第5章

THE next morning the youth discovered that his tall comrade had been the fast-flying messen-ger of a mistake.There was much scoffing at the latter by those who had yesterday been firm adherents of his views, and there was even a lit-tle sneering by men who had never believed the rumor.The tall one fought with a man from Chatfield Corners and beat him severely.

The youth felt, however, that his problem was in no wise lifted from him.There was, on the contrary, an irritating prolongation.The tale had created in him a great concern for himself.

Now, with the newborn question in his mind, he was compelled to sink back into his old place as part of a blue demonstration.

For days he made ceaseless calculations, but they were all wondrously unsatisfactory.He found that he could establish nothing.He final-ly concluded that the only way to prove himself was to go into the blaze, and then figuratively to 18watch his legs to discover their merits and faults.

He reluctantly admitted that he could not sit still and with a mental slate and pencil derive an answer.To gain it, he must have blaze, blood, and danger, even as a chemist requires this, that, and the other.So he fretted for an opportunity.

Meanwhile he continually tried to measure himself by his comrades.The tall soldier, for one, gave him some assurance.This man's se-rene unconcern dealt him a measure of con-fidence, for he had known him since childhood, and from his intimate knowledge he did not see how he could be capable of anything that was beyond him, the youth.Still, he thought that his comrade might be mistaken about himself.

Or, on the other hand, he might be a man here-tofore doomed to peace and obscurity, but, in reality, made to shine in war.

The youth would have liked to have discov-ered another who suspected himself.A sympa-thetic comparison of mental notes would have been a joy to him.

He occasionally tried to fathom a comrade with seductive sentences.He looked about to find men in the proper mood.All attempts failed to bring forth any statement which looked in any way like a confession to those doubts which he privately acknowledged in himself.

He was afraid to make an open declaration of his concern, because he dreaded to place some unscrupulous confidant upon the high plane of the unconfessed from which elevation he could be derided.

In regard to his companions his mind wa-

vered between two opinions, according to his mood.Sometimes he inclined to believing them all heroes.In fact, he usually admitted in secret the superior development of the higher qualities in others.He could conceive of men going very insignificantly about the world bearing a load of courage unseen, and although he had known many of his comrades through boyhood, he be-gan to fear that his judgment of them had been blind.Then, in other moments, he flouted these theories, and assured himself that his fellows were all privately wondering and quaking.

His emotions made him feel strange in the presence of men who talked excitedly of a pro-spective battle as of a drama they were about to witness, with nothing but eagerness and curiosity apparent in their faces.It was often that he sus-pected them to be liars.

He did not pass such thoughts without severe condemnation of himself.He dinned reproaches at times.He was convicted by himself of many shameful crimes against the gods of traditions.

In his great anxiety his heart was continually clamoring at what he considered the intolerable slowness of the generals.They seemed content to perch tranquilly on the river bank, and leave him bowed down by the weight of a great prob-lem.He wanted it settled forthwith.He could not long bear such a load, he said.Sometimes his anger at the commanders reached an acute stage, and he grumbled about the camp like a veteran.

One morning, however, he found himself in the ranks of his prepared regiment.The men were whispering speculations and recounting the old rumors.In the gloom before the break of the day their uniforms glowed a deep purple hue.From across the river the red eyes were still peering.In the eastern sky there was a yel-low patch like a rug laid for the feet of the com-ing sun; and against it, black and patternlike, loomed the gigantic figure of the colonel on a gigantic horse.

From off in the darkness came the trampling of feet.The youth could occasionally see dark shadows that moved like monsters.The regi-ment stood at rest for what seemed a long time.

The youth grew impatient.It was unendurable the way these affairs were managed.He won-dered how long they were to be kept waiting.

As he looked all about him and pondered upon the mystic gloom, he began to believe that at any moment the ominous distance might be aflare, and the rolling crashes of an engagement come to his ears.Staring once at the red eyes across the river, he conceived them to be grow-ing larger, as the orbs of a row of dragons ad-vancing.He turned toward the colonel and saw him lift his gigantic arm and calmly stroke his mustache.

At last he heard from along the road at the foot of the hill the clatter of a horse's galloping hoofs.It must be the coming of orders.He bent forward, scarce breathing.The exciting clickety-click, as it grew louder and louder, seemed to be beating upon his soul.Presently a horseman with jangling equipment drew rein be-fore the colonel of the regiment.The two held a short, sharp-worded conversation.The men in the foremost ranks craned their necks.

As the horseman wheeled his animal and gal-loped away he turned to shout over his shoulder, "Don't forget that box of cigars!" The colonel mumbled in reply.The youth wondered what a box of cigars had to do with war.

A moment later the regiment went swinging off into the darkness.It was now like one of those moving monsters wending with many feet.

The air was heavy, and cold with dew.A mass of wet grass, marched upon, rustled like silk.