This astounded the youth.He forgot his stewing over the advance movement."Well, then, what did they march us out here for?" he demanded of the tall soldier.The latter with calm faith began a heavy explanation, although he had been compelled to leave a little protection of stones and dirt to which he had devoted much care and skill.
When the regiment was aligned in another position each man's regard for his safety caused another line of small intrenchments.They ate their noon meal behind a third one.They were moved from this one also.They were marched from place to place with apparent aimlessness.
The youth had been taught that a man be-
came another thing in a battle.He saw his sal-vation in such a change.Hence this waiting was an ordeal to him.He was in a fever of im-patience.He considered that there was denoted a lack of purpose on the part of the generals.
He began to complain to the tall soldier."Ican't stand this much longer," he cried."Idon't see what good it does to make us wear out our legs for nothin'." He wished to return to camp, knowing that this affair was a blue demonstration; or else to go into a battle and discover that he had been a fool in his doubts, and was, in truth, a man of traditional courage.
The strain of present circumstances he felt to be intolerable.
The philosophical tall soldier measured a sand-wich of cracker and pork and swallowed it in a nonchalant manner."Oh, I suppose we must go reconnoitering around the country jest to keep 'em from getting too close, or to develop 'em, or something.""Huh!" said the loud soldier.
"Well," cried the youth, still fidgeting, "I'd rather do anything 'most than go tramping 'round the country all day doing no good to nobody and jest tiring ourselves out.""So would I," said the loud soldier."It ain't right.I tell you if anybody with any sense was a-runnin' this army it--""Oh, shut up!" roared the tall private."You little fool.You little damn' cuss.You ain't had that there coat and them pants on for six months, and yet you talk as if--""Well, I wanta do some fighting anyway,"
interrupted the other."I didn't come here to walk.I could 'ave walked to home--'round an'
'round the barn, if I jest wanted to walk."The tall one, red-faced, swallowed another sandwich as if taking poison in despair.
But gradually, as he chewed, his face became again quiet and contented.He could not rage in fierce argument in the presence of such sand-wiches.During his meals he always wore an air of blissful contemplation of the food he had swal-lowed.His spirit seemed then to be communing with the viands.
He accepted new environment and circum-
stance with great coolness, eating from his haver-sack at every opportunity.On the march he went along with the stride of a hunter, object-ing to neither gait nor distance.And he had not raised his voice when he had been ordered away from three little protective piles of earth and stone, each of which had been an engineer-ing feat worthy of being made sacred to the name of his grandmother.
In the afternoon the regiment went out over the same ground it had taken in the morn-ing.The landscape then ceased to threaten the youth.He had been close to it and become familiar with it.
When, however, they began to pass into a new region, his old fears of stupidity and in-competence reassailed him, but this time he dog-gedly let them babble.He was occupied with his problem, and in his desperation he concluded that the stupidity did not greatly matter.
Once he thought he had concluded that it would be better to get killed directly and end his troubles.Regarding death thus out of the corner of his eye, he conceived it to be noth-ing but rest, and he was filled with a momen-tary astonishment that he should have made an extraordinary commotion over the mere matter of getting killed.He would die; he would go to some place where he would be understood.
It was useless to expect appreciation of his pro-found and fine senses from such men as the lieu-tenant.He must look to the grave for compre-hension.
The skirmish fire increased to a long chatter-ing sound.With it was mingled far-away cheer-ing.A battery spoke.
Directly the youth would see the skirmishers running.They were pursued by the sound of musketry fire.After a time the hot, dangerous flashes of the rifles were visible.Smoke clouds went slowly and insolently across the fields like observant phantoms.The din became crescendo, like the roar of an oncoming train.
A brigade ahead of them and on the right went into action with a rending roar.It was as if it had exploded.And thereafter it lay stretched in the distance behind a long gray wall, that one was obliged to look twice at to make sure that it was smoke.
The youth, forgetting his neat plan of getting killed, gazed spell bound.His eyes grew wide and busy with the action of the scene.His mouth was a little ways open.
Of a sudden he felt a heavy and sad hand laid upon his shoulder.Awakening from his trance of observation he turned and beheld the loud soldier.
"It's my first and last battle, old boy," said the latter, with intense gloom.He was quite pale and his girlish lip was trembling.
"Eh?" murmured the youth in great aston-
ishment.
"It's my first and last battle, old boy,"continued the loud soldier."Something tells me--""What?"
"I'm a gone coon this first time and--and Iw-want you to take these here things--to--my--folks." He ended in a quavering sob of pity for himself.He handed the youth a little packet done up in a yellow envelope.
"Why, what the devil--" began the youth again.
But the other gave him a glance as from the depths of a tomb, and raised his limp hand in a prophetic manner and turned away.
