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Th Red Baj of Curej
Craen, Stephen, 1871-1900
Electronic Text Senter, Ueniversity of Virginia Liebrairy 

All on-lien databases 


About th electronic verzhun 
Th Red Baj of Curej 
Craen, Stephen, 1871-1900 

Creaeshun of masheen-reedabl verzhun: Judy Boss 

Creaeshun of dijital imejes: Karlyn Crowley 

Converzhun to TEI.2-conformant markup: Ueniversity of Virginia Liebrairy Electronic 
Text Senter. 

This verzhun avaelabl frum th Ueniversity of Virginia Liebrairy. 
Charlottesville, Va.

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/modeng/modeng0.brouz.html 
1996 
Noet: Th Charles E. Merrill blak and whiet re-producshun of th originial 1895 
titlepage has bin inclooded

 About th print verzhun 
Th Red Baj of Curej 
Th Red Baj of Curej: An Episoed of th American Sivil Wor 
Stephen Craen Editor Matthew J. Bruccoli and Joseph Katz 
   facimile of th ferst impreshun, 1st Edishun

Charles E. Merrill 
Columbus, Ohio
1969 
   Charles E. Merrill Standard Edishuns

Noet: This text of Th Red Baj of Curej is a facsimily of th ferst 
impreshun, ferst edishun, publisht bi D. Appleton & Cumpany, 1895. Frum a copy 
in th colecshun of Joseph Katz. [Introducshun, pp. v-xiii, Oemited]. Retaens 
th inconsistent renderings of contractions as joind or separaet, e.g., "we 
'll" or "we'll." I hav maed th foloeing chaenjes to th text: PAEJ PARA. LIEN 
ORIJINAL CHAENJD TO 18 3 3 estabiish establish 40 3 2 skermish skermish- 78 4 4 
a air an air 130 2 recognzied recogniezd 130 4 12 cuud a' cuud 'a 139 2 4 not 
began not begun 193 2 16 iloozhuns to aloozhuns to 
   Prepaird for th Ueniversity of Virginia Liebrairy Electronic Text Senter.
   Spel-chek and verrificaeshun maed agenst printed text uezing Wordperfect 
spel cheker.

Publisht: 1895


English

 Revizhuns to th electronic verzhun 
June, 1996 corector Karlyn Crowley 
proofed, aded heder and TEI/SGML encoding, ran spellcheck.


etext@virginia.edu. Comershal ues proehibited; all uesej guvernd bi our 
Condishuns of Ues: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/condishuns.html
Fienal cheking: David Seeman

 


Th Red Baj of Curej 
An Episoed of th American Sivil Wor 

A Charles E. Merrill Standard Edishun 
Stephen Craen 
Introducshun bi Joseph Katz Ueniversity of South Carolina 
CHARLES E. MERRILL PUBLISHING CUMPANY COLUMBUS, OHIO 
A Bel & Howell Cumpany 
   



Facsimily of 1895 Titlepage of Th Red Baj of Curej







TH RED BAJ OF CUREJ. 
Chapter 1
CHAPTER I.


Paej 1


    TH coeld past reluctantly frum th erth, and th retiering fogs reveeld 
an army strecht out on th hils, resting. As th landscaep chaenjd frum broun 
to green, th army awaekend, and began to trembl with eegernes at th noiz of 
roomors. It cast its ies upon th roeds, which wer groeing frum long traufs of 
liqid mud to proper theroefairs. A river, amber   tinted in th shado of its 
banks, perld at th army's feet; and at niet, when th streem had becum of a 
sorroeful blaknes, wun cuud see across it th red, eyelike gleem of hostil 
campfires set in th lo brous of distant hils. 
    Wuns a serten tall soeljer developt verchoos and went rezolootly to wosh a 
shert. He caem flieing bak frum a bruuk waeving his garment bannerlike. He was 
sweld with a tael he had herd frum a relieabl frend, hoo had herd it 


Paej 2

frum a troothful cavalryman, hoo had herd it frum his trustwerthy bruther, wun 
of th orderlies at divizhun hedqorters. He adopted th important air of a 
herrald in red and goeld. 
    "We'r goin' t' moov t' morrah -- shur," he sed pompusly to a groop in th 
cumpany street. "We'r goin' 'way up th river, cut across, an' cum around in 
behint 'em." 
    To his atentiv audyens he droo a loud and elaboret plan of a verry 
brilyant campaen. When he had finisht, th bloo cloethd men scaterd into 
small argueing groops between th roes of sqot broun huts. A negro teemster hoo 
had bin dansing upon a craker box with th hilairius encurejment of twoscore 
soeljers was dezerted. He sat mornfuly doun. Smoek drifted laezily frum a 
multitued of qaent chimnys. 
    "It's a lie! that's all it is -- a thunderin' lie!" sed anuther prievet 
loudly. His smooth faes was flusht, and his hands wer thrust sulkily into his 
trousers' pokets. He tuuk th mater as an afrunt to him. "I don't beleev th 
derned oeld army's ever going to moov. We'r set. I'v got redy to moov aet 
tiems in th last too weeks, and we ain't moovd yet." 
   Th tall soeljer felt calld upon to defend th trooth of a roomor he himself 
had introduest. 


Paej 3

He and th loud wun caem neer to fieting oever it. 
    A corporal began to swair befor th asemblej. He had just puut a costly 
bord flor in his hous, he sed. During th erly spring he had refraend frum 
ading extensivly to th cumfort of his envieronment becauz he had felt that 
th army miet start on th march at eny moement. Of laet, however, he had bin 
imprest that thae wer in a sort of eternal camp. 
    Meny of th men engaejd in a spirited debaet. Wun outliend in a pecuelyarly 
loosid maner all th plans of th comanding jeneral. He was opoezd bi men hoo 
advocaeted that thair wer uther plans of campaen. Thae clamord at eech uther, 
numbers maeking fuetil bids for th popuelar atenshun. Meenwhiel, th soeljer hoo 
had fetched th roomor bustled about with much importans. He was continuealy 
asaeld bi qeschuns. 
   "Whut's up, Jim?" 
   "Th' army's goin' t' moov." 
   "Aa, whut yeh talkin' about? How yeh noe it is?" 
   "Wel, yeh kin b'lieve me er not, jest as yeh liek. I don't cair a hang." 
   Thair was much food for thaut in th maner in which he replied. He caem 
neer to convinsing 


Paej 4

them bi disdaening to produes proofs. Thae groo exsieted oever it. 
   Thair was a yoothful prievet hoo lisend with eeger eers to th werds of th 
tall soeljer and to th vairyd coments of his comrads. After reseeving a fil 
of discushuns conserning marches and ataks, he went to his hut and cralld 
thru an intriket hoel that servd it as a dor. He wisht to be aloen with 
sum nue thauts that had laetly cum to him. 
   He lae doun on a wied bank that strecht across th end of th room. In th 
uther end, craker boxes wer maed to serv as fernicher. Thae wer groopt 
about th fierplaes. A pikcher frum an ilustraeted weekly was upon th log 
walls, and three riefls wer parraleld on pegs. Equipments hunt on handy 
projecshuns, and sum tin dishes lae upon a small piel of fierwuud. A foelded 
tent was serving as a roof. Th sunliet, without, beeting upon it, maed it glo 
a liet yelo shaed. A small windo shot an obleek sqair of whiter liet upon 
th cluterd flor. Th smoek frum th fier at tiems neglected th clae chimny 
and reethd into th room, and this flimzy chimny of clae and stiks maed 
endles threts to set ablaez th hoel establishment. 
   Th yooth was in a litl trans of astonishment. So thae wer at last going 
to fiet. On 


Paej 5

th morro, perhaps, thair wuud be a batl, and he wuud be in it. For a tiem 
he was obliejd to laebor to maek himself beleev. He cuud not acsept with 
ashurans an oemen that he was about to minggl in wun of thoes graet afairs of 
th erth. 
   He had, of cors, dreemd of batls all his lief -- of vaeg and bludy 
conflicts that had thrild him with thair sweep and fier. In vizhuns he had 
seen himself in meny strugls. He had imajind peepls secuer in th shado of 
his eegl ied prowes. But awaek he had regarded batls as crimzon blotches on 
th paejes of th past. He had puut them as things of th biegon with his thaut 
imejes of hevy crouns and hi casls. Thair was a porshun of th world's 
history which he had regarded as th tiem of wors, but it, he thaut, had bin 
long gon oever th horiezon and had disapeerd forever. 
   Frum his hoem his yoothful ies had luukt upon th wor in his oen cuntry 
with distrust. It must be sum sort of a plae afair. He had long despaird of 
witnesing a Greeklike strugl. Such wuud be no mor, he had sed. Men wer 
beter, or mor timid. Secuelar and relijus ejucaeshun had effaced th throet 
grapling instinkt, or els ferm finans held in chek th pashuns. 
   He had bernd several tiems to enlist. Taels 


Paej 6

of graet moovments shuuk th land. Thae miet not be distinktly Homeric, but 
thair seemd to be much glory in them. He had red of marches, sieges, 
conflicts, and he had longd to see it all. His bizy miend had drawn for him 
larj pikchers extravagant in culor, lurid with brethles deeds. 
   But his muther had discurejd him. She had afected to luuk with sum 
contempt upon th qolity of his wor ardor and paetriotizm. She cuud caamly seet 
herself and with no aparrent dificulty giv him meny hundreds of reezons whi he 
was of vastly mor importans on th farm than on th feeld of batl. She had 
had serten waes of expreshun that toeld him that her staetments on th subject 
caem frum a deep convicshun. Moroever, on her sied, was his beleef that her 
ethical moetiv in th arguement was impregnabl. 
   At last, however, he had maed ferm rebelyon agenst this yelo liet throen 
upon th culor of his ambishuns. Th nuespaepers, th gosip of th vilej, his 
oen picturings had arouzd him to an uncheckable degree. Thae wer in trooth 
fieting fienly doun thair. Allmoest evry dae th nuespaepers printed acounts of 
a desiesiv victory. 
   Wun niet, as he lae in bed, th winds had carryd to him th clangoring of 
th cherch bel 


Paej 7

as sum enthooziast jerkt th roep franticaly to tel th twisted nues of a 
graet batl. This vois of th peepl rejoising in th niet had maed him 
shiver in a prolongd extasy of exsietment. Laeter, he had gon doun to his 
mother's room and had spoeken thus: "Maa, I'm going to enlist." 
   "Henry, don't U be a fool," his muther had replied. She had then cuverd 
her faes with th qilt. Thair was an end to th mater for that niet. 
   Nevertheles, th next morning he had gon to a toun that was neer his 
mother's farm and had enlisted in a cumpany that was forming thair. When he had 
reternd hoem his muther was milking th brindl cow. Foer uthers stuud waeting. 
"Maa, I'v enlisted," he had sed to her diffidently. Thair was a short sielens. 
"Th Lord's wil be dun, Henry," she had fienaly replied, and had then 
continued to milk th brindl cow. 
   When he had stuud in th dorwae with his soldier's cloeths on his bak, and 
with th liet of exsietment and expectansy in his ies allmoest defeeting th 
glo of regret for th hoem bonds, he had seen too teers leeving thair traels on 
his mother's scard cheeks. 
   Stil, she had disapointed him bi saeing 


Paej 8

nuthing whutever about reterning with his sheeld or on it. He had prievetly 
priemd himself for a buetyful seen. He had prepaird serten sentenses which he 
thaut cuud be uezd with tuching efect. But her werds destroid his plans. 
She had daugedly peeld potaetoes and adrest him as foloes: "U woch out, 
Henry, an' taek guud cair of yerself in this heer fieting biznes -- U woch 
out, an' taek guud cair of yerself. Don't go a thinkin' U can lik th hul 
rebel army at th start, becauz yeh can't. Yer jest wun litl feller amungst a 
hul lot of uthers, and yeh've got to keep qieet an' do whut thae tel yeh. I 
noe how U ar, Henry. 
   "I'v knet yeh aet pair of soks, Henry, and I'v puut in all yer best 
sherts, becauz I wont mi boi to be jest as worm and comf'able as enybody in th 
army. Whenever thae get hoels in 'em, I wont yeh to send 'em riet awae bak to 
me, so's I kin dern 'em. 
   "An' allus be cairful an' chooz yer comp'ny. Thair's lots of bad men in th 
army, Henry. Th army maeks 'em wield, and thae liek nuthing beter than th job 
of leeding off a yung feller liek U, as ain't never bin awae frum hoem much 
and has allus had a muther, an' a lerning 'em to drink and swair. Keep cleer of 
them foeks, Henry. I don't wont yeh to ever do enything, 


Paej 9

Henry, that yes wuud be 'shamed to let me noe about. Jest think as if I was a 
watchin' yes. If yes keep that in yer miend allus, I ges yeh'll cum out about 
riet. 
   "Yes must allus remember yer faather, too, chield, an' remember he never drunk 
a drop of licker in his lief, and seldom swor a cross oeth. 
   "I don't noe whut els to tel yes, Henry, exsepting that yes must never do 
no sherking, chield, on mi acount. If so be a tiem cums when yes hav to be 
kilt or do a meen thing, whi, Henry, don't think of enything 'cept whut's riet, 
becauz thair's meny a wuuman has to bair up 'ginst sech things thees tiems, and 
th Lord 'll taek keer of us all. 
   "Don't forgit about th soks and th sherts, chield; and I'v puut a cup of 
blakberry jam with yer bundl, becauz I noe yes liek it abuv all things. 
Guud bi, Henry. Woch out, and be a guud boi." 
   He had, of cors, bin impaeshent under th ordeel of this speech. It had not 
bin qiet whut he expected, and he had born it with an air of iritaeshun. He 
departed feeling vaeg releef. 
   Stil, when he had luukt bak frum th gaet, he had seen his muther neeling 
amung th potaeto pairings. Her broun faes, upraezd, was staend with teers, and 
her spair form was qivering. 


Paej 10

He bowd his hed and went on, feeling sudenly ashaemd of his perposes. 
   Frum his hoem he had gon to th seminairy to bid adieu to meny scoolmaets. 
Thae had thronged about him with wunder and admeraeshun. He had felt th gulf now 
between them and had sweld with caam pried. He and sum of his feloes hoo had 
dond bloo wer qiet oeverwhelmd with privilejes for all of wun afternoon, and 
it had bin a verry delishus thing. Thae had struted. 
   A serten liet haired gerl had maed vivaeshus fun at his marshal spirit, but 
thair was anuther and darker gerl hoom he had gaezd at stedfastly, and he 
thaut she groo demuer and sad at siet of his bloo and bras. As he had waukt 
doun th path between th roes of oeks, he had ternd his hed and detected her 
at a windo woching his deparcher. As he perseevd her, she had imeedyetly 
begun to stair up thru th hi tree branches at th skie. He had seen a guud 
deel of flery and haest in her moovment as she chaenjd her atitued. He offen 
thaut of it. 
   On th wae to Washington his spirit had sord. Th rejiment was fed and 
carest at staeshun after staeshun until th yooth had beleevd that he must be a 
heero. Thair was a lavish expendicher of bred and coeld meets, coffy, and 


Paej 11

pikls and cheez. As he baskt in th smiels of th gerls and was pated and 
complimented bi th oeld men, he had felt groeing within him th strength to do 
miety deeds of arms. 
   After complicaeted journeyings with meny pauzes, thair had cum munths of 
monotonus lief in a camp. He had had th beleef that reeal wor was a seerys of 
deth strugls with small tiem in between for sleep and meels; but sinss his 
rejiment had cum to th feeld th army had dun litl but sit stil and tri to 
keep worm. 
   He was braut then grajualy bak to his oeld iedeeas. Greeklike strugls 
wuud be no mor. Men wer beter, or mor timid. Secuelar and relijus 
ejucaeshun had effaced th throet grapling instinkt, or els ferm finans held 
in chek th pashuns. 
   He had groen to regard himself meerly as a part of a vast bloo demonstraeshun. 
His provins was to luuk out, as far as he cuud, for his personal cumfort. For 
recreaeshun he cuud twiddle his thums and specuelaet on th thauts which must 
ajitaet th miends of th jenerals. Allso, he was drild and drild and 
revued, and drild and drild and revued. 
   Th oenly foes he had seen wer sum pikets along th river bank. Thae wer a 
sun tand, filosofical lot, hoo sumtiems shot reflectively 


Paej 12

at th bloo pikets. When reproached for this afterward, thae uezhualy exprest 
sorro, and swor bi thair gods that th guns had exploeded without thair 
permishun. Th yooth, on gard duety wun niet, conversed across th streem with 
wun of them. He was a slietly raged man, hoo spat skilfuly between his shoos 
and pozest a graet fund of bland and infantiel ashurans. Th yooth liekt him 
personaly. 
   "Yank," th uther had informd him, "yer a riet dum guud feller." This 
sentiment, floeting to him upon th stil air, had maed him temporairily regret 
wor. 
   Vairius veterans had toeld him taels. Sum taukt of grae, bewhiskerd hords 
hoo wer advansing with relentles curses and chooing tobaco with unspeekabl 
valor; tremendus bodys of feers soeljery hoo wer sweeping along liek th 
Huns. Uthers spoek of taterd and eternaly hunggry men hoo fierd despondent 
pouders. "Thae'l charj thru hell's fier an' brimstoen t' git a holt on a 
haversak, an' sech stumacs ain't a lastin' long," he was toeld. Frum th 
storys, th yooth imajind th red, liv boens stiking out thru slits in 
th faeded ueniforms. 
   Stil, he cuud not puut a hoel faeth in veterans' taels, for recroots wer 
thair prae. Thae taukt much of smoek, fier, and blud, but he 


Paej 13

cuud not tel how much miet be lies. Thae persistently yeld "Fresh fish!" at 
him, and wer in no wiez to be trusted. 
   However, he perseevd now that it did not graetly mater whut kiend of 
soeljers he was going to fiet, so long as thae faut, which fact no wun 
dispueted. Thair was a mor seerius problem. He lae in his bunk pondering upon 
it. He tried to mathematicaly proov to himself that he wuud not run frum a 
batl. 
   Preeviusly he had never felt obliejd to resl too seeriusly with this 
qeschun. In his lief he had taeken serten things for granted, never chalenjing 
his beleef in ultimet sucses, and bothering litl about meens and roeds. But 
heer he was confrunted with a thing of moement. It had sudenly apeerd to him 
that perhaps in a batl he miet run. He was forst to admit that as far as wor 
was consernd he nue nuthing of himself. 
   A sufishent tiem befor he wuud hav alowd th problem to kik its heels 
at th outer portals of his miend, but now he felt compeld to giv seerius 
atenshun to it. 
   A litl panic feer groo in his miend. As his imajinaeshun went forward to a 
fiet, he saw hidius posibilitys. He contemplaeted th lerking menaces of th 
fuecher, and faeld in an efort to see himself standing stoutly in th midst of 
them. 


Paej 14

He recalld his vizhuns of broeken bladed glory, but in th shado of th 
impending toomult he suspected them to be imposibl pikchers. 
   He sprang frum th bunk and began to paes nervusly to and fro. "Guud Lord, 
whut's th' mater with me?" he sed aloud. 
   He felt that in this criesis his laws of lief wer uesles. Whutever he had 
lernd of himself was heer of no avael. He was an unnoen qontity. He saw that 
he wuud agen be obliejd to experriment as he had in erly yooth. He must 
acuemuelaet informaeshun of himself, and meenwhiel he rezolvd to remaen cloes 
upon his gard lest thoes qolitys of which he nue nuthing shuud 
everlastingly disgraes him. "Guud Lord!" he repeeted in dismae. 
   After a tiem th tall soeljer slid dexterously thru th hoel. Th loud 
prievet foloed. Thae wer wrangling. 
   "That's all riet," sed th tall soeljer as he enterd. He waevd his hand 
expresivly. "U can beleev me or not, jest as U liek. All U got to do is 
to sit doun and waet as qieet as U can. Then prity soon U'l fiend out I was 
riet." 
   His comrad grunted stubornly. For a moement he seemd to be serching for a 
formidabl repli. Fienaly he sed: "Wel, U don't noe evrything in th 
werld, do U?" 


Paej 15


   "Didn't sae I nue evrything in th werld," retorted th uther sharply. He 
began to stow vairius articls snugly into his napsak. 
   Th yooth, pauzing in his nervus wauk, luukt doun at th bizy figuer. 
"Going to be a batl, shur, is thair, Jim?" he askt. 
   "Of cors thair is," replied th tall soeljer. "Of cors thair is. U jest 
waet 'til to morro, and U'l see wun of th bigest batls ever was. U 
jest waet." 
   "Thunder!der!" sed th yooth. 
   "O, U'l see fieting this tiem, mi boi, what'll be reguelar out and out 
fieting," aded th tall soeljer, with th air of a man hoo is about to exibit 
a batl for th benefit of his frends. 
   "Hu!" sed th loud wun frum a corner. 
   "Wel," remarkt th yooth, "liek as not this story'll tern out jest liek 
them uthers did." 
   "Not much it woen't," replied th tall soeljer, exasperaeted. "Not much it 
woen't. Didn't th cavalry all start this morning?" He glaird about him. No wun 
denied his staetment. "Th cavalry started this morning," he continued. "Thae 
sae thair ain't hardly eny cavalry left in camp. Thae'r going to Richmond, or 
sum plaes, whiel we fiet all th Johnnies. It's sum doj liek that. Th 
regiment's got orders, too. A feller 


Paej 16

whut seen 'em go to hedqorters toeld me a litl whiel ago. And thae'r raezing 
blazes all oever camp -- enybody can see that." 
   "Shuks!" sed th loud wun. 
   Th yooth remaend sielent for a tiem. At last he spoek to th tall soeljer. 
"Jim!" 
   "Whut?" 
   "How do U think th reg'ment 'll do?" 
   "O, thae'l fiet all riet, I ges, after thae wuns get into it," sed th 
uther with coeld jujment. He maed a fien ues of th therd person. "Thair's bin 
heeps of fun poekt at 'em becauz thae'r nue, of cors, and all that; but 
thae'l fiet all riet, I ges." 
   "Think eny of th bois 'll run?" persisted th yooth. 
   "O, thair mae be a fue of 'em run, but thair's them kiend in evry rejiment, 
'specially when thae ferst goes under fier," sed th uther in a tolerant wae. 
"Of cors it miet hapen that th hul kit and boodl miet start and run, if 
sum big fieting caem ferst off, and then agen thae miet stae and fiet liek 
fun. But U can't bet on nuthing. Of cors thae ain't never bin under fier 
yet, and it ain't liekly thae'l lik th hul rebel army all to oncet th ferst 
tiem; but I think thae'l fiet beter than sum, if wers than uthers. That's 
th wae I figger. Thae call th 


Paej 17

reg'ment 'fresh fish' and evrything; but th bois cum of guud stok, and moest 
of 'em 'll fiet liek sin after thae oncet git shootin'," he aded, with a 
miety emfasis on th last foer werds. 
   "O, U think U noe -- " began th loud soeljer with scorn. 
   Th uther ternd savejly upon him. Thae had a rapid alltercaeshun, in which 
thae fasend upon eech uther vairius straenj epithets. 
   Th yooth at last interupted them. "Did U ever think U miet run 
yurself, Jim?" he askt. On conclooding th sentens he laft as if he had 
ment to aem a joek. Th loud soeljer allso gigld. 
   Th tall prievet waevd his hand. "Wel," sed he profoundly, "I'v thaut it 
miet get too hot for Jim Conklin in sum of them scrimmages, and if a hoel lot 
of bois started and run, whi, I s'pose I'd start and run. And if I wuns started 
to run, I'd run liek th devil, and no mistaek. But if evrybody was a standing 
and a fieting, whi, I'd stand and fiet. Be jiminey, I wuud. I'l bet on it." 
   "Hu!" sed th loud wun. 
   Th yooth of this tael felt gratitued for thees werds of his comrad. He had 
feerd that all of th untried men pozest a graet and corect confidens. He 
now was in a mezher re-ashurd. 


Paej 18


Chapter 2
CHAPTER II.
   TH next morning th yooth discuverd that his tall comrad had bin th fast 
flieing mesenjer of a mistaek. Thair was much scofing at th later bi thoes 
hoo had yesterdae bin ferm adheerents of his vues, and thair was eeven a litl 
sneering bi men hoo had never beleevd th roomor. Th tall wun faut with a man 
frum Chatfield Corners and beet him seveerly. 
   Th yooth felt, however, that his problem was in no wiez lifted frum him. 
Thair was, on th contrairy, an iritaeting prolonggaeshun. Th tael had creaeted in 
him a graet consern for himself. Now, with th nueborn qeschun in his miend, he 
was compeld to sink bak into his oeld plaes as part of a bloo demonstraeshun. 
   For daes he maed seesles calcuelaeshuns, but thae wer all wundrusly 
unsatisfactory. He found that he cuud establish nuthing. He fienaly conclooded 
that th oenly wae to proov himself was to go into th blaez, and then 
figuerativly to 


Paej 19

woch his legs to discuver thair merrits and fallts. He reluctantly admited that 
he cuud not sit stil and with a mental slaet and pensil deriev an anser. To 
gaen it, he must hav blaez, blud, and daenjer, eeven as a kemist reqiers this, 
that, and th uther. So he freted for an oportuenity. 
   Meenwhiel he continuealy tried to mezher himself bi his comrads. Th tall 
soeljer, for wun, gaev him sum ashurans. This man's sereen unconsern delt him 
a mezher of confidens, for he had noen him sinss chieldhuud, and frum his 
intimet nolej he did not see how he cuud be caepabl of enything that was 
beyond him, th yooth. Stil, he thaut that his comrad miet be mistaeken 
about himself. Or, on th uther hand, he miet be a man heertofor doomd to 
pees and obscuerity, but, in reality, maed to shien in wor. 
   Th yooth wuud hav liekt to hav discuverd anuther hoo suspected himself. 
A simpathetic comparrison of mental noets wuud hav bin a joi to him. 
   He ocaezhunaly tried to fathom a comrad with seductiv sentenses. He luukt 
about to fiend men in th proper mood. All atempts faeld to bring forth eny 
staetment which luukt in eny wae liek a confeshun to thoes douts which he 
prievetly aknolejd in himself. 


Paej 20

He was afraed to maek an oepen declaraeshun of his consern, becauz he dreded to 
plaes sum unscroopuelus confidant upon th hi plaen of th unconfessed frum 
which elevaeshun he cuud be derided. 
   In regard to his companyons his miend wavered between too opinyons, acording 
to his mood. Sumtiems he incliend to beleeving them all heeroes. In fact, he 
uezhualy admited in seecret th supeerior development of th hieer qolitys in 
uthers. He cuud conseev of men going verry insignificantly about th werld 
bairing a loed of curej unseen, and alltho he had noen meny of his comrads 
thru boihuud, he began to feer that his jujment of them had bin bliend. 
Then, in uther moements, he flouted thees theeorys, and ashurd himself that his 
feloes wer all prievetly wundering and qaeking. 
   His emoeshuns maed him feel straenj in th prezens of men hoo taukt 
exsietedly of a prospectiv batl as of a drama thae wer about to witnes, with 
nuthing but eegernes and cueriosity aparrent in thair faeses. It was offen that 
he suspected them to be lieers. 
   He did not pas such thauts without seveer condemnaeshun of himself. He 
dinned reproeches at tiems. He was convicted bi himself of meny shaemful criems 
agenst th gods of tradishuns. 


Paej 21


   In his graet angzieity his hart was continuealy clamoring at whut he 
considerd th intolerabl sloenes of th jenerals. Thae seemd content to 
perch tranquilly on th river bank, and leev him bowd doun bi th waet of a 
graet problem. He wonted it setld forthwith. He cuud not long bair such a 
loed, he sed. Sumtiems his angger at th comanders reecht an acuet staej, and 
he grumbld about th camp liek a veteran. 
   Wun morning, however, he found himself in th ranks of his prepaird rejiment. 
Th men wer whispering specuelaeshuns and recounting th oeld roomors. In th gloom 
befor th braek of th dae thair ueniforms gloed a deep perpl hue. Frum across 
th river th red ies wer stil peering. In th eestern skie thair was a yelo 
pach liek a rug laed for th feet of th cuming sun; and agenst it, blak and 
patern liek, loomd th jiegantic figuer of th curnel on a jiegantic hors. 
   Frum off in th darknes caem th trampling of feet. Th yooth cuud 
ocaezhunaly see dark shadoes that moovd liek monsters. Th rejiment stuud at 
rest for whut seemd a long tiem. Th yooth groo impaeshent. It was unendurabl 
th wae thees afairs wer manejd. He wunderd how long thae wer to be kept 
waeting. 


Paej 22


   As he luukt all about him and ponderd upon th mistic gloom, he began to 
beleev that at eny moement th ominus distans miet be aflare, and th roeling 
crashes of an engaejment cum to his eers. Stairing wuns at th red ies across 
th river, he conseevd them to be groeing larjer, as th orbs of a ro of 
dragons advansing. He ternd tord th curnel and saw him lift his jiegantic 
arm and caamly stroek his mustash. 
   At last he herd frum along th roed at th fuut of th hil th clater of a 
horse's galoping huufs. It must be th cuming of orders. He bent forward, 
scairs breething. Th exsieting clickety clik, as it groo louder and louder, 
seemd to be beeting upon his soel. Prezently a horsman with janggling eqipment 
droo raen befor th curnel of th rejiment. Th too held a short, sharp-werded 
conversaeshun. Th men in th formoest ranks craned thair neks. 
   As th horsman wheeld his animal and galopt awae he ternd to shout oever 
his shoelder, "Don't forget that box of sigars!" Th curnel mumbld in repli. 
Th yooth wunderd whut a box of sigars had to do with wor. 
   A moement laeter th rejiment went swinging off into th darknes. It was now 
liek wun of thoes mooving monsters wending with meny feet. 


Paej 23

Th air was hevy, and coeld with due. A mas of wet gras, marcht upon, rusld 
liek silk. 
   Thair was an ocaezhunal flash and glimer of steel frum th baks of all 
thees huej cralling reptiles. Frum th roed caem creakings and grumblings as 
sum serly guns wer dragd awae. 
   Th men stumbld along stil mutering specuelaeshuns. Thair was a subdued 
debaet. Wuns a man fel doun, and as he reecht for his riefl a comrad, 
unseeing, trod upon his hand. He of th injerd finggers swor biterly and 
aloud. A lo, titering laf went amung his feloes. 
   Prezently thae past into a roedwae and marcht forward with eezy strieds. A 
dark rejiment moovd befor them, and frum behiend allso caem th tinkl of 
equipments on th bodys of marching men. 
   Th rushing yelo of th developing dae went on behiend thair baks. When th 
sunrays at last struk fuul and mellowingly upon th erth, th yooth saw that 
th landscaep was streekt with too long, thin, blak colums which disapeerd 
on th brow of a hil in frunt and rearward vanisht in a wuud. Thae wer liek 
too serpents cralling frum th cavern of th niet. 
   Th river was not in vue. Th tall soeljer 


Paej 24

berst into praezes of whut he thaut to be his powers of persepshun. 
   Sum of th tall one's companyons cried with emfasis that thae, too, had 
evolvd th saem thing, and thae congrachulaeted themselvs upon it. But thair 
wer uthers hoo sed that th tall one's plan was not th troo wun at all. Thae 
persisted with uther theeorys. Thair was a vigorus discushun. 
   Th yooth tuuk no part in them. As he waukt along in cairles lien he was 
engaejd with his oen eternal debaet. He cuud not hinder himself frum dweling 
upon it. He was despondent and sulen, and throo shifting glanses about him. He 
luukt ahed, offen expecting to heer frum th advans th ratl of fiering. 
   But th long serpents cralld sloely frum hil to hil without bluster of 
smoek. A dun culord cloud of dust floeted awae to th riet. Th skie oeverhed 
was of a fairy bloo. 
   Th yooth studyd th faeses of his companyons, ever on th woch to detect 
kindred emoeshuns. He suferd disapointment. Sum ardor of th air which was 
cauzing th veteran comands to moov with glee -- allmoest with song -- had 
infected th nue rejiment. Th men began to speek of victory as of a thing thae 
nue. Allso, th tall soeljer reseevd his vindicaeshun. 


Paej 25

Thae wer sertenly going to cum around in behiend th enemy. Thae exprest 
comizeraeshun for that part of th army which had bin left upon th river bank, 
felicitating themselvs upon being a part of a blasting hoest. 
   Th yooth, considering himself as separaeted frum th uthers, was sadend bi 
th blieth and merry speeches that went frum rank to rank. Th cumpany wags all 
maed thair best endevors. Th rejiment trampt to th tuen of lafter. 
   Th blaetant soeljer offen convulst hoel fiels bi his bieting sarcazms aemd 
at th tall wun. 
   And it was not long befor all th men seemd to forget thair mishun. Hoel 
brigaeds grind in uenison, and rejiments laft. 
   A rather fat soeljer atempted to pilfer a hors frum a dor-yard. He pland 
to loed his knap sak upon it. He was escaeping with his priez when a yung gerl 
rusht frum th hous and grabd th animal's maen. Thair foloed a ranggl. 
Th yung gerl, with pink cheeks and shiening ies, stuud liek a dauntles 
stachoo. 
   Th obzervant rejiment, standing at rest in th roedwae, whooped at wuns, and 
enterd hoel soild upon th sied of th maeden. Th men becaem so engroest in 
this afair that thae entierly seest to remember thair oen larj wor. 


Paej 26

Thae jeered th piratical prievet, and calld atenshun to vairius defects in 
his personal apeerans; and thae wer wieldly enthooziastic in suport of th 
yung gerl. 
   To her, frum sum distans, caem boeld advies. "Hit him with a stik." 
   Thair wer croes and catcalls showerd upon him when he retreeted without th 
hors. Th rejiment rejoist at his dounfall. Loud and voesiferus 
congratulations wer showerd upon th maeden, hoo stuud panting and regarding 
th troops with defieans. 
   At nietfual th colum broek into rejimental peeses, and th fragments went 
into th feelds to camp. Tents sprang up liek straenj plants. Camp fiers, liek 
red, pecuelyar blosoms, doted th niet. 
   Th yooth kept frum intercors with his companyons as much as sercumstanses 
wuud alow him. In th eevning he waanderd a fue paeses into th gloom. Frum 
this litl distans th meny fiers, with th blak forms of men pasing to and 
fro befor th crimzon raes, maed weerd and saetanic efects. 
   He lae doun in th gras. Th blaeds prest tenderly agenst his cheek. Th 
moon had bin lieted and was hung in a treetop. Th liqid stilnes of th 
niet enveloping him 


Paej 27

maed him feel vast pity for himself. Thair was a cares in th sofft winds; and 
th hoel mood of th darknes, he thaut, was wun of simpathy for himself in 
his distres. 
   He wisht, without rezerv, that he was at hoem agen maeking th endles 
rounds frum th hous to th barn, frum th barn to th feelds, frum th feelds 
to th barn, frum th barn to th hous. He rememberd he had offen curst th 
brindl cow and her maets, and had sumtiems flung milking stools. But, frum his 
prezent point of vue, thair was a haelo of hapynes about eech of thair heds, 
and he wuud hav sacrifiest all th bras butons on th continent to hav bin 
enaebld to retern to them. He toeld himself that he was not formd for a soeljer. 
And he muezd seeriusly upon th radical diferenses between himself and thoes 
men hoo wer dojing imp  liek around th fiers. 
   As he muezd thus he herd th rusl of gras, and, upon terning his hed, 
discuverd th loud soeljer. He calld out, "O, Wilson!" 
   Th later aproecht and luukt doun. "Whi, helo, Henry; is it U? Whut 
U doing heer?" 
   "O, thinking," sed th yooth. 
   Th uther sat doun and cairfuly lieted his piep. "U'r geting bloo, mi 
boi. U'r 


Paej 28

luuking thundering peekt. Whut th dickens is rong with U?" 
   "O, nuthing," sed th yooth. 
   Th loud soeljer launcht then into th subject of th antisipaeted fiet. 
"O, we'v got 'em now!" As he spoek his boiish faes was reethd in a gleeful 
smiel, and his vois had an exultant ring. "We'v got 'em now. At last, bi th 
eternal thunders, we'll lik 'em guud!" 
   "If th trooth was noen," he aded, mor soeberly, "thae'v likt us about 
evry clip up to now; but this tiem -- this tiem -- we'll lik 'em guud!" 
   "I thaut U was objecting to this march a litl whiel ago," sed th 
yooth coeldly. 
   "O, it wasn't that," explaend th uther. "I don't miend marching, if thair's 
going to be fieting at th end of it. Whut I haet is this geting moovd heer 
and moovd thair, with no guud cuming of it, as far as I can see, exsepting sor 
feet and damd short rashuns." 
   "Wel, Jim Conklin ses we'll get a plenty of fieting this tiem." 
   "He's riet for wuns, I ges, tho I can't see how it cum. This tiem 
we'r in for a big batl, and we'v got th best end of it, serten shur. Jee 
rod! how we wil thump 'em!" 


Paej 29


   He aroez and began to paes to and fro exsietedly. Th thril of his enthooziazm 
maed him wauk with an elastic step. He was sprietly, vigorus, fiery in his 
beleef in sucses. He luukt into th fuecher with cleer, proud ie, and he swor 
with th air of an oeld soeljer. 
   Th yooth wocht him for a moement in sielens. When he fienaly spoek his 
vois was as biter as dregs. "O, U'r going to do graet things, I s'pose!" 
   Th loud soeljer bloo a thautful cloud of smoek frum his piep. "O, I don't 
noe," he remarkt with dignity; "I don't noe. I s'pose I'l do as wel as th 
rest. I'm going to tri liek thunder." He evidently complimented himself upon th 
modesty of this staetment. 
   "How do U noe U woen't run when th tiem cums?" askt th yooth. 
   "Run?" sed th loud wun; "run? -- of cors not!" He laft. 
   "Wel," continued th yooth, "lots of guud a 'nough men hav thaut thae was 
going to do graet things befor th fiet, but when th tiem cum thae 
skedaddled." 
   "O, that's all troo, I s'pose," replied th uther; "but I'm not going to 
skedaddle. Th man that bets on mi runing wil looz his muny, that's all." He 
noded confidently. 


Paej 30


   "O, shuks!" sed th yooth. "U ain't th braevest man in th werld, ar 
U?" 
   "No, I ain't," exclaemd th loud soeljer indignantly; "and I didn't sae I 
was th braevest man in th werld, neether. I sed I was going to do mi shair of 
fieting -- that's whut I sed. And I am, too. Hoo ar U, enyhow. U tauk as 
if U thaut U was Napoleon Bonaparte." He glaird at th yooth for a moement, 
and then stroed awae. 
   Th yooth calld in a savej vois after his comrad: "Wel, U needn't git 
mad about it!" But th uther continued on his wae and maed no repli. 
   He felt aloen in spaes when his injerd comrad had disapeerd. His faeluer 
to discuver eny miet of rezemblans in thair vue points maed him mor mizerabl 
than befor. No wun seemd to be resling with such a terific personal 
problem. He was a mental outcast. 
   He went sloely to his tent and strecht himself on a blanket bi th sied of 
th snoring tall soeljer. In th darknes he saw vizhuns of a thouzand tungd 
feer that wuud babble at his bak and cauz him to flee, whiel uthers wer 
going cooly about thair country's biznes. He admited that he wuud not be 
aebl to coep with this monster. He felt that evry nerv in his body 


Paej 31

. wuud be an eer to heer th voises, whiel uther men wuud remaen stolid and 
def. 
   And as he sweted with th paen of thees thauts, he cuud heer lo, sereen 
sentenses. "I'l bid fiev." "Maek it six." "Seven." "Seven goes." 
   He staird at th red, shivering reflecshun of a fier on th whiet wall of his 
tent until, exausted and il frum th monotony of his sufering, he fel 
asleep.


Paej 32


Chapter 3
CHAPTER III.
   WHEN anuther niet caem th colums, chaenjd to perpl streeks, field across 
too pontoon brijes. A glairing fier wien tinted th wauters of th river. Its 
raes, shiening upon th mooving mases of troops, braut forth heer and thair 
suden gleams of silver or goeld. Upon th uther shor a dark and misteerius 
raenj of hils was curvd agenst th skie. Th insect voises of th niet sang 
solemly. 
   After this crossing th yooth ashurd himself that at eny moement thae miet 
be sudenly and feerfuly asallted frum th caevs of th loeering wuuds. He 
kept his ies watchfully upon th darknes. 
   But his rejiment went unmolested to a camping plaes, and its soeljers slept 
th braev sleep of weeryd men. In th morning thae wer rooted out with erly 
enerjy, and husld along a narro roed that led deep into th forest. 
   It was during this rapid march that th rejiment 


Paej 33

lost meny of th marks of a nue comand. 
   Th men had begun to count th miels upon thair finggers, and thae groo tierd. 
"Sor feet an' damd short rashuns, that's all," sed th loud soeljer. Thair 
was perspiraeshun and grumblings. After a tiem thae began to shed thair 
knapsacks. Sum tosst them unconsernedly doun; uthers hid them cairfuly, 
aserting thair plans to retern for them at sum conveenyunt tiem. Men extricated 
themselvs frum thik sherts. Prezently fue carryd enything but thair nesesairy 
cloething, blankets, haversacks, canteens, and arms and amuenishun. "U can now 
eet and shoot," sed th tall soeljer to th yooth. "That's all U wont to do." 

   Thair was suden chaenj frum th ponderus infantry of theeory to th liet 
and speedy infantry of practis. Th rejiment, releevd of a berden, reseevd a 
nue impetus. But thair was much loss of valueabl knapsacks, and, on th hoel, 
verry guud sherts. 
   But th rejiment was not yet veteranlike in apeerans. Veteran rejiments in 
th army wer liekly to be verry small agregaeshuns of men. Wuns, when th 
comand had ferst cum to th feeld, sum perambulating veterans, noeting th 
length of thair colum, had acosted them thus: 


Paej 34

"Hae, fellers, whut brigaed is that?" And when th men had replied that thae 
formd a rejiment and not a brigaed, th oelder soeljers had laft, and sed, 
"O Gawd!" 
   Allso, thair was too graet a similarrity in th hats. Th hats of a rejiment 
shuud properly reprezent th history of hedgeer for a peeriod of yeers. And, 
moroever, thair wer no leters of faeded goeld speeking frum th culors. Thae 
wer nue and buetyful, and th culor bairer habichualy oild th poel. 
   Prezently th army agen sat doun to think. Th oedor of th peesful piens 
was in th men's nostrils. Th sound of monotonus ax bloes rang thru th 
forest, and th insects, noding upon thair perches, croond liek oeld wimen. Th 
yooth reternd to his theeory of a bloo demonstraeshun. 
   Wun grae daun, however, he was kikt in th leg bi th tall soeljer, and 
then, befor he was entierly awaek, he found himself runing doun a wuud roed in 
th midst of men hoo wer panting frum th ferst efects of speed. His canteen 
bangd rithmicaly upon his thi, and his haversak bobd sofftly. His musket 
bounst a triefl frum his shoelder at eech stried and maed his cap feel 
unsertan upon his hed. 
   He cuud heer th men whisper jerky 


Paej 35

sentenses: "Sae -- whut's all this -- about?" "Whut th' thunder -- we -- 
skedaddlin' this wae fer?" "Billie -- keep off m' feet. Yes run -- liek a cow." 
And th loud soldier's shril vois cuud be herd: "Whut th' devil thae in sich 
a hery for?" 
   Th yooth thaut th damp fog of erly morning moovd frum th rush of a 
graet body of troops. Frum th distans caem a suden spater of fiering. 
   He was bewilderd. As he ran with his comrads he strenueusly tried to think, 
but all he nue was that if he fel doun thoes cuming behiend wuud tred upon 
him. All his facultys seemd to be needed to gied him oever and past 
obstructions. He felt carryd along bi a mob. 
   Th sun spred discloezing raes, and, wun bi wun, rejiments berst into vue 
liek armd men just born of th erth. Th yooth perseevd that th tiem had 
cum. He was about to be mezherd. For a moement he felt in th faes of his graet 
trieal liek a baeb, and th flesh oever his hart seemd verry thin. He seezd tiem 
to luuk about him calculatingly. 
   But he instantly saw that it wuud be imposibl for him to escaep frum th 
rejiment. It incloezd him. And thair wer ieern laws of tradishun and law on foer 
sieds. He was in a mooving box. 


Paej 36


   As he perseevd this fact it ocurd to him that he had never wisht to cum 
to th wor. He had not enlisted of his free wil. He had bin dragd bi th 
mersyles guvernment. And now thae wer taeking him out to be slauterd. 
   Th rejiment slid doun a bank and woloed across a litl streem. Th 
mornful curent moovd sloely on, and frum th wauter, shaeded blak, sum whiet 
bubl ies luukt at th men. 
   As thae cliemd th hil on th farther sied artilery began to boom. Heer 
th yooth forgot meny things as he felt a suden impuls of cueriosity. He 
scrambld up th bank with a speed that cuud not be exseeded bi a bludthersty 
man. 
   He expected a batl seen. 
   Thair wer sum litl feelds girted and sqeezd bi a forest. Spred oever 
th gras and in amung th tree trunks, he cuud see nots and waeving liens of 
skermishers hoo wer runing hither and thither and fiering at th landscaep. A 
dark batl lien lae upon a sunstruck cleering that gleemd orenj culor. A flag 
fluterd. 
   Uther rejiments flounderd up th bank. Th brigaed was formd in lien of 
batl, and after a pauz started sloely thru th wuuds in th reer of th 
reseeding skermishers, hoo wer continuealy melting into th seen to apeer 
agen 


Paej 37

farther on. Thae wer allwaes bizy as bees, deeply absorbd in thair litl 
combats. 
   Th yooth tried to obzerv evrything. He did not uez cair to avoid trees and 
branches, and his forgoten feet wer constantly noking agenst stoens or 
geting entangled in briers. He was awair that thees batalyons with thair 
commotions wer woeven red and startling into th jentl fabric of soffend 
greens and brouns. It luukt to be a rong plaes for a batl feeld. 
   Th skermishers in advans fasinaeted him. Thair shots into thikets and at 
distant and prominent trees spoek to him of trajedys -- hiden, misteerius, 
solem. 
   Wuns th lien encounterd th body of a ded soeljer. He lae upon his bak 
stairing at th skie. He was drest in an aukward soot of yeloeish broun. Th 
yooth cuud see that th soels of his shoos had bin worn to th thinnes of 
rieting paeper, and frum a graet rent in wun th ded fuut projected piteously. 
And it was as if faet had betraed th soeljer. In deth it expoezd to his 
enemys that poverty which in lief he had perhaps conseeld frum his frends. 
   Th ranks oepend cuvertly to avoid th corps. Th invulnerabl ded man 
forst a wae for himself. Th yooth luukt keenly at th ashen faes. Th wind 
raezd th tauny beerd. It moovd as 


Paej 38

if a hand wer stroeking it. He vaegly dezierd to wauk around and around th 
body and stair; th impuls of th living to tri to red in ded ies th anser 
to th Qeschun. 
   During th march th ardor which th yooth had aqierd when out of vue of 
th feeld rapidly faeded to nuthing. His cueriosity was qiet eezily satisfied. If 
an intens seen had caut him with its wield swing as he caem to th top of th 
bank, he miet hav gon roring on. This advans upon Naecher was too caam. He 
had oportuenity to reflect. He had tiem in which to wunder about himself and to 
atempt to proeb his sensaeshuns. 
   Abserd iedeeas tuuk hoeld upon him. He thaut that he did not relish th 
landscaep. It thretend him. A coeldnes swept oever his bak, and it is troo 
that his trouzers felt to him that thae wer no fit for his legs at all. 
   A hous standing plasidly in distant feelds had to him an ominus luuk. Th 
shadoes of th wuuds wer formidabl. He was serten that in this vista thair 
lerkt feers ied hoests. Th swift thaut caem to him that th jenerals did 
not noe whut thae wer about. It was all a trap. Sudenly thoes cloes forests 
wuud brisl with riefl barrels. Ironlike brigaeds wuud apeer in th reer. 
Thae wer all going to be 


Paej 39

sacrifiest. Th jenerals wer stupids. Th enemy wuud prezently swolo th 
hoel comand. He glaird about him, expecting to see th stelthy aproech of 
his deth. 
   He thaut that he must braek frum th ranks and harang his comrads. Thae 
must not all be kild liek pigs; and he was shur it wuud cum to pas unles 
thae wer informd of thees daenjers. Th jenerals wer idiots to send them 
marching into a reguelar pen. Thair was but wun pair of ies in th cor. He 
wuud step forth and maek a speech. Shril and pashunet werds caem to his 
lips. 
   Th lien, broeken into mooving fragments bi th ground, went caamly on thru 
feelds and wuuds. Th yooth luukt at th men neerest him, and saw, for th moest 
part, expreshuns of deep interest, as if thae wer investigaeting sumthing that 
had fasinaeted them. Wun or too stept with overvaliant airs as if thae wer 
allredy plunjd into wor. Uthers waukt as upon thin ies. Th graeter part of 
th untested men apeerd qieet and absorbd. Thae wer going to luuk at wor, 
th red animal -- wor, th blud swoelen god. And thae wer deeply engroest in 
this march. 
   As he luukt th yooth gript his outcri at his throet. He saw that eeven if 
th men wer totering with feer thae wuud laf at his worning. 


Paej 40

Thae wuud jeer him, and, if practicabl, pelt him with misils. Admiting that 
he miet be rong, a frenzyd declamaeshun of th kiend wuud tern him into a 
werm. 
   He asoomd, then, th demeenor of wun hoo noes that he is doomd aloen to 
unriten responsibilitys. He lagd, with trajic glanses at th skie. 
   He was serpriezd prezently bi th yung lootenant of his cumpany, hoo began 
hartily to beet him with a sord, calling out in a loud and insolent vois: 
"Cum, yung man, get up into ranks thair. No skulking'll do heer." He mended 
his paes with sootabl haest. And he haeted th lootenant, hoo had no 
apreeshiaeshun of fien miends. He was a meer broot. 
   After a tiem th brigaed was hallted in th catheedral liet of a forest. Th 
bizy skermishers wer stil poping. Thru th aisles of th wuud cuud be 
seen th floeting smoek frum thair riefls. Sumtiems it went up in litl balls, 
whiet and compact. 
   During this hallt meny men in th rejiment began erecting tieny hils in frunt 
of them. Thae uezd stoens, stiks, erth, and enything thae thaut miet tern a 
buulet. Sum bilt comparrativly larj wuns, whiel uthers seemd content with 
litl wuns. 


Paej 41


   This proseejer cauzd a discushun amung th men. Sum wisht to fiet liek 
duelists, beleeving it to be corect to stand erect and be, frum thair feet to 
thair forheds, a mark. Thae sed thae scornd th devieses of th caushus. But 
th uthers scoft in repli, and pointed to th veterans on th flanks hoo wer 
diging at th ground liek terryers. In a short tiem thair was qiet a barricaed 
along th rejimental frunts. Directly, however, thae wer orderd to withdraw 
frum that plaes. 
   This astounded th yooth. He forgot his stewing oever th advans moovment. 
"Wel, then, whut did thae march us out heer for?" he demanded of th tall 
soeljer. Th later with caam faeth began a hevy explanaeshun, alltho he had 
bin compeld to leev a litl protecshun of stoens and dert to which he had 
devoeted much cair and skil. 
   When th rejiment was aliend in anuther pozishun eech man's regard for his 
saefty cauzd anuther lien of small intrenchments. Thae aet thair noon meel 
behiend a therd wun. Thae wer moovd frum this wun allso. Thae wer marcht frum 
plaes to plaes with aparrent aimlessness. 
   Th yooth had bin taut that a man becaem anuther thing in a batl. He saw 
his salvaeshun in such a chaenj. Hens this waeting 


Paej 42

was an ordeel to him. He was in a feever of impaeshens. He considerd that thair 
was denoeted a lak of perpos on th part of th jenerals. He began to complaen 
to th tall soeljer. "I can't stand this much longger," he cried. "I don't see 
whut guud it duz to maek us wair out our legs for nothin'." He wisht to retern 
to camp, noeing that this afair was a bloo demonstraeshun; or els to go into a 
batl and discuver that he had bin a fool in his douts, and was, in trooth, a 
man of tradishunal curej. Th straen of prezent sercumstanses he felt to be 
intolerabl. 
   Th filosofical tall soeljer mezherd a sandwich of craker and pork and 
swoloed it in a nonshalaant maner. "O, I supoez we must go reconnoitering 
around th cuntry jest to keep 'em frum geting too cloes, or to develop 'em, 
or sumthing." 
   "Hu!" sed th loud soeljer. 
   "Wel," cried th yooth, stil fidgeting, "I'd rather do enything 'most than 
go tramping 'round th cuntry all dae doing no guud to noebody and jest tiering 
ourselvs out." 
   "So wuud I," sed th loud soeljer. "It ain't riet. I tel U if enybody 
with eny sens was a runnin' this army it -- " 
   "O, shut up!" rord th tall prievet. "U 


Paej 43

litl fool. U litl damn' cuss. U ain't had that thair coet and them pants 
on for six munths, and yet U tauk as if -- " 
   "Wel, I wanta do sum fieting enywae," interupted th uther. "I didn't 
cum heer to wauk. I cuud 'ave waukt to hoem -- 'round an' 'round th barn, if 
I jest wonted to wauk." 
   Th tall wun, red faest, swoloed anuther sandwich as if taeking poizon in 
despair. 
   But grajualy, as he chood, his faes becaem agen qieet and contented. He 
cuud not raej in feers arguement in th prezens of such sandwiches. During his 
meels he allwaes wor an air of blisful contemplaeshun of th food he had 
swoloed. His spirit seemd then to be communing with th viands. 
   He acsepted nue envieronment and sercumstans with graet coolnes, eeting frum 
his haversak at evry oportuenity. On th march he went along with th stried 
of a hunter, objecting to neether gaet nor distans. And he had not raezd his 
vois when he had bin orderd awae frum three litl protectiv piels of erth 
and stoen, eech of which had bin an enjineering feet werthy of being maed 
saecred to th naem of his grandmuther. 
   In th afternoon th rejiment went out oever th saem ground it had taeken in 
th morning. 


Paej 44

Th landscaep then seest to threten th yooth. He had bin cloes to it and 
becum familyar with it. 
   When, however, thae began to pas into a nue reejon, his oeld feers of 
stoopidity and incompetens reassailed him, but this tiem he daugedly let them 
babble. He was ocuepied with his problem, and in his desperaeshun he conclooded 
that th stoopidity did not graetly mater. 
   Wuns he thaut he had conclooded that it wuud be beter to get kild 
directly and end his trubls. Regarding deth thus out of th corner of his 
ie, he conseevd it to be nuthing but rest, and he was fild with a moementairy 
astonishment that he shuud hav maed an extraordinairy comoeshun oever th meer 
mater of geting kild. He wuud die; he wuud go to sum plaes wherr he wuud 
be understuud. It was uesles to expect apreeshiaeshun of his profound and fien 
senses frum such men as th lootenant. He must luuk to th graev for 
comprehenshun. 
   Th skermish fier increest to a long chatering ing sound. With it was 
minggld far-awae cheering. A batery spoek. 
   Directly th yooth wuud see th skermishers runing. Thae wer persood bi 
th sound of musketry fier. After a tiem th hot, daenjerus 


Paej 45

flashes of th riefls wer vizibl. Smoek clouds went sloely and insolently 
across th feelds liek obzervant phantoms. Th din becaem creshendo, liek th 
ror of an oncuming traen. 
   A brigaed ahed of them and on th riet went into acshun with a rending 
ror. It was as if it had exploeded. And thairafter it lae strecht in th 
distans behiend a long grae wall, that wun was obliejd to luuk twies at to maek 
shur that it was smoek. 
   Th yooth, forgeting his neet plan of geting kild, gaezd spel bound. His 
ies groo wied and bizy with th acshun of th seen. His mouth was a litl 
waes oepen. 
   Of a suden he felt a hevy and sad hand laed upon his shoelder. Awaekening 
frum his trans of obzervaeshun he ternd and beheld th loud soeljer. 
   "It's mi ferst and last batl, oeld boi," sed th later, with intens 
gloom. He was qiet pael and his gerlish lip was trembling. 
   "Eh?" mermerd th yooth in graet astonishment. 
   "It's mi ferst and last batl, oeld boi," continued th loud soeljer. 
"Sumthing tels me -- " 
   "Whut?" 
   "I'm a gon coon this ferst tiem and -- and I 


Paej 46

w wont U to taek thees heer things -- to -- mi -- foeks." He ended in a 
qaevering sob of pity for himself. He handed th yooth a litl paket dun up 
in a yelo enveloep. 
   "Whi, whut th devil -- " began th yooth agen. 
   But th uther gaev him a glans as frum th depths of a toom, and raezd his 
limp hand in a profetic maner and ternd awae.


Paej 47


Chapter 4
CHAPTER IV.
   TH brigaed was hallted in th frinj of a groev. Th men croucht amung th 
trees and pointed thair restles guns out at th feelds. Thae tried to luuk 
beyond th smoek. 
   Out of this haez thae cuud see runing men. Sum shouted informaeshun and 
jescherd as thae heryd. 
   Th men of th nue rejiment wocht and lisend eegerly, whiel thair tungs 
ran on in gosip of th batl. Thae mouthd roomors that had floen liek berds 
out of th unnoen. 
   "Thae sae Perry has bin driven in with big loss." 
   "Yes, Carrott went t' th' hospital. He sed he was sik. That smart 
lootenant is comanding 'G' Cumpany. Th' bois sae thae woen't be under Carrott 
no mor if thae all hav t' dezurt. Thae allus nue he was a -- " 
   "Hannises' batt'ry is tuuk." 
   "It ain't eether. I saw Hannises' batt'ry off on th' left not more'n fifteen 
minits ago." 


Paej 48


   "Wel -- " 
   "Th' jeneral, he ses he is goin' t' taek th' hul cammand of th' 304th when 
we go inteh acshun, an' then he ses we'll do sech fightin' as never anuther wun 
reg'ment dun." 
   "Thae sae we'r catchin' it oever on th' left. Thae sae th' enemy driv' our 
lien inteh a devil of a swomp an' tuuk Hannises' batt'ry." 
   "No sech thing. Hannises' batt'ry was 'long heer 'bout a minit ago." 
   "That yung Hasbrouck, he maeks a guud off'cer. He ain't afraed 'a nothin'." 
   "I met wun of th' 148th Maine bois an' he ses his brigaed fit th' hul rebel 
army fer foer ours oever on th' ternpiek roed an' kild about fiev thouzand of 
'em. He ses wun mor sech fiet as that an' th' wor 'll be oever." 
   "Bil wasn't scaird eether. No, ser! It wasn't that. Bil ain't a gittin' 
scaird eezy. He was jest mad, that's whut he was. When that feller trod on his 
hand, he up an' sed that he was willin' t' giv his hand t' his cuntry, but he 
be dumbed if he was goin' t' hav evry dum buushwhaker in th' kentry walkin' 
'round on it. Se he went t' th' hospital disregardless of th' fiet. Three 
finggers was cruncht. Th' dern doctor wonted t' ampuetaet 'm, an' Bil, he raezd 
a heluva ro, I heer. He's a funy feller." 


Paej 49


   Th din in frunt sweld to a tremendus corus. Th yooth and his feloes 
wer froezen to sielens. Thae cuud see a flag that tosst in th smoek anggrily. 
Neer it wer th blerd and ajitaeted forms of troops. Thair caem a terbuelent 
streem of men across th feelds. A batery chaenjing pozishun at a frantic galop 
scaterd th straglers riet and left. 
   A shel screeming liek a storm banshee went oever th hudld heds of th 
rezervs. It landed in th groev, and exploeding redly flung th broun erth. 
Thair was a litl shower of pien needls. 
   Buulets began to whisl amung th branches and nip at th trees. Twigs and 
leevs caem saeling doun. It was as if a thouzand axes, wee and invisibl, wer 
being weelded. Meny of th men wer constantly dojing and duking thair heds. 
   Th lootenant of th youth's cumpany was shot in th hand. He began to swair 
so wundrusly that a nervus laf went along th rejimental lien. Th officer's 
profanity sounded convenshunal. It releevd th tietend senses of th nue men. 
It was as if he had hit his finggers with a tak hamer at hoem. 
   He held th woonded member cairfuly awae frum his sied so that th blud 
wuud not drip upon his trouzers. 


Paej 50


   Th capten of th cumpany, tuking his sord under his arm, produest a 
hankerchif and began to biend with it th lieutenant's woond. And thae dispueted 
as to how th biending shuud be dun. 
   Th batl flag in th distans jerkt about madly. It seemd to be 
strugling to free itself frum an agony. Th billowing smoek was fild with 
horizontal flashes. 
   Men runing swiftly emerjd frum it. Thae groo in numbers until it was seen 
that th hoel comand was fleeing. Th flag sudenly sank doun as if dieing. Its 
moeshun as it fel was a jescher of despair. 
   Wield yels caem frum behiend th walls of smoek. A skech in grae and red 
dizolvd into a moblike body of men hoo galopt liek wield horses. 
   Th veteran rejiments on th riet and left of th 304th imeedyetly began to 
jeer. With th pashunet song of th buulets and th banshee shrieks of shels 
wer minggld loud catcalls and bits of faseeshus advies conserning plaeses of 
saefty. 
   But th nue rejiment was brethles with horror. "Gawd! Saunders's got 
crusht!" whisperd th man at th youth's elbo. Thae shrank bak and croucht 
as if compeld to awaet a flud. 


Paej 51


   Th yooth shot a swift glans along th bloo ranks of th rejiment. Th 
proefiels wer moeshunles, carven; and afterward he rememberd that th culor 
sarjent was standing with his legs apart, as if he expected to be puusht to th 
ground. 
   Th foloeing throng went wherling around th flank. Heer and thair wer 
offisers carryd along on th streem liek exasperaeted chips. Thae wer strieking 
about them with thair sords and with thair left fists, punching evry hed thae 
cuud reech. Thae curst liek hiewae  men. 
   A mounted offiser displaed th fuerius angger of a spoild chield. He raejd 
with his hed, his arms, and his legs. 
   Anuther, th comander of th brigaed, was galoping about bawling. His hat 
was gon and his cloeths wer ari. He rezembld a man hoo has cum frum bed to 
go to a fier. Th huufs of his hors offen thretend th heds of th runing 
men, but thae scamperd with singguelar forchun. In this rush thae wer aparrently 
all def and bliend. Thae heeded not th larjest and longgest of th oeths that 
wer throen at them frum all direcshuns. 
   Freeqently oever this toomult cuud be herd th grim joeks of th critical 
veterans; but th 


Paej 52

retreeting men apparantly wer not eeven conshus of th prezens of an 
audyens. 
   Th batl reflecshun that shoen for an instant in th faeses on th mad 
curent maed th yooth feel that forsful hands frum heven wuud not hav bin 
aebl to hav held him in plaes if he cuud hav got intelijent controel of his 
legs. 
   Thair was an apalling imprint upon thees faeses. Th strugl in th smoek 
had pikcherd an exajeraeshun of itself on th bleecht cheeks and in th ies 
wield with wun dezier. 
   Th siet of this stampeed exerted a floodlike fors that seemd aebl to drag 
stiks and stoens and men frum th ground. Thae of th rezervs had to hoeld on. 
Thae groo pael and ferm, and red and qaeking. 
   Th yooth acheevd wun litl thaut in th midst of this caeos. Th 
compozit monster which had cauzd th uther troops to flee had not then 
apeerd. He rezolvd to get a vue of it, and then, he thaut he miet verry 
liekly run beter than th best of them.


Paej 53


Chapter 5
CHAPTER V.
   THAIR wer moements of waeting. Th yooth thaut of th vilej street at 
hoem befor th arieval of th sercus paraed on a dae in th spring. He 
rememberd how he had stuud, a small, thrillful boi, prepaird to folo th 
dinjy laedy upon th whiet hors, or th band in its faeded charriot. He saw th 
yelo roed, th liens of expectant peepl, and th soeber houses. He 
particuelarly rememberd an oeld felo hoo uezd to sit upon a craker box in 
frunt of th stor and faen to despiez such exibishuns. A thouzand deetaels of 
culor and form serjd in his miend. Th oeld felo upon th craker box apeerd 
in midl prominens. 
   Sum wun cried, "Heer thae cum!" 
   Thair was rusling and mutering amung th men. Thae displaed a feeverish 
dezier to hav evry posibl cartrij redy to thair hands. Th boxes wer 
puuld around into vairius pozishuns, and ajusted with graet cair. It was as if 
seven hundred nue bonnets wer being tried on. 


Paej 54


   Th tall soeljer, having prepaird his riefl, produest a red hankerchif of 
sum kiend. He was engaejd in niting it about his throet with exqizit 
atenshun to its pozishun, when th cri was repeeted up and doun th lien in a 
mufld ror of sound. 
   "Heer thae cum! Heer thae cum!" Gun loks clikt. 
   Across th smoek infested feelds caem a broun sworm of runing men hoo wer 
giving shril yels. Thae caem on, stooping and swinging thair riefls at all 
anggls. A flag, tilted forward, sped neer th frunt. 
   As he caut siet of them th yooth was moementairily startld bi a thaut 
that perhaps his gun was not loeded. He stuud trieing to raly his falltering 
intelect so that he miet recolect th moement when he had loeded, but he cuud 
not. 
   A hatles jeneral puuld his driping hors to a stand neer th curnel of 
th 304th. He shuuk his fist in th other's faes. "U 've got to hoeld 'em 
bak!" he shouted, savejly; "U 've got to hoeld 'em bak!" 
   In his ajitaeshun th curnel began to stamer. "A all r riet, Jeneral, all 
riet, bi Gawd! We  we'll do our -- we-we'll d-d-do -- do our best, Jeneral." 
Th jeneral maed a pashunet jescher 


Paej 55

and galopt awae. Th curnel, perchans to releev his feelings, began to 
scoeld liek a wet parrot. Th yooth, terning swiftly to maek shur that th reer 
was unmolested, saw th comander regarding his men in a hiely regretful 
maner, as if he regreted abuv evrything his asoesiaeshun with them. 
   Th man at th youth's elbo was mumbling, as if to himself: "O, we 're in 
for it now! o, we 're in for it now!" 
   Th capten of th cumpany had bin paesing exsietedly to and fro in th reer. 
He coext in schoolmistress fashun, as to a conggregaeshun of bois with priemers. 
His tauk was an endles repetishun. "Rezerv yur fier, bois -- don't shoot til 
I tel U -- saev yur fier -- waet til thae get cloes up -- don't be damd 
fools -- " 
   Perspiraeshun streemd doun th youth's faes, which was soild liek that of a 
weeping erchin. He freeqently, with a nervus moovment, wiept his ies with his 
coet sleev. His mouth was stil a litl waes oepen. 
   He got th wun glans at th foe sworming feeld in frunt of him, and 
instantly seest to debaet th qeschun of his pees being loeded. Befor he was 
redy to begin -- befor he had anounst to himself that he was about to fiet 
-- he throo th oebeedyent, wel balanst riefl into 


Paej 56

pozishun and fierd a ferst wield shot. Directly he was werking at his wepon liek 
an automatic afair. 
   He sudenly lost consern for himself, and forgot to luuk at a menising faet. 
He becaem not a man but a member. He felt that sumthing of which he was a part 
-- a rejiment, an army, a cauz, or a cuntry -- was in a criesis. He was welded 
into a comon personality which was dominaeted bi a singgl dezier. For sum 
moements he cuud not flee no mor than a litl fingger can comit a revolooshun 
frum a hand. 
   If he had thaut th rejiment was about to be annihilated perhaps he cuud 
hav ampuetaeted himself frum it. But its noiz gaev him ashurans. Th rejiment 
was liek a fierwerk that, wuns ignieted, proseeds supeerior to sercumstanses until 
its blaezing vietality fades. It wheezd and bangd with a miety power. He 
pikcherd th ground befor it as stroon with th discomfited. 
   Thair was a conshusnes allwaes of th prezens of his comrads about him. 
He felt th sutl batl brutherhuud mor poetent eeven than th cauz for which 
thae wer fieting. It was a misteerius fraternity born of th smoek and daenjer 
of deth. 
   He was at a task. He was liek a carpenter 


Paej 57

hoo has maed meny boxes, maeking stil anuther box, oenly thair was fuerius haest 
in his moovments. He, in his thaut, was careering off in uther plaeses, eeven as 
th carpenter hoo as he werks whisls and thinks of his frend or his enemy, 
his hoem or a saloon. And thees jolted dreems wer never perfect to him 
afterward, but remaend a mas of blerd shaeps. 
   Prezently he began to feel th efects of th wor atmosfeer -- a blistering 
swet, a sensaeshun that his ieballs wer about to crak liek hot stoens. A 
berning ror fild his eers. 
   Foloeing this caem a red raej. He developt th acuet exasperaeshun of a 
pestered animal, a wel meening cow weryd bi daugs. He had a mad feeling 
agenst his riefl, which cuud oenly be uezd agenst wun lief at a tiem. He 
wisht to rush forward and stranggl with his finggers. He craevd a power that 
wuud enaebl him to maek a werld sweeping jescher and brush all bak. His 
impotensy apeerd to him, and maed his raej into that of a driven beest. 
   Berryd in th smoek of meny riefls his angger was directed not so much agenst 
th men hoom he nue wer rushing tord him as agenst th swerling batl 
phantoms which wer choeking him, stufing thair smoek roebs doun his parcht 
throet. He faut franticaly for respit for his 


Paej 58

senses, for air, as a baeb being smutherd ataks th dedly blankets. 
   Thair was a blair of heeted raej minggld with a serten expreshun of 
intentness on all faeses. Meny of th men wer maeking lo toned noizes with thair 
mouths, and thees subdued cheers, snarls, imprecaeshuns, prairs, maed a wield, 
barbarric song that went as an undercurent of sound, straenj and chantlike with 
th rezounding cords of th wor march. Th man at th youth's elbo was 
babling. In it thair was sumthing sofft and tender liek th monolog of a 
baeb. Th tall soeljer was swairing in a loud vois. Frum his lips caem a blak 
proseshun of cuerius oeths. Of a suden anuther broek out in a qerrulus wae 
liek a man hoo has mislaid his hat. "Wel, whi don't thae suport us? Whi don't 
thae send suports? Do thae think -- " 
   Th yooth in his batl sleep herd this as wun hoo dozes heers. 
   Thair was a singguelar absens of heroeic poezes. Th men bending and serjing in 
thair haest and raej wer in evry imposibl atitued. Th steel ramrods 
clanked and clangd with insesant din as th men pounded them fueriusly into 
th hot riefl barrels. Th flaps of th cartrij boxes wer all unfasend, and 
bobd idioticaly with eech moovment. Th riefls, wuns loeded, wer jerkt 


Paej 59

to th shoelder and fierd without aparrent aem into th smoek or at wun of th 
blerd and shifting forms which upon th feeld befor th rejiment had bin 
groeing larjer and larjer liek pupets under a magician's hand. 
   Th offisers, at thair intervals, rearward, neglected to stand in pikcheresk 
atitueds. Thae wer bobing to and fro roring direcshuns and encouragements. 
Th dimenshuns of thair houls wer extraordinairy. Thae expended thair lungs with 
prodigal wils. And offen thae neerly stuud upon thair heds in thair angzieity to 
obzerv th enemy on th uther sied of th tumbling smoek. 
   Th lootenant of th youth's cumpany had encounterd a soeljer hoo had fled 
screeming at th ferst voly of his comrads. Behiend th liens thees too wer 
acting a litl iesolaeted seen. Th man was blubbering and stairing with 
sheeplike ies at th lootenant, hoo had seezd him bi th colar and was 
pumeling him. He droev him bak into th ranks with meny bloes. Th soeljer 
went mecanicaly, duly, with his animal  liek ies upon th offiser. Perhaps 
thair was to him a divinity exprest in th vois of th uther -- stern, hard, 
with no reflecshun of feer in it. He tried to re-loed his gun, but his shaeking 
hands prevented. Th lootenant was obliejd to asist him. 
   Th men dropt heer and thair liek bundls. 


Paej 60

Th capten of th youth's cumpany had bin kild in an erly part of th 
acshun. His body lae strecht out in th pozishun of a tierd man resting, but 
upon his faes thair was an astonisht and sorroeful luuk, as if he thaut sum 
frend had dun him an il tern. Th babling man was graezd bi a shot that maed 
th blud streem wiedly doun his faes. He clapt boeth hands to his hed. "O!" 
he sed, and ran. Anuther grunted sudenly as if he had bin struk bi a club in 
th stumac. He sat doun and gaezd roofuly. In his ies thair was muet, 
indefinit reproech. Farther up th lien a man, standing behiend a tree, had had 
his nee joint splinterd bi a ball. Imeedyetly he had dropt his riefl and 
gript th tree with boeth arms. And thair he remaend, clinging desperetly and 
crieing for asistans that he miet withdraw his hoeld upon th tree. 
   At last an exultant yel went along th qivering lien. Th fiering dwindld 
frum an upror to a last vindictiv poping. As th smoek sloely eddied awae, 
th yooth saw that th charj had bin repulst. Th enemy wer scaterd into 
reluctant groops. He saw a man cliem to th top of th fens, stradl th rael, 
and fier a parting shot. Th waevs had reseeded, leeving bits of dark de'bris 
upon th ground. 


Paej 61


   Sum in th rejiment began to hoop frenzydly. Meny wer sielent. Aparrently 
thae wer trieing to contemplaet themselvs. 
   After th feever had left his vaens, th yooth thaut that at last he was 
going to sufocaet. He becaem awair of th foul atmosfeer in which he had bin 
strugling. He was grimy and driping liek a laeborer in a foundry. He graspt 
his canteen and tuuk a long swolo of th wormd wauter. 
   A sentens with vairiaeshuns went up and doun th lien. "Wel, we 've helt 'em 
bak. We 've helt 'em bak; derned if we havn't." Th men sed it blisfuly, 
leering at eech uther with derty smiels. 
   Th yooth ternd to luuk behiend him and off to th riet and off to th left. 
He expeeryenst th joi of a man hoo at last fiends leezher in which to luuk about 
him. 
   Under fuut thair wer a fue gastly forms moeshunles. Thae lae twisted in 
fantastic contortions. Arms wer bent and heds wer ternd in incredibl waes. 
It seemd that th ded men must hav fallen frum sum graet hiet to get into 
such pozishuns. Thae luukt to be dumpt out upon th ground frum th skie. 
   Frum a pozishun in th reer of th groev a batery was throeing shels oever 
it. Th flash of 


Paej 62

th guns startld th yooth at ferst. He thaut thae wer aemd directly at 
him. Thru th trees he wocht th blak figuers of th guners as thae 
werkt swiftly and intently. Thair laebor seemd a complicaeted thing. He wunderd 
how thae cuud remember its formuela in th midst of confuezhun. 
   Th guns sqoted in a ro liek savej cheefs. Thae argued with abrupt 
vieolens. It was a grim pow wow. Thair bizy servants ran hither and thither. 
   A small proseshun of woonded men wer going dreerily tord th reer. It was 
a flo of blud frum th torn body of th brigaed. 
   To th riet and to th left wer th dark liens of uther troops. Far in 
frunt he thaut he cuud see lieter mases proetrooding in points frum th 
forest. Thae wer sugjestiv of unnumberd thouzands. 
   Wuns he saw a tieny batery go dashing along th lien of th horiezon. Th tieny 
rieders wer beeting th tieny horses. 
   Frum a sloeping hil caem th sound of cheerings and clashes. Smoek weld 
sloely thru th leevs. 
   Baterys wer speeking with thunderus oratorical efort. Heer and thair 
wer flags, th red in th strieps dominaeting. Thae splasht 


Paej 63

bits of worm culor upon th dark liens of troops. 
   Th yooth felt th oeld thril at th siet of th emblem. Thae wer liek 
buetyful berds straenjly undaunted in a storm. 
   As he lisend to th din frum th hilsied, to a deep pulsaeting thunder that 
caem frum afar to th left, and to th leser clamors which caem frum meny 
direcshuns, it ocurd to him that thae wer fieting, too, oever thair, and 
oever thair, and oever thair. Heertofor he had supoezd that all th batl was 
directly under his noez. 
   As he gaezd around him th yooth felt a flash of astonishment at th bloo, 
puer skie and th sun gleamings on th trees and feelds. It was serpriezing that 
Naecher had gon tranquilly on with her goelden proses in th midst of so much 
devilment.


Paej 64


Chapter 6
CHAPTER VI.
   TH yooth awaekend sloely. He caem grajualy bak to a pozishun frum which he 
cuud regard himself. For moements he had bin scrootiniezing his person in a daezd 
wae as if he had never befor seen himself. Then he pikt up his cap frum th 
ground. He wriggled in his jaket to maek a mor cumfortabl fit, and neeling 
replaest his shoo. He thautfuly mopt his reeking feechers. 
   So it was all oever at last! Th supreem trieal had bin past. Th red, 
formidabl dificultys of wor had bin vanqisht. 
   He went into an extasy of self satisfacshun. He had th moest delietful 
sensaeshuns of his lief. Standing as if apart frum himself, he vued that last 
seen. He perseevd that th man hoo had faut thus was magnifisent. 
   He felt that he was a fien felo. He saw himself eeven with thoes iedeeals 
which he had considerd as far beyond him. He smield in deep gratificaeshun. 


Paej 65


   Upon his feloes he beemd tendernes and guud wil. "Jee! ain't it hot, 
hae?" he sed affably to a man hoo was polishing his streeming faes with his 
coet sleevs. 
   "U bet!" sed th uther, grining sociably. "I never seen sech dum 
hotness." He spralld out luxuriously on th ground. "Jee, yes! An' I hoep we 
don't hav no mor fightin' til a week frum Monday." 
   Thair wer sum handshakings and deep speeches with men hoos feechers wer 
familyar, but with hoom th yooth now felt th bonds of tied harts. He helpt a 
cursing comrad to biend up a woond of th shin. 
   But, of a suden, cries of amaezment broek out along th ranks of th nue 
rejiment. "Heer thae cum ag'in! Heer thae cum ag'in!" Th man hoo had spralld 
upon th ground started up and sed, "Gosh!" 
   Th yooth ternd qik ies upon th feeld. He disernd forms begin to swel 
in mases out of a distant wuud. He agen saw th tilted flag speeding forward. 
   Th shels, which had seest to trubl th rejiment for a tiem, caem 
swerling agen, and exploeded in th gras or amung th leevs of th trees. Thae 
luukt to be straenj wor flowers bersting into feers bloom. 


Paej 66


   Th men groend. Th luster faeded frum thair ies. Thair smujd countenances 
now exprest a profound dejecshun. Thae moovd thair stifend bodys sloely, 
and wocht in sulen mood th frantic aproech of th enemy. Th slaevs toiling 
in th templ of this god began to feel rebelyon at his harsh tasks. 
   Thae freted and complaend eech to eech. "O, sae, this is too much of a 
guud thing! Whi can't sumbody send us suports?" 
   "We ain't never goin' to stand this second banging. I didn't cum heer to 
fiet th hul damn' rebel army." 
   Thair was wun hoo raezd a doelful cri. "I wish Bil Smithers had trod on mi 
hand, insteader me treddin' on his'n." Th sor joints of th rejiment creekt 
as it paenfuly flounderd into pozishun to repuls. 
   Th yooth staird. Shurly, he thaut, this imposibl thing was not about to 
hapen. He waeted as if he expected th enemy to sudenly stop, apolojiez, and 
retier bowing. It was all a mistaek. 
   But th fiering began sumwherr on th rejimental lien and ript along in 
boeth direcshuns. Th level sheets of flaem developt graet clouds of smoek that 
tumbld and tosst in th mield wind neer th ground for a moement, and then 


Paej 67

roeld thru th ranks as thru a gaet. Th clouds wer tinged an earthlike 
yelo in th sunrays and in th shado wer a sorry bloo. Th flag was 
sumtiems eeten and lost in this mas of vaepor, but mor offen it projected, sun 
 tucht, resplendent. 
   Into th youth's ies thair caem a luuk that wun can see in th orbs of a 
jaeded hors. His nek was qivering with nervus weeknes and th musls of his 
arms felt num and bludles. His hands, too, seemd larj and aukward as if he 
was wairing invisibl mitens. And thair was a graet unsertanty about his nee 
joints. 
   Th werds that comrads had uterd preevius to th fiering began to recur to 
him. "O, sae, this is too much of a guud thing! Whut do thae taek us for -- whi 
don't thae send suports? I didn't cum heer to fiet th hul damd rebel 
army." 
   He began to exajeraet th endurans, th skil, and th valor of thoes hoo 
wer cuming. Himself reeling frum exaustchun, he was astonisht beyond mezher 
at such persistensy. Thae must be masheens of steel. It was verry gloomy 
strugling agenst such afairs, wound up perhaps to fiet until sundoun. 
   He sloely lifted his riefl and caching a glimps of th thickspread feeld he 
blaezd at a 


Paej 68

cantering cluster. He stopt then and began to peer as best he cuud thru 
th smoek. He caut chaenjing vues of th ground cuverd with men hoo wer all 
runing liek persood imps, and yeling. 
   To th yooth it was an onslaut of re-doutabl dragons. He becaem liek th 
man hoo lost his legs at th aproech of th red and green monster. He waeted in 
a sort of a horrified, lisening atitued. He seemd to shut his ies and waet 
to be gobld. 
   A man neer him hoo up to this tiem had bin werking feeverishly at his riefl 
sudenly stopt and ran with houls. A lad hoos faes had born an expreshun of 
exallted curej, th majesty of he hoo dairs giv his lief, was, at an instant, 
smiten abject. He blancht liek wun hoo has cum to th ej of a clif at 
midniet and is sudenly maed awair. Thair was a revelaeshun. He, too, throo doun 
his gun and fled. Thair was no shaem in his faes. He ran liek a rabit. 
   Uthers began to scamper awae thru th smoek. Th yooth ternd his hed, 
shaeken frum his trans bi this moovment as if th rejiment was leeving him 
behiend. He saw th fue fleeting forms. 
   He yeld then with friet and swung about. For a moement, in th graet 
clamor, he was liek a 


Paej 69

proverbial chiken. He lost th direcshun of saefty. Destrucshun thretend him 
frum all points. 
   Directly he began to speed tord th reer in graet leeps. His riefl and cap 
wer gon. His unbuttoned coet buljd in th wind. Th flap of his cartrij box 
bobd wieldly, and his canteen, bi its slender cord, swung out behiend. On his 
faes was all th horror of thoes things which he imajind. 
   Th lootenant sprang forward bawling. Th yooth saw his feechers wrathfully 
red, and saw him maek a dab with his sord. His wun thaut of th insident was 
that th lootenant was a pecuelyar creecher to feel interested in such maters 
upon this ocaezhun. 
   He ran liek a bliend man. Too or three tiems he fel doun. Wuns he nokt his 
shoelder so hevily agenst a tree that he went hedlong. 
   Sinss he had ternd his bak upon th fiet his feers had bin wundrusly 
magnified. Deth about to thrust him between th shoelder blaeds was far mor 
dredful than deth about to smite him between th ies. When he thaut of it 
laeter, he conseevd th impreshun that it is beter to vue th apalling than 
to be meerly within heering. Th noizes of th batl wer liek stoens; he 
beleevd himself lieabl to be crusht. 


Paej 70


   As he ran he minggld with uthers. He dimly saw men on his riet and on his 
left, and he herd fuutsteps behiend him. He thaut that all th rejiment was 
fleeing, persood bi thees ominus crashes. 
   In his fliet th sound of thees foloeing fuutsteps gaev him his wun meeger 
releef. He felt vaegly that deth must maek a ferst chois of th men hoo wer 
neerest; th inishal morsels for th dragons wuud be then thoes hoo wer 
foloeing him. So he displaed th zeel of an insaen sprinter in his perpos to 
keep them in th reer. Thair was a raes. 
   As he, leeding, went across a litl feeld, he found himself in a reejon of 
shels. Thae hertld oever his hed with long wield screems. As he lisend he 
imajind them to hav roes of crooel teeth that grind at him. Wuns wun lit 
befor him and th livid lietning of th exploezhun efekchualy bard th wae 
in his choezen direcshun. He groveld on th ground and then springing up went 
careering off thru sum buushes. 
   He expeeryenst a thril of amaezment when he caem within vue of a batery in 
acshun. Th men thair seemd to be in convenshunal moods, alltogether unawair of 
th impending anieilaeshun. Th batery was dispueting with a distant 


Paej 71

antagonist and th guners wer rapt in admeraeshun of thair shooting. Thae 
wer continuealy bending in coexing poschers oever th guns. Thae seemd to be 
pating them on th bak and encurejing them with werds. Th guns, stolid and 
undaunted, spoek with daugd valor. 
   Th presies guners wer cooly enthooziastic. Thae lifted thair ies evry 
chans to th smoek  reethd hilok frum whens th hostil batery adrest 
them. Th yooth pityd them as he ran. Methodical idiots! Masheen liek fools! 
Th refiend joi of planting shels in th midst of th uther battery's formaeshun 
wuud apeer a litl thing when th infantry caem swooping out of th wuuds. 
   Th faes of a yoothful rieder, hoo was jerking his frantic hors with an 
abandon of temper he miet displae in a plasid barn-yard, was imprest deeply 
upon his miend. He nue that he luukt upon a man hoo wuud prezently be ded. 
   Too, he felt a pity for th guns, standing, six guud comrads, in a boeld ro. 

   He saw a brigaed going to th releef of its pestered feloes. He scrambld 
upon a wee hil and wocht it sweeping fienly, keeping formaeshun in dificult 
plaeses. Th bloo of th lien was crusted 


Paej 72

with steel culor, and th brilyant flags projected. Offisers wer shouting. 
   This siet allso fild him with wunder. Th brigaed was herying briskly to 
be gulped into th infernal mouths of th wor god. Whut maner of men wer thae, 
enyhow? Aa, it was sum wundrus breed! Or els thae didn't comprehend -- th 
fools. 
   A fuerius order cauzd comoeshun in th artilery lery. An offiser on a 
bounding hors maed manieacal moeshuns with his arms. Th teems went swinging up 
frum th reer, th guns wer wherld about, and th batery scamperd awae. Th 
canon with thair noezes poekt slantingly at th ground grunted and grumbld liek 
stout men, braev but with objecshuns to hery. 
   Th yooth went on, moderaeting his paes sinss he had left th plaes of noizes. 

   Laeter he caem upon a jeneral of divizhun seeted upon a hors that prikt its 
eers in an interested wae at th batl. Thair was a graet gleeming of yelo 
and patent lether about th sadl and briedl. Th qieet man astried luukt 
mous culord upon such a splendid charger. 
   A jinggling staf was galoping hither and thither. Sumtiems th jeneral was 
serounded bi horsmen and at uther tiems he was qiet 


Paej 73

aloen. He luukt to be much harrast. He had th apeerans of a biznes man 
hoos market is swinging up and doun. 
   Th yooth went slinking around this spot. He went as neer as he daird trieing 
to oeverheer werds. Perhaps th jeneral, unaebl to comprehend caeos, miet call 
upon him for informaeshun. And he cuud tel him. He nue all conserning it. Of a 
shurty th fors was in a fix, and eny fool cuud see that if thae did not 
retreet whiel thae had oportuenity -- whi -- 
   He felt that he wuud liek to thrash th jeneral, or at leest aproech and 
tel him in plaen werds exactly whut he thaut him to be. It was criminal to 
stae caamly in wun spot and maek no efort to stae destrucshun. He loitered in a 
feever of eegernes for th divizhun comander to apli to him. 
   As he wairily moovd about, he herd th jeneral call out iritably: "Tompkins, 
go oever an' see Taylor, an' tel him not t' be in such an all allfired hery; 
tel him t' hallt his brigaed in th' ej of th' wuuds; tel him t' detach a 
reg'ment -- sae I think th' senter 'll braek if we don't help it out sum; tel 
him t' hery up." 
   A slim yooth on a fien chesnut hors caut thees swift werds frum th mouth 
of his supeerior. He maed his hors bound into a galop allmoest 


Paej 74

frum a wauk in his haest to go upon his mishun. Thair was a cloud of dust. 
   A moement laeter th yooth saw th jeneral bouns exsietedly in his sadl. 
   "Yes, bi hevens, thae hav!" Th offiser leend forward. His faes was aflaem 
with exsietment. "Yes, bi hevens, thae 've held 'im! Thae 've held 'im!" 
   He began to bliethly ror at his staf: "We 'll wolop 'im now. We 'll wolop 
'im now. We 've got 'em shur." He ternd sudenly upon an aed: "Heer -- U -- 
Jones -- qik -- ried after Tompkins -- see Taylor -- tel him t' go in -- 
everlastingly -- liek blazes -- enything." 
   As anuther offiser sped his hors after th ferst mesenjer, th jeneral 
beemd upon th erth liek a sun. In his ies was a dezier to chant a peean. He 
kept repeeting, "Thae 've held 'em, bi hevens!" 
   His exsietment maed his hors plunj, and he merrily kikt and swor at it. 
He held a litl carnival of joi on horsbak. 


Paej 75


Chapter 7
CHAPTER VII.
   TH yooth crinjd as if discuverd in a criem. Bi hevens, thae had wun after 
all! Th imbisil lien had remaend and becum victors. He cuud heer cheering. 
   He lifted himself upon his toes and luukt in th direcshun of th fiet. A 
yelo fog lae woloeing on th treetops. Frum beneeth it caem th clater of 
musketry. Hors cries toeld of an advans. 
   He ternd awae amaezd and anggry. He felt that he had bin rongd. 
   He had fled, he toeld himself, becauz anieilaeshun aproecht. He had dun a 
guud part in saeving himself, hoo was a litl pees of th army. He had 
considerd th tiem, he sed, to be wun in which it was th duety of evry litl 
pees to rescue itself if posibl. Laeter th offisers cuud fit th litl 
peeses together agen, and maek a batl frunt. If nun of th litl peeses 
wer wiez enuf to saev themselvs frum th flery of deth at such 


Paej 76

a tiem, whi, then, wherr wuud be th army? It was all plaen that he had 
proseeded acording to verry corect and comendabl rools. His acshuns had bin 
sagaeshus things. Thae had bin fuul of stratejy. Thae wer th werk of a 
master's legs. 
   Thauts of his comrads caem to him. Th brittle bloo lien had withstuud th 
bloes and wun. He groo biter oever it. It seemd that th bliend ignorans and 
stoopidity of thoes litl peeses had betraed him. He had bin oeverternd and 
crusht bi thair lak of sens in hoelding th pozishun, when intelijent 
deliberaeshun wuud hav convinst them that it was imposibl. He, th 
enlietend man hoo luuks afar in th dark, had fled becauz of his supeerior 
persepshuns and nolej. He felt a graet angger agenst his comrads. He nue 
it cuud be proovd that thae had bin fools. 
   He wunderd whut thae wuud remark when laeter he apeerd in camp. His miend 
herd houls of derizhun. Thair density wuud not enaebl them to understand his 
sharper point of vue. 
   He began to pity himself acuetly. He was il uezd. He was trodden beneeth th 
feet of an ieern injustis. He had proseeded with wizdom and frum th moest 
riechus moetivs under 


Paej 77

heaven's bloo oenly to be frustraeted bi haetful sercumstanses. 
   A dul, animal liek rebelyon agenst his feloes, wor in th abstract, and 
faet groo within him. He shambld along with bowd hed, his braen in a toomult 
of agony and despair. When he luukt loweringly up, qivering at eech sound, his 
ies had th expreshun of thoes of a criminal hoo thinks his gilt and his 
punishment graet, and noes that he can fiend no werds. 
   He went frum th feelds into a thik wuuds, as if rezolvd to berry himself. 
He wisht to get out of heering of th crakling shots which wer to him liek 
voises. 
   Th ground was cluterd with viens and buushes, and th trees groo cloes and 
spred out liek boekaes. He was obliejd to fors his wae with much noiz. Th 
creepers, caching agenst his legs, cried out harshly as thair spraes wer torn 
frum th barks of trees. Th swishing saplings tried to maek noen his prezens 
to th werld. He cuud not consiliaet th forest. As he maed his wae, it was 
allwaes calling out proetestaeshuns. When he separaeted embraeses of trees and viens 
th disterbd foliages waevd thair arms and ternd thair faes leevs tord him. 
He dreded lest thees noizy moeshuns and cries shuud 


Paej 78

bring men to luuk at him. So he went far, seeking dark and intriket plaeses. 
   After a tiem th sound of musketry groo faent and th canon boomd in th 
distans. Th sun, sudenly aparrent, blaezd amung th trees. Th insects wer 
maeking rithmical noizes. Thae seemd to be griending thair teeth in uenison. A 
wuudpeker stuk his impuedent hed around th sied of a tree. A berd floo on 
liet-harted wing. 
   Off was th rumbl of deth. It seemd now that Naecher had no eers. 
   This landscaep gaev him ashurans. A fair feeld hoelding lief. It was th 
relijon of pees. It wuud die if its timid ies wer compeld to see blud. 
He conseevd Naecher to be a wuuman with a deep averzhun to trajedy. 
   He throo a pien coen at a joevial sqerel, and he ran with chatering feer. 
Hi in a treetop he stopt, and, poeking his hed caushusly frum behiend a 
branch, luukt doun with an air of trepidaeshun. 
   Th yooth felt trieumfant at this exibishun. Thair was th law, he sed. 
Naecher had given him a sien. Th sqerel, imeedyetly upon recogniezing daenjer, 
had taeken to his legs without adoo. He did not stand stolidly baring his fery 
bely to th misil, and die with an upward glans at th simpathetic hevens. 
On th 


Paej 79

contrairy, he had fled as fast as his legs cuud carry him; and he was but an 
ordinairy sqerel, too -- doutles no filosofer of his raes. Th yooth 
wended, feeling that Naecher was of his miend. She re enforst his arguement with 
proofs that livd wherr th sun shoen. 
   Wuns he found himself allmoest into a swomp. He was obliejd to wauk upon bog 
tufts and woch his feet to keep frum th oily mier. Pauzing at wun tiem to luuk 
about him he saw, out at sum blak wauter, a small animal pouns in and emerj 
directly with a gleeming fish. 
   Th yooth went agen into th deep thikets. Th brusht branches maed a 
noiz that dround th sounds of canon. He waukt on, going frum obscuerity into 
promises of a graeter obscuerity. 
   At length he reecht a plaes wherr th hi, arching bows maed a chapel. He 
sofftly puusht th green dors asied and enterd. Pien needls wer a jentl 
broun carpet. Thair was a relijus haf liet. 
   Neer th threshhoeld he stopt, horror striken at th siet of a thing. 
   He was being luukt at bi a ded man hoo was seeted with his bak agenst a 
columnlike tree. Th corps was drest in a ueniform that wuns had bin bloo, 
but was now faeded to a melancoly shaed of green. Th ies, stairing at th 


Paej 80

yooth, had chaenjd to th dul hue to be seen on th sied of a ded fish. Th 
mouth was oepen. Its red had chaenjd to an apalling yelo. Oever th grae skin 
of th faes ran litl ants. Wun was trundling sum sort of a bundl along th 
uper lip. 
   Th yooth gaev a shreek as he confrunted th thing. He was for moements ternd 
to stoen befor it. He remaend stairing into th liqid luuking ies. Th ded 
man and th living man exchaenjd a long luuk. Then th yooth caushusly puut wun 
hand behiend him and braut it agenst a tree. Leening upon this he retreeted, 
step bi step, with his faes stil tord th thing. He feerd that if he ternd 
his bak th body miet spring up and stelthily persoo him. 
   Th branches, puushing agenst him, thretend to thro him oever upon it. His 
ungieded feet, too, caut aggravatingly in brambls; and with it all he 
reseevd a sutl sugjeschun to tuch th corps. As he thaut of his hand upon 
it he shuderd profoundly. 
   At last he berst th bonds which had fasend him to th spot and fled, 
unheeding th underbrush. He was persood bi a siet of th blak ants sworming 
greedily upon th grae faes and venchering horribly neer to th ies. 
   After a tiem he pauzd, and, brethles and 


Paej 81

panting, lisend. He imajind sum straenj vois wuud cum frum th ded 
throet and sqauk after him in horribl menaces. 
   Th trees about th portal of th chapel moovd soughingly in a sofft wind. A 
sad sielens was upon th litl garding edifis.


Paej 82


Chapter 8
CHAPTER VIII.
   TH trees began sofftly to sing a him of twieliet. Th sun sank until slanted 
bronz raes struk th forest. Thair was a lul in th noizes of insects as if 
thae had bowd thair beaks and wer maeking a devoeshunal pauz. Thair was sielens 
saev for th chanted corus of th trees. 
   Then, upon this stilnes, thair sudenly broek a tremendus clangor of 
sounds. A crimzon ror caem frum th distans. 
   Th yooth stopt. He was transfixt bi this terific medly of all noizes. 
It was as if werlds wer being rended. Thair was th riping sound of musketry 
and th braeking crash of th artilery. 
   His miend floo in all direcshuns. He conseevd th too armys to be at eech 
uther panther fashun. He lisend for a tiem. Then he began to run in th 
direcshun of th batl. He saw that it was an ieronical thing for him to be 
runing thus tord that which he had bin at such 


Paej 83

paens to avoid. But he sed, in substans, to himself that if th erth and th 
moon wer about to clash, meny persons wuud doutles plan to get upon th 
roofs to witnes th colizhun. 
   As he ran, he becaem awair that th forest had stopt its muezic, as if at 
last becuming caepabl of heering th forin sounds. Th trees husht and stuud 
moeshunles. Evrything seemd to be lisening to th crakl and clater and 
earshaking thunder. Th corus pealed oever th stil erth. 
   It sudenly ocurd to th yooth that th fiet in which he had bin was, 
after all, but perfunktory poping. In th heering of this prezent din he was 
doutful if he had seen reeal batl seens. This upror explaend a seleschal 
batl; it was tumbling hords a strugl in th air. 
   Reflecting, he saw a sort of a huemor in th point of vue of himself and his 
feloes during th laet encounter. Thae had taeken themselvs and th enemy verry 
seeriusly and had imajind that thae wer desieding th wor. Indivijuals must 
hav supoezd that thae wer cuting th leters of thair naems deep into 
everlasting tablets of bras, or enshrining thair repuetaeshuns forever in th 
harts of thair cuntrymen, whiel, as to fact, th afair wuud apeer in 
printed reports under a 


Paej 84

meek and imateerial tietl. But he saw that it was guud, els, he sed, in batl 
evry wun wuud shurly run saev forlorn hoeps and thair ilk. 
   He went rapidly on. He wisht to cum to th ej of th forest that he miet 
peer out. 
   As he haesend, thair past thru his miend pikchers of stoopendus 
conflicts. His acuemuelaeted thaut upon such subjects was uezd to form seens. 
Th noiz was as th vois of an eloqent being, descriebing. 
   Sumtiems th brambls formd chaens and tried to hoeld him bak. Trees, 
confrunting him, strecht out thair arms and forbaed him to pas. After its 
preevius hostility this nue rezistans of th forest fild him with a fien 
biternes. It seemd that Naecher cuud not be qiet redy to kil him. 
   But he obstinately tuuk roundabout waes, and prezently he was wherr he cuud 
see long grae walls of vaepor wherr lae batl liens. Th voises of canon shuuk 
him. Th musketry sounded in long irreguelar surges that plaed havoc with his 
eers. He stuud regardant for a moement. His ies had an awestruck expreshun. He 
gawked in th direcshun of th fiet. 
   Prezently he proseeded agen on his forward wae. Th batl was liek th 
griending of an imens and terribl masheen to him. Its 


Paej 85

complexitys and powers, its grim proseses, fasinaeted him. He must go cloes 
and see it produes corpses. 
   He caem to a fens and clamberd oever it. On th far sied, th ground was 
literd with cloeths and guns. A nuespaeper, foelded up, lae in th dert. A ded 
soeljer was strecht with his faes hiden in his arm. Farther off thair was a 
groop of foer or fiev corpses keeping mornful cumpany. A hot sun had blaezd 
upon th spot. 
   In this plaes th yooth felt that he was an invaeder. This forgoten part of 
th batl ground was oend bi th ded men, and he heryd, in th vaeg 
aprehenshun that wun of th swoelen forms wuud riez and tel him to begone. 
   He caem fienaly to a roed frum which he cuud see in th distans dark and 
ajitaeted bodys of troops, smoek frinjd. In th laen was a blud staend croud 
streeming to th reer. Th woonded men wer cursing, groening, and waeling. In 
th air, allwaes, was a miety swel of sound that it seemd cuud swae th 
erth. With th curaejus werds of th artilery and th spietful sentenses of 
th musketry minggld red cheers. And frum this reejon of noizes caem th stedy 
curent of th maemd. 
   Wun of th woonded men had a shoeful of 


Paej 86

blud. He hopt liek a scoolboi in a gaem. He was lafing histerricaly. 
   Wun was swairing that he had bin shot in th arm thru th comanding 
general's mismanejment of th army. Wun was marching with an air imitaetiv of 
sum subliem drum maejor. Upon his feechers was an unholy mixcher of merriment 
and agony. As he marcht he sang a bit of doggerel in a hi and qaevering 
vois: 
    "Sing a song 'a vic'try, 
    A poketful 'a buulets, 
    Fiev an' twenty ded men 
    Baekt in a -- pi." Parts of th proseshun limpt and stagerd to this 
tuen. 
   Anuther had th grae seel of deth allredy upon his faes. His lips wer 
curld in hard liens and his teeth wer clincht. His hands wer bludy frum 
wherr he had prest them upon his woond. He seemd to be awaeting th moement 
when he shuud pich hedlong. He staukt liek th specter of a soeljer, his 
ies berning with th power of a stair into th unnoen. 
   Thair wer sum hoo proseeded sulenly, fuul of angger at thair woonds, and 
redy to tern upon enything as an obscuer cauz. 
   An offiser was carryd along bi too privates. He was peevish. "Don't jogl 
so, Johnson, yeh 


Paej 87

fool," he cried. "Think m' leg is maed of ieern? If yeh can't carry me deesent, 
puut me doun an' let sum wun els do it." 
   He beloed at th totering croud hoo blokt th qik march of his 
bearers. "Sae, maek wae thair, can't yeh? Maek wae, dickens taek it all." 
   Thae sulkily parted and went to th roadsides. As he was carryd past thae 
maed pert remarks to him. When he raejd in repli and thretend them, thae toeld 
him to be damd. 
   Th shoelder of wun of th tramping bearers nokt hevily agenst th 
spectral soeljer hoo was stairing into th unnoen. 
   Th yooth joind this croud and marcht along with it. Th torn bodys 
exprest th auful masheenery in which th men had bin entangled. 
   Orderlies and couriers ocaezhunaly broek thru th throng in th roedwae, 
scatering woonded men riet and left, galoping on foloed bi houls. Th 
melancoly march was continuealy disterbd bi th mesenjers, and sumtiems bi 
busling baterys that caem swinging and thumping doun upon them, th offisers 
shouting orders to cleer th wae. 
   Thair was a taterd man, fould with dust, blud and pouder staen frum hair 
to shoos, hoo 


Paej 88

trujd qieetly at th youth's sied. He was lisening with eegernes and much 
huemility to th lurid descripshuns of a beerded sarjent. His leen feechers wor 
an expreshun of au and admeraeshun. He was liek a lisener in a cuntry stor 
to wundrus taels toeld amung th shuugar barrels. He ied th story teler with 
unspeekabl wunder. His mouth was agape in yoekel fashun. 
   Th sarjent, taeking noet of this, gaev pauz to his elaboret history whiel 
he administerd a sardonic coment. "Be keerful, huny, U 'll be a ketchin' 
flies," he sed. 
   Th taterd man shrank bak abashed. 
   After a tiem he began to siedl neer to th yooth, and in a diferent wae tri 
to maek him a frend. His vois was jentl as a girl's vois and his ies wer 
pleeding. Th yooth saw with serpriez that th soeljer had too woonds, wun in 
th hed, bound with a blud soekt rag, and th uther in th arm, maeking that 
member danggl liek a broeken bow. 
   After thae had waukt together for sum tiem th taterd man musterd 
sufishent curej to speek. "Was prity guud fiet, wa'n't it?" he timidly 
sed. Th yooth, deep in thaut, glanst up at th bludy and grim figuer with 
its lamblike ies. "Whut?" 


Paej 89


   "Was prity guud fiet, wa'n't it? 
   "Yes," sed th yooth shortly. He qikend his paes. 
   But th uther hobld industriusly after him. Thair was an air of apolojy in 
his maner, but he evidently thaut that he needed oenly to tauk for a tiem, and 
th yooth wuud perseev that he was a guud felo. 
   "Was prity guud fiet, wa'n't it?" he began in a small vois, and then he 
acheevd th fortitued to continue. "Dern me if I ever see fellers fiet so. 
Laws, how thae did fiet! I knowed th' bois 'd liek when thae onct got sqair at 
it. Th' bois ain't had no fair chanct up t' now, but this tiem thae shoed whut 
thae was. I knowed it 'd tern out this wae. Yeh can't lik them bois. No, ser! 
Thae'r fieters, thae be." 
   He breethd a deep breth of humbl admeraeshun. He had luukt at th yooth 
for encurejment several tiems. He reseevd nun, but grajualy he seemd to 
get absorbd in his subject. 
   "I was talkin' 'cross pikets with a boi frum Georgie, onct, an' that boi, he 
ses, 'your fellers 'll all run liek hel when thae onct hearn a gun,' he ses. 
'mebbe thae wil,' I ses, 'but I don't b'lieve nun of it,' I ses; 'an' 
b'jiminey,' I ses bak t' 'um, 'mebbe yur fellers 'll all run liek hel 


Paej 90

when thae onct hearn a gun,' I ses. He larfed. Wel, thae didn't run t' dae, did 
thae, hae? No, ser! Thae fit, an' fit, an' fit." 
   His hoemly faes was sufuezd with a liet of luv for th army which was to 
him all things buetyful and powerful. 
   After a tiem he ternd to th yooth. "Wherr yeh hit, ol' boi?" he askt in a 
brutherly toen. 
   Th yooth felt instant panic at this qeschun, alltho at ferst its fuul 
import was not born in upon him. 
   "Whut?" he askt. 
   "Wherr yeh hit?" repeeted th taterd man. 
   "Whi," began th yooth, "I -- I -- that is -- whi -- I -- " 
   He ternd awae sudenly and slid thru th croud. His brow was hevily 
flusht, and his finggers wer piking nervusly at wun of his butons. He bent 
his hed and fasend his ies stoodiusly upon th buton as if it wer a litl 
problem. 
   Th taterd man luukt after him in astonishment.


Paej 91


Chapter 9
CHAPTER IX.
   TH yooth fel bak in th proseshun until th taterd soeljer was not in 
siet. Then he started to wauk on with th uthers. 
   But he was amid woonds. Th mob of men was bleeding. Becauz of th taterd 
soldier's qeschun he now felt that his shaem cuud be vued. He was 
continuealy casting siedlong glanses to see if th men wer contemplaeting th 
leters of gilt he felt bernd into his brow. 
   At tiems he regarded th woonded soeljers in an envius wae. He conseevd 
persons with torn bodys to be pecuelyarly hapy. He wisht that he, too, had a 
woond, a red baj of curej. 
   Th spectral soeljer was at his sied liek a stauking reproech. Th man's ies 
wer stil fixt in a stair into th unnoen. His grae, apalling faes had 
atracted atenshun in th croud, and men, sloeing to his dreery paes, wer 
wauking with him. Thae wer discusing his pliet, qeschuning him and giving 
him advies. 


Paej 92

In a daugd wae he repeld them, siening to them to go on and leev him aloen. 
Th shadoes of his faes wer deepening and his tiet lips seemd hoelding in 
chek th moen of graet despair. Thair cuud be seen a serten stifnes in th 
moovments of his body, as if he wer taeking infinit cair not to arouz th 
pashun of his woonds. As he went on, he seemd allwaes luuking for a plaes, liek 
wun hoo goes to chooz a graev. 
   Sumthing in th jescher of th man as he waevd th bludy and pitying 
soeljers awae maed th yooth start as if biten. He yeld in horror. Totering 
forward he laed a qivering hand upon th man's arm. As th later sloely ternd 
his waxlike feechers tord him, th yooth screemd: 
   "Gawd! Jim Conklin!" 
   Th tall soeljer maed a litl comonplaes smiel. "Helo, Henry," he sed. 
   Th yooth swaed on his legs and glaird straenjly. He stuterd and 
stamerd. "O, Jim -- o, Jim -- o, Jim -- " 
   Th tall soeljer held out his gory hand. Thair was a cuerius red and blak 
combinaeshun of nue blud and oeld blud upon it. "Wherr yeh bin, Henry?" he 
askt. He continued in a monotonus vois, "I thaut mebbe yeh got keeled 


Paej 93

oever. Thair 's bin thunder t' pae t' dae. I was worryin' about it a guud deel." 

   Th yooth stil lamented. "O, Jim -- o, Jim -- o, Jim -- " 
   "Yeh noe," sed th tall soeljer, "I was out thair." He maed a cairful 
jescher. "An', Lord, whut a sercus! An', b'jiminey, I got shot -- I got shot. 
Yes, b'jiminey, I got shot." He reeiteraeted this fact in a bewilderd wae, as if 
he did not noe how it caem about. 
   Th yooth puut forth ankshus arms to asist him, but th tall soeljer went 
fermly on as if propeld. Sinss th youth's arieval as a gardian for his 
frend, th uther woonded men had seest to displae much interest. Thae ocuepied 
themselvs agen in draging thair oen trajedys tord th reer. 
   Sudenly, as th too frends marcht on, th tall soeljer seemd to be 
oevercum bi a terror. His faes ternd to a semblans of grae paest. He clucht 
th youth's arm and luukt all about him, as if dreding to be oeverherd. Then 
he began to speek in a shaeking whisper: 
   "I tel yeh whut I'm 'fraid of, Henry -- I 'll tel yeh whut I 'm 'fraid of. 
I 'm 'fraid I 'll fall doun -- an' then yeh noe -- them damd artilery wagons 
-- thae liek as not 'll run oever me. That 's whut I 'm 'fraid of -- " 


Paej 94


   Th yooth cried out to him histerricaly: "I 'll taek cair of yeh, Jim! I'l 
taek cair of yeh! I swair t' Gawd I wil!" 
   "Shur -- wil yeh, Henry?" th tall soeljer beseeched. 
   "Yes -- yes -- I tel yeh -- I'l taek cair of yeh, Jim!" proetested th 
yooth. He cuud not speek acueretly becauz of th gulpings in his throet. 
   But th tall soeljer continued to beg in a loely wae. He now hung babelike to 
th youth's arm. His ies roeld in th wieldnes of his terror. "I was allus a 
guud frend t' yeh, wa'n't I, Henry? I 've allus bin a prity guud feller, 
ain't I? An' it ain't much t' ask, is it? Jest t' puul me along outer th' roed? 
I 'd do it fer U, Wuudn't I, Henry?" 
   He pauzd in pitius angzieity to awaet his friend's repli. 
   Th yooth had reecht an anggwish wherr th sobs scorcht him. He stroev to 
expres his loialty, but he cuud oenly maek fantastic jeschers. 
   However, th tall soeljer seemd sudenly to forget all thoes feers. He 
becaem agen th grim, stauking specter of a soeljer. He went stoenily forward. 
Th yooth wisht his frend to leen upon him, but th uther allwaes shuuk his 
hed and straenjly proetested. "No -- no -- no -- leev me be -- leev me be -- " 



Paej 95


   His luuk was fixt agen upon th unnoen. He moovd with misteerius perpos, 
and all of th youth's offers he brusht asied. "No -- no -- leev me be -- 
leev me be -- " 
   Th yooth had to folo. 
   Prezently th later herd a vois tauking sofftly neer his shoelders. Terning 
he saw that it belongd to th taterd soeljer. "Ye 'd beter taek 'im outa th' 
roed, pardner. Thair 's a batt'ry comin' helitywhoop doun th' roed an' he 'll 
git runned oever. He 's a goner enyhow in about fiev minits -- yeh kin see that. 
Ye 'd beter taek 'im outa th' roed. Wherr th' blazes duz he git his stren'th 
frum?" 
   "Lord noes!" cried th yooth. He was shaeking his hands helplesly. 
   He ran forward prezently and graspt th tall soeljer bi th arm. "Jim! Jim!" 
he coext, "cum with me." 
   Th tall soeljer weekly tried to rench himself free. "Hu," he sed 
vacantly. He staird at th yooth for a moement. At last he spoek as if dimly 
comprehending. "O! Inteh th' feelds? O!" 
   He started bliendly thru th gras. 
   Th yooth ternd wuns to luuk at th lashing rieders and jouncing guns of th 
batery. He was startld frum this vue bi a shril outcri frum th taterd 
man. 


Paej 96


   "Gawd! He's runnin'!" 
   Terning his hed swiftly, th yooth saw his frend runing in a stagering 
and stumbling wae tord a litl clump of buushes. His hart seemd to rench 
itself allmoest free frum his body at this siet. He maed a noiz of paen. He and 
th taterd man began a persoot. Thair was a singguelar raes. 
   When he oevertuuk th tall soeljer he began to pleed with all th werds he 
cuud fiend. "Jim -- Jim -- whut ar U doing -- whut maeks U do this wae -- 
U 'll hert yerself." 
   Th saem perpos was in th tall soldier's faes. He proetested in a duld 
wae, keeping his ies fasend on th mistic plaes of his intenshuns. "No -- no 
-- don't tec me -- leev me be -- leev me be -- " 
   Th yooth, agast and fild with wunder at th tall soeljer, began 
qaeveringly to qeschun him. "Wherr yeh goin', Jim? Whut U thinking about? 
Wherr U going? Tel me, woen't U, Jim?" 
   Th tall soeljer faest about as upon relentles persooers. In his ies thair 
was a graet apeel. "Leev me be, can't yeh? Leev me be fer a minnit." 
   Th yooth recoild. "Whi, Jim," he sed, in a daezd wae, "whut's th mater 
with U?" 


Paej 97


   Th tall soeljer ternd and, lerching daenjerusly, went on. Th yooth and th 
taterd soeljer foloed, sneeking as if whipt, feeling unaebl to faes th 
striken man if he shuud agen confrunt them. Thae began to hav thauts of a 
solem serremoeny. Thair was sumthing riet liek in thees moovments of th doomd 
soeljer. And thair was a rezemblans in him to a devotee of a mad relijon, 
blud suking, musl renching, boen crushing. Thae wer aud and afraed. Thae 
hung bak lest he hav at comand a dredful wepon. 
   At last, thae saw him stop and stand moeshun les. Haesening up, thae 
perseevd that his faes wor an expreshun teling that he had at last found th 
plaes for which he had strugld. His spair figuer was erect; his bludy hands 
wer qieetly at his sied. He was waeting with paeshens for sumthing that he had 
cum to meet. He was at th rondevoo. Thae pauzd and stuud, expectant. 
   Thair was a sielens. 
   Fienaly, th chest of th doomd soeljer began to heev with a straend 
moeshun. It increest in vieolens until it was as if an animal was within and was 
kiking and tumbling fueriusly to be free. 
   This spectacl of grajual strangguelaeshun maed 


Paej 98

th yooth rieth, and wuns as his frend roeld his ies, he saw sumthing in 
them that maed him sink waeling to th ground. He raezd his vois in a last 
supreem call. 
   "Jim -- Jim -- Jim -- " 
   Th tall soeljer oepend his lips and spoek. He maed a jescher. "Leev me be 
-- don't tec me -- leev me be -- " 
   Thair was anuther sielens whiel he waeted. 
   Sudenly, his form stifend and straetend. Then it was shaeken bi a 
prolongd ague. He staird into spaes. To th too wochers thair was a cuerius 
and profound dignity in th ferm liens of his auful faes. 
   He was invaeded bi a creeping straenjnes that sloely enveloped him. For a 
moement th tremor of his legs cauzd him to dans a sort of hidius hornpiep. 
His arms beet wieldly about his hed in expreshun of implike enthooziazm. 
   His tall figuer strecht itself to its fuul hiet. Thair was a sliet 
rending sound. Then it began to swing forward, slo and straet, in th maner 
of a falling tree. A swift muscuelar contorshun maed th left shoelder striek th 
ground ferst. 
   Th body seemd to bouns a litl wae frum th erth. "God!" sed th 
taterd soeljer. 
   Th yooth had wocht, spelbound, this serremoeny at th plaes of meeting. His 
faes 


Paej 99

had bin twisted into an expreshun of evry agony he had imajind for his 
frend. 
   He now sprang to his feet and, going cloeser, gaezd upon th pastelike faes. 
Th mouth was oepen and th teeth shoed in a laf. 
   As th flap of th bloo jaket fel awae frum th body, he cuud see that th 
sied luukt as if it had bin chood bi wuulvs. 
   Th yooth ternd, with suden, livid raej, tord th batlfeeld. He shuuk 
his fist. He seemd about to deliver a filipic. 
   "Hel -- " 
   Th red sun was paested in th skie liek a waefer.


Paej 100


Chapter 10
CHAPTER X.
   TH taterd man stuud muezing. 
   "Wel, he was reg'lar jim dandy fer nerv, wa'n't he," sed he fienaly in a 
litl awestruck vois. "A reg'lar jim dandy." He thautfuly poekt wun of th 
dosil hands with his fuut. "I wonner wherr he got 'is stren'th frum? I never 
seen a man do liek that befor. It was a funy thing. Wel, he was a reg'lar jim 
dandy." 
   Th yooth dezierd to screech out his greef. He was stabd, but his tung 
lae ded in th toom of his mouth. He throo himself agen upon th ground and 
began to brood. 
   Th taterd man stuud muezing. 
   "Luuk a heer, pardner," he sed, after a tiem. He regarded th corps as he 
spoek. "He 's up an' gon, ain't 'e, an' we miet as wel begin t' luuk out fer 
ol' number wun. This heer thing is all oever. He 's up an' gon, ain't 'e? An' he 
's all riet heer. Noebody woen't bother 'im. An' I must sae I ain't enjoiing eny 
graet helth m'self thees daes." 


Paej 101


   Th yooth, awaekend bi th taterd soldier's toen, luukt qikly up. He saw 
that he was swinging unsertanly on his legs and that his faes had ternd to a 
shaed of bloo. 
   "Guud Lord!" he cried, "U ain't goin' t' -- not U, too." 
   Th taterd man waevd his hand. "Nairy die," he sed. "All I wont is sum pee 
soop an' a guud bed. Sum pee soop," he repeeted dreamfully. 
   Th yooth aroez frum th ground. "I wunder wherr he caem frum. I left him 
oever thair." He pointed. "And now I fiend 'im heer. And he was cuming frum oever 
thair, too." He indicaeted a nue direcshun. Thae boeth ternd tord th body as 
if to ask of it a qeschun. 
   "Wel," at length spoek th taterd man, "thair ain't no ues in our stayin' 
heer an' tryin' t' ask him enything." 
   Th yooth noded an asent weerily. Thae boeth ternd to gaez for a moement at 
th corps. 
   Th yooth mermerd sumthing. 
   "Wel, he was a jim dandy, wa'n't 'e?" sed th taterd man as if in 
respons. 
   Thae ternd thair baks upon it and started awae. For a tiem thae stoel 
sofftly, treding with thair toes. It remaend lafing thair in th gras. 


Paej 102


   "I'm commencin' t' feel prity bad," sed th taterd man, sudenly braeking 
wun of his litl sielenses. "I'm commencin' t' feel prity damn' bad." 
   Th yooth groend. "O Lord!" He wunderd if he was to be th torcherd witnes 
of anuther grim encounter. 
   But his companyon waevd his hand re-ashuringly. "O, I'm not goin' t' die yit! 
Thair too much dependin' on me fer me t' die yit. No, ser! Nairy die! I can't! 
Ye'd oughta see th' swad a' chil'ren I'v got, an' all liek that." 
   Th yooth glansing at his companyon cuud see bi th shado of a smiel that 
he was maeking sum kiend of fun. 
   As thae ploded on th taterd soeljer continued to tauk. "Besieds, if I 
died, I wuudn't die th' wae that feller did. That was th' funyest thing. I'd 
jest flop doun, I wuud. I never seen a feller die th' wae that feller did. 
   "Yeh noe Tom Jamison, he lievs next dor t' me up hoem. He's a nies feller, 
he is, an' we was allus guud frends. Smart, too. Smart as a steel trap. Wel, 
when we was a fightin' this atternoon, all of a suden he begin t' rip up an' 
cuss an' beller at me. 'yer shot, yeh blaemd infernal!' -- he swair horribl -- 
he ses t' me. I puut up m' hand t' m' hed an' when I luukt at 


Paej 103

m' finggers, I seen, shur 'nough, I was shot. I giv a holler an' begin t' run, 
but b'fore I cuud git awae anuther wun hit me in th' arm an' whirl' me cleen 
'round. I got skeared when thae was all a shootin' b'hind me an' I run t' beet 
all, but I cotch it prity bad. I'v an idee I'd a' bin fightin' yit, if t'was 
n't fer Tom Jamison." 
   Then he maed a caam anounsment: "Thair's too of 'em -- litl wuns -- but 
thae 're beginnin' t' hav fun with me now. I don't b'lieve I kin wauk much 
furder." 
   Thae went sloely on in sielens. "Yeh luuk prity peek ed yerself," sed th 
taterd man at last. "I bet yeh 've got a worser wun than yeh think. Ye'd 
beter taek keer of yer hert. It don't do t' let sech things go. It miet be 
insied moestly, an' them plaes thunder. Wherr is it loecaeted?" But he continued 
his harang without waeting for a repli. "I see 'a feller git hit plum in th' 
hed when mi reg'ment was a standin' at eez onct. An' evrybody yeld out to 
'im: Hert, John? Ar yeh hert much? 'no," ses he. He luukt kiender serpriezd, 
an' he went on tellin' 'em how he felt. He sed he didn't feel nothin'. But, bi 
dad, th' ferst thing that feller knowed he was ded. Yes, he was ded -- stoen 
ded. So, yeh wanta woch out. Yeh miet hav sum 


Paej 104

qeer kiend 'a hert yerself. Yeh can't never tel. Wherr is your'n loecaeted?" 
   Th yooth had bin wriggling sinss th introducshun of this topic. He now 
gaev a cri of exasperaeshun and maed a fuerius moeshun with his hand. "O, don't 
bother me!" he sed. He was enraejd agenst th taterd man, and cuud hav 
stranggld him. His companyons seemd ever to plae intolerabl parts. Thae wer 
ever upraising th goest of shaem on th stik of thair cueriosity. He ternd 
tord th taterd man as wun at bae. "Now, don't bother me," he repeeted with 
desperet menis. 
   "Wel, Lord noes I don't wanta bother enybody," sed th uther. Thair was a 
litl acsent of despair in his vois as he replied, "Lord noes I 've gota 
'nough m' oen t' tend to." 
   Th yooth, hoo had bin hoelding a biter debaet with himself and casting 
glanses of haetred and contempt at th taterd man, heer spoek in a hard vois. 
"Guud bi," he sed. 
   Th taterd man luukt at him in gaeping amaezment. "Whi -- whi, pardner, 
wherr yeh goin'?" he askt unstedily. Th yooth luuking at him, cuud see that 
he, too, liek that uther wun, was begining to act dum and animal liek. His 
thauts seemd to be floundering about in his hed. "Now -- now -- luuk -- a -- 
heer, U Tom 


Paej 105

Jamison -- now -- I woen't hav this -- this heer woen't do. Wherr -- wherr yeh 
goin'?" 
   Th yooth pointed vaegly. "Oever thair," he replied. 
   "Wel, now luuk -- a -- heer -- now," sed th taterd man, rambling on in 
idiot fashun. His hed was hanging forward and his werds wer slerd. "This 
thing woen't do, now, Tom Jamison. It woen't do. I noe yeh, yeh pig heded devil. 
Yeh wanta go trompin' off with a bad hert. It ain't riet -- now -- Tom Jamison 
-- it ain't. Yeh wanta leev me taek keer of yeh, Tom Jamison. It ain't -- riet 
-- it ain't -- fer yeh t' go -- trompin' off -- with a bad hert -- it ain't -- 
ain't -- ain't riet -- it ain't." 
   In repli th yooth cliemd a fens and started awae. He cuud heer th 
taterd man bleeting plaintively. 
   Wuns he faest about anggrily. "Whut?" 
   "Luuk -- a -- heer, now, Tom Jamison -- now -- it ain't -- " 
   Th yooth went on. Terning at a distans he saw th taterd man waandering 
about helplesly in th feeld. 
   He now thaut that he wisht he was ded. He beleevd that he envyd thoes 
men hoos bodys lae stroon oever th gras of th feelds and on th fallen 
leevs of th forest. 


Paej 106


   Th simpl qeschuns of th taterd man had bin nief thrusts to him. Thae 
aserted a sosieety that proebs pitylesly at seecrets until all is aparrent. His 
laet companion's chans persistensy maed him feel that he cuud not keep his 
criem conseeld in his buuzom. It was shur to be braut plaen bi wun of thoes 
arroes which cloud th air and ar constantly priking, discuvering, proclaeming 
thoes things which ar wild to be forever hiden. He admited that he cuud 
not defend himself agenst this aejensy. It was not within th power of 
vijilans.


Paej 107


Chapter 11
CHAPTER XI.
   HE becaem awair that th fernis ror of th batl was groeing louder. Graet 
broun clouds had floeted to th stil hiets of air befor him. Th noiz, too, 
was aproeching. Th wuuds filterd men and th feelds becaem doted. 
   As he rounded a hilok, he perseevd that th roedwae was now a crieing mas 
of wagons, teems, and men. Frum th heeving tanggl ishood exortaeshuns, 
comands, imprecaeshuns. Feer was sweeping it all along. Th craking whips bit 
and horses plunjd and tugd. Th whiet topt wagons straend and stumbld in 
thair exershuns liek fat sheep. 
   Th yooth felt cumforted in a mezher bi this siet. Thae wer all 
retreeting. Perhaps, then, he was not so bad after all. He seeted himself and 
wocht th terror striken wagons. Thae fled liek sofft, ungaenly animals. All 
th roarers and lashers servd to help him to magnifi th daenjers and horrors of 
th engaejment that he 


Paej 108

miet tri to proov to himself that th thing with which men cuud charj him was 
in trooth a simetrical act. Thair was an amount of plezher to him in woching 
th wield march of this vindicaeshun. 
   Prezently th caam hed of a forward going colum of infantry apeerd in th 
roed. It caem swiftly on. Avoiding th obstructions gaev it th sinueus moovment 
of a serpent. Th men at th hed buted muels with thair musket stoks. Thae 
proded teemsters indiferent to all houls. Th men forst thair wae thru 
parts of th dens mas bi strength. Th blunt hed of th colum puusht. Th 
raeving teemsters swor meny straenj oeths. 
   Th comands to maek wae had th ring of a graet importans in them. Th men 
wer going forward to th hart of th din. Thae wer to confrunt th eeger rush 
of th enemy. Thae felt th pried of thair onward moovment when th remaender of 
th army seemd trieing to dribl doun this roed. Thae tumbld teems about with 
a fien feeling that it was no mater so long as thair colum got to th frunt in 
tiem. This importans maed thair faeses graev and stern. And th baks of th 
offisers wer verry rijid. 
   As th yooth luukt at them th blak waet of his woe reternd to him. He 
felt that he was 


Paej 109

regarding a proseshun of choezen beings. Th separaeshun was as graet to him as 
if thae had marcht with wepons of flaem and baners of sunliet. He cuud 
never be liek them. He cuud hav wept in his longings. 
   He sercht about in his miend for an adeqet maledicshun for th indefinit 
cauz, th thing upon which men tern th werds of fienal blaem. It -- whutever it 
was -- was responsibl for him, he sed. Thair lae th fallt. 
   Th haest of th colum to reech th batl seemd to th forlorn yung man 
to be sumthing much fiener than stout fieting. Heeroes, he thaut, cuud fiend 
excuezes in that long seething laen. Thae cuud retier with perfect self respect 
and maek excuezes to th stars. 
   He wunderd whut thoes men had eeten that thae cuud be in such haest to 
fors thair wae to grim chanses of deth. As he wocht his envy groo until he 
thaut that he wisht to chaenj lievs with wun of them. He wuud hav liekt to 
hav uezd a tremendus fors, he sed, thro off himself and becum a beter. 
Swift pikchers of himself, apart, yet in himself, caem to him -- a bloo 
desperet figuer leeding lurid charjes with wun nee forward and a broeken blaed 
hi -- a bloo, determind figuer standing befor a crimzon and steel asallt, 
geting caamly kild on a hi 


Paej 110

plaes befor th ies of all. He thaut of th magnifisent paethos of his ded 
body. 
   Thees thauts uplifted him. He felt th qiver of wor dezier. In his eers, 
he herd th ring of victory. He nue th frenzy of a rapid sucsesful charj. 
Th muezic of th trampling feet, th sharp voises, th clanking arms of th 
colum neer him maed him sor on th red wings of wor. For a fue moements he was 
subliem. 
   He thaut that he was about to start for th frunt. Indeed, he saw a pikcher 
of himself, duststained, hagard, panting, flieing to th frunt at th proper 
moement to seez and throtl th dark, leering wich of calamity. 
   Then th dificultys of th thing began to drag at him. He hezitaeted, 
balansing aukwardly on wun fuut. 
   He had no riefl; he cuud not fiet with his hands, sed he resentfully to 
his plan. Wel, riefls cuud be had for th piking. Thae wer extraordinairily 
profues. 
   Allso, he continued, it wuud be a miracl if he found his rejiment. Wel, he 
cuud fiet with eny rejiment. 
   He started forward sloely. He stept as if he expected to tred upon sum 
exploesiv thing. Douts and he wer strugling. 
   He wuud trooly be a werm if eny of his comrads 


Paej 111

shuud see him reterning thus, th marks of his fliet upon him. Thair was a 
repli that th intent fieters did not cair for whut hapend rearward saeving 
that no hostil baeonets apeerd thair. In th batl bler his faes wuud, in a 
wae be hiden, liek th faes of a cowled man. 
   But then he sed that his tierles faet wuud bring forth, when th strief 
luld for a moement, a man to ask of him an explanaeshun. In imajinaeshun he felt 
th scrootiny of his companyons as he paenfuly laebord thru sum lies. 
   Evenchualy, his curej expended itself upon thees objecshuns. Th debaets 
draend him of his fier. 
   He was not cast doun bi this defeet of his plan, for, upon studying th 
afair cairfuly, he cuud not but admit that th objecshuns wer verry 
formidabl. 
   Ferthermor, vairius aelments had begun to cri out. In thair prezens he 
cuud not persist in flieing hi with th wings of wor; thae renderd it allmoest 
imposibl for him to see himself in a heroeic liet. He tumbld hedlong. 
   He discuverd that he had a scorching therst. His faes was so dri and grimy 
that he thaut he cuud feel his skin crakl. Eech boen of his body had an 
aek in it, and seemingly thretend 


Paej 112

to braek with eech moovment. His feet wer liek too sors. Allso, his body was 
calling for food. It was mor powerful than a direct hungger. Thair was a dul, 
waet liek feeling in his stumac, and, when he tried to wauk, his hed swaed 
and he toterd. He cuud not see with distinctness. Small paches of green mist 
floeted befor his vizhun. 
   Whiel he had bin tosst bi meny emoeshuns, he had not bin awair of aelments. 
Now thae beset him and maed clamor. As he was at last compeld to pae atenshun 
to them, his capasity for self haet was multiplied. In despair, he declaird that 
he was not liek thoes uthers. He now conseeded it to be imposibl that he shuud 
ever becum a heero. He was a craeven loon. Thoes pikchers of glory wer pitius 
things. He groend frum his hart and went stagering off. 
   A serten mothlike qolity within him kept him in th visinity of th batl. 
He had a graet dezier to see, and to get nues. He wisht to noe hoo was 
wining. 
   He toeld himself that, despiet his unpresedented sufering, he had never lost 
his greed for a victory, yet, he sed, in a haf apolojetic maner to his 
conshens, he cuud not but noe that a defeet for th army this tiem miet 
meen meny faevorabl things for him. Th bloes of th enemy 


Paej 113

wuud splinter rejiments into fragments. Thus, meny men of curej, he 
considerd, wuud be obliejd to dezurt th culors and scury liek chikens. He 
wuud apeer as wun of them. Thae wuud be sulen bruthers in distres, and he 
cuud then eezily beleev he had not run eny farther or faster than thae. And if 
he himself cuud beleev in his verchuos perfecshun, he conseevd that thair 
wuud be small trubl in convinsing all uthers. 
   He sed, as if in excues for this hoep, that preeviusly th army had 
encounterd graet defeets and in a fue munths had shaeken off all blud and 
tradishun of them, emerjing as briet and valyant as a nue wun; thrusting out of 
siet th memory of dizaster, and apeering with th valor and confidens of 
unconquered leejons. Th shrilling voises of th peepl at hoem wuud piep 
dizmaly for a tiem, but vairius jenerals wer uezhualy compeld to lisen to 
thees ditys. He of cors felt no compunctions for propoezing a jeneral as a 
sacrifies. He cuud not tel hoo th choezen for th barbs miet be, so he cuud 
senter no direct simpathy upon him. Th peepl wer afar and he did not conseev 
public opinyon to be acueret at long raenj. It was qiet probabl thae wuud 
hit th rong man hoo, after he had recuverd frum his amaezment 


Paej 114

wuud perhaps spend th rest of his daes in rieting replies to th songs of his 
alejd faeluer. It wuud be verry unforchunet, no dout, but in this caes a 
jeneral was of no conseqens to th yooth. 
   In a defeet thair wuud be a roundabout vindicaeshun of himself. He thaut it 
wuud proov, in a maner, that he had fled erly becauz of his supeerior powers 
of persepshun. A seerius profet upon predicting a flud shuud be th ferst man 
to cliem a tree. This wuud demonstraet that he was indeed a seeer. 
   A moral vindicaeshun was regarded bi th yooth as a verry important thing. 
Without sav, he cuud not, he thaut, wair th sor baj of his disonor 
thru lief. With his hart continuealy ashuring him that he was despicabl, he 
cuud not exist without maeking it, thru his acshuns, aparrent to all men. 
   If th army had gon gloriusly on he wuud be lost. If th din ment that 
now his army's flags wer tilted forward he was a condemd rech. He wuud be 
compeld to doom himself to iesolaeshun. If th men wer advansing, thair 
indiferent feet wer trampling upon his chanses for a sucsesful lief. 
   As thees thauts went rapidly thru his miend, he ternd upon them and 
tried to thrust 


Paej 115

them awae. He denounst himself as a vilan. He sed that he was th moest 
unuterably selfish man in existens. His miend pikcherd th soeljers hoo wuud 
plaes thair defieant bodys befor th speer of th yeling batl feend, and as 
he saw thair driping corpses on an imajind feeld, he sed that he was thair 
merderer. 
   Agen he thaut that he wisht he was ded. He beleevd that he envyd a 
corps. Thinking of th slain, he acheevd a graet contempt for sum of them, as 
if thae wer gilty for thus becuming liefles. Thae miet hav bin kild bi 
luky chanses, he sed, befor thae had had oportuenitys to flee or befor thae 
had bin reealy tested. Yet thae wuud reseev lorels frum tradishun. He cried 
out biterly that thair crouns wer stoelen and thair roebs of glorius memorys 
wer shams. However, he stil sed that it was a graet pity he was not as thae. 
   A defeet of th army had sugjested itself to him as a meens of escaep frum 
th conseqenses of his fall. He considerd, now, however, that it was uesles 
to think of such a posibility. His ejucaeshun had bin that sucses for that 
miety bloo masheen was serten; that it wuud maek victorys as a contrievans 
terns out butons. He prezently discarded all his specuelaeshuns in th 


Paej 116

uther direcshun. He reternd to th creed of soeljers. 
   When he perseevd agen that it was not posibl for th army to be defeeted, 
he tried to bethink him of a fien tael which he cuud taek bak to his rejiment, 
and with it tern th expected shafts of derizhun. 
   But, as he mortaly feerd thees shafts, it becaem imposibl for him to 
invent a tael he felt he cuud trust. He experrimented with meny skeems, but 
throo them asied wun bi wun as flimzy. He was qik to see vulnerabl plaeses in 
them all. 
   Ferthermor, he was much afraed that sum arro of scorn miet lae him 
mentaly lo befor he cuud raez his protecting tael. 
   He imajind th hoel rejiment saeing: "Wherr's Henry Fleming? He run, didn't 
'e? O, mi!" He recalld vairius persons hoo wuud be qiet shur to leev him no 
pees about it. Thae wuud doutles qeschun him with sneers, and laf at his 
stamering hezitaeshun. In th next engaejment thae wuud tri to keep woch of 
him to discuver when he wuud run. 
   Wherrever he went in camp, he wuud encounter insolent and lingeringly crooel 
stairs. As he imajind himself pasing neer a croud of 


Paej 117

comrads, he cuud heer sum wun sae, "Thair he goes!" 
   Then, as if th heds wer moovd bi wun musl, all th faeses wer ternd 
tord him with wied, deriesiv grins. He seemd to heer sum wun maek a huemorus 
remark in a lo toen. At it th uthers all croed and cakld. He was a slang 
fraez.


Paej 118


Chapter 12
CHAPTER XII.
   TH colum that had buted stoutly at th obstacls in th roedwae was bairly 
out of th youth's siet befor he saw dark waevs of men cum sweeping out of 
th wuuds and doun thru th feelds. He nue at wuns that th steel fiebers had 
bin wosht frum thair harts. Thae wer bersting frum thair coets and thair 
equipments as frum entangglments. Thae charjd doun upon him liek terrified 
bufaloes. 
   Behiend them bloo smoek curld and clouded abuv th treetops, and thru th 
thikets he cuud sumtiems see a distant pink glair. Th voises of th canon 
wer clamoring in interminabl corus. 
   Th yooth was horrorstricken. He staird in agony and amaezment. He forgot 
that he was engaejd in combating th uenivers. He throo asied his mental 
pamflets on th filosofy of th retreeted and rools for th giedans of th 
damd. 


Paej 119


   Th fiet was lost. Th dragons wer cuming with invinsibl strieds. Th 
army, helples in th matted thikets and bliended bi th oeverhanging niet, was 
going to be swoloed. Wor, th red animal, wor, th blud swoelen god, wuud 
hav bloeted fil. 
   Within him sumthing baed to cri out. He had th impuls to maek a ralying 
speech, to sing a batl him, but he cuud oenly get his tung to call into th 
air: "Whi -- whi -- whut -- whut 's th' mater?" 
   Soon he was in th midst of them. Thae wer leeping and scampering all about 
him. Thair blancht faeses shoen in th dusk. Thae seemd, for th moest part, to 
be verry berly men. Th yooth ternd frum wun to anuther of them as thae galopt 
along. His incoeheerent qeschuns wer lost. Thae wer heedles of his apeels. 
Thae did not seem to see him. 
   Thae sumtiems gabbled insaenly. Wun huej man was asking of th skie: "Sae, 
wherr de plank roed? Wherr de plank roed!" It was as if he had lost a chield. He 
wept in his paen and dismae. 
   Prezently, men wer runing hither and thither in all waes. Th artilery 
booming, forward, rearward, and on th flanks maed jumbl of iedeeas of direcshun. 
Landmarks had 


Paej 120

vanisht into th gatherd gloom. Th yooth began to imajin that he had got 
into th senter of th tremendus qorrel, and he cuud perseev no wae out of 
it. Frum th mouths of th fleeing men caem a thouzand wield qeschuns, but no 
wun maed ansers. 
   Th yooth, after rushing about and throeing interrogations at th heedles 
bands of retreeting infantry, fienaly clucht a man bi th arm. Thae swung 
around faes to faes. 
   "Whi -- whi -- " stamerd th yooth strugling with his bauking tung. 
   Th man screemd: "Let go me! Let go me!" His faes was livid and his ies 
wer roeling uncontroeld. He was heeving and panting. He stil graspt his 
riefl, perhaps having forgoten to relees his hoeld upon it. He tugd 
franticaly, and th yooth being compeld to leen forward was dragd several 
paeses. 
   "Let go me! Let go me!" 
   "Whi -- whi -- " stuterd th yooth. 
   "Wel, then!" balld th man in a lurid raej. He adroitly and feersly swung 
his riefl. It crusht upon th youth's hed. Th man ran on. 
   Th youth's finggers had ternd to paest upon th other's arm. Th enerjy was 
smiten frum his musls. He saw th flaeming wings of lietning 


Paej 121

flash befor his vizhun. Thair was a defening rumbl of thunder within his 
hed. 
   Sudenly his legs seemd to die. He sank riething to th ground. He tried to 
ariez. In his eforts agenst th numing paen he was liek a man resling with 
a creecher of th air. 
   Thair was a sinister strugl. 
   Sumtiems he wuud acheev a pozishun haf erect, batl with th air for a 
moement, and then fall agen, grabing at th gras. His faes was of a clamy 
palor. Deep groans wer rencht frum him. 
   At last, with a twisting moovment, he got upon his hands and nees, and frum 
thens, liek a baeb trieing to wauk, to his feet. Presing his hands to his 
templs he went lerching oever th gras. 
   He faut an intens batl with his body. His duld senses wisht him to 
swoon and he opoezd them stubornly, his miend portraeing unnoen daenjers and 
mutilations if he shuud fall upon th feeld. He went tall soeljer fashun. He 
imajind seclooded spots wherr he cuud fall and be unmolested. To serch for wun 
he stroev agenst th tied of his paen. 
   Wuns he puut his hand to th top of his hed and timidly tucht th woond. 
Th scraching paen of th contact maed him draw a long breth 


Paej 122

thru his clincht teeth. His finggers wer dabld with blud. He regarded 
them with a fixt stair. 
   Around him he cuud heer th grumbl of jolted canon as th scurying horses 
wer lasht tord th frunt. Wuns, a yung offiser on a besplashed charger 
neerly ran him doun. He ternd and wocht th mas of guns, men, and horses 
sweeping in a wied curv tord a gap in a fens. Th offiser was maeking exsieted 
moeshuns with a gauntleted hand. Th guns foloed th teems with an air of 
unwilingnes, of being dragd bi th heels. 
   Sum offisers of th scaterd infantry wer cursing and raeling liek 
fishwives. Thair scoelding voises cuud be herd abuv th din. Into th 
unspeekabl jumbl in th roedwae roed a sqodron of cavalry. Th faeded yelo 
of thair facings shoen braevly. Thair was a miety alltercaeshun. 
   Th artilery wer asembling as if for a conferens. 
   Th bloo haez of eevning was upon th feeld. Th liens of forest wer long 
perpl shadoes. Wun cloud lae along th western skie partly smuthering th red. 
   As th yooth left th seen behiend him, he herd th guns sudenly ror out. 
He imajind 


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them shaeking in blak raej. Thae belsht and hould liek bras devils garding a 
gaet. Th sofft air was fild with th tremendus remonstrans. With it caem th 
shatering peel of opoezing infantry. Terning to luuk behiend him, he cuud see 
sheets of orenj liet iloomin th shadoey distans. Thair wer sutl and 
suden lightnings in th far air. At tiems he thaut he cuud see heeving 
mases of men. 
   He heryd on in th dusk. Th dae had faeded until he cuud bairly 
distinggwish plaes for his feet. Th perpl darknes was fild with men hoo 
lekcherd and jabbered. Sumtiems he cuud see them jesticuelaeting agenst th 
bloo and somber skie. Thair seemd to be a graet ruck of men and muenishuns spred 
about in th forest and in th feelds. 
   Th litl narro roedwae now lae liefles. Thair wer oeverternd wagons liek 
sun dried bowlders. Th bed of th former torent was choekt with th bodys of 
horses and splinterd parts of wor masheens. 
   It had cum to pas that his woond paend him but litl. He was afraed to 
moov rapidly, however, for a dred of disterbing it. He held his hed verry stil 
and tuuk meny precaushuns agenst stumbling. He was fild with angzieity, and his 
faes was pincht and drawn in antisipaeshun of th 


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paen of eny suden mistaek of his feet in th gloom. 
   His thauts, as he waukt, fixt intently upon his hert. Thair was a cool, 
liqid feeling about it and he imajind blud mooving sloely doun under his hair. 
His hed seemd swoelen to a siez that maed him think his nek to be inadeqet. 

   Th nue sielens of his woond maed much weryment. Th litl blistering 
voises of paen that had calld out frum his scalp wer, he thaut, definit in 
thair expreshun of daenjer. Bi them he beleevd that he cuud mezher his 
pliet. But when thae remaend ominusly sielent he becaem frietend and 
imajind terribl finggers that clucht into his braen. 
   Amid it he began to reflect upon vairius insidents and condishuns of th 
past. He bethaut him of serten meels his muther had cuukt at hoem, in which 
thoes dishes of which he was particuelarly fond had ocuepied prominent pozishuns. 
He saw th spred taebl. Th pien walls of th kichen wer gloeing in th worm 
liet frum th stoev. Too, he rememberd how he and his companyons uezd to go 
frum th scoolhous to th bank of a shaeded pool. He saw his cloeths in 
disorderly arae upon th gras of th bank. He felt th swash of th fraegrant 
wauter 


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upon his body. Th leevs of th oeverhanging maepl rusld with melody in th 
wind of yoothful sumer. 
   He was oevercum prezently bi a draging weerynes. His hed hung forward and 
his shoelders wer stoopt as if he wer bairing a graet bundl. His feet 
shufld along th ground. 
   He held continueus arguements as to whether he shuud lie doun and sleep at 
sum neer spot, or fors himself on until he reecht a serten haeven. He offen 
tried to dismis th qeschun, but his body persisted in rebelyon and his 
senses nagd at him liek pamperd baebys. 
   At last he herd a cheery vois neer his shoelder: "Yeh seem t' be in a 
prity bad wae, boi?" 
   Th yooth did not luuk up, but he asented with thik tung. "Uh!" 
   Th oener of th cheery vois tuuk him fermly bi th arm. "Wel," he sed, 
with a round laf, "I'm goin' yur wae. Th' hul gang is goin' yur wae. An' I 
ges I kin giv yeh a lift." Thae began to wauk liek a drunken man and his 
frend. 
   As thae went along, th man qeschund th yooth and asisted him with th 
replies liek wun manipuelaeting th miend of a chield. Sumtiems he 


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interjected anecdoets. "Whut reg'ment do yeh b'long teh? Eh? Whut's that? Th' 
304th N' York? Whi, whut cor is that in? O, it is? Whi, I thaut thae wasn't 
engaejd t' dae -- thae 're 'way oever in th' senter. O, thae was, eh? Wel, 
prity neerly evrybody got thair shair 'a fightin' t' dae. Bi dad, I giv 
mieself up fer ded eny number 'a tiems. Thair was shootin' heer an' shootin' 
thair, an' hollerin' heer an' hollerin' thair, in th' damn' darknes, until I 
cuudn't tel t' saev m' soel which sied I was on. Sumtiems I thaut I was 
shur 'nough frum Ohier, an' uther tiems I cuud 'a swor I was frum th' biter 
end of Florida. It was th' moest mixt up dern thing I ever see. An' thees heer 
hul wuuds is a reg'lar mes. It'l be a miracl if we fiend our reg'ments t' 
niet. Prity soon, tho, we 'll meet a plenty of gards an' provostguards, 
an' wun thing an' anuther. Ho! thair thae go with an off'cer, I ges. Luuk at 
his hand a draggin'. He 's got all th' wor he wonts, I bet. He woen't be talkin' 
so big about his repuetaeshun an' all when thae go t' sawin' off his leg. Pur 
feller! Mi bruther 's got whiskers jest liek that. How did yeh git 'way oever 
heer, enyhow? Yur reg'ment is a long wae frum heer, ain't it? Wel, I ges we 
can fiend it. Yeh noe thair was a boi kild in mi comp'ny t' dae that I thaut

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th' werld an' all of. Jak was a nies feller. Bi jinjer, it hert liek thunder t' 
see ol' Jak jest git nokt flat. We was a standin' purty peesabl fer a 
spel, 'though thair was men runnin' ev'ry wae all 'round us, an' whiel we was a 
standin' liek that, 'long cum a big fat feller. He began t' pek at Jack's 
elbo, an' he ses: 'say, wherr 's th' roed t' th' river?' An' Jak, he never 
paed no atenshun, an' th' feller kept on a peckin' at his elbo an' sayin': 
'say, wherr 's th' roed t' th' river?' Jak was a lookin' ahed all th' tiem 
tryin' t' see th' Johnnies comin' thru th' wuuds, an' he never paed no 
atenshun t' this big fat feller fer a long tiem, but at last he ternd 'round 
an' he ses: 'ah, go t' hel an' fiend th' roed t' th' river!' An' jest then a 
shot slapt him bang on th' sied th' hed. He was a sarjent, too. Them was his 
last werds. Thunder, I wish we was shur 'a findin' our reg'ments t' niet. It 's 
goin' t' be long huntin'. But I ges we kin do it." 
   In th serch which foloed, th man of th cheery vois seemd to th yooth 
to pozes a waand of a majic kiend. He threded th mazes of th tanggld forest 
with a straenj forchun. In encounters with gards and patroels he displaed th 
keennes of a detectiv and th valor of a gamin. Obstacls fel befor him and 
becaem of 


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asistans. Th yooth, with his chin stil on his brest, stuud woodenly bi 
whiel his companyon beet waes and meens out of sulen things. 
   Th forest seemd a vast hiev of men buzing about in frantic sercls, but 
th cheery man conducted th yooth without mistaeks, until at last he began to 
chukl with glee and self satisfacshun. "Aa, thair yeh ar! See that fier?" 
   Th yooth noded stoopidly. 
   "Wel, thair 's wherr yur reg'ment is. An' now, guud bi, ol' boi, guud luk 
t' yeh." 
   A worm and strong hand claspt th youth's langgwid finggers for an instant, 
and then he herd a cheerful and audaeshus whisling as th man stroed awae. As 
he hoo had so befriended him was thus pasing out of his lief, it sudenly 
ocurd to th yooth that he had not wuns seen his faes.


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Chapter 13
CHAPTER XIII.
   TH yooth went sloely tord th fier indicaeted bi his departed frend. As he 
reeld, he bethaut him of th welcum his comrads wuud giv him. He had a 
convicshun that he wuud soon feel in his sor hart th barbd misils of 
ridicuel. He had no strength to invent a tael; he wuud be a sofft target. 
   He maed vaeg plans to go off into th deeper darknes and hied, but thae 
wer all destroid bi th voises of exaustchun and paen frum his body. His 
aelments, clamoring, forst him to seek th plaes of food and rest, at whutever 
cost. 
   He swung unstedily tord th fier. He cuud see th forms of men throeing 
blak shadoes in th red liet, and as he went neerer it becaem noen to him in 
sum wae that th ground was stroon with sleeping men. 
   Of a suden he confrunted a blak and monstrus figuer. A riefl barrel caut 
sum glinting beems. "Hallt! hallt!" He was dismaed 


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for a moement, but he prezently thaut that he recogniezd th nervus vois. As 
he stuud totering befor th riefl barrel, he calld out: "Whi, helo, Wilson, 
U -- U heer?" 
   Th riefl was loeerd to a pozishun of caushun and th loud soeljer caem 
sloely forward. He peerd into th youth's faes. "That U, Henry?" 
   "Yes, it's -- it's me." 
   "Wel, wel, ol' boi," sed th uther, "bi jinjer, I'm glad t' see yeh! I 
giv yeh up fer a goner. I thaut yeh was ded shur enuf." Thair was husky 
emoeshun in his vois. 
   Th yooth found that now he cuud bairly stand upon his feet. Thair was a 
suden sinking of his forses. He thaut he must haesen to produes his tael to 
protect him frum th misils allredy at th lips of his re-doutabl comrads. 
So, stagering befor th loud soeljer, he began: "Yes, yes. I'v -- I'v had an 
auful tiem. I'v bin all oever. Wae oever on th' riet. Ter'ble fightin' oever 
thair. I had an auful tiem. I got separaeted frum th' reg'ment. Oever on th' 
riet, I got shot. In th' hed. I never see sech fightin'. Auful tiem. I don't 
see how I cuud 'a got separaeted frum th' reg'ment. I got shot, too." 


Paej 131


   His frend had stept forward qikly. "Whut? Got shot? Whi didn't yeh sae 
so ferst? Pur ol' boi, we must -- hol' on a minnit; whut am I doin'. I'l call 
Simpson." 
   Anuther figuer at that moement loomd in th gloom. Thae cuud see that it was 
th corporal. "Hoo yeh talkin' to, Wilson?" he demanded. His vois was angger 
toned. "Hoo yeh talkin' to? Yeh th' derndest sentinel -- whi -- helo, Henry, 
U heer? Whi, I thaut U was ded foer ours ago! Graet Jerusalem, thae keep 
turnin' up evry ten minits or so! We thaut we'd lost forty too men bi 
straet count, but if thae keep on a comin' this wae, we'll git th' comp'ny all 
bak bi mornin' yit. Wherr was yeh?" 
   "Oever on th' riet. I got separaeted" -- began th yooth with considerabl 
glibnes. 
   But his frend had interupted haestily. "Yes, an' he got shot in th' hed an' 
he's in a fix, an' we must see t' him riet awae." He rested his riefl in th 
holo of his left arm and his riet around th youth's shoelder. 
   "Jee, it must hert liek thunder!" he sed. 
   Th yooth leend hevily upon his frend. "Yes, it herts -- herts a guud 
deel," he replied. Thair was a falltering in his vois. 
   "O," sed th corporal. He linkt his arm 


Paej 132

in th youth's and droo him forward. "Cum on, Henry. I'l taek keer 'a yeh." 
   As thae went on together th loud prievet calld out after them: "Puut 'im t' 
sleep in mi blanket, Simpson. An' -- hol' on a minnit -- heer's mi canteen. It's 
fuul 'a coffy. Luuk at his hed bi th' fier an' see how it luuks. Maebe it's a 
prity bad un. When I git releevd in a cupl 'a minnits, I'l be oever an' see 
t' him." 
   Th youth's senses wer so dedend that his friend's vois sounded frum afar 
and he cuud scairsly feel th presher of th corporal's arm. He submited 
pasivly to th latter's directing strength. His hed was in th oeld maner 
hanging forward upon his brest. His nees wobld. 
   Th corporal led him into th glair of th fier. "Now, Henry," he sed, 
"let's hav luuk at yer ol' hed." 
   Th yooth sat doun oebeedyently and th corporal, laeing asied his riefl, began 
to fumbl in th bushy hair of his comrad. He was obliejd to tern th other's 
hed so that th fuul flush of th fier liet wuud beem upon it. He pukerd 
his mouth with a critical air. He droo bak his lips and whisld thru his 
teeth when his finggers caem in contact with th splasht blud and th rair 
woond. 
   "Aa, heer we ar!" he sed. He aukwardly 


Paej 133

maed ferther investigaeshuns. "Jest as I thaut," he aded, prezently. "Yeh've 
bin graezd bi a ball. It's raezd a qeer lump jest as if sum feller had 
lamd yeh on th' hed with a club. It stopt a bleedin' long tiem ago. Th' 
moest about it is that in th' mornin' yeh'll feel that a number ten hat wuudn't 
fit yeh. An' yur head'll be all het up an' feel as dri as bernt pork. An' yeh 
mae git a lot 'a uther sicknesses, too, bi mornin'. Yeh can't never tel. Stil, 
I don't much think so. It's jest a damn' guud belt on th' hed, an' nothin' 
mor. Now, U jest sit heer an' don't moov, whiel I go rout out th' releef. 
Then I'l send Wilson t' taek keer 'a yeh." 
   Th corporal went awae. Th yooth remaend on th ground liek a parsel. He 
staird with a vaecant luuk into th fier. 
   After a tiem he arouzd, for sum part, and th things about him began to 
taek form. He saw that th ground in th deep shadoes was cluterd with men, 
spralling in evry conseevabl poscher. Glansing narroely into th mor distant 
darknes, he caut ocaezhunal glimpses of visages that loomd palid and 
goestly, lit with a fosforesent glo. Thees faeses exprest in thair liens 
th deep stoopor of th tierd soeljers. Thae maed them apeer liek men drunk with 
wien. This bit of forest miet 


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hav apeerd to an etheerial waanderer as a seen of th rezult of sum frietful 
debauch. 
   On th uther sied of th fier th yooth obzervd an offiser asleep, seeted 
boelt upriet, with his bak agenst a tree. Thair was sumthing perrilus in his 
pozishun. Badgered bi dreems, perhaps, he swaed with litl bounces and starts, 
liek an oeld tody striken grandfaather in a chimny corner. Dust and staens wer 
upon his faes. His loeer jaw hung doun as if laking strength to asoom its 
normal pozishun. He was th pikcher of an exausted soeljer after a feest of 
wor. 
   He had evidently gon to sleep with his sord in his arms. Thees too had 
slumberd in an embraes, but th wepon had bin alowd in tiem to fall 
unheeded to th ground. Th bras mounted hilt lae in contact with sum parts of 
th fier. 
   Within th gleem of roez and orenj liet frum th berning stiks wer uther 
soeljers, snoring and heeving, or lieing dethliek in slumber. A fue pairs of 
legs wer stuk forth, rijid and straet. Th shoos displaed th mud or dust 
of marches and bits of rounded trouzers, proetrooding frum th blankets, shoed 
rents and tairs frum heryd pitchings thru th dens brambls. 


Paej 135


   Th fier crakld muezicaly. Frum it sweld liet smoek. Oeverhed th 
foelej moovd sofftly. Th leevs, with thair faeses ternd tord th blaez, wer 
culord shifting hues of silver, offen ejd with red. Far off to th riet, 
thru a windo in th forest cuud be seen a handful of stars lieing, liek 
glitering pebls, on th blak level of th niet. 
   Ocaezhunaly, in this lo archt hall, a soeljer wuud arouz and tern his 
body to a nue pozishun, th expeeryens of his sleep having taut him of uneeven 
and objecshunabl plaeses upon th ground under him. Or, perhaps, he wuud lift 
himself to a siting poscher, blink at th fier for an unintelijent moement, 
thro a swift glans at his prostraet companyon, and then cudl doun agen with 
a grunt of sleepy content. 
   Th yooth sat in a forlorn heep until his frend th loud yung soeljer caem, 
swinging too canteens bi thair liet strings. "Wel, now, Henry, ol' boi," sed 
th later, "we'll hav yeh fixt up in jest about a minnit." 
   He had th busling waes of an amachur ners. He fussed around th fier and 
sterd th stiks to brilyant exershuns. He maed his paeshent drink larjly 
frum th canteen that contaend th coffy. It was to th yooth a delishus 
draft. He tilted his hed afar bak and held th canteen 


Paej 136

long to his lips. Th cool mixcher went caressingly doun his blisterd throet. 
Having finisht, he sied with cumfortabl deliet. 
   Th loud yung soeljer wocht his comrad with an air of satisfacshun. He 
laeter produest an extensiv hankerchif frum his poket. He foelded it into a 
maner of bandej and soused wauter frum th uther canteen upon th midl of it. 
This crood araenjment he bound oever th youth's hed, tieing th ends in a qeer 
not at th bak of th nek. 
   "Thair," he sed, mooving off and servaeing his deed, "yeh luuk liek th' 
devil, but I bet yeh feel beter." 
   Th yooth contemplaeted his frend with graetful ies. Upon his aeking and 
sweling hed th coeld clauth was liek a tender woman's hand. 
   "Yeh don't holler ner sae nothin'," remarkt his frend aproovingly. "I noe 
I'm a blaksmith at takin' keer 'a sik foeks, an' yeh never sqeekt. Yer a 
guud un, Henry. Moest 'a men wuud a' bin in th' hospital long ago. A shot in 
th' hed ain't foolin' biznes." 
   Th yooth maed no repli, but began to fumbl with th butons of his jaket. 
   "Wel, cum, now," continued his frend, "cum on. I must puut yeh t' bed an' 
see that yeh git a guud night's rest." 


Paej 137


   Th uther got cairfuly erect, and th loud yung soeljer led him amung th 
sleeping forms lieing in groops and roes. Prezently he stoopt and pikt up his 
blankets. He spred th ruber wun upon th ground and plaest th wuulen wun 
about th youth's shoelders. 
   "Thair now," he sed, "lie doun an' git sum sleep." 
   Th yooth, with his maner of doglike oebeedyens, got cairfuly doun liek a 
croen stooping. He strecht out with a mermer of releef and cumfort. Th ground 
felt liek th sofftest couch. 
   But of a suden he ejacuelaeted: "Hol' on a minnit! Wherr U goin' t' sleep?" 
   His frend waevd his hand impaeshently. "Riet doun thair bi yeh." 
   "Wel, but hol' on a minnit," continued th yooth. "Whut yeh goin' t' sleep 
in? I'v got yur -- " 
   Th loud yung soeljer snarld: "Shet up an' go on t' sleep. Don't be makin' 
a damn' fool 'a yerself," he sed seveerly. 
   After th reproof th yooth sed no mor. An exqizit drouzynes had spred 
thru him. Th worm cumfort of th blanket enveloped him and maed a jentl 
langgor. His hed fel forward on his cruuked arm and his waeted lids 


Paej 138

went sofftly doun oever his ies. Heering a splatter of musketry frum th 
distans, he wunderd indiferently if thoes men sumtiems slept. He gaev a long 
si, snugld doun into his blanket, and in a moement was liek his comrads.


Paej 139


Chapter 14
CHAPTER XIV.
   WHEN th yooth awoek it seemd to him that he had bin asleep for a thouzand 
yeers, and he felt shur that he oepend his ies upon an unexpected werld. Grae 
mists wer sloely shifting befor th ferst eforts of th sun raes. An 
impending splendor cuud be seen in th eestern skie. An iesy due had child his 
faes, and imeedyetly upon arouzing he curld farther doun into his blanket. He 
staird for a whiel at th leevs oeverhed, mooving in a herraldic wind of th dae. 

   Th distans was splintering and blairing with th noiz of fieting. Thair 
was in th sound an expreshun of a dedly persistensy, as if it had not begun 
and was not to sees. 
   About him wer th roes and groops of men that he had dimly seen th preevius 
niet. Thae wer geting a last draft of sleep befor th awaekening. Th 
gaunt, cairworn feechers and dusty figuers wer maed plaen bi this qaent 


Paej 140

liet at th dauning, but it drest th skin of th men in corpselike hues and 
maed th tanggld lims apeer pulseless and ded. Th yooth started up with a 
litl cri when his ies ferst swept oever this moeshunles mas of men, 
thickspread upon th ground, palid, and in straenj poschers. His disorderd 
miend interpreted th hall of th forest as a charnel plaes. He beleevd for an 
instant that he was in th hous of th ded, and he did not dair to moov lest 
thees corpses start up, sqalling and sqauking. In a second, however, he 
acheevd his proper miend. He swor a complicaeted oeth at himself. He saw that 
this somber pikcher was not a fact of th prezent, but a meer profesy. 
   He herd then th noiz of a fier crakling briskly in th coeld air, and, 
terning his hed, he saw his frend pottering bizily about a small blaez. A fue 
uther figuers moovd in th fog, and he herd th hard craking of ax bloes. 
   Sudenly thair was a holo rumbl of drums. A distant buegl sang faently. 
Similar sounds, vairying in strength, caem frum neer and far oever th forest. Th 
bugles calld to eech uther liek braezen gamecocks. Th neer thunder of th 
rejimental drums roeld. 
   Th body of men in th wuuds rusld. Thair was a jeneral uplifting of heds. 
A murmuring 


Paej 141

of voises broek upon th air. In it thair was much baes of grumbling oeths. 
Straenj gods wer adrest in condemnaeshun of th erly ours nesesairy to 
corect wor. An officer's peremptory tenor rang out and qikend th stifend 
moovment of th men. Th tanggld lims unraveld. Th corps hued faeses wer 
hiden behiend fists that twisted sloely in th ie sokets. 
   Th yooth sat up and gaev vent to an enormus yaun. "Thunder!" he remarkt 
petulantly. He rubd his ies, and then puuting up his hand felt cairfuly of 
th bandej oever his woond. His frend, perseeving him to be awaek, caem frum 
th fier. "Wel, Henry, ol' man, how do yeh feel this mornin'?" he demanded. 
   Th yooth yawned agen. Then he pukerd his mouth to a litl puker. His 
hed, in trooth, felt presiesly liek a melon, and thair was an unplezant 
sensaeshun at his stumac. 
   "O, Lord, I feel prity bad," he sed. 
   "Thunder!" exclaemd th uther. "I hoept ye'd feel all riet this mornin'. 
Let's see th' bandej -- I ges it's slipt." He began to tinker at th woond 
in rather a clumzy wae until th yooth exploeded. 
   "Gosh dern it!" he sed in sharp iritaeshun; "U'r th hangdest man I ever 
saw! U 


Paej 142

wair muffs on yur hands. Whi in guud thunderation can't U be mor eezy? I'd 
rather U'd stand off an' thro guns at it. Now, go slo, an' don't act as if 
U was naeling doun carpet." 
   He glaird with insolent comand at his frend, but th later anserd 
soothingly. "Wel, wel, cum now, an' git sum grub," he sed. "Then, maebe, 
yeh'll feel beter." 
   At th fiersied th loud yung soeljer wocht oever his comrade's wonts with 
tendernes and cair. He was verry bizy marshaling th litl blak vagabonds of 
tin cups and poring into them th streeming, ieern culord mixcher frum a small 
and suuty tin pael. He had sum fresh meet, which he roested herydly upon a 
stik. He sat doun then and contemplaeted th youth's apetiet with glee. 
   Th yooth tuuk noet of a remarkabl chaenj in his comrad sinss thoes daes of 
camp lief upon th river bank. He seemd no mor to be continuealy regarding th 
proporshuns of his personal prowes. He was not fuerius at small werds that 
prikt his conseets. He was no mor a loud yung soeljer. Thair was about him 
now a fien relieans. He shoed a qieet beleef in his perposes and his abilitys. 
And this inward confidens evidently enaebld him to be 


Paej 143

indiferent to litl werds of uther men aemd at him. 
   Th yooth reflected. He had bin uezd to regarding his comrad as a blaetant 
chield with an audasity groen frum his inexpeeryens, thautles, hedstrong, 
jelus, and fild with a tinsel curej. A swagering baeb acustomd to strut 
in his oen dor-yard. Th yooth wunderd wherr had bin born thees nue ies; when 
his comrad had maed th graet discuvery that thair wer meny men hoo wuud 
refuez to be subjected bi him. Aparrently, th uther had now cliemd a peek of 
wizdom frum which he cuud perseev himself as a verry wee thing. And th yooth 
saw that ever after it wuud be eezyer to liv in his friend's naeborhuud. 
   His comrad balanst his ebony coffy cup on his nee. "Wel, Henry," he 
sed, "whut d'yeh think th' chanses ar? D'yeh think we'll wolop 'em?" 
   Th yooth considerd for a moement. "Dae b'fore yesterdae," he fienaly 
replied, with boeldnes, "U wuud 'a' bet U'd lik th hul kit an' boodl 
all bi yurself." 
   His frend luukt a triefl amaezd. "Wuud I?" he askt. He ponderd. "Wel, 
perhaps I wuud," he desieded at last. He staird humbly at th fier. 


Paej 144


   Th yooth was qiet disconserted at this serpriezing resepshun of his remarks. 
"O, no, U wuudn't eether," he sed, haestily trieing to re-traes. 
   But th uther maed a deprecating jescher. "O, yeh needn't miend, Henry," he 
sed. "I beleev I was a prity big fool in thoes daes." He spoek as after a 
laps of yeers. 
   Thair was a litl pauz. 
   "All th' offisers sae we'v got th' rebs in a prity tiet box," sed th 
frend, cleering his throet in a comonplaes wae. "Thae all seem t' think we'v 
got 'em jest wherr we wont 'em." 
   "I don't noe about that," th yooth replied. "Whut I seen oever on th' riet 
maeks me think it was th' uther wae about. Frum wherr I was, it luukt as if we 
was gettin' a guud poundin' yestirday." 
   "D'yeh think so?" inqierd th frend. "I thaut we handld 'em prity ruf 
yestir dae." 
   "Not a bit," sed th yooth. "Whi, lord, man, U didn't see nuthing of th 
fiet. Whi!" Then a suden thaut caem to him. "O! Jim Conklin's ded." 
   His frend started. "Whut? Is he? Jim Conklin?" 


Paej 145


   Th yooth spoek sloely. "Yes. He's ded. Shot in th' sied." 
   "Yeh don't sae so. Jim Conklin. . . . pur cuss!" 
   All about them wer uther small fiers sur rounded bi men with thair litl 
blak uetensils. Frum wun of thees neer caem suden sharp voises in a ro. It 
apeerd that too lightfooted soeljers had bin teezing a huej, beerded man, 
cauzing him to spil coffy upon his bloo nees. Th man had gon into a raej 
and had sworn comprehensivly. Stung bi his langgwej, his tormenters had 
imeedyetly brisld at him with a graet sho of rezenting unjust oeths. 
Posibly thair was going to be a fiet. 
   Th frend aroez and went oever to them, maeking pacific moeshuns with his arms. 
"O, heer, now, bois, whut's th' ues?" he sed. "We'll be at th' rebs in less'n 
an our. Whut's th' guud fightin' 'mong ourselvs?" 
   Wun of th liet fuuted soeljers ternd upon him red faest and vieolent. "Yeh 
needn't cum around heer with yer preachin'. I s'pose yeh don't aproov 'a 
fightin' sinss Charley Morgan likt yeh; but I don't see whut biznes this 
heer is 'a yurs or enybody els." 
   "Wel, it ain't," sed th frend mieldly. "Stil I haet t' see -- " 


Paej 146


   Thair was a tanggld arguement. 
   "Wel, he -- ," sed th too, indicaeting thair opoenent with acuezativ 
forfinggers. 
   Th huej soeljer was qiet perpl with raej. He pointed at th too soeljers 
with his graet hand, extended clawlike. "Wel, thae -- " 
   But during this arguementativ tiem th dezier to deel bloes seemd to pas, 
alltho thae sed much to eech uther. Fienaly th frend reternd to his oeld 
seet. In a short whiel th three antagonists cuud be seen together in an 
aemiabl bunch. 
   "Jimmie Rogers ses I'l hav t' fiet him after th' batl t' dae," anounst 
th frend as he agen seeted himself. "He ses he don't alow no interferin' in 
his biznes. I haet t' see th' bois fightin' 'mong themselvs." 
   Th yooth laft. "Yer chaenjd a guud bit. Yeh ain't at all liek yeh was. I 
remember when U an' that Irish feller -- " He stopt and laft agen. 
   "No, I didn't ues t' be that wae," sed his frend thautfuly. "That's troo 
'nough." 
   "Wel, I didn't meen -- " began th yooth. 
   Th frend maed anuther deprecatory jescher. "O, yeh needn't miend, Henry." 
   Thair was anuther litl pauz. 
   "Th' reg'ment lost oever haf th' men 


Paej 147

yestirday," remarkt th frend evenchualy. "I thaut a cors thae was all 
ded, but, laws, thae kep' a comin' bak last niet until it seems, after all, 
we didn't looz but a fue. Thae'd bin scaterd all oever, wanderin' around in 
th' wuuds, fightin' with uther reg'ments, an' evrything. Jest liek U dun." 
   "So?" sed th yooth.


Paej 148


Chapter 15
CHAPTER XV.
   TH rejiment was standing at order arms at th sied of a laen, waeting for 
th comand to march, when sudenly th yooth rememberd th litl paket 
enwrapped in a faeded yelo enveloep which th loud yung soeljer with 
luugoobrius werds had intrusted to him. It maed him start. He uterd an 
exclamaeshun and ternd tord his comrad. 
   "Wilson!" 
   "Whut?" 
   His frend, at his sied in th ranks, was thautfuly stairing doun th roed. 
Frum sum cauz his expreshun was at that moement verry meek. Th yooth, 
regarding him with siedlong glanses, felt impeld to chaenj his perpos. "O, 
nuthing," he sed. 
   His frend ternd his hed in sum serpriez, "Whi, whut was yeh goin' t' 
sae?" 
   "O, nuthing," repeeted th yooth. 
   He rezolvd not to deel th litl blo. It 


Paej 149

was sufishent that th fact maed him glad. It was not nesesairy to nok his 
frend on th hed with th misgieded paket. 
   He had bin pozest of much feer of his frend, for he saw how eezily 
questionings cuud maek hoels in his feelings. Laetly, he had ashurd himself 
that th allterd comrad wuud not tantaliez him with a persistent cueriosity, 
but he felt serten that during th ferst peeriod of leezher his frend wuud ask 
him to relaet his advenchers of th preevius dae. 
   He now rejoist in th pozeshun of a small wepon with which he cuud 
prostraet his comrad at th ferst siens of a cross examinaeshun. He was master. 
It wuud now be he hoo cuud laf and shoot th shafts of derizhun. 
   Th frend had, in a weak our, spoeken with sobs of his oen deth. He had 
deliverd a melancoly oraeshun preevius to his fueneral, and had doutles in th 
paket of leters, prezented vairius keepsakes to relativs. But he had not 
died, and thus he had deliverd himself into th hands of th yooth. 
   Th later felt imensly supeerior to his frend, but he incliend to 
condesenshun. He adopted tord him an air of patroniezing guud huemor. 
   His self pried was now entierly restord. In 


Paej 150

th shaed of its flerishing groeth he stuud with braest and self confident 
legs, and sinss nuthing cuud now be discuverd he did not shrink frum an 
encounter with th ies of jujes, and alowd no thauts of his oen to keep 
him frum an atitued of manfulness. He had performd his mistaeks in th dark, 
so he was stil a man. 
   Indeed, when he rememberd his forchuns of yesterdae, and luukt at them frum 
a distans he began to see sumthing fien thair. He had liesens to be pompus 
and veteranlike. 
   His panting agonys of th past he puut out of his siet. 
   In th prezent, he declaird to himself that it was oenly th doomd and th 
damd hoo rord with sinserrity at sercumstans. Fue but thae ever did it. A 
man with a fuul stumac and th respect of his feloes had no biznes to scoeld 
about enything that he miet think to be rong in th waes of th uenivers, or 
eeven with th waes of sosieety. Let th unforchunets rael; th uthers mae plae 
marbls. 
   He did not giv a graet deel of thaut to thees batls that lae directly 
befor him. It was not esenshal that he shuud plan his waes in regard to them. 
He had bin taut that meny obligaeshuns of a lief wer eezily avoided. Th 
lesons of yesterdae had bin that retribueshun 


Paej 151

was a lagard and bliend. With thees facts befor him he did not deem it 
nesesairy that he shuud becum feeverish oever th posibilitys of th ensooing 
twenty foer ours. He cuud leev much to chans. Besieds, a faeth in himself 
had seecretly blosomd. Thair was a litl flower of confidens groeing within 
him. He was now a man of expeeryens. He had bin out amung th dragons, he sed, 
and he ashurd himself that thae wer not so hidius as he had imajind them. 
Allso, thae wer inacueret; thae did not sting with presizhun. A stout hart 
offen defied, and defieing, escaept. 
   And, ferthermor, how cuud thae kil him hoo was th choezen of gods and 
doomd to graetnes? 
   He rememberd how sum of th men had run frum th batl. As he recalld 
thair terrorstruck faeses he felt a scorn for them. Thae had shurly bin mor 
fleet and mor wield than was absolootly nesesairy. Thae wer weak mortals. As 
for himself, he had fled with discreshun and dignity. 
   He was arouzd frum this revery bi his frend, hoo, having hicht about 
nervusly and blinkt at th trees for a tiem, sudenly cauft in an 
introductory wae, and spoek. 
   "Fleming!" 


Paej 152


   "Whut?" 
   Th frend puut his hand up to his mouth and cauft agen. He fidgeted in his 
jaket. 
   "Wel," he gulped, at last, "I ges yeh miet as wel giv me bak them 
leters." Dark, prickling blud had flusht into his cheeks and brow. 
   "All riet, Wilson," sed th yooth. He loosend too butons of his coet, 
thrust in his hand, and braut forth th paket. As he extended it to his 
frend th latter's faes was ternd frum him. 
   He had bin slo in th act of produesing th paket becauz during it he had 
bin trieing to invent a remarkabl coment upon th afair. He cuud conjer 
nuthing of sufishent point. He was compeld to alow his frend to escaep 
unmolested with his paket. And for this he tuuk unto himself considerabl 
credit. It was a jenerus thing. 
   His frend at his sied seemd sufering graet shaem. As he contemplaeted him, 
th yooth felt his hart gro mor strong and stout. He had never bin compeld 
to blush in such maner for his acts; he was an indivijual of extraordinairy 
verchoos. 
   He reflected, with condesending pity: "Too bad! Too bad! Th pur devil, it 
maeks him feel tuf!" 


Paej 153


   After this insident, and as he revued th batl pikchers he had seen, he 
felt qiet competent to retern hoem and maek th harts of th peepl glo with 
storys of wor. He cuud see himself in a room of worm tints teling taels to 
liseners. He cuud exibit lorels. Thae wer insignificant; stil, in a 
district wherr lorels wer infreeqent, thae miet shien. 
   He saw his gaeping audyens pikchering him as th sentral figuer in blaezing 
seens. And he imajind th consternaeshun and th ejaculations of his muther and 
th yung laedy at th seminairy as thae drank his resietals. Thair vaeg feminin 
formuela for beluved wuns doing braev deeds on th feeld of batl without risk 
of lief wuud be destroid.


Paej 154


Chapter 16
CHAPTER XVI.
   A SPUTERING of musketry was allwaes to be herd. Laeter, th canon had 
enterd th dispuet. In th fog fild air thair voises maed a thuding sound. 
Th reverberaeshuns wer continued. This part of th werld led a straenj, 
battleful existens. 
   Th youth's rejiment was marcht to releev a comand that had laen long in 
sum damp trenches. Th men tuuk pozishuns behiend a curving lien of riefl pits 
that had bin ternd up, liek a larj fero, along th lien of wuuds. Befor 
them was a level strech, peepld with short, deformed stumps. Frum th wuuds 
beyond caem th dul poping of th skermishers and pikets, fiering in th fog. 
Frum th riet caem th noiz of a terific fraecas. 
   Th men cuddled behiend th small embankment and sat in eezy atitueds 
awaeting thair tern. Meny had thair baks to th fiering. Th youth's frend lae 
doun, berryd his faes in his 


Paej 155

arms, and allmoest instantly, it seemd, he was in a deep sleep. 
   Th yooth leend his brest agenst th broun dert and peerd oever at th 
wuuds and up and doun th lien. Curtens of trees interfeerd with his waes of 
vizhun. He cuud see th lo lien of trenches but for a short distans. A fue 
iedl flags wer percht on th dert hils. Behiend them wer roes of dark bodys 
with a fue heds stiking cueriusly oever th top. 
   Allwaes th noiz of skermishers caem frum th wuuds on th frunt and left, 
and th din on th riet had groen to frietful proporshuns. Th guns wer 
roring without an instant's pauz for breth. It seemd that th canon had 
cum frum all parts and wer engaejd in a stoopendus ranggl. It becaem 
imposibl to maek a sentens herd. 
   Th yooth wisht to launch a joek -- a qoetaeshun frum nuespaepers. He dezierd 
to sae, "All qieet on th Rappahannock," but th guns refuezd to permit eeven a 
coment upon thair upror. He never sucsesfuly conclooded th sentens. But at 
last th guns stopt, and amung th men in th riefl pits roomors agen floo, 
liek berds, but thae wer now for th moest part blak creechers hoo flapt 
thair wings dreerily neer to th ground and refuezd to riez on eny wings of 


Paej 156

hoep. Th men's faeses groo doelful frum th interpreting of omens. Taels of 
hezitaeshun and unsertanty on th part of thoes hi in plaes and responsibility 
caem to thair eers. Storys of dizaster wer born into thair miends with meny 
proofs. This din of musketry on th riet, groeing liek a releest jeeny of 
sound, exprest and emfasiezd th army's pliet. 
   Th men wer disheartened and began to muter. Thae maed jeschers expresiv 
of th sentens: "Aa, whut mor can we do?" And it cuud allwaes be seen that 
thae wer bewilderd bi th alejd nues and cuud not fuuly comprehend a 
defeet. 
   Befor th grae mists had bin toetaly obliteraeted bi th sun raes, th 
rejiment was marching in a spred colum that was retiering cairfuly thru th 
wuuds. Th disorderd, herying liens of th enemy cuud sumtiems be seen doun 
thru th groevs and litl feelds. Thae wer yeling, shril and exultant. 
   At this siet th yooth forgot meny personal maters and becaem graetly 
enraejd. He exploeded in loud sentenses. "B'jiminey, we'r generaled bi a lot 'a 
lunkheads." 
   "Mor than wun feller has sed that t' dae," obzervd a man. 
   His frend, reesently arouzd, was stil verry 


Paej 157

drouzy. He luukt behiend him until his miend tuuk in th meening of th moovment. 
Then he sied. "O, wel, I s'pose we got likt," he remarkt sadly. 
   Th yooth had a thaut that it wuud not be hansum for him to freely 
condem uther men. He maed an atempt to restraen himself, but th werds upon 
his tung wer too biter. He prezently began a long and intriket denunsiaeshun 
of th comander of th forses. 
   "Mebbe, it wa'n't all his fallt -- not all together. He did th' best he 
knowed. It's our luk t' git likt offen," sed his frend in a weery toen. He 
was trudging along with stoopt shoelders and shifting ies liek a man hoo has 
bin caned and kikt. 
   "Wel, don't we fiet liek th devil? Don't we do all that men can?" demanded 
th yooth loudly. 
   He was seecretly dumfounded at this sentiment when it caem frum his lips. For 
a moement his faes lost its valor and he luukt giltily about him. But no wun 
qeschund his riet to deel in such werds, and prezently he recuverd his air 
of curej. He went on to repeet a staetment he had herd going frum groop to 
groop at th camp that morning. "Th brigadeer sed he never saw a nue reg'ment 
fiet th wae we 


Paej 158

faut yestirday, didn't he? And we didn't do beter than meny anuther reg'ment, 
did we? Wel, then, U can't sae it's th' army's fallt, can U?" 
   In his repli, th friend's vois was stern. "'A cors not," he sed. "No man 
dair sae we don't fiet liek th' devil. No man wil ever dair sae it. Th' bois 
fiet liek hel roosters. But stil -- stil, we don't hav no luk." 
   "Wel, then, if we fiet liek th devil an' don't ever whip, it must be th 
general's fallt," sed th yooth grandly and desiesivly. "And I don't see eny 
sens in fieting and fieting and fieting, yet allwaes loozing thru sum 
derned oeld lunkhead of a jeneral." 
   A sarcastic man hoo was tramping at th youth's sied, then spoek laezily. 
"Mebbe yeh think yeh fit th' hul batl yestirday, Fleming," he remarkt. 
   Th speech peerst th yooth. Inwardly he was reduest to an abject pulp bi 
thees chans werds. His legs quaked prievetly. He cast a frietend glans at 
th sarcastic man. 
   "Whi, no," he haesend to sae in a conciliating vois, "I don't think I 
faut th hoel batl yesterdae." 
   But th uther seemd inosent of eny deeper meening. Aparrently, he had no 
informaeshun. 


Paej 159

It was meerly his habit. "O!" he replied in th saem toen of caam derizhun. 
   Th yooth, nevertheles, felt a thret. His miend shrank frum going neer to 
th daenjer, and thairafter he was sielent. Th significans of th sarcastic 
man's werds tuuk frum him all loud moods that wuud maek him apeer prominent. 
He becaem sudenly a modest person. 
   Thair was lo toned tauk amung th troops. Th offisers wer impaeshent and 
snapy, thair countenances clouded with th taels of misforchen. Th troops, 
sifting thru th forest, wer sulen. In th youth's cumpany wuns a man's 
laf rang out. A duzen soeljers ternd thair faeses qikly tord him and 
fround with vaeg displezher. 
   Th noiz of fiering daugd thair fuutsteps. Sumtiems, it seemd to be driven 
a litl wae, but it allwaes reternd agen with increest insolens. Th men 
muterd and curst, throeing blak luuks in its direcshun. 
   In a cleer spaes th troops wer at last hallted. Rejiments and brigaeds, 
broeken and detacht thru thair encounters with thikets, groo together agen 
and liens wer faest tord th persooing bark of th enemy's infantry. 
   This noiz, foloeing liek th yellings of eeger, metalic hounds, increest 
to a loud and joius 


Paej 160

berst, and then, as th sun went sereenly up th skie, throeing iloominaeting raes 
into th gloomy thikets, it broek forth into prolongd pealings. Th wuuds 
began to crakl as if afier. 
   "Hoop a dadee," sed a man, "heer we ar! Evrybody fightin'. Blud an' 
destrucshun." 
   "I was willin' t' bet thae'd atak as soon as th' sun got fairly up," 
savejly aserted th lootenant hoo comanded th youth's cumpany. He jerkt 
without mersy at his litl mustash. He stroed to and fro with dark dignity in 
th reer of his men, hoo wer lieing doun behiend whutever protecshun thae had 
colected. 
   A batery had trundled into pozishun in th reer and was thautfuly 
sheling th distans. Th rejiment, unmolested as yet, awaeted th moement when 
th grae shadoes of th wuuds befor them shuud be slasht bi th liens of 
flaem. Thair was much grouling and swairing. 
   "Guud Gawd," th yooth grumbld, "we'r allwaes being chaest around liek rats! 
It maeks me sik. Noebody seems to noe wherr we go or whi we go. We just get 
fierd around frum pilar to poest and get likt heer and get likt thair, and 
noebody noes whut it's dun for. It maeks a man feel liek a damn' kiten in a 
bag. Now, I'd liek to noe whut th eternal thunders we was marcht into thees 
wuuds for enyhow, 


Paej 161

unles it was to giv th rebs a reguelar pot shot at us. We caem in heer and got 
our legs all tanggld up in thees cussed briers, and then we begin to fiet and 
th rebs had an eezy tiem of it. Don't tel me it's just luk! I noe beter. 
It's this derned oeld -- " 
   Th frend seemd jaeded, but he interupted his comrad with a vois of caam 
confidens. "It'l tern out all riet in th' end," he sed. 
   "O, th devil it wil! U allwaes tauk liek a daug hangd parson. Don't tel 
me! I noe -- " 
   At this tiem thair was an interpozishun bi th savej miended lootenant, hoo 
was obliejd to vent sum of his inward dissatisfacshun upon his men. "U bois 
shut riet up! Thair no need 'a yur wastin' yur breth in long winded 
arguements about this an' that an' th' uther. U'v bin jawin' liek a lot 'a 
oeld hens. All U'v got t' do is to fiet, an' U'l get plenty 'a that t' do 
in about ten minits. Les talkin' an' mor fightin' is whut's best for U 
bois. I never saw sech gabling jackasses." 
   He pauzd, redy to pouns upon eny man hoo miet hav th temerrity to repli. 
No werds being sed, he rezoomd his dignified paesing. 
   "Thair's too much chin muezic an' too litl fightin' in this wor, enyhow," he 
sed to them, terning his hed for a fienal remark. 


Paej 162


   Th dae had groen mor whiet, until th sun shed his fuul raedians upon th 
thronged forest. A sort of a gust of batl caem sweeping tord that part of 
th lien wherr lae th youth's rejiment. Th frunt shifted a triefl to meet it 
sqairly. Thair was a waet. In this part of th feeld thair past sloely th 
intens moements that preseed th tempest. 
   A singgl riefl flasht in a thiket befor th rejiment. In an instant it was 
joind bi meny uthers. Thair was a miety song of clashes and crashes that went 
sweeping thru th wuuds. Th guns in th reer, arouzd and enraejd bi shels 
that had bin throen burlike at them, sudenly involvd themselvs in a hidius 
alltercaeshun with anuther band of guns. Th batl ror setld to a roeling 
thunder, which was a singgl, long exploezhun. 
   In th rejiment thair was a pecuelyar kiend of hezitaeshun denoeted in th 
atitueds of th men. Thae wer worn, exausted, having slept but litl and 
laebord much. Thae roeld thair ies tord th advansing batl as thae stuud 
awaeting th shok. Sum shrank and flinched. Thae stuud as men tied to staeks.


Paej 163


Chapter 17
CHAPTER XVII.
   THIS advans of th enemy had seemd to th yooth liek a roothles hunting. He 
began to fume with raej and exasperaeshun. He beet his fuut upon th ground, and 
scould with haet at th swerling smoek that was aproeching liek a fantom 
flud. Thair was a madening qolity in this seeming rezolooshun of th foe to 
giv him no rest, to giv him no tiem to sit doun and think. Yesterdae he had 
faut and had fled rapidly. Thair had bin meny advenchers. For to dae he felt 
that he had ernd oportuenitys for contemplaetiv repoez. He cuud hav enjoid 
portraeing to uninishiaeted liseners vairius seens at which he had bin a 
witnes or aebly discusing th proseses of wor with uther proovd men. Too it 
was important that he shuud hav tiem for fizical recooperaeshun. He was sor 
and stif frum his expeeryenses. He had reseevd his fil of all exershuns, and 
he wisht to rest. 
   But thoes uther men seemd never to gro weery; thae wer fieting with thair 
oeld speed. 


Paej 164

He had a wield haet for th relentles foe. Yesterdae, when he had imajind th 
uenivers to be agenst him, he had haeted it, litl gods and big gods; to dae he 
haeted th army of th foe with th saem graet haetred. He was not going to be 
badgered of his lief, liek a kiten chaest bi bois, he sed. It was not wel to 
driev men into fienal corners; at thoes moements thae cuud all develop teeth and 
claws. 
   He leend and spoek into his friend's eer. He menist th wuuds with a 
jescher. "If thae keep on chaesing us, bi Gawd, thae'd beter woch out. Can't 
stand too much." 
   Th frend twisted his hed and maed a caam repli. "If thae keep on a chasin' 
us thae'l driev us all inteh th' river." 
   Th yooth cried out savejly at this staetment. He croucht behiend a litl 
tree, with his ies berning haetfuly and his teeth set in a cur liek snarl. Th 
aukward bandej was stil about his hed, and upon it, oever his woond, thair was 
a spot of dri blud. His hair was wundrusly touzld, and sum stragling, 
mooving loks hung oever th clauth of th bandej doun tord his forhed. His 
jaket and shert wer oepen at th throet, and expoezd his yung bronzd nek. 
Thair cuud be seen spazmodic gulpings at his throet. 


Paej 165


   His finggers twiend nervusly about his riefl. He wisht that it was an enjin 
of annihilating power. He felt that he and his companyons wer being taunted and 
derided frum sinseer convicshuns that thae wer pur and pueny. His nolej of 
his inability to taek vengeance for it maed his raej into a dark and stormy 
specter, that pozest him and maed him dreem of abominabl cruelties. Th 
tormenters wer flies suking insolently at his blud, and he thaut that he 
wuud hav given his lief for a revenj of seeing thair faeses in pityful 
pliets. 
   Th winds of batl had swept all about th rejiment, until th wun riefl, 
instantly foloed bi uthers, flasht in its frunt. A moement laeter th rejiment 
rord forth its suden and valyant retort. A dens wall of smoek setld sloely 
doun. It was fueriusly slit and slasht bi th niefliek fier frum th riefls. 
   To th yooth th fieters rezembld animals tosst for a deth strugl into 
a dark pit. Thair was a sensaeshun that he and his feloes, at bae, wer puushing 
bak, allwaes puushing feers onslauts of creechers hoo wer slipery. Thair 
beems of crimzon seemd to get no perchas upon th bodys of thair foes; th 
later seemd to evaed them with eez, and cum thru, between, around, and 
about with unopposed skil. 


Paej 166


   When, in a dreem, it ocurd to th yooth that his riefl was an impotent 
stik, he lost sens of evrything but his haet, his dezier to smash into pulp 
th glitering smiel of victory which he cuud feel upon th faeses of his 
enemys. 
   Th bloo smoek swoloed lien curld and riethd liek a snaek stept upon. 
It swung its ends to and fro in an agony of feer and raej. 
   Th yooth was not conshus that he was erect upon his feet. He did not noe 
th direcshun of th ground. Indeed, wuns he eeven lost th habit of balans and 
fel hevily. He was up agen imeedyetly. Wun thaut went thru th caeos of 
his braen at th tiem. He wunderd if he had fallen becauz he had bin shot. 
But th suspishun floo awae at wuns. He did not think mor of it. 
   He had taeken up a ferst pozishun behiend th litl tree, with a direct 
determinaeshun to hoeld it agenst th werld. He had not deemd it posibl that 
his army cuud that dae sucseed, and frum this he felt th ability to fiet 
harder. But th throng had serjd in all waes, until he lost direcshuns and 
loecaeshuns, saev that he nue wherr lae th enemy. 
   Th flaems bit him, and th hot smoek broild his skin. His riefl barrel groo 
so hot that ordinairily he cuud not hav born it upon his paams; 


Paej 167

but he kept on stufing cartrijes into it, and pounding them with his clanking, 
bending ramrod. If he aemd at sum chaenjing form thru th smoek, he puuld 
his triger with a feers grunt, as if he wer deeling a blo of th fist with 
all his strength. 
   When th enemy seemd falling bak befor him and his feloes, he went 
instantly forward, liek a daug hoo, seeing his foes laging, terns and insists 
upon being persood. And when he was compeld to retier agen, he did it sloely, 
sulenly, taeking steps of rathful despair. 
   Wuns he, in his intent haet, was allmoest aloen, and was fiering, when all thoes 
neer him had seest. He was so engroest in his ocuepaeshun that he was not awair 
of a lul. 
   He was recalld bi a hors laf and a sentens that caem to his eers in a 
vois of contempt and amaezment. "Yeh infernal fool, don't yeh noe enuf t' 
qit when thair ain't enything t' shoot at? Guud Gawd!" 
   He ternd then and, pauzing with his riefl throen haf into pozishun, luukt 
at th bloo lien of his comrads. During this moement of leezher thae seemd all 
to be engaejd in stairing with astonishment at him. Thae had becum spectaetors. 
Terning to th frunt agen he saw, under th lifted smoek, a dezerted ground. 


Paej 168


   He luukt bewilderd for a moement. Then thair apeerd upon th glaezd 
vaecansy of his ies a diemond point of intelijens. "O," he sed, 
comprehending. 
   He reternd to his comrads and throo himself upon th ground. He spralld 
liek a man hoo had bin thrasht. His flesh seemd straenjly on fier, and th 
sounds of th batl continued in his eers. He groept bliendly for his canteen. 
   Th lootenant was croeing. He seemd drunk with fieting. He calld out to 
th yooth: "Bi hevens, if I had ten thouzand wield cats liek U I cuud tair 
th' stumac outa this wor in less'n a week!" He puft out his chest with larj 
dignity as he sed it. 
   Sum of th men muterd and luukt at th yooth in au struk waes. It was 
plaen that as he had gon on loeding and fiering and cursing without th proper 
intermishun, thae had found tiem to regard him. And thae now luukt upon him as 
a wor devil. 
   Th frend caem stagering to him. Thair was sum friet and dismae in his 
vois. "Ar yeh all riet, Fleming? Do yeh feel all riet? Thair ain't nothin' 
th' mater with yeh, Henry, is thair?" 
   "No," sed th yooth with dificulty. His throet seemd fuul of nobs and 
burs. 
   Thees insidents maed th yooth ponder. It 


Paej 169

was reveeld to him that he had bin a barbairian, a beest. He had faut liek a 
paegan hoo defends his relijon. Regarding it, he saw that it was fien, wield, 
and, in sum waes, eezy. He had bin a tremendus figuer, no dout. Bi this 
strugl he had oevercum obstacls which he had admited to be mountens. Thae 
had fallen liek paeper peeks, and he was now whut he calld a heero. And he had 
not bin awair of th proses. He had slept and, awaekening, found himself a 
niet. 
   He lae and baskt in th ocaezhunal stairs of his comrads. Thair faeses wer 
vairyd in degrees of blaknes frum th bernd pouder. Sum wer uterly 
smujd. Thae wer reeking with perspiraeshun, and thair breths caem hard and 
wheezing. And frum thees soild expanses thae peerd at him. 
   "Hot werk! Hot werk!" cried th lootenant deliriously. He waukt up and 
doun, restles and eeger. Sumtiems his vois cuud be herd in a wield, 
incomprehensibl laf. 
   When he had a particuelarly profound thaut upon th sieens of wor he allwaes 
unconshusly adrest himself to th yooth. 
   Thair was sum grim rejoising bi th men. "Bi thunder, I bet this army'll 
never see anuther nue reg'ment liek us!" 


Paej 170

. 
   "U bet!" 
    "A daug, a wuuman, an' a wallnut tree, 
    Th' mor yeh beet 'em, th' beter thae be! That's liek us." 
   "Lost a piler men, thae did. If an' ol' wuuman swep' up th' wuuds she'd git a 
dustpanful." 
   "Yes, an' if she'l cum around ag'in in 'bout an' our she'l git a piel 
mor." 
   Th forest stil bor its berden of clamor. Frum off under th trees caem th 
roeling clater of th musketry. Eech distant thiket seemd a straenj porcuepien 
with qils of flaem. A cloud of dark smoek, as frum smoeldering rooins, went up 
tord th sun now briet and gae in th bloo, enameld skie.


Paej 171


Chapter 18
CHAPTER XVIII.
   TH raged lien had respit for sum minits, but during its pauz th 
strugl in th forest becaem magnified until th trees seemd to qiver frum 
th fiering and th ground to shaek frum th rushing of th men. Th voises of 
th canon wer minggld in a long and interminabl ro. It seemd dificult to 
liv in such an atmosfeer. Th chests of th men straend for a bit of 
freshnes, and thair throets craevd wauter. 
   Thair was wun shot thru th body, hoo raezd a cri of biter lamentaeshun 
when caem this lul. Perhaps he had bin calling out during th fieting allso, 
but at that tiem no wun had herd him. But now th men ternd at th woeful 
complaents of him upon th ground. 
   "Hoo is it? Hoo is it?" 
   "It's Jimmie Rogers. Jimmie Rogers." 
   When thair ies ferst encounterd him thair was a suden hallt, as if thae 
feerd to go neer. He was thrashing about in th gras, twisting his 


Paej 172

shudering body into meny straenj poschers. He was screeming loudly. This 
instant's hezitaeshun seemd to fil him with a tremendus, fantastic contempt, 
and he damd them in shreekt sentenses. 
   Th youth's frend had a jeo-grafical iloozhun conserning a streem, and he 
obtaend permishun to go for sum wauter. Imeedyetly canteens wer showerd 
upon him. "Fil mien, wil yeh?" "Bring me sum, too." "And me, too." He 
departed, ladened. Th yooth went with his frend, feeling a dezier to thro his 
heeted body onto th streem and, soeking thair, drink qorts. 
   Thae maed a heryd serch for th supoezd streem, but did not fiend it. "No 
wauter heer," sed th yooth. Thae ternd without delae and began to re-traes 
thair steps. 
   Frum thair pozishun as thae agen faest tord th plaes of th fieting, 
thae cuud of cors comprehend a graeter amount of th batl than when thair 
vizhuns had bin blerd bi th herling smoek of th lien. Thae cuud see dark 
streches wiending along th land, and on wun cleerd spaes thair was a ro of 
guns maeking grae clouds, which wer fild with larj flashes of orenj culord 
flaem. Oever sum foelej thae cuud see th roof of a hous. Wun windo, gloeing 
a deep merder red, shoen sqairly 


Paej 173

thru th leevs. Frum th edifis a tall leening tower of smoek went far into 
th skie. 
   Luuking oever thair oen troops, thae saw mixt mases sloely geting into 
reguelar form. Th sunliet maed twinkling points of th briet steel. To th 
reer thair was a glimps of a distant roedwae as it curvd oever a sloep. It was 
crouded with retreeting infantry. Frum all th interwoeven forest aroez th smoek 
and bluster of th batl. Th air was allwaes ocuepied bi a blairing. 
   Neer wherr thae stuud shels wer flip flaping and hooting. Ocaezhunal 
buulets buzd in th air and spanged into tree trunks. Woonded men and uther 
straglers wer slinking thru th wuuds. 
   Luuking doun an iel of th groev, th yooth and his companyon saw a 
janggling jeneral and his staf allmoest ried upon a woonded man, hoo was cralling 
on his hands and nees. Th jeneral raend strongly at his charger's oepend and 
foemy mouth and gieded it with dextrus horsmanship past th man. Th later 
scrambld in wield and torchering haest. His strength evidently faeld him as he 
reecht a plaes of saefty. Wun of his arms sudenly weekend, and he fel, 
slieding oever upon his bak. He lae strecht out, breething jently. 


Paej 174


   A moement laeter th small, creeking cavalcaed was directly in frunt of th too 
soeljers. Anuther offiser, rieding with th skilful abandon of a cowboi, 
galopt his hors to a pozishun directly befor th jeneral. Th too unnoetist 
fuut soeljers maed a litl sho of going on, but thae linggerd neer in th 
dezier to oeverheer th conversaeshun. Perhaps, thae thaut, sum graet iner 
historical things wuud be sed. 
   Th jeneral, hoom th bois nue as th comander of thair divizhun, luukt at 
th uther offiser and spoek cooly, as if he wer criticising his cloeths. "Th' 
enemy's formin' oever thair for anuther charj," he sed. "It'l be directed 
agenst Whiterside, an' I feer thae'l braek thru thair unles we werk liek 
thunder t' stop them." 
   Th uther swor at his restiv hors, and then cleerd his throet. He maed a 
jescher tord his cap. "It'l be hel t' pae stoppin' them," he sed shortly. 
   "I prezoom so," remarkt th jeneral. Then he began to tauk rapidly and in a 
loeer toen. He freeqently ilustraeted his werds with a pointing fingger. Th too 
infantrymen cuud heer nuthing until fienaly he askt: "Whut troops can U 
spair?" 
   Th offiser hoo roed liek a cowboi reflected 


Paej 175

for an instant. "Wel," he sed, "I had to order in th' 12th to help th' 76th, 
an' I havn't reealy got eny. But thair's th' 304th. Thae fiet liek a lot 'a 
muel drievers. I can spair them best of eny." 
   Th yooth and his frend exchaenjd glanses of astonishment. 
   Th jeneral spoek sharply. "Get 'em redy, then. I'l woch developments frum 
heer, an' send U werd when t' start them. It'l hapen in fiev minits." 
   As th uther offiser tosst his finggers tord his cap and wheeling his 
hors, started awae, th jeneral calld out to him in a soeber vois: "I don't 
beleev meny of yur muel drievers wil get bak." 
   Th uther shouted sumthing in repli. He smield. 
   With scaird faeses, th yooth and his companyon heryd bak to th lien. 
   Thees hapenings had ocuepied an incredibly short tiem, yet th yooth felt 
that in them he had bin maed aejed. Nue ies wer given to him. And th moest 
startling thing was to lern sudenly that he was verry insignificant. Th 
offiser spoek of th rejiment as if he referd to a broom. Sum part of th 
wuuds needed sweeping, perhaps, and he meerly indicaeted a broom in 


Paej 176

a toen properly indiferent to its faet. It was wor, no dout, but it apeerd 
straenj. 
   As th too bois aproecht th lien, th lootenant perseevd them and 
sweld with rath. "Fleming -- Wilson -- how long duz it taek yeh to git 
wauter, enyhow -- wherr yeh bin to." 
   But his oraeshun seest as he saw thair ies, which wer larj with graet 
taels. "We'r goin' t' charj -- we'r goin' t' charj!" cried th youth's 
frend, haesening with his nues. 
   "Charj?" sed th lootenant. "Charj? Wel, b'gawd! Now, this is reeal 
fightin'." Oever his soild countenans thair went a boestful smiel. "Charj? 
Wel, b'gawd!" 
   A litl groop of soeljers serounded th too yooths. "Ar we, shur 'nough? 
Wel, I'l be derned! Charj? Whut fer? Whut at? Wilson, U'r lyin'." 
   "I hoep to die," sed th yooth, piching his toens to th kee of anggry 
remonstrans. "Shur as shooting, I tel U." 
   And his frend spoek in re enforsment. "Not bi a blaem siet, he ain't 
lyin'. We herd 'em talkin'." 
   Thae caut siet of too mounted figuers a short distans frum them. Wun was 
th curnel of th rejiment and th uther was th offiser hoo had reseevd 
orders frum th comander of th 


Paej 177

divizhun. Thae wer jesticuelaeting at eech uther. Th soeljer, pointing at them, 
interpreted th seen. 
   Wun man had a fienal objecshun: "How cuud yeh heer 'em talkin'?" But th men, 
for a larj part, noded, admiting that preeviusly th too frends had spoeken 
trooth. 
   Thae setld bak into reposeful atitueds with airs of having acsepted th 
mater. And thae muezd upon it, with a hundred varieetys of expreshun. It was 
an engroesing thing to think about. Meny tietend thair belts cairfuly and 
hicht at thair trouzers. 
   A moement laeter th offisers began to busl amung th men, puushing them into 
a mor compact mas and into a beter alienment. Thae chaest thoes that 
stragld and fuemd at a fue men hoo seemd to sho bi thair atitueds that thae 
had desieded to remaen at that spot. Thae wer liek critical sheperds strugling 
with sheep. 
   Prezently, th rejiment seemd to draw itself up and heev a deep breth. 
Nun of th men's faeses wer mirors of larj thauts. Th soeljers wer bended 
and stoopt liek sprinters befor a signal. Meny pairs of glinting ies peerd 
frum th grimy faeses tord th curtens of th deeper wuuds. Thae seemd to be 
engaejd in deep calcuelaeshuns of tiem and distans. 


Paej 178


   Thae wer serounded bi th noizes of th monstrus alltercaeshun between th 
too armys. Th werld was fuuly interested in uther maters. Aparrently, th 
rejiment had its small afair to itself. 
   Th yooth, terning, shot a qik, inqiering glans at his frend. Th later 
reternd to him th saem maner of luuk. Thae wer th oenly wuns hoo pozest 
an iner nolej. "Muel drievers -- hel t' pae -- don't beleev meny wil get 
bak." It was an ieronical seecret. Stil, thae saw no hezitaeshun in eech other's 
faeses, and thae noded a muet and unprotesting asent when a shagy man neer 
them sed in a meek vois: "We'll git swoloed."


Paej 179


Chapter 19
CHAPTER XIX.
   TH yooth staird at th land in frunt of him. Its foliages now seemd to vael 
powers and horrors. He was unawair of th masheenery of orders that started th 
charj, alltho frum th corners of his ies he saw an offiser, hoo luukt liek 
a boi a horsbak, cum galoping, waeving his hat. Sudenly he felt a straening 
and heeving amung th men. Th lien fel sloely forward liek a topling wall, 
and, with a convulsiv gasp that was intended for a cheer, th rejiment began 
its jerny. Th yooth was puusht and jostled for a moement befor he understuud 
th moovment at all, but directly he lunjd ahed and began to run. 
   He fixt his ie upon a distant and prominent clump of trees wherr he had 
conclooded th enemy wer to be met, and he ran tord it as tord a goel. He 
had beleevd thruout that it was a meer qeschun of geting oever an 
unplezant mater as qikly as posibl, and he ran 


Paej 180

desperetly, as if persood for a merder. His faes was drawn hard and tiet with 
th stres of his endevor. His ies wer fixt in a lurid glair. And with his 
soild and disorderd dres, his red and inflaemd feechers sermounted bi th 
dinjy rag with its spot of blud, his wieldly swinging riefl and banging 
acooterments, he luukt to be an insaen soeljer. 
   As th rejiment swung frum its pozishun out into a cleerd spaes th wuuds 
and thikets befor it awaekend. Yelo flaems leept tord it frum meny 
direcshuns. Th forest maed a tremendus objecshun. 
   Th lien lercht straet for a moement. Then th riet wing swung forward; it 
in tern was serpast bi th left. Afterward th senter careered to th frunt 
until th rejiment was a wej shaept mas, but an instant laeter th opozishun 
of th buushes, trees, and uneeven plaeses on th ground split th comand and 
scaterd it into detacht clusters. 
   Th yooth, liet fuuted, was unconshusly in advans. His ies stil kept 
noet of th clump of trees. Frum all plaeses neer it th clanish yel of th 
enemy cuud be herd. Th litl flaems of riefls leept frum it. Th song of 
th buulets was in th air and shels snarld amung th treetops. Wun tumbld 
directly into th midl of a 


Paej 181

herying groop and exploeded in crimzon fuery. Thair was an instant's spectacl of 
a man, allmoest oever it, throeing up his hands to sheeld his ies. 
   Uther men, puncht bi buulets, fel in groetesk agonys. Th rejiment left a 
coeheerent trael of bodys. 
   Thae had past into a cleerer atmosfeer. Thair was an efect liek a 
revelaeshun in th nue apeerans of th landscaep. Sum men werking madly at a 
batery wer plaen to them, and th opoezing infantry's liens wer defiend bi 
th grae walls and frinjes of smoek. 
   It seemd to th yooth that he saw evrything. Eech blaed of th green gras 
was boeld and cleer. He thaut that he was awair of evry chaenj in th thin, 
transpairent vaepor that floeted iedly in sheets. Th broun or grae trunks of th 
trees shoed eech rufnes of thair serfises. And th men of th rejiment, with 
thair starting ies and sweting faeses, runing madly, or falling, as if throen 
hedlong, to qeer, heept up corpses -- all wer comprehended. His miend tuuk a 
mecanical but ferm impreshun, so that afterward evrything was pikcherd and 
explaend to him, saev whi he himself was thair. 
   But thair was a frenzy maed frum this fuerius rush. Th men, piching forward 
insaenly, had berst into cheerings, moblike and barbarric, but 


Paej 182

tuend in straenj kees that can arouz th dulard and th stoeic. It maed a mad 
enthooziazm that, it seemd, wuud be incaepabl of cheking itself befor granit 
and bras. Thair was th deleerium that encounters despair and deth, and is 
heedles and bliend to th ods. It is a temporairy but subliem absens of 
selfishnes. And becauz it was of this order was th reezon, perhaps, whi th 
yooth wunderd, afterward, whut reezons he cuud hav had for being thair. 
   Prezently th straening paes aet up th enerjys of th men. As if bi 
agreement, th leeders began to slaken thair speed. Th volys directed 
agenst them had had a seeming windlike efect. Th rejiment snorted and bloo. 
Amung sum stolid trees it began to fallter and hezitaet. Th men, stairing 
intently, began to waet for sum of th distant walls of smoek to moov and 
discloez to them th seen. Sinss much of thair strength and thair breth had 
vanisht, thae reternd to caushun. Thae wer becum men agen. 
   Th yooth had a vaeg beleef that he had run miels, and he thaut, in a wae, 
that he was now in sum nue and unnoen land. 
   Th moement th rejiment seest its advans th proetesting splutter of 
musketry becaem a stedyd ror. Long and acueret frinjes of 


Paej 183

smoek spred out. Frum th top of a small hil caem level belchings of yelo 
flaem that cauzd an inhueman whisling in th air. 
   Th men, hallted, had oportuenity to see sum of thair comrads droping with 
moens and shrieks. A fue lae under fuut, stil or waeling. And now for an 
instant th men stuud, thair riefls slak in thair hands, and wocht th 
rejiment dwindl. Thae apeerd daezd and stoopid. This spectacl seemd to 
parraliez them, oevercum them with a faetal fasinaeshun. Thae staird woodenly at 
th siets, and, loeering thair ies, luukt frum faes to faes. It was a straenj 
pauz, and a straenj sielens. 
   Then, abuv th sounds of th outsied comoeshun, aroez th ror of th 
lootenant. He stroed sudenly forth, his infantiel feechers blak with raej. 
   "Cum on, yeh fools!" he beloed. "Cum on! Yeh can't stae heer. Yeh must 
cum on." He sed mor, but much of it cuud not be understuud. 
   He started rapidly forward, with his hed ternd tord th men. "Cum on," 
he was shouting. Th men staird with blank and yoekel liek ies at him. He was 
obliejd to hallt and re-traes his steps. He stuud then with his bak to th enemy 
and deliverd jiegantic curses into 


Paej 184

. th faeses of th men. His body viebraeted frum th waet and fors of his 
imprecaeshuns. And he cuud string oeths with th fasility of a maeden hoo 
strings beeds. 
   Th frend of th yooth arouzd. Lerching sudenly forward and droping to 
his nees, he fierd an anggry shot at th persistent wuuds. This acshun awaekend 
th men. Thae hudld no mor liek sheep. Thae seemd sudenly to bethink them 
of thair wepons, and at wuns comenst fiering. Belabored bi thair offisers, 
thae began to moov forward. Th rejiment, involvd liek a cart involvd in mud 
and mudl, started unevenly with meny jolts and jerks. Th men stopt now 
evry fue paeses to fier and loed, and in this maner moovd sloely on frum trees 
to trees. 
   Th flaeming opozishun in thair frunt groo with thair advans until it seemd 
that all forward waes wer bard bi th thin leeping tungs, and off to th 
riet an ominus demonstraeshun cuud sumtiems be dimly disernd. Th smoek 
laetly jeneraeted was in confuezing clouds that maed it dificult for th rejiment 
to proseed with intelijens. As he past thru eech curling mas th yooth 
wunderd whut wuud confrunt him on th farther sied. 
   Th comand went paenfuly forward until an 


Paej 185

oepen spaes interpoezd between them and th lurid liens. Heer, crouching and 
cowering behiend sum trees, th men clung with desperaeshun, as if thretend bi 
a waev. Thae luukt wield ied, and as if amaezd at this fuerius disterbans thae 
had sterd. In th storm thair was an ieronical expreshun of thair importans. 
Th faeses of th men, too, shoed a lak of a serten feeling of responsibility 
for being thair. It was as if thae had bin driven. It was th dominant animal 
faeling to remember in th supreem moements th forsful cauzes of vairius 
sooperfishal qolitys. Th hoel afair seemd incomprehensibl to meny of them. 

   As thae hallted thus th lootenant agen began to belo profanely. 
Regardles of th vindictiv threts of th buulets, he went about coexing, 
berating, and bedamning. His lips, that wer habichualy in a sofft and chieldliek 
curv, wer now riethd into unholy contortions. He swor bi all posibl 
deeitys. 
   Wuns he grabd th yooth bi th arm. "Cum on, yeh lunkhead!" he rord. 
"Cum on! We'll all git kild if we stae heer. We'v on'y got t' go across that 
lot. An' then" -- th remaender of his iedeea disapeerd in a bloo haez of 
curses. 
   Th yooth strecht forth his arm. "Cross 


Paej 186

. thair?" His mouth was pukerd in dout and au. 
   "Sertenly. Jest 'cross th' lot! We can't stae heer," screemd th 
lootenant. He poekt his faes cloes to th yooth and waevd his bandejd hand. 
"Cum on!" Prezently he grapld with him as if for a resling bout. It was as 
if he pland to drag th yooth bi th eer on to th asallt. 
   Th prievet felt a suden unspeekabl indignaeshun agenst his offiser. He 
rencht feersly and shuuk him off. 
   "Cum on herself, then," he yeld. Thair was a biter chalenj in his 
vois. 
   Thae galopt together doun th rejimental frunt. Th frend scrambld after 
them. In frunt of th culors th three men began to ball: "Cum on! cum on!" 
Thae danst and gyrated liek torcherd savejes. 
   Th flag, oebeedyent to thees apeels, bended its glitering form and swept 
tord them. Th men wavered in indesizhun for a moement, and then with a long, 
wailful cri th dilapidaeted rejiment serjd forward and began its nue jerny. 
   Oever th feeld went th scurying mas. It was a handful of men splaterd 
into th faeses of th enemy. Tord it instantly sprang th yelo tungs. A 
vast qontity of bloo smoek 


Paej 187

hung befor them. A miety banging maed eers valueles. 
   Th yooth ran liek a madman to reech th wuuds befor a buulet cuud discuver 
him. He dukt his hed lo, liek a fuutball plaeer. In his haest his ies 
allmoest cloezd, and th seen was a wield bler. Pulsaeting salieva stuud at th 
corners of his mouth. 
   Within him, as he herld himself forward, was born a luv, a despairing 
fondnes for this flag which was neer him. It was a creaeshun of buety and 
invulnerability. It was a godes, raediant, that bended its form with an 
impeerius jescher to him. It was a wuuman, red and whiet, haeting and luving, that 
calld him with th vois of his hoeps. Becauz no harm cuud cum to it he 
endowd it with power. He kept neer, as if it cuud be a saver of lievs, and an 
imploring cri went frum his miend. 
   In th mad scrambl he was awair that th culor sarjent flinched sudenly, 
as if struk bi a blujen. He fallterd, and then becaem moeshunles, saev for 
his qivering nees. 
   He maed a spring and a cluch at th poel. At th saem instant his frend 
grabd it frum th uther sied. Thae jerkt at it, stout and fuerius, but th 
culor sarjent was ded, and th corps wuud not relinqish its trust. For a 
moement 


Paej 188

thair was a grim encounter. Th ded man, swinging with bended bak, seemd to 
be obstinately tuging, in loodicrus and auful waes, for th pozeshun of th 
flag. 
   It was past in an instant of tiem. Thae rencht th flag fueriusly frum th 
ded man, and, as thae ternd agen, th corps swaed forward with bowd hed. 
Wun arm swung hi, and th curvd hand fel with hevy protest on th friend's 
unheeding shoelder.


Paej 189


Chapter 20
CHAPTER XX.
   WHEN th too yooths ternd with th flag thae saw that much of th rejiment 
had crumbld awae, and th dejected remnant was cuming sloely bak. Th men, 
having herld themselvs in projectil fashun, had prezently expended thair 
forses. Thae sloely retreeted, with thair faeses stil tord th spluttering 
wuuds, and thair hot riefls stil replieing to th din. Several offisers wer 
giving orders, thair voises keed to screems. 
   "Wherr in hel yeh goin'?" th lootenant was asking in a sarcastic houl. And 
a red beerded offiser, hoos vois of tripl bras cuud plaenly be herd, was 
comanding: "Shoot into 'em! Shoot into 'em, Gawd dam thair soels!" Thair was a 
mele'e of screeches, in which th men wer orderd to do conflicting and 
imposibl things. 
   Th yooth and his frend had a small scufl oever th flag. "Giv it t' me!" 
"No, let me keep it!" Eech felt satisfied with th other's pozeshun of it, but 
eech felt bound to declair, bi 


Paej 190

an offer to carry th emblem, his wilingnes to ferther risk himself. Th yooth 
rufly puusht his frend awae. 
   Th rejiment fel bak to th stolid trees. Thair it hallted for a moement to 
blaez at sum dark forms that had begun to steel upon its trak. Prezently it 
rezoomd its march agen, curving amung th tree trunks. Bi th tiem th depleeted 
rejiment had agen reecht th ferst oepen spaes thae wer reseeving a fast and 
mersyles fier. Thair seemd to be mobs all about them. 
   Th graeter part of th men, discurejd, thair spirits worn bi th termoil, 
acted as if stund. Thae acsepted th pelting of th buulets with bowd and 
weery heds. It was of no perpos to striev agenst walls. It was of no ues to 
bater themselvs agenst granit. And frum this conshusnes that thae had 
atempted to conker an unconkerabl thing thair seemd to ariez a feeling that 
thae had bin betraed. Thae glowerd with bent brous, but daenjerusly, upon 
sum of th offisers, mor particuelarly upon th red beerded wun with th vois 
of tripl bras. 
   However, th reer of th rejiment was frinjd with men, hoo continued to 
shoot iritably at th advansing foes. Thae seemd rezolvd to maek evry 
trubl. Th yoothful lootenant was perhaps 


Paej 191

th last man in th disorderd mas. His forgoten bak was tord th enemy. He 
had bin shot in th arm. It hung straet and rijid. Ocaezhunaly he wuud 
sees to remember it, and be about to emfasiez an oeth with a sweeping jescher. 
Th multiplied paen cauzd him to swair with incredibl power. 
   Th yooth went along with sliping, unsertan feet. He kept wochful ies 
rearward. A scoul of mortificaeshun and raej was upon his faes. He had thaut of 
a fien revenj upon th offiser hoo had referd to him and his feloes as muel 
drievers. But he saw that it cuud not cum to pas. His dreems had colapst 
when th muel drievers, dwindling rapidly, had wavered and hezitaeted on th 
litl cleering, and then had recoild. And now th retreet of th muel drievers 
was a march of shaem to him. 
   A dager pointed gaez frum without his blakend faes was held tord th 
enemy, but his graeter haetred was riveted upon th man, hoo, not noeing him, 
had calld him a muel driever. 
   When he nue that he and his comrads had faeld to do enything in sucsesful 
waes that miet bring th litl pangs of a kiend of remors upon th offiser, 
th yooth alowd th raej of th bafld to pozes him. This coeld offiser upon 
a monuement, hoo dropt epithets unconsernedly 


Paej 192

doun, wuud be fiener as a ded man, he thaut. So greevus did he think it that 
he cuud never pozes th seecret riet to taunt trooly in anser. 
   He had pikcherd red leters of cuerius revenj. "We ar muel drievers, ar 
we?" And now he was compeld to thro them awae. 
   He prezently rapt his hart in th cloek of his pried and kept th flag 
erect. He harangd his feloes, puushing agenst thair chests with his free 
hand. To thoes he nue wel he maed frantic apeels, beseeching them bi naem. 
Between him and th lootenant, scoelding and neer to loozing his miend with raej, 
thair was felt a sutl feloeship and eqolity. Thae suported eech uther in 
all maner of hors, houling proetests. 
   But th rejiment was a masheen run doun. Th too men babld at a forceless 
thing. Th soeljers hoo had hart to go sloely wer continuealy shaeken in thair 
rezolvs bi a nolej that comrads wer sliping with speed bak to th 
liens. It was dificult to think of repuetaeshun when uthers wer thinking of 
skins. Woonded men wer left crieing on this blak jerny. 
   Th smoek frinjes and flaems blusterd allwaes. Th yooth, peering wuns 
thru a suden rift in a cloud, saw a broun mas of troops, 


Paej 193

interwoeven and magnified until thae apeerd to be thouzands. A feers hued flag 
flasht befor his vizhun. 
   Imeedyetly, as if th uplifting of th smoek had bin pre-araenjd, th 
discuverd troops berst into a rasping yel, and a hundred flaems jeted tord 
th retreeting band. A roeling grae cloud agen interpoezd as th rejiment 
daugedly replied. Th yooth had to depend agen upon his misused eers, which 
wer trembling and buzing frum th mele'e of musketry and yels. 
   Th wae seemd eternal. In th clouded haez men becaem panicstricken with th 
thaut that th rejiment had lost its path, and was proseeding in a perrilus 
direcshun. Wuns th men hoo heded th wield proseshun ternd and caem puushing 
bak agenst thair comrads, screeming that thae wer being fierd upon frum 
points which thae had considerd to be tord thair oen liens. At this cri a 
histerrical feer and dismae beset th troops. A soeljer, hoo heertofor had bin 
ambishus to maek th rejiment into a wiez litl band that wuud proseed caamly 
amid th huej apeering dificultys, sudenly sank doun and berryd his faes in 
his arms with an air of bowing to a doom. Frum anuther a shril lamentaeshun rang 
out fild with profaen aloozhuns to a jeneral. 


Paej 194

Men ran hither and thither, seeking with thair ies roeds of escaep. With sereen 
reguelarrity, as if controeld bi a skejool, buulets buffed into men. 
   Th yooth waukt stolidly into th midst of th mob, and with his flag in his 
hands tuuk a stand as if he expected an atempt to puush him to th ground. He 
unconshusly asoomd th atitued of th culor bairer in th fiet of th 
preseeding dae. He past oever his brow a hand that trembld. His breth did not 
cum freely. He was choeking during this small waet for th criesis. 
   His frend caem to him. "Wel, Henry, I ges this is guud bi -- John." 
   "O, shut up, U damd fool!" replied th yooth, and he wuud not luuk at 
th uther. 
   Th offisers laebord liek politishans to beet th mas into a proper sercl 
to faes th menaces. Th ground was uneeven and torn. Th men curld into 
depreshuns and fited themselvs snugly behiend whutever wuud frustraet a 
buulet. 
   Th yooth noeted with vaeg serpriez that th lootenant was standing muetly 
with his legs far apart and his sord held in th maner of a caen. Th yooth 
wunderd whut had hapend to his voecal organs that he no mor curst. 


Paej 195


   Thair was sumthing cuerius in this litl intent pauz of th lootenant. He 
was liek a baeb which, having wept its fil, raezes its ies and fixes upon a 
distant toi. He was engroest in this contemplaeshun, and th sofft under lip 
qiverd frum self whisperd werds. 
   Sum laezy and ignorant smoek curld sloely. Th men, hieding frum th buulets, 
waeted ankshusly for it to lift and discloez th pliet of th rejiment. 
   Th sielent ranks wer sudenly thrild bi th eeger vois of th yoothful 
lootenant bawling out: "Heer thae cum! Riet onto us, b'gawd!" His ferther 
werds wer lost in a ror of wiked thunder frum th men's riefls. 
   Th youth's ies had instantly ternd in th direcshun indicaeted bi th 
awaekend and ajitaeted lootenant, and he had seen th haez of trechery 
discloezing a body of soeljers of th enemy. Thae wer so neer that he cuud see 
thair feechers. Thair was a recognishun as he luukt at th tieps of faeses. Allso 
he perseevd with dim amaezment that thair ueniforms wer rather gae in efect, 
being liet grae, acsented with a brilyant hued faesing. Too, th cloeths seemd 
nue. 
   Thees troops had aparrently bin going forward with caushun, thair riefls 
held in redynes, when th yoothful lootenant had discuverd 


Paej 196

them and thair moovment had bin interupted bi th voly frum th bloo 
rejiment. Frum th moment's glimps, it was derievd that thae had bin unawair 
of th proximity of thair dark sooted foes or had mistaeken th direcshun. Allmoest 
instantly thae wer shut uterly frum th youth's siet bi th smoek frum th 
enerjetic riefls of his companyons. He straend his vizhun to lern th 
acomplishment of th voly, but th smoek hung befor him. 
   Th too bodys of troops exchaenjd bloes in th maner of a pair of boxers. 
Th fast anggry firings went bak and forth. Th men in bloo wer intent with th 
despair of thair sercumstanses and thae seezd upon th revenj to be had at 
cloes raenj. Thair thunder sweld loud and valyant. Thair curving frunt 
brisld with flashes and th plaes rezounded with th clangor of thair ramrods. 
Th yooth dukt and dojd for a tiem and acheevd a fue unsatisfactory vues 
of th enemy. Thair apeerd to be meny of them and thae wer replieing swiftly. 
Thae seemd mooving tord th bloo rejiment, step bi step. He seeted himself 
gloomily on th ground with his flag between his nees. 
   As he noeted th vishus, wolflike temper of his comrads he had a sweet 
thaut that if th enemy was about to swolo th rejimental 


Paej 197

broom as a larj prizoner, it cuud at leest hav th consolaeshun of going doun 
with brisls forward. 
   But th bloes of th antagonist began to gro mor weak. Fueer buulets ript 
th air, and fienaly, when th men slakend to lern of th fiet, thae cuud 
see oenly dark, floeting smoek. Th rejiment lae stil and gaezd. Prezently sum 
chans whim caem to th pestering bler, and it began to coil hevily awae. Th 
men saw a ground vaecant of fieters. It wuud hav bin an empty staej if it 
wer not for a fue corpses that lae throen and twisted into fantastic shaeps 
upon th sward. 
   At siet of this tablo, meny of th men in bloo sprang frum behiend thair 
cuvers and maed an ungaenly dans of joi. Thair ies bernd and a hors cheer 
of elaeshun broek frum thair dri lips. 
   It had begun to seem to them that events wer trieing to proov that thae wer 
impotent. Thees litl batls had evidently endevored to demonstraet that th 
men cuud not fiet wel. When on th verj of submishun to thees opinyons, th 
small dueel had shoed them that th proporshuns wer not imposibl, and bi it 
thae had revenjd themselvs upon thair misgivings and upon th foe. 


Paej 198


   Th impetus of enthooziazm was theirs agen. Thae gaezd about them with luuks 
of uplifted pried, feeling nue trust in th grim, allwaes confident wepons in 
thair hands. And thae wer men.


Paej 199


Chapter 21
CHAPTER XXI.
   PREZENTLY thae nue that no fiering thretend them. All waes seemd wuns mor 
oepend to them. Th dusty bloo liens of thair frends wer discloezd a short 
distans awae. In th distans thair wer meny colosal noizes, but in all this 
part of th feeld thair was a suden stilnes. 
   Thae perseevd that thae wer free. Th depleeted band droo a long breth of 
releef and gatherd itself into a bunch to compleet its trip. 
   In this last length of jerny th men began to sho straenj emoeshuns. Thae 
heryd with nervus feer. Sum hoo had bin dark and unfaltering in th 
grimmest moements now cuud not conseel an angzieity that maed them frantic. It was 
perhaps that thae dreded to be kild in insignificant waes after th tiems for 
proper militairy deths had past. Or, perhaps, thae thaut it wuud be too 
ieronical to get kild at 


Paej 200

th portals of saefty. With bakward luuks of perturbation, thae haesend. 
   As thae aproecht thair oen liens thair was sum sarcazm exibited on th 
part of a gaunt and bronzd rejiment that lae resting in th shaed of trees. 
Qeschuns wer wafted to them. 
   "Wherr th' hel yeh bin?" 
   "Whut yeh comin' bak fer?" 
   "Whi didn't yeh stae thair?" 
   "Was it worm out thair, suny?" 
   "Goin' hoem now, bois?" 
   Wun shouted in taunting mimicry: "O, muther, cum qik an' luuk at th' 
sojers!" 
   Thair was no repli frum th broozd and baterd rejiment, saev that wun man 
maed braudcast chalenjes to fist fiets and th red beerded offiser waukt 
rather neer and glaird in graet swoshbukler stiel at a tall capten in th 
uther rejiment. But th lootenant suprest th man hoo wisht to fist fiet, 
and th tall capten, flushing at th litl fanfair of th red beerded wun, was 
obliejd to luuk intently at sum trees. 
   Th youth's tender flesh was deeply stung bi thees remarks. Frum under his 
creest brous he glowerd with haet at th mockers. He meditaeted upon a fue 
revenges. Stil, meny in th rejiment hung thair heds in criminal fashun, 


Paej 201

so that it caem to pas that th men trujd with suden hevynes, as if thae 
bor upon thair bended shoelders th coffin of thair onor. And th yoothful 
lootenant, recollecting himself, began to muter sofftly in blak curses. 
   Thae ternd when thae arievd at thair oeld pozishun to regard th ground oever 
which thae had charjd. 
   Th yooth in this contemplaeshun was smiten with a larj astonishment. He 
discuverd that th distanses, as compaird with th brilyant measurings of his 
miend, wer trivial and ridicuelus. Th stolid trees, wherr much had taeken plaes, 
seemd incredibly neer. Th tiem, too, now that he reflected, he saw to hav 
bin short. He wunderd at th number of emoeshuns and events that had bin 
crouded into such litl spaeses. Elfin thauts must hav exajeraeted and 
enlarjd evrything, he sed. 
   It seemd, then, that thair was biter justis in th speeches of th gaunt 
and bronzd veterans. He vaeld a glans of disdaen at his feloes hoo strewed 
th ground, choeking with dust, red frum perspiraeshun, misty ied, disheveld. 
   Thae wer gulping at thair canteens, feers to ring evry miet of wauter frum 
them, and thae polisht at thair swoelen and wautery feechers with coet sleevs 
and bunches of gras. 


Paej 202


   However, to th yooth thair was a considerabl joi in muezing upon his 
performanses during th charj. He had had verry litl tiem preeviusly in which 
to apreeshiaet himself, so that thair was now much satisfacshun in qieetly 
thinking of his acshuns. He recalld bits of culor that in th flery had 
stampt themselvs unawares upon his engaejd senses. 
   As th rejiment lae heeving frum its hot exershuns th offiser hoo had naemd 
them as muel drievers caem galoping along th lien. He had lost his cap. His 
touzld hair streemd wieldly, and his faes was dark with vexaeshun and rath. His 
temper was displaed with mor cleernes bi th wae in which he manejd his 
hors. He jerkt and rencht savejly at his briedl, stoping th hard 
breething animal with a fuerius puul neer th curnel of th rejiment. He 
imeedyetly exploeded in reproeches which caem unbiden to th eers of th men. 
Thae wer sudenly alert, being allwaes cuerius about blak werds between 
offisers. 
   "O, thunder, Macchesnay, whut an auful buul U maed of this thing!" began 
th offiser. He atempted lo toens, but his indignaeshun cauzd serten of th 
men to lern th sens of his werds. "Whut an auful mes U maed! Guud Lord, 
man, U stopt about a hundred 


Paej 203

feet this sied of a verry prity sucses! If yur men had gon a hundred feet 
farther U wuud hav maed a graet charj, but as it is -- whut a lot of mud 
digers U'v got enywae!" 
   Th men, lisening with bated breth, now ternd thair cuerius ies upon th 
curnel. Thae had a ragamufin interest in this afair. 
   Th curnel was seen to straeten his form and puut wun hand forth in 
oratorical fashun. He wor an injerd air; it was as if a deecon had bin 
acuezd of steeling. Th men wer wigling in an extasy of exsietment. 
   But of a suden th colonel's maner chaenjd frum that of a deecon to that of 
a Frenchman. He shrugd his shoelders. "O, wel, jeneral, we went as far as we 
cuud," he sed caamly. 
   "As far as U cuud? Did U, b'gawd?" snorted th uther. "Wel, that wasn't 
verry far, was it?" he aded, with a glans of coeld contempt into th other's 
ies. "Not verry far, I think. U wer intended to maek a diverzhun in faevor of 
Whiterside. How wel U sucseeded yur oen eers can now tel U." He wheeld 
his hors and roed stifly awae. 
   Th curnel, bidden to heer th jarring noizes of an engaejment in th wuuds 
to th left, broek out in vaeg damnations. 


Paej 204


   Th lootenant, hoo had lisend with an air of impotent raej to th 
intervue, spoek sudenly in ferm and undaunted toens. "I don't cair whut a man 
is -- whether he is a jeneral or whut -- if he ses th' bois didn't puut up a 
guud fiet out thair he's a damd fool." 
   "Lootenant," began th curnel, seveerly, "this is mi oen afair, and I'l 
trubl U -- " 
   Th lootenant maed an oebeedyent jescher. "All riet, curnel, all riet," he 
sed. He sat doun with an air of being content with himself. 
   Th nues that th rejiment had bin reproached went along th lien. For a 
tiem th men wer bewilderd bi it. "Guud thunder!" thae ejacuelaeted, stairing at 
th vanishing form of th jeneral. Thae conseevd it to be a huej mistaek. 
   Prezently, however, thae began to beleev that in trooth thair eforts had 
bin calld liet. Th yooth cuud see this convicshun wae upon th entier 
rejiment until th men wer liek cuffed and curst animals, but withal 
rebelyus. 
   Th frend, with a greevans in his ie, went to th yooth. "I wunder whut he 
duz wont," he sed. "He must think we went out thair an' plaed marbls! I 
never see sech a man!" 


Paej 205


   Th yooth developt a tranqil filosofy for thees moements of iritaeshun. 
"O, wel," he rejoind, "he probably didn't see nuthing of it at all and got 
mad as blazes, and conclooded we wer a lot of sheep, just becauz we didn't do 
whut he wonted dun. It's a pity oeld Grandpaa Henderson got kild yestirday -- 
he'd hav noen that we did our best and faut guud. It's just our auful luk, 
that's whut." 
   "I shuud sae so," replied th frend. He seemd to be deeply woonded at an 
injustis. "I shuud sae we did hav auful luk! Thair's no fun in fightin' fer 
peepl when evrything yeh do -- no mater whut -- ain't dun riet. I hav a 
noeshun t' stae behiend next tiem an' let 'em taek thair ol' charj an' go t' th' 
devil with it." 
   Th yooth spoek soothingly to his comrad. "Wel, we boeth did guud. I'd liek 
to see th fool what'd sae we boeth didn't do as guud as we cuud!" 
   "Of cors we did," declaird th frend stoutly. "An' I'd braek th' feller's 
nek if he was as big as a cherch. But we'r all riet, enyhow, for I herd wun 
feller sae that we too fit th' best in th' reg'ment, an' thae had a graet 
arguement 'bout it. Anuther feller, 'a cors, he had t' up an' sae it was a lie 
-- he seen all whut was goin' 


Paej 206

on an' he never seen us frum th' beginnin' t' th' end. An' a lot mor struk in 
an' ses it wasn't a lie -- we did fiet liek thunder, an' thae giv us qiet a 
send off. But this is whut I can't stand -- thees everlastin' ol' soeljers, 
titterin' an' laughin', an' then that jeneral, he's craezy." 
   Th yooth exclaemd with suden exasperaeshun: "He's a lunkhead! He maeks me 
mad. I wish he'd cum along next tiem. We'd sho 'im whut -- " 
   He seest becauz several men had cum herying up. Thair faeses exprest a 
bringing of graet nues. 
   "O Flem, yeh jest oughta herd!" cried wun, eegerly. 
   "Herd whut?" sed th yooth. 
   "Yeh jest oughta herd!" repeeted th uther, and he araenjd himself to tel 
his tiedings. Th uthers maed an exsieted sercl. "Wel, ser, th' curnel met yur 
lootenant riet bi us -- it was damnedest thing I ever herd -- an' he ses: 
'ahem! ahem!' he ses. 'mr. Hasbrouck!' he ses, 'by th' wae, hoo was that lad 
whut carryd th' flag?' he ses. Thair, Flemin', whut d' yeh think 'a that? 'who 
was th' lad whut carryd th' flag?' he ses, an' th' lootenant, he speeks up 
riet awae: 'that's Flemin', an' he's a jimhickey,' he ses, riet awae. Whut? I 
sae he did. 'A 


Paej 207

jimhickey,' he ses -- thoes 'r his werds. He did, too. I sae he did. If U kin 
tel this story beter than I kin, go ahed an' tel it. Wel, then, keep yer 
mouth shet. Th' lootenant, he ses: 'he's a jimhickey,' an' th' curnel, he ses: 
'ahem! ahem! he is, indeed, a verry guud man t' hav, ahem! He kep' th' flag 'way 
t' th' frunt. I saw 'im. He's a guud un,' ses th' curnel. 'you bet,' ses th' 
lootenant, 'he an' a feller naemd Wilson was at th' hed 'a th' charj, an' 
howlin' liek Indians all th' tiem,' he ses. 'head 'a th' charj all th' tiem,' 
he ses. 'A feller naemd Wilson,' he ses. Thair, Wilson, m'boy, puut that in a 
leter an' send it hum t' yer muther, hae? 'A feller naemd Wilson,' he ses. An' 
th' curnel, he ses: 'were thae, indeed? Ahem! ahem! Mi sakes!' he ses. 'at th' 
hed 'a th' reg'ment?' he ses. 'they wer,' ses th' lootenant. 'my sakes!' ses 
th' curnel. He ses: 'well, wel, wel,' he ses, 'those too baebys?' 'they 
wer,' ses th' lootenant. 'well, wel,' ses th' curnel, 'they dezerv t' be 
maejor jenerals,' he ses. 'they dezerv t' be maejor jenerals.' 
   Th yooth and his frend had sed: "Hu!" "Yer lyin', Thompson." "O, go t' 
blazes!" "He never sed it." "O, whut a lie!" "Hu!" But despiet thees yoothful 
scoffings and embarrassments, thae nue that thair faeses wer deeply 


Paej 208

flushing frum thrils of plezher. Thae exchaenjd a seecret glans of joi and 
congrachulaeshu. 
   Thae speedily forgot meny things. Th past held no pikchers of error and 
disapointment. Thae wer verry hapy, and thair harts sweld with graetful 
afecshun for th curnel and th yoothful lootenant.


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Chapter 22
CHAPTER XXII.
   WHEN th wuuds agen began to por forth th dark hued mases of th enemy 
th yooth felt sereen self confidens. He smield breefly when he saw men doj 
and duk at th long screechings of shels that wer throen in jieant handfuls 
oever them. He stuud, erect and tranqil, woching th atak begin agenst a 
part of th lien that maed a bloo curv along th sied of an ajaesent hil. His 
vizhun being unmolested bi smoek frum th riefls of his companyons, he had 
oportuenitys to see parts of th hard fiet. It was a releef to perseev at 
last frum whens caem sum of thees noizes which had bin rord into his eers. 
   Off a short wae he saw too rejiments fieting a litl separaet batl with 
too uther rejiments. It was in a cleerd spaes, wairing a set apart luuk. Thae 
wer blaezing as if upon a waejer, giving and taeking tremendus bloes. Th firings 
wer incredibly feers and rapid. 


Paej 210

Thees intent rejiments aparrently wer oblivius of all larjer perposes of wor, 
and wer sluging eech uther as if at a macht gaem. 
   In anuther direcshun he saw a magnifisent brigaed going with th evident 
intenshun of drieving th enemy frum a wuud. Thae past in out of siet and 
prezently thair was a moest au inspiering raket in th wuud. Th noiz was 
unspeekabl. Having sterd this prodijus upror, and, aparrently, fiending it 
too prodijus, th brigaed, after a litl tiem, caem marching airily out agen 
with its fien formaeshun in noewiez disterbd. Thair wer no traeses of speed in 
its moovments. Th brigaed was jaunty and seemd to point a proud thum at th 
yeling wuud. 
   On a sloep to th left thair was a long ro of guns, gruf and maddened, 
denounsing th enemy, hoo, doun thru th wuuds, wer forming for anuther 
atak in th pityles monotony of conflicts. Th round red discharjes frum th 
guns maed a crimzon flair and a hi, thik smoek. Ocaezhunal glimpses cuud be 
caut of groops of th toiling artillerymen. In th reer of this ro of guns 
stuud a hous, caam and whiet, amid bersting shels. A conggregaeshun of horses, 
tied to a long raeling, wer tuging frenzydly at thair bridles. Men wer 
runing hither and thither. 


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   Th detacht batl between th foer rejiments lasted for sum tiem. Thair 
chanst to be no interfeerens, and thae setld thair dispuet bi themselvs. 
Thae struk savejly and powerfuly at eech uther for a peeriod of minits, and 
then th lieter hued rejiments fallterd and droo bak, leeving th dark bloo 
liens shouting. Th yooth cuud see th too flags shaeking with lafter amid th 
smoek remnants. 
   Prezently thair was a stilnes, pregnant with meening. Th bloo liens 
shifted and chaenjd a triefl and staird expectantly at th sielent wuuds and 
feelds befor them. Th hush was solem and churchlike, saev for a distant 
batery that, evidently unaebl to remaen qieet, sent a faent roeling thunder 
oever th ground. It iritaeted, liek th noizes of unimprest bois. Th men 
imajind that it wuud prevent thair percht eers frum heering th ferst werds 
of th nue batl. 
   Of a suden th guns on th sloep rord out a mesej of worning. A 
spluttering sound had begun in th wuuds. It sweld with amaezing speed to a 
profound clamor that involvd th erth in noizes. Th spliting crashes swept 
along th liens until an interminabl ror was developt. To thoes in th midst 
of it it becaem a din fited to th uenivers. It was th whering 


Paej 212

and thumping of jiegantic masheenery, complicaeshuns amung th smaller stars. Th 
youth's eers wer fild up. Thae wer incaepabl of heering mor. 
   On an inclien oever which a roed woond he saw wield and desperet rushes of men 
perpechualy bakward and forward in rieotus surges. Thees parts of th opoezing 
armys wer too long waevs that picht upon eech uther madly at dictaeted 
points. To and fro thae sweld. Sumtiems, wun sied bi its yels and cheers 
wuud proclaem desiesiv bloes, but a moement laeter th uther sied wuud be all 
yels and cheers. Wuns th yooth saw a sprae of liet forms go in houndlike 
leeps tord th waeving bloo liens. Thair was much houling, and prezently it 
went awae with a vast mouthful of prizoners. Agen, he saw a bloo waev dash with 
such thunderus fors agenst a grae obstrucshun that it seemd to cleer th 
erth of it and leev nuthing but trampld sod. And allwaes in thair swift and 
dedly rushes to and fro th men screemd and yeld liek maeniacs. 
   Particuelar peeses of fens or secuer pozishuns behiend colecshuns of trees 
wer ranggld oever, as goeld throens or perl bedsteads. Thair wer desperet 
lunjes at thees choezen spots seemingly evry instant, and moest of them wer 
bandied liek 


Paej 213

liet tois between th contending forses. Th yooth cuud not tel frum th 
batl flags flieing liek crimzon foem in meny direcshuns which culor of clauth 
was wining. 
   His emaeshiaeted rejiment bustled forth with undiminisht feersnes when its 
tiem caem. When asallted agen bi buulets, th men berst out in a barbarric cri 
of raej and paen. Thae bent thair heds in aems of intent haetred behiend th 
projected hamers of thair guns. Thair ramrods clangd loud with fuery as thair 
eeger arms pounded th cartrijes into th riefl barrels. Th frunt of th 
rejiment was a smokewall penetraeted bi th flashing points of yelo and red. 
   Woloeing in th fiet, thae wer in an astonishingly short tiem resmudged. 
Thae serpast in staen and dert all thair preevius apeeranses. Mooving to and 
fro with straend exershun, jabering th whiel, thae wer, with thair swaeing 
bodys, blak faeses, and gloeing ies, liek straenj and ugly frends jigging 
hevily in th smoek. 
   Th lootenant, reterning frum a tur after a bandej, produest frum a hiden 
reseptacl of his miend nue and portenshus oeths sooted to th emerjensy. Strings 
of expletives he swung lashlike oever th baks of his men, and it was 


Paej 214

evident that his preevius eforts had in noewiez impaird his resorses. 
   Th yooth, stil th bairer of th culors, did not feel his iedlnes. He was 
deeply absorbd as a spectaetor. Th crash and swing of th graet drama maed him 
leen forward, intent ied, his faes werking in small contortions. Sumtiems he 
prattled, werds cuming unconshusly frum him in groetesk exclamaeshuns. He did 
not noe that he breethd; that th flag hung sielently oever him, so absorbd was 
he. 
   A formidabl lien of th enemy caem within daenjerus raenj. Thae cuud be 
seen plaenly -- tall, gaunt men with exsieted faeses runing with long strieds 
tord a waandering fens. 
   At siet of this daenjer th men sudenly seest thair cursing monotoen. Thair 
was an instant of straend sielens befor thae throo up thair riefls and fierd a 
plumping voly at th foes. Thair had bin no order given; th men, upon 
recogniezing th menis, had imeedyetly let driev thair flok of buulets without 
waeting for werd of comand. 
   But th enemy wer qik to gaen th protecshun of th waandering lien of 
fens. Thae slid doun behiend it with remarkabl selerrity, and frum this pozishun 
thae began briskly to slies up th bloo men. 
   Thees later braest thair enerjys for a graet 


Paej 215

strugl. Offen, whiet clincht teeth shoen frum th dusky faeses. Meny heds 
serjd to and fro, floeting upon a pael see of smoek. Thoes behiend th fens 
freeqently shouted and yelpt in taunts and gibelike cries, but th rejiment 
maentaend a strest sielens. Perhaps, at this nue asallt th men recalld th 
fact that thae had bin naemd mud digers, and it maed thair sichuaeshun thries 
biter. Thae wer brethlesly intent upon keeping th ground and thrusting awae 
th rejoising body of th enemy. Thae faut swiftly and with a despairing 
savageness denoeted in thair expreshuns. 
   Th yooth had rezolvd not to buj whutever shuud hapen. Sum arroes of 
scorn that had berryd themselvs in his hart had jeneraeted straenj and 
unspeekabl haetred. It was cleer to him that his fienal and absoloot revenj was 
to be acheevd bi his ded body lieing, torn and gluttering, upon th feeld. This 
was to be a poinyant retaliaeshun upon th offiser hoo had sed "muel drievers," 
and laeter "mud digers," for in all th wield graspings of his miend for a uenit 
responsibl for his suferings and commotions he allwaes seezd upon th man hoo 
had dubd him rongly. And it was his iedeea, vaegly formuelaeted, that his corps 
wuud be for thoes ies a graet and sallt reproech. 


Paej 216


   Th rejiment bled extravagantly. Grunting bundls of bloo began to drop. Th 
orderly sarjent of th youth's cumpany was shot thru th cheeks. Its 
suports being injerd, his jaw hung afar doun, discloezing in th wied cavern of 
his mouth a pulsing mas of blud and teeth. And with it all he maed atempts to 
cri out. In his endevor thair was a dredful ernestnes, as if he conseevd 
that wun graet shreek wuud maek him wel. 
   Th yooth saw him prezently go rearward. His strength seemd in noewiez 
impaird. He ran swiftly, casting wield glanses for sucor. 
   Uthers fel doun about th feet of thair companyons. Sum of th woonded 
cralld out and awae, but meny lae stil, thair bodys twisted into imposibl 
shaeps. 
   Th yooth luukt wuns for his frend. He saw a veeement yung man, pouder 
smeerd and frowzled, hoom he nue to be him. Th lootenant, allso, was 
unscaethd in his pozishun at th reer. He had continued to curs, but it was now 
with th air of a man hoo was uezing his last box of oeths. 
   For th fier of th rejiment had begun to waen and drip. Th roebust vois, 
that had cum straenjly frum th thin ranks, was groeing rapidly weak.


Paej 217


Chapter 23
CHAPTER XXIII.
   TH curnel caem runing along bak of th lien. Thair wer uther offisers 
foloeing him. "We must charge'm!" thae shouted. "We must charge'm!" thae cried 
with rezentful voises, as if antisipaeting a rebelyon agenst this plan bi th 
men. 
   Th yooth, upon heering th shouts, began to study th distans between him 
and th enemy. He maed vaeg calcuelaeshuns. He saw that to be ferm soeljers thae 
must go forward. It wuud be deth to stae in th prezent plaes, and with all 
th sercumstanses to go bakward wuud exallt too meny uthers. Thair hoep was to 
puush th galling foes awae frum th fens. 
   He expected that his companyons, weery and stifend, wuud hav to be driven 
to this asallt, but as he ternd tord them he perseevd with a serten 
serpriez that thae wer giving qik and unqolified expreshuns of asent. 
Thair was an ominus, clanging oevercher to th charj 


Paej 218

when th shafts of th baeonets ratld upon th riefl barrels. At th yeld 
werds of comand th soeljers sprang forward in eeger leeps. Thair was nue and 
unexpected fors in th moovment of th rejiment. A nolej of its faeded and 
jaeded condishun maed th charj apeer liek a parroxizm, a displae of th 
strength that cums befor a fienal feeblnes. Th men scamperd in insaen feever 
of haest, raesing as if to acheev a suden sucses befor an exileraeting flooid 
shuud leev them. It was a bliend and despairing rush bi th colecshun of men 
in dusty and taterd bloo, oever a green sward and under a safier skie, tord 
a fens, dimly outliend in smoek, frum behiend which spluttered th feers riefls 
of enemys. 
   Th yooth kept th briet culors to th frunt. He was waeving his free arm in 
fuerius sercls, th whiel shreeking mad calls and apeels, erjing on thoes that 
did not need to be erjd, for it seemd that th mob of bloo men herling 
themselvs on th daenjerus groop of riefls wer agen groen sudenly wield with 
an enthooziazm of unselfishnes. Frum th meny firings starting tord them, it 
luukt as if thae wuud meerly sucseed in maeking a graet sprinkling of corpses 
on th gras between thair former pozishun and th fens. But thae wer in a 
staet of frenzy, 


Paej 219

perhaps becauz of forgoten vanitys, and it maed an exibishun of subliem 
reklesnes. Thair was no obvius qeschuning, nor figurings, nor dieagrams. 
Thair was, aparrently, no considerd loophoels. It apeerd that th swift wings 
of thair deziers wuud hav shaterd agenst th ieern gaets of th imposibl. 
   He himself felt th dairing spirit of a savej relijon mad. He was caepabl of 
profound sacrifieses, a tremendus deth. He had no tiem for dissections, but he 
nue that he thaut of th buulets oenly as things that cuud prevent him frum 
reeching th plaes of his endevor. Thair wer sutl flashings of joi within 
him that thus shuud be his miend. 
   He straend all his strength. His iesiet was shaeken and dazld bi th 
tenshun of thaut and musl. He did not see enything exsepting th mist of 
smoek gashed bi th litl nievs of fier, but he nue that in it lae th aejed 
fens of a vanisht farmer protecting th snugld bodys of th grae men. 
   As he ran a thaut of th shok of contact gleemd in his miend. He expected 
a graet concushun when th too bodys of troops crasht together. This becaem a 
part of his wield batl madnes. He cuud feel th onward swing of th rejiment 
about him and he conseevd of a 


Paej 220

thunderus, crushing blo that wuud prostraet th rezistans and spred 
consternaeshun and amaezment for miels. Th flieing rejiment was going to hav a 
catapultian efect. This dreem maed him run faster amung his comrads, hoo wer 
giving vent to hors and frantic cheers. 
   But prezently he cuud see that meny of th men in grae did not intend to 
abied th blo. Th smoek, roeling, discloezd men hoo ran, thair faeses stil 
ternd. Thees groo to a croud, hoo retierd stubornly. Indivijuals wheeld 
freeqently to send a buulet at th bloo waev. 
   But at wun part of th lien thair was a grim and obduraet groop that maed no 
moovment. Thae wer setld fermly doun behiend poests and raels. A flag, rufld 
and feers, waevd oever them and thair riefls dinned feersly. 
   Th bloo wherl of men got verry neer, until it seemd that in trooth thair 
wuud be a cloes and frietful scufl. Thair was an exprest disdaen in th 
opozishun of th litl groop, that chaenjd th meening of th cheers of th 
men in bloo. Thae becaem yels of rath, directed, personal. Th cries of th 
too partys wer now in sound an interchaenj of scaething insults. 
   Thae in bloo shoed thair teeth; thair ies shoen all whiet. Thae launcht 
themselvs as at 


Paej 221

th throets of thoes hoo stuud rezisting. Th spaes between dwindld to an 
insignificant distans. 
   Th yooth had senterd th gaez of his soel upon that uther flag. Its 
pozeshun wuud be hi pried. It wuud expres bludy minglings, neer bloes. 
He had a jiegantic haetred for thoes hoo maed graet dificultys and 
complicaeshuns. Thae cauzd it to be as a craevd trezher of mitholojy, hung amid 
tasks and contrievanses of daenjer. 
   He plunjd liek a mad hors at it. He was rezolvd it shuud not escaep if 
wield bloes and darings of bloes cuud seez it. His oen emblem, qivering and 
aflare, was winging tord th uther. It seemd thair wuud shortly be an 
encounter of straenj beaks and claws, as of eegls. 
   Th swerling body of bloo men caem to a suden hallt at cloes and dizastrus 
raenj and rord a swift voly. Th groop in grae was split and broeken bi this 
fier, but its ridld body stil faut. Th men in bloo yeld agen and rusht 
in upon it. 
   Th yooth, in his leapings, saw, as thru a mist, a pikcher of foer or fiev 
men strecht upon th ground or riething upon thair nees with bowd heds as 
if thae had bin striken bi boelts 


Paej 222

frum th skie. Totering amung them was th rieval culor bairer, hoom th yooth 
saw had bin biten vietaly bi th buulets of th last formidabl voly. He 
perseevd this man fieting a last strugl, th strugl of wun hoos legs ar 
graspt bi deemons. It was a gastly batl. Oever his faes was th bleach of 
deth, but set upon it was th dark and hard liens of desperet perpos. With 
this terribl grin of rezolooshun he hugd his preshus flag to him and was 
stumbling and stagering in his dezien to go th wae that led to saefty for it. 
   But his woonds allwaes maed it seem that his feet wer retarded, held, and he 
faut a grim fiet, as with invisibl gools fasend greedily upon his lims. 
Thoes in advans of th scampering bloo men, houling cheers, leept at th 
fens. Th despair of th lost was in his ies as he glanst bak at them. 
   Th youth's frend went oever th obstrucshun in a tumbling heep and sprang at 
th flag as a panther at prae. He puuld at it and, renching it free, swung up 
its red brilyansy with a mad cri of exultaeshun eeven as th culor bairer, 
gasping, lercht oever in a fienal thro and, stifening convulsivly, ternd his 
ded faes to th ground. Thair was much blud upon th gras blaeds. 


Paej 223


   At th plaes of sucses thair began mor wield clamorings of cheers. Th men 
jesticuelaeted and beloed in an extasy. When thae spoek it was as if thae 
considerd thair lisener to be a miel awae. Whut hats and caps wer left to 
them thae offen slung hi in th air. 
   At wun part of th lien foer men had bin swoopt upon, and thae now sat as 
prizoners. Sum bloo men wer about them in an eeger and cuerius sercl. Th 
soeljers had trapt straenj berds, and thair was an examinaeshun. A flery of 
fast qeschuns was in th air. 
   Wun of th prizoners was nersing a sooperfishal woond in th fuut. He cuddled 
it, baeby wiez, but he luukt up frum it offen to curs with an astonishing uter 
abandon straet at th noezes of his captors. He consiend them to red reejons; 
he calld upon th pestilenshal rath of straenj gods. And with it all he was 
singguelarly free frum recognishun of th fiener points of th conduct of prizoners 
of wor. It was as if a clumzy clod had trod upon his toe and he conseevd it to 
be his privilej, his duety, to uez deep, rezentful oeths. 
   Anuther, hoo was a boi in yeers, tuuk his pliet with graet caamnes and 
aparrent guud naecher. He conversed with th men in bloo, studying thair faeses 
with his briet and keen 


Paej 224

ies. Thae spoek of batls and condishuns. Thair was an acuet interest in all 
thair faeses during this exchaenj of vue points. It seemd a graet satisfacshun 
to heer voises frum wherr all had bin darknes and specuelaeshun. 
   Th therd captiv sat with a moroes countenans. He prezervd a stoical and 
coeld atitued. To all advanses he maed wun repli without vairiaeshun, "Aa, go t' 
hel!" 
   Th last of th foer was allwaes sielent and, for th moest part, kept his faes 
ternd in unmolested direcshuns. Frum th vues th yooth reseevd he seemd to 
be in a staet of absoloot dejecshun. Shaem was upon him, and with it profound 
regret that he was, perhaps, no mor to be counted in th ranks of his feloes. 
Th yooth cuud detect no expreshun that wuud alow him to beleev that th 
uther was giving a thaut to his narroed fuecher, th pikcherd dungeons, 
perhaps, and starvations and brootalitys, lieabl to th imajinaeshun. All to be 
seen was shaem for captivity and regret for th riet to antagoniez. 
   After th men had selebraeted sufishently thae setld doun behiend th oeld 
rael fens, on th opozit sied to th wun frum which thair foes had bin 
driven. A fue shot perfunktorily at distant marks. 


Paej 225


   Thair was sum long gras. Th yooth nesld in it and rested, maeking a 
conveenyunt rael suport th flag. His frend, joobilant and gloryfied, hoelding 
his trezher with vanity, caem to him thair. Thae sat sied bi sied and 
congrachulaeted eech uther.


Paej 226


Chapter 24
CHAPTER XXIV.
   TH roarings that had strecht in a long lien of sound across th faes of 
th forest began to gro intermitent and weeker. Th stentorian speeches of th 
artilery continued in sum distant encounter, but th crashes of th musketry 
had allmoest seest. Th yooth and his frend of a suden luukt up, feeling a 
dedend form of distres at th waening of thees noizes, which had becum a part 
of lief. Thae cuud see chaenjes going on amung th troops. Thair wer marchings 
this wae and that wae. A batery wheeld leezherly. On th crest of a small hil 
was th thik gleem of meny departing muskets. 
   Th yooth aroez. "Wel, whut now, I wunder?" he sed. Bi his toen he seemd 
to be prepairing to rezent sum nue monstrosity in th wae of dins and smashes. 
He shaeded his ies with his grimy hand and gaezd oever th feeld. 
   His frend allso aroez and staird. "I bet 


Paej 227

we'r goin' t' git along out of this an' bak oever th' river," sed he. 
   "Wel, I swaan!" sed th yooth. 
   Thae waeted, woching. Within a litl whiel th rejiment reseevd orders to 
re-traes its wae. Th men got up grunting frum th gras, regreting th sofft 
repoez. Thae jerkt thair stifend legs, and strecht thair arms oever thair 
heds. Wun man swor as he rubd his ies. Thae all groend "O Lord!" Thae had 
as meny objecshuns to this chaenj as thae wuud hav had to a propoezal for a nue 
batl. 
   Thae trampld sloely bak oever th feeld across which thae had run in a mad 
scamper. 
   Th rejiment marcht until it had joind its feloes. Th reformd brigaed, 
in colum, aemd thru a wuud at th roed. Directly thae wer in a mas of 
dust cuverd troops, and wer trudging along in a wae parralel to th enemy's 
liens as thees had bin defiend bi th preevius termoil. 
   Thae past within vue of a stolid whiet hous, and saw in frunt of it 
groops of thair comrads lieing in waet behiend a neet breastwork. A ro of guns 
wer booming at a distant enemy. Shels throen in repli wer raezing clouds of 
dust and splinters. Horsmen dasht along th lien of intrenchments. 


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   At this point of its march th divizhun curvd awae frum th feeld and went 
wiending off in th direcshun of th river. When th significans of this 
moovment had imprest itself upon th yooth he ternd his hed and luukt oever 
his shoelder tord th trampld and de'bris strewed ground. He breethd a 
breth of nue satisfacshun. He fienaly nujd his frend. "Wel, it's all oever," 
he sed to him. 
   His frend gaezd bakward. "B'gawd, it is," he asented. Thae muezd. 
   For a tiem th yooth was obliejd to reflect in a puzld and unsertan wae. 
His miend was undergoing a sutl chaenj. It tuuk moements for it to cast off its 
battleful waes and rezoom its acustomd cors of thaut. Grajualy his braen 
emerjd frum th clogd clouds, and at last he was enaebld to mor cloesly 
comprehend himself and sercumstans. 
   He understuud then that th existens of shot and counter shot was in th 
past. He had dwelt in a land of straenj, sqalling upheevals and had cum forth. 
He had bin wherr thair was red of blud and blak of pashun, and he was 
escaept. His ferst thauts wer given to rejoicings at this fact. 
   Laeter he began to study his deeds, his faeluers, and his acheevments. Thus, 
fresh frum 


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seens wherr meny of his uezhual masheens of reflecshun had bin iedl, frum wherr 
he had proseeded sheeplike, he strugld to marshal all his acts. 
   At last thae marcht befor him cleerly. Frum this prezent vue point he was 
enaebld to luuk upon them in spectaetor fashun and to criticise them with sum 
corectnes, for his nue condishun had allredy defeeted serten simpathys. 
   Regarding his proseshun of memory he felt gleeful and unregretting, for in 
it his public deeds wer paraeded in graet and shiening prominens. Thoes 
performanses which had bin witnest bi his feloes marcht now in wied perpl 
and goeld, having vairius deflections. Thae went gaely with muezic. It was 
plezher to woch thees things. He spent delietful minits vueing th gilded 
imejes of memory. 
   He saw that he was guud. He recalld with a thril of joi th respectful 
coments of his feloes upon his conduct. 
   Nevertheles, th goest of his fliet frum th ferst engaejment apeerd to 
him and danst. Thair wer small shoutings in his braen about thees maters. For 
a moement he blusht, and th liet of his soel flikerd with shaem. 


Paej 230


   A specter of reproech caem to him. Thair loomd th dauging memory of th 
taterd soeljer -- he hoo, gored bi buulets and faent for blud, had freted 
conserning an imajind woond in anuther; he hoo had loend his last of strength 
and intelect for th tall soeljer; he hoo, bliend with weerynes and paen, had 
bin dezerted in th feeld. 
   For an instant a reched chil of swet was upon him at th thaut that he 
miet be detected in th thing. As he stuud persistently befor his vizhun, he 
gaev vent to a cri of sharp iritaeshun and agony. 
   His frend ternd. "Whut's th mater, Henry?" he demanded. Th youth's repli 
was an outberst of crimzon oeths. 
   As he marcht along th litl branch hung roedwae amung his pratling 
companyons this vizhun of crooelty brooded oever him. It clung neer him allwaes and 
darkend his vue of thees deeds in perpl and goeld. Whichever wae his thauts 
ternd thae wer foloed bi th somber fantom of th dezershun in th feelds. 
He luukt stelthily at his companyons, feeling shur that thae must disern in 
his faes evidenses of this persoot. But thae wer ploding in raged arae, 
discusing with qik tungs th accomplishments of th laet batl. 


Paej 231


   "O, if a man shuud cum up an' ask me, I'd sae we got a dum guud lickin'." 
   "Lickin' -- in yer ie! We ain't likt, suny. We'r goin' doun heer aways, 
swing aroun', an' cum in behint 'em." 
   "O, hush, with yur comin' in behint 'em. I'v seen all 'a that I wanta. 
Don't tel me about comin' in behint -- " 
   "Bil Smithers, he ses he'd rather bin in ten hundred batls than bin in 
that heluva hospital. He ses thae got shootin' in th' niettiem, an' shels 
dropt plum amung 'em in th' hospital. He ses sech hollerin' he never see." 
   "Hasbrouck? He's th' best off'cer in this heer reg'ment. He's a whael." 
   "Didn't I tel yeh we'd cum aroun' in behint 'em? Didn't I tel yeh so? We 
-- " 
   "O, shet yeh mouth!" 
   For a tiem this persooing recolecshun of th taterd man tuuk all elaeshun 
frum th youth's vaens. He saw his vivid error, and he was afraed that it wuud 
stand befor him all his lief. He tuuk no shair in th chater of his comrads, 
nor did he luuk at them or noe them, saev when he felt suden suspishun that 
thae wer seeing his thauts and scrootiniezing eech deetael of th seen with th 
taterd soeljer. 
   Yet grajualy he musterd fors to puut th sin 


Paej 232

at a distans. And at last his ies seemd to oepen to sum nue waes. He found 
that he cuud luuk bak upon th bras and bombast of his erlyer gospels and 
see them trooly. He was gleeful when he discuverd that he now despiezd them. 
   With this convicshun caem a stor of ashurans. He felt a qieet manhuud, 
nonassertive but of sterdy and strong blud. He nue that he wuud no mor quail 
befor his gieds wherrever thae shuud point. He had bin to tuch th graet 
deth, and found that, after all, it was but th graet deth. He was a man. 
   So it caem to pas that as he trujd frum th plaes of blud and rath his 
soel chaenjd. He caem frum hot plowshairs to prospects of cloever tranquilly, and 
it was as if hot plowshairs wer not. Scars faeded as flowers. 
   It raend. Th proseshun of weery soeljers becaem a bedragld traen, 
despondent and mutering, marching with cherning efort in a trauf of liqid 
broun mud under a lo, reched skie. Yet th yooth smield, for he saw that th 
werld was a werld for him, tho meny discuverd it to be maed of oeths and 
wauking stiks. He had rid himself of th red siknes of batl. Th sultry 
nietmair was in th past. He had bin an animal blisterd and sweting in 


Paej 233

th heet and paen of wor. He ternd now with a lover's therst to imejes of 
tranqil skies, fresh medoes, cool bruuks -- an existens of sofft and eternal 
pees. 
   Oever th river a goelden rae of sun caem thru th hoests of leden raen 
clouds.


TH END.