WHEN another night came the columns,changed to purple streaks, filed across two pon-toon bridges. A glaring fire wine-tinted thewaters of the river. Its rays, shining upon themoving masses of troops, brought forth here andthere sudden gleams of silver or gold. Uponthe other shore a dark and mysterious range ofhills was curved against the sky. The insectvoices of the night sang solemnly.

After this crossing the youth assured himselfthat at any moment they might be suddenly andfearfully assaulted from the caves of the loweringwoods. He kept his eyes watchfully upon thedarkness.

But his regiment went unmolested to a camp-ing place, and its soldiers slept the brave sleepof wearied men. In the morning they wererouted out with early energy, and hustled alonga narrow road that led deep into the forest.

It was during this rapid march that the regi-

32ment lost many of the marks of a new com-mand.

The men had begun to count the miles upontheir fingers, and they grew tired. "Sore feetan' damned short rations, that's all," said theloud soldier. There was perspiration and grum-blings. After a time they began to shed theirknapsacks. Some tossed them unconcernedlydown; others hid them carefully, asserting theirplans to return for them at some convenienttime. Men extricated themselves from thickshirts. Presently few carried anything but theirnecessary clothing, blankets, haversacks, canteens,and arms and ammunition. "You can now eatand shoot," said the tall soldier to the youth."That's all you want to do."

There was sudden change from the ponderousinfantry of theory to the light and speedy infantryof practice. The regiment, relieved of a burden,received a new impetus. But there was muchloss of valuable knapsacks, and, on the whole,very good shirts.

But the regiment was not yet veteranlike inappearance. Veteran regiments in the armywere likely to be very small aggregations of men.Once, when the command had first come to thefield, some perambulating veterans, noting thelength of their column, had accosted them thus:"Hey, fellers, what brigade is that?" And whenthe men had replied that they formed a regimentand not a brigade, the older soldiers had laughed,and said, "O Gawd!"

Also, there was too great a similarity in thehats. The hats of a regiment should properlyrepresent the history of headgear for a period ofyears. And, moreover, there were no letters offaded gold speaking from the colors. They werenew and beautiful, and the color bearer habitu-ally oiled the pole.

Presently the army again sat down to think.The odor of the peaceful pines was in the men'snostrils. The sound of monotonous axe blowsrang through the forest, and the insects, noddingupon their perches, crooned like old women.The youth returned to his theory of a blue dem-onstration.

One gray dawn, however, he was kicked inthe leg by the tall soldier, and then, before hewas entirely awake, he found himself runningdown a wood road in the midst of men who werepanting from the first effects of speed. His can-teen banged rhythmically upon his thigh, and hishaversack bobbed softly. His musket bounceda trifle from his shoulder at each stride and madehis cap feel uncertain upon his head.

He could hear the men whisper jerky sen-tences: "Say--what's all this--about?" "Whatth' thunder--we--skedaddlin' this way fer?""Billie--keep off m' feet. Yeh run--like a cow."And the loud soldier's shrill voice could beheard: "What th' devil they in sich a hurry for?"

The youth thought the damp fog of earlymorning moved from the rush of a great bodyof troops. From the distance came a suddenspatter of firing.

He was bewildered. As he ran with his com-rades he strenuously tried to think, but all he knewwas that if he fell down those coming behindwould tread upon him. All his faculties seemedto be needed to guide him over and past obstruc-tions. He felt carried along by a mob.

The sun spread disclosing rays, and, one byone, regiments burst into view like armed menjust born of the earth. The youth perceivedthat the time had come. He was about to bemeasured. For a moment he felt in the face ofhis great trial like a babe, and the flesh overhis heart seemed very thin. He seized time tolook about him calculatingly.

But he instantly saw that it would be impossi-ble for him to escape from the regiment. It in-closed him. And there were iron laws of tradi-tion and law on four sides. He was in a movingbox.

As he perceived this fact it occurred to himthat he had never wished to come to the war.He had not enlisted of his free will. He hadbeen dragged by the merciless government. Andnow they were taking him out to be slaughtered.

The regiment slid down a bank and wallowedacross a little stream. The mournful currentmoved slowly on, and from the water, shadedblack, some white bubble eyes looked at the men.

As they climbed the hill on the farther sideartillery began to boom. Here the youth forgotmany things as he felt a sudden impulse of curi-osity. He scrambled up the bank with a speedthat could not be exceeded by a bloodthirstyman.

He expected a battle scene.

There were some little fields girted andsqueezed by a forest. Spread over the grass andin among the tree trunks, he could see knots andwaving lines of skirmishers who were runninghither and thither and firing at the landscape.A dark battle line lay upon a sunstruck clearingthat gleamed orange color. A flag fluttered.

Other regiments floundered up the bank. Thebrigade was formed in line of battle, and after apause started slowly through the woods in therear of the receding skirmishers, who were con-tinually melting into the scene to appear againfarther on. They were always busy as bees,deeply absorbed in their little combats.

The youth tried to observe everything. Hedid not use care to avoid trees and branches,and his forgotten feet were constantly knockingagainst stones or getting entangled in briers.He was aware that these battalions with theircommotions were woven red and startling intothe gentle fabric of softened greens and browns.It looked to be a wrong place for a battle field.

The skirmishers in advance fascinated him.Their shots into thickets and at distant andprominent trees spoke to him of tragedies--hid-den, mysterious, solemn.

Once the line encountered the body of a deadsoldier. He lay upon his back staring at the sky.He was dressed in an awkward suit of yellowishbrown. The youth could see that the soles of hisshoes had been worn to the thinness of writingpaper, and from a great rent in one the dead footprojected piteously. And it was as if fate hadbetrayed the soldier. In death it exposed to hisenemies that poverty which in life he had perhapsconcealed from his friends.

The ranks opened covertly to avoid the corpse.The invulnerable dead man forced a way for him-self. The youth looked keenly at the ashen face.The wind raised the tawny beard. It moved asif a hand were stroking it. He vaguely desiredto walk around and around the body and stare;the impulse of the living to try to read in deadeyes the answer to the Question.

During the march the ardor which the youthhad acquired when out of view of the field rapidlyfaded to nothing. His curiosity was quite easilysatisfied. If an intense scene had caught him withits wild swing as he came to the top of the bank,he might have gone roaring on. This advanceupon Nature was too calm. He had opportunityto reflect. He had time in which to wonderabout himself and to attempt to probe his sensa-tions.

Absurd ideas took hold upon him. Hethought that he did not relish the landscape.It threatened him. A coldness swept over hisback, and it is true that his trousers felt to himthat they were no fit for his legs at all.

A house standing placidly in distant fieldshad to him an ominous look. The shadows ofthe woods were formidable. He was certain thatin this vista there lurked fierce-eyed hosts. Theswift thought came to him that the generals didnot know what they were about. It was all atrap. Suddenly those close forests would bristlewith rifle barrels. Ironlike brigades would ap-pear in the rear. They were all going to besacrificed. The generals were stupids. Theenemy would presently swallow the whole com-mand. He glared about him, expecting to seethe stealthy approach of his death.

He thought that he must break from the ranksand harangue his comrades. They must not allbe killed like pigs; and he was sure it wouldcome to pass unless they were informed of thesedangers. The generals were idiots to send themmarching into a regular pen. There was but onepair of eyes in the corps. He would step forthand make a speech. Shrill and passionate wordscame to his lips.

The line, broken into moving fragments by theground, went calmly on through fields and woods.The youth looked at the men nearest him, andsaw, for the most part, expressions of deep inter-est, as if they were investigating something thathad fascinated them. One or two stepped withovervaliant airs as if they were already plungedinto war. Others walked as upon thin ice. Thegreater part of the untested men appeared quietand absorbed. They were going to look at war,the red animal--war, the blood-swollen god. Andthey were deeply engrossed in this march.

As he looked the youth gripped his outcry athis throat. He saw that even if the men weretottering with fear they would laugh at his warn-ing. They would jeer him, and, if practicable,pelt him with missiles. Admitting that he mightbe wrong, a frenzied declamation of the kindwould turn him into a worm.

He assumed, then, the demeanor of one whoknows that he is doomed alone to unwritten re-sponsibilities. He lagged, with tragic glances atthe sky.

He was surprised presently by the young lieu-tenant of his company, who began heartily tobeat him with a sword, calling out in a loud andinsolent voice: "Come, young man, get up intoranks there. No skulking'll do here." He mend-ed his pace with suitable haste. And he hatedthe lieutenant, who had no appreciation of fineminds. He was a mere brute.

After a time the brigade was halted in thecathedral light of a forest. The busy skirmish-ers were still popping. Through the aisles ofthe wood could be seen the floating smoke fromtheir rifles. Sometimes it went up in little balls,white and compact.

During this halt many men in the regimentbegan erecting tiny hills in front of them. Theyused stones, sticks, earth, and anything theythought might turn a bullet. Some built com-paratively large ones, while others seemed con-tent with little ones.

This procedure caused a discussion among themen. Some wished to fight like duelists, believ-ing it to be correct to stand erect and be, fromtheir feet to their foreheads, a mark. They saidthey scorned the devices of the cautious. Butthe others scoffed in reply, and pointed to theveterans on the flanks who were digging at theground like terriers. In a short time there wasquite a barricade along the regimental fronts.Directly, however, they were ordered to with-draw from that place.

This astounded the youth. He forgot hisstewing over the advance movement. "Well,then, what did they march us out here for?" hedemanded of the tall soldier. The latter withcalm faith began a heavy explanation, althoughhe had been compelled to leave a little protectionof stones and dirt to which he had devoted muchcare and skill.

When the regiment was aligned in anotherposition each man's regard for his safety causedanother line of small intrenchments. They atetheir noon meal behind a third one. They weremoved from this one also. They were marchedfrom place to place with apparent aimlessness.

The youth had been taught that a man be-came another thing in a battle. He saw his sal-vation in such a change. Hence this waitingwas an ordeal to him. He was in a fever of im-patience. He considered that there was denoteda lack of purpose on the part of the generals.He began to complain to the tall soldier. "Ican't stand this much longer," he cried. "Idon't see what good it does to make us wearout our legs for nothin'." He wished to returnto camp, knowing that this affair was a bluedemonstration; or else to go into a battle anddiscover that he had been a fool in his doubts,and was, in truth, a man of traditional courage.The strain of present circumstances he felt to beintolerable.

The philosophical tall soldier measured a sand-wich of cracker and pork and swallowed it in anonchalant manner. "Oh, I suppose we must goreconnoitering around the country jest to keep'em from getting too close, or to develop 'em, orsomething."

"Huh!" said the loud soldier.

"Well," cried the youth, still fidgeting, "I'drather do anything 'most than go tramping 'roundthe country all day doing no good to nobody andjest tiring ourselves out."

"So would I," said the loud soldier. "It ain'tright. I tell you if anybody with any sense wasa-runnin' this army it--"

"Oh, shut up!" roared the tall private. "Youlittle fool. You little damn' cuss. You ain't hadthat there coat and them pants on for six months,and yet you talk as if--"

"Well, I wanta do some fighting anyway,"interrupted the other. "I didn't come here towalk. I could 'ave walked to home--'round an''round the barn, if I jest wanted to walk."

The tall one, red-faced, swallowed anothersandwich as if taking poison in despair.

But gradually, as he chewed, his face becameagain quiet and contented. He could not ragein fierce argument in the presence of such sand-wiches. During his meals he always wore an airof blissful contemplation of the food he had swal-lowed. His spirit seemed then to be communingwith the viands.

He accepted new environment and circum-stance with great coolness, eating from his haver-sack at every opportunity. On the march hewent along with the stride of a hunter, object-ing to neither gait nor distance. And he hadnot raised his voice when he had been orderedaway from three little protective piles of earthand stone, each of which had been an engineer-ing feat worthy of being made sacred to the nameof his grandmother.

In the afternoon the regiment went out overthe same ground it had taken in the morn-ing. The landscape then ceased to threaten theyouth. He had been close to it and becomefamiliar with it.

When, however, they began to pass into anew region, his old fears of stupidity and in-competence reassailed him, but this time he dog-gedly let them babble. He was occupied withhis problem, and in his desperation he concludedthat the stupidity did not greatly matter.

Once he thought he had concluded that itwould be better to get killed directly and endhis troubles. Regarding death thus out of thecorner of his eye, he conceived it to be noth-ing but rest, and he was filled with a momen-tary astonishment that he should have made anextraordinary commotion over the mere matterof getting killed. He would die; he would goto some place where he would be understood.It was useless to expect appreciation of his pro-found and fine senses from such men as the lieu-tenant. He must look to the grave for compre-hension.

The skirmish fire increased to a long chatter-ing sound. With it was mingled far-away cheer-ing. A battery spoke.

Directly the youth would see the skirmishersrunning. They were pursued by the sound ofmusketry fire. After a time the hot, dangerousflashes of the rifles were visible. Smoke cloudswent slowly and insolently across the fields likeobservant phantoms. The din became crescendo,like the roar of an oncoming train.

A brigade ahead of them and on the rightwent into action with a rending roar. It wasas if it had exploded. And thereafter it laystretched in the distance behind a long gray wall,that one was obliged to look twice at to makesure that it was smoke.

The youth, forgetting his neat plan of gettingkilled, gazed spell bound. His eyes grew wideand busy with the action of the scene. Hismouth was a little ways open.

Of a sudden he felt a heavy and sad hand laidupon his shoulder. Awakening from his tranceof observation he turned and beheld the loudsoldier.

"It's my first and last battle, old boy," saidthe latter, with intense gloom. He was quitepale and his girlish lip was trembling.

"Eh?" murmured the youth in great aston-ishment.

"It's my first and last battle, old boy,"continued the loud soldier. "Something tellsme--"

"What?"

"I'm a gone coon this first time and--and Iw-want you to take these here things--to--my--folks." He ended in a quavering sob of pity forhimself. He handed the youth a little packetdone up in a yellow envelope.

"Why, what the devil--" began the youthagain.

But the other gave him a glance as from thedepths of a tomb, and raised his limp hand in aprophetic manner and turned away.