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第18章

bruce-第18章

小说: bruce 字数: 每页4000字

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lieutenant had been at work with the pliers。 Thus the intruders;

from their present course; must inevitably pass very close to the

prostrate Americansso close; perhaps; as to brush against the

nearest of them; or even to step on one or more of the crouching

figures。



Mahan whispered to the man on his immediate left; the rookie from

Missouri:



〃Edge closer to the wireclose as you can wiggle; and lie flat。

Pass on the word。〃



The Missourian obeyed。 Before writhing his long body forward

against the bristly mass of wire he passed the instructions on to

the man at his own left。



But his nerves were at breaking…point。



It had been bad enough to crawl through the blind fog; with the

ghostly steps of his comrades pattering softly at either side of

him。 But it was a thousand times harder to lie helpless here; in

the choking fog and on the soaked ground; while countless enemies

were bearing down; unseen; upon him; on one side; and an

impenetrable wire cut off his retreat on the other。



The Missourian had let his imagination begin to work; always a

mistake in a private soldier。 He was visualizing the moment when

this tramping German force should become aware of the presence of

their puny foes and should slaughter them against the merciless

wires。 It would not be a fair stand…up fight; this murder…rush of

hundreds of men against twelve who were penned in and could not

maneuver nor escape。 And the thought of it was doing queer things

to the rookie's overwrought nerves。



Having passed the word to creep closer to the wires; he began to

execute the order in person; with no delay at all。 But he was a

fraction of a second too late。 The Germans were moving in hike…

formation with 〃points〃 thrown out in advance to either sidea

〃point〃 being a private soldier who; for scouting and other

purposes; marches at some distance from the main body。



The point; ahead of the platoon; had swerved too far to the left;

in the blacknessan error that would infallibly have brought him

up against the wires; with considerable force; in another two

steps。 But the Missourian was between him and the wires。 And the

point's heavy…shod foot came down; heel first; on the back of the

rookie's out…groping hand。 Such a crushing impact; on the

hand…back; is one of the most agonizing minor injuries a man can

sustain。 And this fact the Missourian discovered with great

suddenness。



His too…taut nerves forced from his throat a yell that split the

deathly stillness with an ear…piercing vehemence。 He sprang to

his feet; forgetful of orders intent only on thrusting his

bayonet through the Hun who had caused such acute torture to his

hand。 Half way up; the rookie's feet went out from under him in

the slimy mud。 He caromed against the point; then fell headlong。



The German; doubtless thinking he had stumbled upon a single

stray American scout; whirled his own rifle aloft; to dash out

the brains of his luckless foe。 But before the upflung butt could

descend;before the rookie could rise or dodge;the point added

his quota to the rude breaking of the night's silence。 He

screamed in panic terror; dropped his brandished gun and reeled

backward; clawing at his own throat。



For out of the eerie darkness; something had launched itself at

himsomething silent and terrible; that had flown to the

Missourian's aid。 Down with a crash went the German; on his back。

He rolled against the Missourian; who promptly sought to grapple

with him。



But even as he clawed for the German; the rookie's nerves wrung

from him a second yellthis time less of rage than of horror。



〃Sufferin' cats!〃 he bellowed。 〃Why didn't anybody ever tell me

Germans was covered with fur instead of clothes?〃



The boche platoon was no longer striding along in hike…

formation。 It was broken up into masses of wildly running men;

all of them bearing down upon the place whence issued this

ungodly racket and turmoil。 Stumbling; reeling; blindly falling

and rising again; they came on。



Some one among them loosed a rifle…shot in the general direction

of the yelling。 A second and a third German rifleman followed the

example of the first。 From the distant American trenches; one or

two snipers began to pepper away toward the enemy lines; though

the fog was too thick for them; to see the German rifle…flashes。



The boches farthest to the left; in the blind rush; fouled with

the wires。 German snipers; from behind the Hun parapets; opened

fire。 A minute earlier the night had been still as the grave。 Now

it fairly vibrated with clangor。 All because one rookie's nerves

had been less staunch than his courage; and because that same

rookie had not only had his hand stepped on in the dark; but had

encountered something swirling and hairy when he grabbed for the

soldier who had stepped on him!





The American lieutenant; at the onset of the clamor; sprang to

his feet; whipping out his pistol; his dry lips parted in a

command to chargea command which; naturally; would have reduced

his eleven men and himself to twelve corpses or to an equal

number of mishandled prisoners within the next few seconds。 But a

big hand was clapped unceremoniously across the young officer's

mouth; silencing the half…spoken suicidal order。



Sergeant Mahan's career in the regular army had given him an

almost uncanny power of sizing up his fellowmen。 And he had long

ago decided that this was the sort of thing his untried

lieutenant would be likely to do; in just such an emergency。

Wherefore his flagrant breach of discipline in shoving his palm

across the mouth of his superior officer。



And as he was committing this breach of discipline; he heard the

Missourian's strangled gasp of:



〃Why didn't anybody ever tell me Germans was covered with fur?〃



In a flash Mahan understood。 Wheeling; he stooped low and flung

out both arms in a wide…sweeping circle。 Luckily his right hand's

fingertips; as they completed the circle; touched something

fast…moving and furry。



〃Bruce!〃 he whispered fiercely; tightening his precarious grip on

the wisp of fur his fingers had touched。 〃Bruce! Stand still;

boy! It's YOU who's got to get us clear of this! Nobody else;

short of the good Lord; can do it!〃



Bruce had had a pleasantly lazy day with his friends in the

first…line trenches。 There had been much good food and more

petting。 And at last; comfortably tired of it all; he had gone to

sleep。 He had awakened in a most friendly mood; and a little

hungry。 Wherefore he had sallied forth in search of human

companionship。 He found plenty of soldiers who were more than

willing to talk to him and make much of him。 But; a little

farther ahead; he saw his good friend; Sergeant Mahan; and others

of his acquaintances; starting over the parapet on what promised

to be a jolly evening stroll。



All dogs find it hard to resist the mysterious lure of a walk in

human companionship。 True; the night was not an ideal one for a

ramble; and the fog had a way of congealing wetly on Bruce's

shaggy coat。 Still; a damp coat was not enough of a discomfort to

offset the joy of a stroll with his friends。 So Bruce had

followed the twelve men quietly into No Man's Land; falling

decorously into step behind Mahan。



It had not been much of a walk; for speed or for fun。 For the

humans went ridiculously slowly; and had an eccentric way of

bunching together; every now and again; and then of stringing out

into a shambling line。 Still; it was a walk; and therefore better

than loafing behind in the trenches。 And Bruce had kept his

noiseless place at the Sergeant's heels。



Thenlong before Mahan heard the approaching tramp of feet

Bruce caught not only the sound but the scent of the German

platoon。 The scent at once told him that the strangers were not

of his own army。 A German soldier and an American soldier

because of their difference in diet as well as for certain other

and more co

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