The Story of a Conscript, Part IV [pp. 732-750]

Thze Story of a Colscrzpt.
ing his arms, as if to parry bayonetthrusts, but the sergeant called gleefully to hinm:
"Fear nothing! Your account is
settled."
No one offered to injure him further; but Klipfel took a beautiful
pipe, which was hanging out of his
pocket, saying:
"For a long time I have wanted a
pipe, and here is a fine one."
"Fusilier Klipfel!" cried Pinto
indignantly, "will you be good enough
to put back that pipe? Leave it to
the Cossacks to rob the wounded!
A French soldier knows only honor!"
Klipfel threw down the pipe, and
we departed, not one caring to look
back at the wounded Prussian. We
arrived at the edge of the forest, out
side which, among tufted bushes, the
Prussians we pursued had taken refuge. We saw them rise to fire upon
us, but they immediately lay down
again. We might have remained
there tranquilly, since we had orders
to occupy the wood, and the shots of
the Prussians could not hurt us, protected as we were by the trees. On
the other side of the slope we heard
a terrific battle going on; the thunder of cannon was increasing, it filled
the air with one continuous roar. But
our officers held a council, and decided that the bushes were part of
the forest, and that the Prussians
must be driven from them. This determination cost many a life.
We received orders, then, to drive
in the enemy's tirailleurs, and as they
fired as we came on, we started at a
run, so as to be upon them before
they could reload. Our officers ran,
also, full of ardor. We thought the
bushes ended at the top of the hill,
and that then we could sweep off the
Prussians by dozens. But scarcely
had we arrived, out of breath, upon
the ridge, when old Pinto cried:
"Hussars!"
I looked up, and saw the Colbacks
rushing down upon us like a tempest.
Scarcely had I seen them, when I began to spring down the hill, going, I
verily believe, in spite of weariness
and my knapsack, fifteen feet at a
bound. I saw before me, Pinto, Z6b?d6, and the others, making their
best speed. Behind, on came the
hussars, their officers shouting orders
in German, their scabbards clanking
and horses neighing. The earth
shook beneath them.
I took the shortest road to the
wood, and had almost reached it,
when I came upon one of the trenches where the peasants were in the
habit of digging clay for their houses.
It was more than twenty feet wide,
and forty or fifty long, and the rain
had made the sides very slippery;
but as I heard the very breathing
of the horses behind me, without
thinking of aught else, I sprang forward, and fell upon my face; another
fusilier of my company was already
there. We arose as soon as we
could, and at the same instant two
hussars glided down the slippery side
of the trench. The first, cursing
like a fiend, aimed a sabre-stroke
at my poor comrade's head, but as
he rose in his stirrups to give force
to the blow, I buried my bayonet in
his side, while the other brought
down his blade upon my shoulder
with such force, that, were it not for
my epaulette, I believe that I had
been well-nigh cloven in two. Then
he lunged, but as his point touched
my breast, a bullet from above
crashed through his skull. I looked
around, and saw one of our men, up
to his knees in the clay. He had
heard the oaths of the hussars and
the neighing of the horses, and had
come to the edge of the trench to
see what was going on.
"Well, comrade," said he, laughing, "it was about time."
747.