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Show 82 THE DARK FOREST THIC INVISIBLE BATTLE of speculation, of viewing war from a superior and safe distance. of viewing indeed all catastrophi and re: lity from that same distance into the other. I had been caught up, had hung for a moment in mid-air, had been "planted" in this new experience. For us all there must have been at this moment something of this passing from an old life into a new one, and yet. I dare swear that not for any one of us was there any drama, any thrill, any excitement. We stood, a rather lonely little group, in the forest clearing whil st the soldiers in the trench flung us a careless glance, then turned back to their business of the day with an indiffer ence that showed how ordinary and drab a thing custom had made it. Yes, we made a desolate little group. Semyonov had gone to a house on the farther side of the road up which we had come, a house that flew the Red Cross flag. We had only the right to care for the wounded of certain Divisions and our presence had to be reported. W'e were left then. Marie Ivanovna, Anna Petrovna, Andrey Vassilievitch. Trenchard and I, all rather close together, uncomfortable. desolate and shy, as boys feel on their first day at school. The battery on our left was very near to us and we could see the sharp flash of its flame behind the trees. The noise that it made was terrific, a sharp, angry, clumsy noise, as though some huge giant clad in mail armour was flinging his body, in a Violent rage, against an iron door that echoed through an empty house-my same iron door that I had heard all night. The rage of the giant spread beyond his immediate little circle of trees and one wondered at the men in the trenches because they were indifferent to his temper. The noise of the more distant batteries was still, as it had been before, like the elanging of many iron doors very mild and gentle against the clamour of our own enraged fury. The Austrian reply seemed like the sleepy echo of this con- 83 fusion, so sleepy and pleasant that one felt, almost friendly to the enemy. Our own battery was inconsistent in his raging. Had he only chosen to tling himself at his door every three min- utes. say. or even every minute. we could have prepared ourselves, but he was moved by nothing. apparently, but his own irrational impulse. There would he a pause of two minutes. then three furious explosions, then a pause of five minutes. then another explosion. . . . I mastered quickly my impulsc to leap into the air at every report, by a kind of prolonged extension in my mind of one report into another, l.ittlc .\ndrey \I;l\.\llll‘\'lll'l1 was not so successful. At each cyplosion his luvdy jerlwd as though it had been worlxed liy Wilts; then he e‘luucml round to see whether any one had noticed his agitation. tlu‘n drew himself up, brushed oil. imaginary dust from his uniform]. i'ollg'lu‘il and frowned. 'l‘ri-nchard stood close to .\laric lyunovuu and loolu‘d at her unyiouJy' once or twice as though he would like to speak to I» r. llut ~l.c. holding hwrselt' very stitlly. watched with >li‘t'iii.t‘~s llrl' \\l1uli- \\ol‘hl ;l\ llll'lli'll .s'lli‘ personally lIIHl :II‘ ro'qud iln‘ ~l'v'1‘ldt'll‘Hll'l wis I'l"IN'I|.‘llill' for its success. 53 on Nwsyv lli‘\ 1'.iliti‘lrti'l-, and \uhlthut he must go on to sun .- twitl.' r tr'wiwlw to disc-y r the host position for us. lilo n". it‘it' ~ui'}"‘i\'- Andrey oi mi m- in- 5;, glit I; \‘,i H'vl 5., [3.x martini; l‘lltl. ‘.¢ {.‘ill't' ,iL-"lfiliJ ll s» ' r. lit ("HIIH' H'lI' iltl‘lfll't‘lll'y in llll' thing" I bump: us nmi'c tioi'loi‘n than before. \\.I' ~ _' d i i '. iii i \':i~~ilio\itch ushml I fancy that lu- Iii-It that li'lzi‘!‘ : vi ' .j' ~ \.‘:~ i l! 'i" ir._"t \i \l ' I r: " i ,\'1Iil llt‘ll'w'llhl, to, heavy. .n: ‘.l"l,l too but with u l, 1‘ o tvw ‘~i'l:wII".l1‘lll‘lltll‘Wlllul T. :' l,""1"t"'r »l= it'lll'. 3 'l'an'lilLrul tic-111‘ iw . in i 1".ul. i it Mini-ions ot' thi- ill-ad soldier |