The distance was splintering and blaring with the noise of fighting. There was in the sound an expression of a deadly persistency3, as if it had not began and was not to cease.
About him were the rows and groups of men that he had dimly seen the previous night. They were getting a last draught4 of sleep before the awakening5. The gaunt, careworn6 features and dusty figures were made plain by this quaint7 light at the dawning, but it dressed the skin of the men in corpse-like hues8 and made the tangled9 limbs appear pulseless and dead. The youth started up with a little cry when his eyes first swept over this motionless mass of men, thick-spread upon the ground, pallid10, and in strange postures11. His disordered mind interpreted the hall of the forest as a charnel place. He believed for an instant that he was in the house of the dead, and he did not dare to move lest these corpses12 start up, squalling and squawking. In a second, however, he achieved his proper mind. He swore a complicated oath at himself. He saw that this somber13 picture was not a fact of the present, but a mere14 prophecy.
He heard then the noise of a fire crackling briskly in the cold air, and, turning his head, he saw his friend pottering busily about a small blaze. A few other figures moved in the fog, and he heard the hard cracking of axe15 blows.
Suddenly there was a hollow rumble16 of drums. A distant bugle17 sang faintly. Similar sounds, varying in strength, came from near and far over the forest. The bugles18 called to each other like brazen19 gamecocks. The near thunder of the regimental drums rolled.
The body of men in the woods rustled20. There was a general uplifting of heads. A murmuring of voices broke upon the air. In it there was much bass21 of grumbling22 oaths. Strange gods were addressed in condemnation23 of the early hours necessary to correct war. An officer's peremptory24 tenor25 rang out and quickened the stiffened26 movement of the men. The tangled limbs unraveled. The corpse-hued faces were hidden behind fists that twisted slowly in the eye sockets27.
The youth sat up and gave vent28 to an enormous yawn. "Thunder!" he remarked petulantly29. He rubbed his eyes, and then putting up his hand felt carefully the bandage over his wound. His friend, perceiving him to be awake, came from the fire. "Well, Henry, ol' man, how do yeh feel this mornin'?" he demanded.
The youth yawned again. Then he puckered30 his mouth to a little pucker31. His head, in truth, felt precisely32 like a melon, and there was an unpleasant sensation at his stomach.
"Oh, Lord, I feel pretty bad," he said.
"Thunder!" exclaimed the other. "I hoped ye'd feel all right this mornin'. Let's see th' bandage--I guess it's slipped." He began to tinker at the wound in rather a clumsy way until the youth exploded.
"Gosh-dern it!" he said in sharp irritation33; "you're the hangdest man I ever saw! You wear muffs on your hands. Why in good thunderation can't you be more easy? I'd rather you'd stand off an' throw guns at it. Now, go slow, an' don't act as if you was nailing down carpet."
He glared with insolent34 command at his friend, but the latter answered soothingly35. "Well, well, come now, an' git some grub," he said. "Then, maybe, yeh'll feel better."
At the fireside the loud young soldier watched over his comrade's wants with tenderness and care. He was very busy marshaling the little black vagabonds of tin cups and pouring into them the streaming iron colored mixture from a small and sooty tin pail. He had some fresh meat, which he roasted hurriedly on a stick. He sat down then and contemplated36 the youth's appetite with glee.
The youth took note of a remarkable37 change in his comrade since those days of camp life upon the river bank. He seemed no more to be continually regarding the proportions of his personal prowess. He was not furious at small words that pricked38 his conceits39. He was no more a loud young soldier. There was about him now a fine reliance. He showed a quiet belief in his purposes and his abilities. And this inward confidence evidently enabled him to be indifferent to little words of other men aimed at him.
The youth reflected. He had been used to regarding his comrade as a blatant40 child with an audacity41 grown from his inexperience, thoughtless, headstrong, jealous, and filled with a tinsel courage. A swaggering babe accustomed to strut42 in his own dooryard. The youth wondered where had been born these new eyes; when his comrade had made the great discovery that there were many men who would refuse to be subjected by him. Apparently43, the other had now climbed a peak of wisdom from which he could perceive himself as a very wee thing. And the youth saw that ever after it would be easier to live in his friend's neighborhood.
His comrade balanced his ebony coffee-cup on his knee. "Well, Henry," he said, "what d'yeh think th' chances are? D'yeh think we'll wallop 'em?"
The youth considered for a moment. "Day-b'fore-yesterday," he finally replied, with boldness, "you would 'a' bet you'd lick the hull44 kit-an'-boodle all by yourself."
His friend looked a trifle amazed. "Would I?" he asked. He pondered. "Well, perhaps I would," he decided45 at last. He stared humbly46 at the fire.
The youth was quite disconcerted at this surprising reception of his remarks. "Oh, no, you wouldn't either," he said, hastily trying to retrace47.
But the other made a deprecating gesture. "Oh, yeh needn't mind, Henry," he said. "I believe I was a pretty big fool in those days." He spoke48 as after a lapse49 of years.
There was a little pause.
"All th' officers say we've got th' rebs in a pretty tight box," said the friend, clearing his throat in a commonplace way. "They all seem t' think we've got 'em jest where we want 'em."
"I don't know about that," the youth replied. "What I seen over on th' right makes me think it was th' other way about. From where I was, it looked as if we was gettin' a good poundin' yestirday."
"D'yeh think so?" inquired the friend. "I thought we handled 'em pretty rough yestirday."
"Not a bit," said the youth. "Why, lord, man, you didn't see nothing of the fight. Why!" Then a sudden thought came to him. "Oh! Jim Conklin's dead."
His friend started. "What? Is he? Jim Conklin?"
The youth spoke slowly. "Yes. He's dead. Shot in th' side."
"Yeh don't say so. Jim Conklin. . .poor cuss!"
All about them were other small fires surrounded by men with their little black utensils50. From one of these near came sudden sharp voices in a row. It appeared that two light-footed soldiers had been teasing a huge, bearded man, causing him to spill coffee upon his blue knees. The man had gone into a rage and had sworn comprehensively. Stung by his language, his tormentors had immediately bristled51 at him with a great show of resenting unjust oaths. Possibly there was going to be a fight.
The friend arose and went over to them, making pacific motions with his arms. "Oh, here, now, boys, what's th' use?" he said. "We'll be at th' rebs in less'n an hour. What's th' good fightin' 'mong ourselves?"
One of the light-footed soldiers turned upon him red-faced and violent. "Yeh needn't come around here with yer preachin'. I s'pose yeh don't approve 'a fightin' since Charley Morgan licked yeh; but I don't see what business this here is 'a yours or anybody else."
"Well, it ain't," said the friend mildly. "Still I hate t' see--"
There was a tangled argument.
"Well, he--," said the two, indicating their opponent with accusative forefingers52.
The huge soldier was quite purple with rage. He pointed53 at the two soldiers with his great hand, extended clawlike. "Well, they--"
But during this argumentative time the desire to deal blows seemed to pass, although they said much to each other. Finally the friend returned to his old seat. In a short while the three antagonists54 could be seen together in an amiable55 bunch.
"Jimmie Rogers ses I'll have t' fight him after th' battle t'-day," announced the friend as he again seated himself. "He ses he don't allow no interferin' in his business. I hate t' see th' boys fightin' 'mong themselves."
The youth laughed. "Yer changed a good bit. Yeh ain't at all like yeh was. I remember when you an' that Irish feller--" He stopped and laughed again.
"No, I didn't use t' be that way," said his friend thoughtfully. "That's true 'nough."
"Well, I didn't mean--" began the youth.
The friend made another deprecatory gesture. "Oh, yeh needn't mind, Henry."
There was another little pause.
"Th' reg'ment lost over half th' men yestirday," remarked the friend eventually. "I thought 'a course they was all dead, but, laws, they kep' a-comin' back last night until it seems, after all, we didn't lose but a few. They'd been scattered56 all over, wanderin' around in th' woods, fightin' with other reg'ments, an' everything. Jest like you done."
"So?" said the youth.
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1
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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persistency
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| n. 坚持(余辉, 时间常数) | |
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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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awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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careworn
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| adj.疲倦的，饱经忧患的 | |
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7
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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8
hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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postures
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| 姿势( posture的名词复数 )； 看法； 态度； 立场 | |
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corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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13
somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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14
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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15
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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16
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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17
bugle
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| n.军号，号角，喇叭；v.吹号，吹号召集 | |
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18
bugles
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| 妙脆角，一种类似薯片但做成尖角或喇叭状的零食； 号角( bugle的名词复数 )； 喇叭； 匍匐筋骨草； （装饰女服用的）柱状玻璃（或塑料）小珠 | |
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19
brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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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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21
bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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condemnation
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| n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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peremptory
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| adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的 | |
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tenor
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| n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意 | |
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26
stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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29
petulantly
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30
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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pucker
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| v.撅起，使起皱；n.（衣服上的）皱纹，褶子 | |
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32
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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34
insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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soothingly
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| adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地 | |
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contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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38
pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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39
conceits
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| 高傲( conceit的名词复数 )； 自以为； 巧妙的词语； 别出心裁的比喻 | |
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40
blatant
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| adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的 | |
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41
audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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42
strut
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| v.肿胀，鼓起；大摇大摆地走；炫耀；支撑；撑开；n.高视阔步；支柱，撑杆 | |
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43
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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44
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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45
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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46
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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47
retrace
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| v.折回；追溯，探源 | |
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48
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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49
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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50
utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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51
bristled
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| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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52
forefingers
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| n.食指( forefinger的名词复数 ) | |
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53
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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54
antagonists
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| 对立[对抗] 者，对手，敌手( antagonist的名词复数 )； 对抗肌； 对抗药 | |
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55
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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56
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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