He made vague plans to go off into the deeper darkness and hide, but they were all destroyed by the voices of exhaustion2 and pain from his body. His ailments3, clamoring, forced him to seek the place of food and rest, at whatever cost.
He swung unsteadily toward the fire. He could see the forms of men throwing black shadows in the red light, and as he went nearer it became known to him in some way that the ground was strewn with sleeping men.
Of a sudden he confronted a black and monstrous4 figure. A rifle barrel caught some glinting beams. "Halt! halt!" He was dismayed for a moment, but he presently thought that he recognized the nervous voice. As he stood tottering5 before the rifle barrel, he called out: "Why, hello, Wilson, you--you here?"
The rifle was lowered to a position of caution and the loud soldier came slowly forward. He peered into the youth's face. "That you, Henry?"
"Yes, it's--it's me."
"Well, well, ol' boy," said the other, "by ginger6, I'm glad t' see yeh! I give yeh up fer a goner. I thought yeh was dead sure enough." There was husky emotion in his voice.
The youth found that now he could barely stand upon his feet. There was a sudden sinking of his forces. He thought he must hasten to produce his tale to protect him from the missiles already on the lips of his redoubtable7 comrades. So, staggering before the loud soldier, he began: "Yes, yes. I've--I've had an awful time. I've been all over. Way over on th' right. Ter'ble fightin' over there. I had an awful time. I got separated from the reg'ment. Over on th' right, I got shot. In th' head. I never see sech fightin'. Awful time. I don't see how I could a' got separated from th' reg'ment. I got shot, too."
His friend had stepped forward quickly. "What? Got shot? Why didn't yeh say so first? Poor ol' boy, we must--hol' on a minnit; what am I doin'. I'll call Simpson."
Another figure at that moment loomed8 in the gloom. They could see that it was the corporal. "Who yeh talkin' to, Wilson?" he demanded. His voice was anger-toned. "Who yeh talkin' to? Yeh th' derndest sentinel--why--hello, Henry, you here? Why, I thought you was dead four hours ago! Great Jerusalem, they keep turnin' up every ten minutes or so! We thought we'd lost forty-two men by straight count, but if they keep on a-comin' this way, we'll git th' comp'ny all back by mornin' yit. Where was yeh?"
But his friend had interrupted hastily. "Yes, an' he got shot in th' head an' he's in a fix, an' we must see t' him right away." He rested his rifle in the hollow of his left arm and his right around the youth's shoulder.
The youth leaned heavily upon his friend. "Yes, it hurts--hurts a good deal," he replied. There was a faltering11 in his voice.
"Oh," said the corporal. He linked his arm in the youth's and drew him forward. "Come on, Henry. I'll take keer 'a yeh."
As they went on together the loud private called out after them: "Put 'im t' sleep in my blanket, Simpson. An'--hol' on a minnit--here's my canteen. It's full 'a coffee. Look at his head by th' fire an' see how it looks. Maybe it's a pretty bad un. When I git relieved in a couple 'a minnits, I'll be over an' see t' him."
The youth's senses were so deadened that his friend's voice sounded from afar and he could scarcely feel the pressure of the corporal's arm. He submitted passively to the latter's directing strength. His head was in the old manner hanging forward upon his breast. His knees wobbled.
The corporal led him into the glare of the fire. "Now, Henry," he said, "let's have look at yer ol' head."
The youth sat obediently and the corporal, laying aside his rifle, began to fumble12 in the bushy hair of his comrade. He was obliged to turn the other's head so that the full flush of the fire light would beam upon it. He puckered13 his mouth with a critical air. He drew back his lips and whistled through his teeth when his fingers came in contact with the splashed blood and the rare wound.
"Ah, here we are!" he said. He awkwardly made further investigations14. "Jest as I thought," he added, presently. "Yeh've been grazed by a ball. It's raised a queer lump jest as if some feller had lammed yeh on th' head with a club. It stopped a-bleedin' long time ago. Th' most about it is that in th' mornin' yeh'll fell that a number ten hat wouldn't fit yeh. An' your head'll be all het up an' feel as dry as burnt pork. An' yeh may git a lot 'a other sicknesses, too, by mornin'. Yeh can't never tell. Still, I don't much think so. It's jest a damn' good belt on th' head, an' nothin' more. Now, you jest sit here an' don't move, while I go rout15 out th' relief. Then I'll send Wilson t' take keer 'a yeh."
The corporal went away. The youth remained on the ground like a parcel. He stared with a vacant look into the fire.
After a time he aroused, for some part, and the things about him began to take form. He saw that the ground in the deep shadows was cluttered16 with men, sprawling17 in every conceivable posture18. Glancing narrowly into the more distant darkness, he caught occasional glimpses of visages that loomed pallid19 and ghostly, lit with a phosphorescent glow. These faces expressed in their lines the deep stupor20 of the tired soldiers. They made them appear like men drunk with wine. This bit of forest might have appeared to an ethereal wanderer as a scene of the result of some frightful21 debauch22.
On the other side of the fire the youth observed an officer asleep, seated bolt upright, with his back against a tree. There was something perilous23 in his position. Badgered by dreams, perhaps, he swayed with little bounces and starts, like an old, toddy-stricken grandfather in a chimney corner. Dust and stains were upon his face. His lower jaw24 hung down as if lacking strength to assume its normal position. He was the picture of an exhausted25 soldier after a feast of war.
He had evidently gone to sleep with his sword in his arms. These two had slumbered26 in an embrace, but the weapon had been allowed in time to fall unheeded to the ground. The brass-mounted hilt lay in contact with some parts of the fire.
Within the gleam of rose and orange light from the burning sticks were other soldiers, snoring and heaving, or lying deathlike in slumber27. A few pairs of legs were stuck forth28, rigid29 and straight. The shoes displayed the mud or dust of marches and bits of rounded trousers, protruding30 from the blankets, showed rents and tears from hurried pitchings through the dense31 brambles.
The fire cackled musically. From it swelled32 light smoke. Overhead the foliage33 moved softly. The leaves, with their faces turned toward the blaze, were colored shifting hues34 of silver, often edged with red. Far off to the right, through a window in the forest could be seen a handful of stars lying, like glittering pebbles35, on the black level of the night.
Occasionally, in this low-arched hall, a soldier would arouse and turn his body to a new position, the experience of his sleep having taught him of uneven36 and objectionable places upon the ground under him. Or, perhaps, he would lift himself to a sitting posture, blink at the fire for an unintelligent moment, throw a swift glance at his prostrate37 companion, and then cuddle down again with a grunt38 of sleepy content.
The youth sat in a forlorn heap until his friend the loud young soldier came, swinging two canteens by their light strings39. "Well, now, Henry, ol' boy," said the latter, "we'll have yeh fixed40 up in jest about a minnit."
He had the bustling41 ways of an amateur nurse. He fussed around the fire and stirred the sticks to brilliant exertions42. He made his patient drink largely from the canteen that contained the coffee. It was to the youth a delicious draught43. He tilted44 his head afar back and held the canteen long to his lips. The cool mixture went caressingly45 down his blistered46 throat. Having finished, he sighed with comfortable delight.
The loud young soldier watched his comrade with an air of satisfaction. He later produced an extensive handkerchief from his pocket. He folded it into a manner of bandage and soused water from the other canteen upon the middle of it. This crude arrangement he bound over the youth's head, tying the ends in a queer knot at the back of the neck.
"There," he said, moving off and surveying his deed, "yeh look like th' devil, but I bet yeh feel better."
The youth contemplated47 his friend with grateful eyes. Upon his aching and swelling48 head the cold cloth was like a tender woman's hand.
"Yeh don't holler ner say nothin'," remarked his friend approvingly. "I know I'm a blacksmith at takin' keer 'a sick folks, an' yeh never squeaked49. Yer a good un, Henry. Most 'a men would a' been in th' hospital long ago. A shot in th' head ain't foolin' business."
The youth made no reply, but began to fumble with the buttons of his jacket.
"Well, come, now," continued his friend, "come on. I must put yeh t' bed an' see that yeh git a good night's rest."
The other got carefully erect50, and the loud young soldier led him among the sleeping forms lying in groups and rows. Presently he stooped and picked up his blankets. He spread the rubber one upon the ground and placed the woolen51 one about the youth's shoulders.
"There now," he said, "lie down an' git some sleep."
The youth, with his manner of doglike obedience52, got carefully down like a crone stooping. He stretched out with a murmur53 of relief and comfort. The ground felt like the softest couch.
But of a sudden he ejaculated: "Hol' on a minnit! Where you goin' t' sleep?"
His friend waved his hand impatiently. "Right down there by yeh."
"Well, but hol' on a minnit," continued the youth. "What yeh goin' t' sleep in? I've got your--"
The loud young soldier snarled54: "Shet up an' go on t' sleep. Don't be makin' a damn' fool 'a yerself," he said severely55.
After the reproof56 the youth said no more. An exquisite57 drowsiness58 had spread through him. The warm comfort of the blanket enveloped59 him and made a gentle langour. His head fell forward on his crooked60 arm and his weighted lids went softly down over his eyes. Hearing a splatter of musketry from the distance, he wondered indifferently if those men sometimes slept. He gave a long sigh, snuggled down into his blanket, and in a moment was like his comrades.
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1
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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2
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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3
ailments
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| 疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 ) | |
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4
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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5
tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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6
ginger
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| n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气 | |
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7
redoubtable
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| adj.可敬的；可怕的 | |
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8
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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glibness
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| n.花言巧语；口若悬河 | |
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10
gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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11
faltering
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| 犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的 | |
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12
fumble
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| vi.笨拙地用手摸、弄、接等，摸索 | |
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13
puckered
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| v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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15
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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16
cluttered
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| v.杂物，零乱的东西零乱vt.( clutter的过去式和过去分词 )；乱糟糟地堆满，把…弄得很乱；（以…） 塞满… | |
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17
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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18
posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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19
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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20
stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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21
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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debauch
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| v.使堕落，放纵 | |
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23
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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24
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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25
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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26
slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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27
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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28
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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29
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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30
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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31
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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32
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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33
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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34
hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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35
pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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36
uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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37
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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38
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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39
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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40
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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41
bustling
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| adj.喧闹的 | |
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42
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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43
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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44
tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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45
caressingly
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| 爱抚地，亲切地 | |
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46
blistered
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| adj.水疮状的，泡状的v.（使）起水泡( blister的过去式和过去分词 )；（使表皮等）涨破，爆裂 | |
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47
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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48
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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49
squeaked
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| v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
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50
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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51
woolen
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| adj.羊毛(制)的；毛纺的 | |
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52
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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53
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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54
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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55
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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56
reproof
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| n.斥责，责备 | |
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57
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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58
drowsiness
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| n.睡意；嗜睡 | |
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59
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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