Dark forest

Page 15

'l‘lll", llHlli 1"(111'1'5‘1‘ SPRING IN THE TRAIN 511111: 1111111 111111 :1 1111111 111111. 1111- ,1 1111.111 11:111111.1'1'1-l11111, s11'1'1'1s' with 11111111111'11 11 111 11 1: 1.1 1l A.111 11 11.11111‘1'11 111.111.1131; 111111.111'11.\'».~l11111.1311'1111'111111'.111-. -‘ 7:21 - l11"1\‘1:_'_"1 11 1'12‘111- 1'1‘11‘111-1'11111'11'1' 1.11‘:'\ .111 11 11: :11 1 :1 1'1s1.1'1".11 1'. 11111111131] \\v:1‘111';11:11';1~1.11111 \1'11 111111 1111\11111‘. .'."11 1" -11 ;"'1"1 11‘11'11 -. 1.1111" 111111111113 1111311 .111 11"11. 111'1‘1' \‘11' \‘..1!11l1'1‘1‘11‘ 23 stale gusts down the corridor, met the yet closer air of our carriage, battled with it and retired defeated. We flung open the windows and a cloud of dust rose gaily to meet us. The whole of the Russian army seemed to be surging upon the platform; orderlies were searching for their masters, ofiicers shouting for their orderlies, soldiers staggering ‘11V1'1‘11‘11s. \1112111. 111711 1511.4 111- \11111111 1111'1'1 11111111111 5111111111111..111\1'.11;. 111'1..111.\11\1111111\1111'-\1111111'111111'1'. 'l‘l10111111'111w11\‘1;;\11111\'1'11111111'11111.1' ll'1~~1:111:11'1'1'1'1 1111. 51"1"1111'11 l‘.;.1111‘\' 11111111;11 i‘x 111 111111511111: 1 1911'111".1'1'11'1':11ised111:111)‘111;:1'1'1:1111'111'111:.11l111 1111' \1-11'11 11? 1111;111 1'111'1‘1" £11111(‘S§.'111111111-k11I1‘111\‘1"11111111'1111‘J1'11111('1 1111d‘stl'11'ix'\‘\'(‘I'(1, as f111'111'11111 .11. .1111 :.1111 11111111111 as 111 1:1 1111 >111'1-11 111 the 1'1.~1.11';111111. .\l;11'11 l'1'111111\1.;; \\.'1.\ :1< (‘X1'111'11 :1< 1111111311 5110 l1;11li11'\'1'1'111'111111:111111'11111-5111'12 $1.11 1111111111 :1 1111111111'1' 111' 111111251111111'111111'1'X111'I1siv1'>1.1111< 1:111'1114 31111211". >\\‘1'1'ia‘, :1111111'1111'1.111:111 :1 \11'1s11w'1111'11. 111111 .~1111.11 111'1-~111'\'1'1l fruit. Tr1111:.l1111l 111..111'1.111'1\1111\: 111-111111111.1'1ll11111\1'111121g'1'1iti' 1111113 111111 1111;111' 1.1111 >11 1111111111111 111' 51111111111'11 HW'I‘ 1115 sword more 11111111 111 .111111111111 .11111 1111<11111gl11s 1'11111'1ac k from his head. 11111111 11119 >111111- wl111 11112111 have laughed at him, eari'_\'111g 11111' 11:11'1'1113. his 1'11111-1111~111111. 1115 11-5 111111.11;ingagainst1,1110111111111111:1,1111 it was 1111111, 111 ll ~~~,‘11111t, 1111' the first 111110, ,l 111'1si1i\‘1111\' 1111142111 111 like 111111. 111' the W6 ninu‘ when we weie 11551'111111'111 11110 5111111111 111111111 as l I looked at him standing "1111111" 1111(111'111111115 51111111111. 1111.1; HDTIdV and awkward I]knew that 11liked him \‘(1\ 11111111 indeed. Our new tram 11vci'il11\1'(d' \\ 11h th11> 11'1'1211est diil i111ltV 1‘10 secur eda' small wood1i1 (1111111. 11'1111111t with seats sharp and narr1ow and a smell 1111;11111112‘1'. ] 111111 111112111", 1""1 1111'11' ' ot 1e< The floor was littered with sunflower seeds and 1 tie paper mapping s 1,11 (11 "'21P sweets. The air ('111110 in hot along under bundles of clothes and rugs and pillows; here a group standing patiently, each man with his bluewpainted kettle and on his face that expression of happy, halfamused, half-inquisitive, wholly amiable tolerance which re veals the Russian soldier's favourite attitude to the world. Two priests with wide dirty black hats, long hair, and soiled grey gowns slowly found their way through the crowd. A bunch of Austrian prisoners in their blue-grey uniform made a strange splash of colour in a corner of the platform, where, very contentedly, they were drinking their tea; some one in the invisible distance was playing the balalaika and every now and then some church bell in the town rang clearly and sharply above the tumult. The thin films of dust, yellow in the evening sun, hovered like golden smoke under the station roof. At last with a reluctant jerk and shiver the train was slowly persuaded to totter into the evening air; the evening scents were again around us, the balalaika, now upon the train, hummed behind us, as we pushed out upon her last night's journey. The two Sisters had the seats by the Windows; Nikitin curled up his great length in another corner and Andrey Vassilievitch settled himself with much grunting and many exclamations beside him. I and Trenchard sat stiffly on the other side. I had, long ago, accustomed myself to sleep in any posi- tion on any occasion, however sudden it might be, and I fancied that I should now, in a moment, be asleep, although