"Where in hell yeh goin'?" the lieutenant7 was asking in a sarcastic8 howl. And a red-bearded officer, whose voice of triple brass9 could plainly be heard, was commanding: "Shoot into 'em! Shoot into 'em, Gawd damn their souls!" There was a melee10 of screeches11, in which the men were ordered to do conflicting and impossible things.
The youth and his friend had a small scuffle over the flag. "Give it t' me!" "No, let me keep it!" Each felt satisfied with the other's possession of it, but each felt bound to declare, by an offer to carry the emblem12, his willingness to further risk himself. The youth roughly pushed his friend away.
The regiment fell back to the stolid13 trees. There it halted for a moment to blaze at some dark forms that had begun to steal upon its track. Presently it resumed its march again, curving among the tree trunks. By the time the depleted14 regiment had again reached the first open space they were receiving a fast and merciless fire. There seemed to be mobs all about them.
The greater part of the men, discouraged, their spirits worn by the turmoil15, acted as if stunned16. They accepted the pelting17 of the bullets with bowed and weary heads. It was of no purpose to strive against walls. It was of no use to batter18 themselves against granite19. And from this consciousness that they had attempted to conquer an unconquerable thing there seemed to arise a feeling that they had been betrayed. They glowered20 with bent21 brows, but dangerously, upon some of the officers, more particularly upon the red-bearded one with the voice of triple brass.
However, the rear of the regiment was fringed with men, who continued to shoot irritably22 at the advancing foes24. They seemed resolved to make every trouble. The youthful lieutenant was perhaps the last man in the disordered mass. His forgotten back was toward the enemy. He had been shot in the arm. It hung straight and rigid25. Occasionally he would cease to remember it, and be about to emphasize an oath with a sweeping26 gesture. The multiplied pain caused him to swear with incredible power.
The youth went along with slipping uncertain feet. He kept watchful27 eyes rearward. A scowl28 of mortification29 and rage was upon his face. He had thought of a fine revenge upon the officer who had referred to him and his fellows as mule30 drivers. But he saw that it could not come to pass. His dreams had collapsed31 when the mule drivers, dwindling32 rapidly, had wavered and hesitated on the little clearing, and then had recoiled33. And now the retreat of the mule drivers was a march of shame to him.
A dagger-pointed gaze from without his blackened face was held toward the enemy, but his greater hatred34 was riveted35 upon the man, who, not knowing him, had called him a mule driver.
When he knew that he and his comrades had failed to do anything in successful ways that might bring the little pangs36 of a kind of remorse37 upon the officer, the youth allowed the rage of the baffled to possess him. This cold officer upon a monument, who dropped epithets38 unconcernedly down, would be finer as a dead man, he thought. So grievous did he think it that he could never possess the secret right to taunt39 truly in answer.
He had pictured red letters of curious revenge. "We ARE mule drivers, are we?" And now he was compelled to throw them away.
He presently wrapped his heart in the cloak of his pride and kept the flag erect40. He harangued41 his fellows, pushing against their chests with his free hand. To those he knew well he made frantic42 appeals, beseeching43 them by name. Between him and the lieutenant, scolding and near to losing his mind with rage, there was felt a subtle fellowship and equality. They supported each other in all manner of hoarse44, howling protests.
But the regiment was a machine run down. The two men babbled45 at a forceless thing. The soldiers who had heart to go slowly were continually shaken in their resolves by a knowledge that comrades were slipping with speed back to the lines. It was difficult to think of reputation when others were thinking of skins. Wounded men were left crying on this black journey.
The smoke fringes and flames blustered46 always. The youth, peering once through a sudden rift47 in a cloud, saw a brown mass of troops, interwoven and magnified until they appeared to be thousands. A fierce-hued flag flashed before his vision.
Immediately, as if the uplifting of the smoke had been prearranged, the discovered troops burst into a rasping yell, and a hundred flames jetted toward the retreating band. A rolling gray cloud again interposed as the regiment doggedly48 replied. The youth had to depend again upon his misused49 ears, which were trembling and buzzing from the melee of musketry and yells.
The way seemed eternal. In the clouded haze50 men became panic-stricken with the thought that the regiment had lost its path, and was proceeding51 in a perilous52 direction. Once the men who headed the wild procession turned and came pushing back against their comrades, screaming that they were being fired upon from points which they had considered to be toward their own lines. At this cry a hysterical53 fear and dismay beset54 the troops. A soldier, who heretofore had been ambitious to make the regiment into a wise little band that would proceed calmly amid the huge-appearing difficulties, suddenly sank down and buried his face in his arms with an air of bowing to a doom55. From another a shrill56 lamentation57 rang out filled with profane58 allusions59 to a general. Men ran hither and thither60, seeking with their eyes roads of escape. With serene61 regularity62, as if controlled by a schedule, bullets buffed into men.
The youth walked stolidly63 into the midst of the mob, and with his flag in his hands took a stand as if he expected an attempt to push him to the ground. He unconsciously assumed the attitude of the color bearer in the fight of the preceding day. He passed over his brow a hand that trembled. His breath did not come freely. He was choking during this small wait for the crisis.
His friend came to him. "Well, Henry, I guess this is good-by-John."
"Oh, shut up, you damned fool!" replied the youth, and he would not look at the other.
The officers labored64 like politicians to beat the mass into a proper circle to face the menaces. The ground was uneven65 and torn. The men curled into depressions and fitted themselves snugly66 behind whatever would frustrate67 a bullet. The youth noted68 with vague surprise that the lieutenant was standing69 mutely with his legs far apart and his sword held in the manner of a cane70. The youth wondered what had happened to his vocal71 organs that he no more cursed.
There was something curious in this little intent pause of the lieutenant. He was like a babe which, having wept its fill, raises its eyes and fixes upon a distant toy. He was engrossed72 in this contemplation, and the soft under lip quivered from self-whispered words.
Some lazy and ignorant smoke curled slowly. The men, hiding from the bullets, waited anxiously for it to lift and disclose the plight73 of the regiment.
The silent ranks were suddenly thrilled by the eager voice of the youthful lieutenant bawling74 out: "Here they come! Right onto us, b'Gawd!" His further words were lost in a roar of wicked thunder from the men's rifles.
The youth's eyes had instantly turned in the direction indicated by the awakened75 and agitated76 lieutenant, and he had seen the haze of treachery disclosing a body of soldiers of the enemy. They were so near that he could see their features. There was a recognition as he looked at the types of faces. Also he perceived with dim amazement77 that their uniforms were rather gay in effect, being light gray, accented with a brilliant-hued facing. Too, the clothes seemed new.
These troops had apparently78 been going forward with caution, their rifles held in readiness, when the youthful lieutenant had discovered them and their movement had been interrupted by the volley from the blue regiment. From the moment's glimpse, it was derived79 that they had been unaware80 of the proximity81 of their dark-suited foes or had mistaken the direction. Almost instantly they were shut utterly82 from the youth's sight by the smoke from the energetic rifles of his companions. He strained his vision to learn the accomplishment83 of the volley, but the smoke hung before him.
The two bodies of troops exchanged blows in the manner of a pair of boxers84. The fast angry firings went back and forth85. The men in blue were intent with the despair of their circumstances and they seized upon the revenge to be had at close range. Their thunder swelled86 loud and valiant87. Their curving front bristled88 with flashes and the place resounded89 with the clangor of their ramrods. The youth ducked and dodged90 for a time and achieved a few unsatisfactory views of the enemy. There appeared to be many of them and they were replying swiftly. They seemed moving toward the blue regiment, step by step. He seated himself gloomily on the ground with his flag between his knees.
As he noted the vicious, wolflike temper of his comrades he had a sweet thought that if the enemy was about to swallow the regimental broom as a large prisoner, it could at least have the consolation91 of going down with bristles92 forward.
But the blows of the antagonist93 began to grow more weak. Fewer bullets ripped the air, and finally, when the men slackened to learn of the fight, they could see only dark, floating smoke. The regiment lay still and gazed. Presently some chance whim94 came to the pestering95 blur96, and it began to coil heavily away. The men saw a ground vacant of fighters. It would have been an empty stage if it were not for a few corpses97 that lay thrown and twisted into fantastic shapes upon the sward.
At sight of this tableau98, many of the men in blue sprang from behind their covers and made an ungainly dance of joy. Their eyes burned and a hoarse cheer of elation99 broke from their dry lips.
It had begun to seem to them that events were trying to prove that they were impotent. These little battles had evidently endeavored to demonstrate that the men could not fight well. When on the verge100 of submission101 to these opinions, the small duel102 had showed them that the proportions were not impossible, and by it they had revenged themselves upon their misgivings103 and upon the foe23.
The impetus104 of enthusiasm was theirs again. They gazed about them with looks of uplifted pride, feeling new trust in the grim, always confident weapons in their hands. And they were men.
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收听单词发音
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1
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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2
crumbled
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| （把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏 | |
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3
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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projectile
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| n.投射物，发射体；adj.向前开进的；推进的；抛掷的 | |
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expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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melee
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| n.混战；混战的人群 | |
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screeches
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| n.尖锐的声音( screech的名词复数 )v.发出尖叫声( screech的第三人称单数 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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12
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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14
depleted
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| adj. 枯竭的, 废弃的 动词deplete的过去式和过去分词 | |
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turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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pelting
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| 微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的 | |
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batter
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| v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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glowered
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| v.怒视( glower的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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irritably
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| ad.易生气地 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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25
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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32
dwindling
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| adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 ) | |
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33
recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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epithets
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| n.（表示性质、特征等的）词语( epithet的名词复数 ) | |
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taunt
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| n.辱骂，嘲弄；v.嘲弄 | |
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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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41
harangued
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| v.高谈阔论( harangue的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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43
beseeching
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| adj.恳求似的v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的现在分词 ) | |
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44
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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45
babbled
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| v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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46
blustered
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| v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮；（风）呼啸；狂吹 | |
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47
rift
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| n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入 | |
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48
doggedly
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| adv.顽强地，固执地 | |
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49
misused
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| v.使用…不当( misuse的过去式和过去分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用 | |
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50
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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51
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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52
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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53
hysterical
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| adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的 | |
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beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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56
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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lamentation
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| n.悲叹，哀悼 | |
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58
profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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stolidly
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| adv.迟钝地，神经麻木地 | |
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labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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snugly
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| adv.紧贴地；贴身地；暖和舒适地；安适地 | |
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frustrate
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| v.使失望；使沮丧；使厌烦 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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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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cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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vocal
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| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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74
bawling
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的现在分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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75
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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76
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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80
unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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82
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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84
boxers
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| n.拳击短裤；（尤指职业）拳击手( boxer的名词复数 )；拳师狗 | |
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85
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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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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87
valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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88
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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resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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90
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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91
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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92
bristles
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| 短而硬的毛发，刷子毛( bristle的名词复数 ) | |
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93
antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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94
whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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95
pestering
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| 使烦恼，纠缠( pester的现在分词 ) | |
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96
blur
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| n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚 | |
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97
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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tableau
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| n.画面，活人画（舞台上活人扮的静态画面） | |
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99
elation
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| n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意 | |
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100
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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101
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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102
duel
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| n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争 | |
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103
misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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104
impetus
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| n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力 | |
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