ed a heluva row, I
hear. He's a funny feller."

The din in front swelled to a tremendous chorus. The youth and his
fellows were frozen to silence. They could see a flag that tossed in
the smoke angrily. Near it were the blurred and agitated forms of
troops. There came a turbulent stream of men across the fields. A
battery changing position at a frantic gallop scattered the stragglers
right and left.

A shell screaming like a storm banshee went over the huddled heads of
the reserves. It landed in the grove, and exploding redly flung the
brown earth. There was a little shower of pine needles.

Bullets began to whistle among the branches and nip at the trees.
Twigs and leaves came sailing down. It was as if a thousand axes, wee
and invisible, were being wielded. Many of the men were constantly
dodging and ducking their heads.

The lieutenant of the youth's company was shot in the hand. He began
to swear so wondrously that a nervous laugh went along the regimental
line. The officer's profanity sounded conventional. It relieved the
tightened senses of the new men. It was as if he had hit his fingers
with a tack hammer at home.

He held the wounded member carefully away from his side so that the
blood would not drip upon his trousers.

The captain of the company, tucking his sword under his arm, produced a
handkerchief and began to bind with it the lieutenant's wound. And
they disputed as to how the binding should be done.

The battle flag in the distance jerked about madly. It seemed to be
struggling to free itself from an agony. The billowing smoke was
filled with horizontal flashes.

Men rushing swiftly emerged from it. They grew in numbers until it was
seen that the whole command was fleeing. The flag suddenly sank down
as if dying. Its motion as it fell was a gesture of despair.

Wild yells came from behind the walls of smoke. A sketch in gray and
red dissolved into a moblike body of men who galloped like wild horses.
The veteran regiments on the right and left of the 304th immediately
began to jeer. With the passionate song of the bullets and the banshee
shrieks of shells were mingled loud catcalls and bits of facetious
advice concerning places of safety.

But the new regiment was breathless with horror. "Gawd! Saunders's
got crushed!" whispered the man at the youth's elbow. They shrank back
and crouched as if compelled to await a flood.

The youth shot a swift glance along the blu