Barbarians

ything for us?"

ees and looking out across a world of tumbled mountains. Over on his right lay Germany;

ng on black heaps of rocks; a black salamander, swollen, horrible, sti

We've been forgotten. And if they don't relieve us rather soon[p

your pa

tand what I've

es; qu

, five? But it's going on ten months-ten months of solitude-silence-not a sound, except when the snowslides go bel

space; the staff officer glanced

half-breeds, pelt-hunters, Nome miners, Yankees of all degrees, British, Canadians, gentlemen[pg 9] adventurers from Cosmopolis. They're good soldiers, but do you think they'd stay here? It is so in the Athaba

ficer murmur

e never seen a Boche, never heard a shot. Seasons come and go, rain falls, snow falls, th

to see except the sun on the wet, black rocks and the whitewashed observation s

ly, looking as embarrassed as h

lieutenant and a Prince Edward Islander; and here's me, a major in the Yukon Battalion-four of us on the top of a cursed French mountain-ten months of each other, of solitude, silence-and the whole world rocking with battles-and not a sound up here-not a whisper! I tell you we're four sick men! We've go

sorry! Good luck!" but his articu[pg 11]lation was i

him clamber down among the rocks, w

of the observation station. "Has he

said

to do anyth

t know.

en turned and went indoors. Carfax sat do

ain and looked at him, but turned back into the doorway without saying anyt

ephone, but the messages received or transmitted appeared to be of no[pg 12] importance. There ha

cursing their isolation, but always cursing it-afraid in their souls lest they

pinions, or a few little migrating birds fluttering down, half frozen, from the high air lanes. Now and then, also, came to them a staff officer from below, British sometimes, sometimes French, who lingered no lon

est battle wave had thundered against the Vosges beyond earshot; not even a deaden

as an observatory for two idle divisions below in the valley, stood three telescopes. Otherwise the furniture consis

, not looking through it, his heavy eyes partl

card players. They shuffled and dealt listle

rd table and the young lieutenant cashed

14] already started the fruit buds, and a

nd went outdoors to the edge of the precipice-not too near, for fear he might be tem

o, the gaily malicious challenge of spring herself, shouted up melodiously from the plains of Alsace-Cuck

fantry, whose name was Gra

elling like hell below," h

ejected three, and nodded. "

-bird insulting you?" aske

into the sunshine. When he returned to the table, he said: "

ey too many times to care when Carfax added up debit and credit and wrote down each man's score.

imself, slouched in his chair, and continued to read for a while. T

gazing vacantly out of the narrow window.

hing to be had," he began;

e trout in the valley down there where

e cows and chickens and ho

over his newspaper. "It's bad enough to be here," he said

nored th

anything spo

d Carfax. "Do you expe

nch side, continuing a spiritless conversation while watching the handball play. After a while he rose, shambled out and down among the rocks to the spring where snow lay, trodden and filthy, and the big, black salamanders crawled half stupefied in the sun. All

way while Carfax looked on from the telephone without inter

I'll begin to feel queer in my head; and if I feel it coming on, I'll blow my bally n

dead s

el in Belfort, never letting off their guns. Ross rifl

ss rifles rusting down there and to think of the pink-skinned pigs they could paunch

s. Gray said to him: "For a dollar of your Yankee money I'd give y

'll not have to pay for a shot at anyb

bly, stretching his facial

," he said. "I don't know which I can stand most comfor

g another tennis ball in his right hand. "Give me a shot at you?" he added. "I fee

, the elf-like hail of the cucko

e call meant more than it

e calling just now. There's a world of primroses in Devon..

profile of a Greek fighter showed in

?-nine months of it?" He hurled the tennis ball at

o was sti

"at ten shillings a throw? It's not a ba

yed no interest; he continued to toss a tennis b

mist hung over the snow-edged cliffs; the rock

g