sullen12 red ball.
We watched the coming of Death. Sam never moved again, except once when he turned his head slightly; but the unnatural13 breathing went on, went on and grew more feeble. The doctor sat with his back to us, and his head bowed between his shoulders. He moved seldom; seldom, I think, lifted his eyes from the dying man. By him the orderlies knelt, huddled together to get what cover they could; and the shells would swoop14 down with a roar and a scattering15 of the[206] dust. Nobody said anything that I can remember, but time passed and left us watching the still figure, and listening to the horrible breaths.
At last the firing passed farther along the slope, and the dust settled once more. The adjutant came down from his dug-out. “Is he badly hit?” he said, looking down and jerking his head.
“The bullet went in below the heart. He is still alive, and that is about all.”
Hawkins came back from the valley next, and passed by us. I thought he was staring at Sam, but he never saw him. The doctor spoke17 at once. “You had better get under cover, Hawkins. They have been dusting things up round here just now.” “Yes, I saw that,” Hawkins said, with a laugh. And he curled up in his dug-out.
Presently the waiting was over. Death had won—the last trench18 was taken, the final fortress19 stormed. Captain Lawler got to his feet, and spoke to the orderlies. “Is the stretcher here?”
I looked into Sam’s face and an old thought came back to me. Death is not often beautiful. Here was no heroic end; here was no bold gaze, which told of past duties well done. Nothing of that kind, nothing. But, instead, a silly smile where the mouth dropped, and a little blood upon the palate, and a skin turning yellow and blue. Not heroic, my friends; not beautiful!
I stared down at Sam while they covered him with a blanket. Thoughts I would have put aside at that place and at that hour came to me.
[207]
Friend Sam, you were rather “a rotter”—weak and easy to lead. Life owed you more years; but they would have been years without profit. Now you have died at the start of life, and others following will remember your sacrifice and take heart. You could have done no better thing. Methinks you will sleep soundest here, where the cliffs climb up by Sari Bahr.
If you should step it out afar
Full many rude graves you’ll find there are,
By the road the sappers drove there.
Close they lie by the hillside bare,
Captain and private, pair by pair,
Looking back on the days they strove there.
Aye, still they lie, their work all done,
Resting at ease in the soil well won;
And listening hard for Gabriel’s gun,
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收听单词发音
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1
yarned
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| vi.讲故事（yarn的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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2
haphazard
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| adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的 | |
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3
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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4
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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5
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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6
rustled
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| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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gust
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| n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发 | |
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9
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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10
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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11
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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12
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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13
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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14
swoop
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| n.俯冲，攫取；v.抓取，突然袭击 | |
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15
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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16
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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17
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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18
trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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19
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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20
pebbly
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| 多卵石的，有卵石花纹的 | |
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21
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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22
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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