One of the gunners had explained that they were likely to hear a good deal of shooting during the night, “the notion being to bust2 off six shells every now and again with the guns laid on the wire we were shooting at in daylight. If any Boche crawls out to repair the wire in the dark, he never knows the minute he’s going to get it in the neck from a string of shells.”
“And how does it work?” asked the interested Arundel.
“First rate,” answered the gunner. “Them that’s up at the O.P.1 says that when they have looked out each morning there hasn’t been a sign or a symptom of new wire going up, and, of27 course, there’s less chance than ever of repairing in daytime. A blue-bottle fly—let alone a Boche—couldn’t crawl out where we’re wire-cutting without getting filled as full of holes as a second-hand3 sieve4.”
1 Observation Post.
The salvos kept the barnful of men awake for the first hour or two. The intervals6 of firing were purposely irregular, and varied7 from anything between three to fifteen minutes. The infantry8, with a curious but common indifference9 to the future as compared to the present, were inclined to grumble10 at this noisy interruption of their slumbers11, until Arundel explained to some of them the full purpose and meaning of the firing.
“Seein’ as that’s ’ow it is,” said Pug, “I don’t mind ’ow noisy they are; if their bite is anything like as good as their bark, it’s all helpin’ to keep a clear track on the road we’ve got to take presently.”
“Those gunners,” said Kentucky, “talked about this shooting match having kept on for four days and nights continuous, but they didn’t know, or they wouldn’t say, if it was over yet, or likely to be finished soon.”
“The wust of this blinkin’ show,” said Billy Simson, “is that nobody seems to know nothin’,28 and the same people seem to care just about the same amount about anythin’.”
“Come off it,” said Pug; “here’s one that cares a lump. The sooner we gets on to the straff and gets our bit done and us out again the better I’ll be pleased. From what the Quarter-bloke says, we’re goin’ to be kep’ on the bully12 and biscuit ration13 until we comes out of action; so roll on with comin’ out of action, and a decent dinner of fresh meat and potatoes and bread again.”
“There’s a tidy few,” said Billy, “that won’t be lookin’ for no beef or bread when they comes out of action.”
“Go on,” said Pug; “that’s it; let’s be cheerful. We’ll all be killed in the first charge; and the attack will be beat back; and the Germans will break our line and be at Calais next week, and bombarding London the week after. Go on; see if you can think up some more cheerfuls.”
“Pug is kind of right,” said Kentucky; “but at the same time so is Billy. It’s a fair bet that some of us four will stop one. If that should be my luck, I’d like one of you,” he glanced at Arundel as he spoke15, “to write a line to my folks in old Kentucky, just easing them down and saying I went out quite easy and cheerful.”
29
Pug snorted disdainfully. “Seems to me,” he said, “the bloke that expec’s it is fair askin’ for it. I’m not askin’ nobody to write off no last dyin’ speeches for me, even if I ’ad anybody to say ’em to, which I ’aven’t.”
“Anyhow, Kentucky,” said Arundel, “I’ll write down your address, if you will take my people’s. What about you, Billy?”
Billy shuffled16 a little uneasily. “There’s a girl,” he said, “one girl partikler, that might like to ’ear, and there’s maybe two or three others that I’d like to tell about it. You’ll know the sort of thing to say. I’ll give you the names, and you might tell ’em”—he hesitated a moment—“I know, ‘the last word he spoke was Rose—or Gladys, or Mary,’ sendin’ the Rose one to Rose, and so on, of course.”
Arundel grinned, and Pug guffawed17 openly. “What a lark,” he laughed, “if Larry mixes ’em up and tells Rose the last word you says was ‘Gladys,’ and tells Gladys that you faded away murmurin’ ‘Good-by, Rose.’”
“I don’t see anythin’ to laugh at,” said Billy huffily. “Rose is the partikler one, so you might put in a bit extra in hers, but it will please the others a whole heap. They don’t know each other,30 so they will never know I sent the other messages, and I’ll bet that each of ’em will cart that letter round to show it to all her pals18, and they’ll cry their eyes out, and have a real enjoyable time over it.”
Arundel laughed now. “Queer notions your girls have of enjoyment19, Billy,” he said.
“I know ’em,” insisted Billy; “and I’m right about it. I knew a girl once that was goin’ to be married to a chum o’ mine, and he ups and dies, and the girl ’ad to take the tru-sox back to the emporium and swop it for mournin’; and the amount of fussin’ and cryin’-over that girl got was somethin’ amazin’, and I bet she wouldn’t have missed it for half a dozen ’usbands; and, besides, she got another ’usband easy enough about two months after.” He concluded triumphantly20, and looked round as if challenging contradiction.
Outside, the battery crashed again, and the crazy building shook about them to the sound. A curious silence followed the salvo, because by some chance the ranked batteries, strung out to either side of them, had chosen the same interval5 between their firing. Most of the men in the barn had by this time sunk to sleep, but at the silence they stirred uneasily, and many of them woke and31 raised themselves on their elbows, or sat up to inquire sleepily “What was wrong now?” or “What was the matter?” With the adaptability21 under which men live in the fire zone, and without which, in fact, they could hardly live and keep their senses, they had in the space of an hour or two become so accustomed to the noise of the cannonade that its cessation had more power to wake them than its noisiest outbursts; and when, after the silence had lasted a few brief minutes, the batteries began to speak again, they turned over or lay down and slid off into heedless sleep.
Somewhere about midnight there was another awakening22, and this time from a different cause—a difference that is only in the note and nature of the constant clamor of fire. Throughout the night the guns had practically the say to themselves, bombs and rifles and machine guns alike being beaten down into silence; but at midnight something—some alarm, real or fancied—woke the rifles to a burst of frenzied23 activity. The first few stuttering reports swelled24 quickly to a long drum-like roll. The machine guns caught up the chorus, and rang through it in racketing and clattering25 bursts of fire. The noise grew with the minutes, and spread and spread, until it seemed32 that the whole lines were engaged for miles in a desperate conflict.
Arundel, awakened by the clamor, sat up. “Is anybody awake?” he asked in low tones, and instantly a dozen voices around him answered.
“Is it the attack, do you suppose?” asked one, and a mild argument arose on the question, some declaring that they—the Stonewalls—would not be left to sleep there in quietness if our line were commencing the push; others maintaining that secrecy27 was necessary as to the hour planned, because otherwise the Boches would be sure to know it, and be ready for the attack.
“Maybe,” some one ventured the opinion, “it’s them that’s attacking us.” But this wild theorist was promptly28 laughed out of court, it being the settled conviction apparently29 of his fellows that the Boche would not dare to attack when he knew from the long bombardment that our lines must be heavily held.
As the argument proceeded, Arundel felt a touch on his elbow, heard the soft, drawling voice of Kentucky at his ear.
“I’m going to take a little pasear outside, and just see and hear anything I can of the proceedings30.”
33
“Right,” said Arundel promptly. “I’m with you; I’m not a bit sleepy, and we might find out something of what it all means.”
The two slipped on their boots, moved quietly to the door, and stepped outside.
They walked round the end of the barn to where they could obtain a view clear of the building and out towards the front, and stood there some minutes in silence, watching and listening. A gentle rise in the ground and the low crest31 of a hill hid the trenches32 on both sides from their view, and along this crest line showed a constant quivering, pulsing flame of pale yellow light, clear and vivid along its lower edge, and showing up in hard, black silhouette33 every detail of the skyline, every broken tree stump34, every ragged35 fragment of a building’s wall, every bush and heap of earth. Above the crest the light faded and vignetted off softly into the darkness of the night, a darkness that every now and then was wiped out to the height of half the sky by a blinding flash of light, that winked36 and vanished and winked again and again, as the guns on both sides blazed and flung their shells unseeing but unerring to their mark.
Larry and Kentucky heard a call in the battery near them, the quick rush of running feet, a succession34 of sharp, shouted orders. The next instant, with a crash that made them jump, the six guns of the battery spoke with one single and instantaneous voice. In the momentary37 gush38 of flame from the muzzles39, and of yellow light, that blotted40 out all other lights, the two men saw in one quick glimpse the hedge, the leafy screens above the guns, the guns themselves, and the gunners grouped about them. Out to their right, a moment after the darkness had flashed down again over the battery, a neighboring group of guns gave tongue in a rapid succession of evenly spaced reports. This other battery itself was hidden from the two watchers, but because of its nearness, the flashes from it also flung a blinding radiance upward into the night, revealing the outlines of every roof and building, hedge and tree, that stood against the sky.
Their own battery, in answer to a hoarse41 bellowing42 from the megaphone of “Section Fire—5 seconds,” commenced to pound out a stream of shells from gun after gun. Away to right and left of them the other batteries woke and added their din14 to the infernal chorus. The shells from other and farther back batteries were rushing and35 screaming overhead, and dying away in thin wailings and whistlings in the distance.
Another and different note struck in, rising this time from a shrill43 scream to a louder and louder and more savage44 roar, and ending with an earth shaking crash and the shriek45 of flying splinters. A shell had burst a bare hundred yards from where the two stood, hurling46 some of its fragments over and past them to rap with savage emphasis on the stone and brick of the farm building.
Larry and Kentucky ducked hastily, and ran crouching47 to the corner of their barn, as another shrill whistle and rush warned them of the approaching shell. This time it burst farther off, and although the two waited a full fifteen minutes, no other shell came near, though along the crest of the sky-line they could see quick flashing burst after burst and thick, billowing clouds of smoke rising and drifting blackly against the background of light beyond the slope.
The tornado48 of shell fire beat the rifles down again to silence after some minutes. The rolling rifle fire and clatter26 of machine guns died away gradually, to no more than an occasional splutter, and then to single shots. After that the artillery49 slowed down to a normal rate of fire, a steady36 succession of bangs and thuds and rumblings, that, after the roaring tempest of noise of the past few minutes, were no more than comparative quiet.
“I’m glad we came out,” said Larry; “it was quite a decent little show for a bit.”
Kentucky peered at him curiously50. “Did it strike you,” he said, “the number of guns there were loosing off in that little show, and that most of those the other side are going to be doing their darnedest to spoil our little show, when it comes the time for us to be over the parapet?”
“I suppose that’s so,” admitted Larry; “but then, you see, our guns will be doing the same by them, so the game ought to be even so far as that goes.”
“The game!” repeated Kentucky reflectively. “I notice quite a few of you boys talk of it as ‘a game,’ or ‘the game’; I wonder why?”
“I don’t know,” said Larry, “except that—oh, well—just because it is a game, a beastly enough one, I’ll admit, but still a game that the best side is going to win.”
“The best side——” said Kentucky, “meaning, I suppose, you—us?”
“Why, of course,” said Larry, with utter and unquestioning confidence.
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收听单词发音
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1
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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2
bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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3
second-hand
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| adj.用过的，旧的，二手的 | |
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4
sieve
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| n.筛，滤器，漏勺 | |
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5
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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6
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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7
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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8
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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9
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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10
grumble
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| vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声 | |
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11
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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12
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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13
ration
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| n.定量(pl.)给养，口粮；vt.定量供应 | |
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14
din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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15
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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16
shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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17
guffawed
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| v.大笑，狂笑( guffaw的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
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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19
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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20
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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21
adaptability
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| n.适应性 | |
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22
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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23
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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24
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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25
clattering
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
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26
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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27
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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28
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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29
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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30
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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31
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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32
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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33
silhouette
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| n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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34
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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35
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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36
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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37
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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38
gush
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| v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发 | |
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39
muzzles
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| 枪口( muzzle的名词复数 )； （防止动物咬人的）口套； （四足动物的）鼻口部； （狗）等凸出的鼻子和口 | |
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40
blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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41
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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42
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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43
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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44
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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45
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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46
hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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47
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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48
tornado
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| n.飓风，龙卷风 | |
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49
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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50
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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