OCR Text |
Show 94 THE DARK li‘UlilCS'l‘ THE INVISIBLE BATTLE orna standingr heneath my eart, the sudd en hatterv and the desolate hours ot‘ waiting. the wounded men stumhline; out of the forest. the ride down the hill and the green bottles hurstinu in the sun. the sudden sileuees and the sudden sounds. my own weariness and discomtort and loneliness and now Something-was it the dark green oak that bent down and hid the world for me t--whispered, "You 're drawing near--you're elose~you're almost there. . . . In a moment you will see . . . you will see . . . you will see. ." Somewhere the soldiers were singing, and then all sound s ceased. \Ve were standing. many of us, in the dark, the had been driven by some force. From, as it appeared, a great distance. I heard the Colonel's voice: "Slam Boga, another step to the right. and we'd not have had time to say ‘e'ood-bye.' . . . Get in there. you . . . with your head out like that, do you want another 3" I was conscious then of Andrey Vassilieviteh sitting huddled on the ground of the trench, his head tucked into his chest. "You're not hurt. are you 3" I said, bendingr down to him. lle not up and to my surprise seemed quite composed. He was ruhluine‘ his eyes as though he had waked from sleep. "Not at all," he answered in his shrill little voice. "No. great oak and many other giant trees were ahout us and the . . . What a noise! utter silence was like a sudden plunge into deep water on a Did I hear it! hot day. "'0 were waiting, ready for the Creature, breat hless with suspense. "Now!" some one cried. and instantly there was such a roar that I seemed to he lifted by it far into the sky, held, rocked. then dropped gently. I woke to find myself standing up in the trench, my hands to my ears. I was aware first that the sky had changed from blue into a muddy grey, then that dust and an ugly smell were in my eyes, my month, my nose. I remembered that. I repeated stupidly. again and again: ""Vhat? what? what ?" Then the grey sky slowly fell away as though it were pushed hy some hand and I saw the faint evening: lilue, with (so strange and unreal they seemed) silver-pointed stars. I caught my lu'eatll and realised that now the whole right corner of the ham 95 llid you hear it, Ivan Andreievitch ?" .\ ridiculous question! "lint l :l<>lll‘(,‘ you I was not alarmed," he said eagerly. turuiue' round to the youne‘ officer, who was rather red in the fave hut otherwise uurutlled. "The first time that one has lawn so close to me. \Vhat a noise?" 'l‘reui-hai-d searehed in his pockets for something. "\Vha! is it t" l asked. "My handlwn-hiet'T" he answered. "So dusty after that. It's in my l‘\1‘\' lll' lllllll'lt‘il on to the ground a large (-lasp pocket-knife, a huul. .a' I'm-l. hread. a i'iual'i‘tle-i'ase and some old letters. "l l.;:d one," ho- muitered anxiously. "Somewhere, I kiww. . . I hear s. d the ('olouelis Voiee ae‘aiu. No one touched! Then-K wim- more or their previous ammu nition wasted. . . \\'J..: .iln'l.l your Flam-rim. l'iotr lvan ovitch-wllo, was gone. The field stretched, a dark shadow, to the, edge of the yard. In the ground where the stakes of the ham had been there was a deep pit; scattered helter-skelter were ho, ho! , . , bricks, pieces of wood, and over it all a cloud of thin line dust that hovered and swung a little like grey silk. The lEn~ her inf-self. I had the irriIaIion that one might feel had a lay thrown a stone ou-r IlH‘ wall, hroken a window and of soldiers was crouched hack into the trench as though N run ;;\\.:_\. .\l‘-1'(‘-;‘.Il', l felt Lhat. agai n I had missed~-1T. Herr, ifr/l/ltli/(li/i‘, the telephon el . . . lIullo! llullvd" |