Prev | Current Page 104 | Next

Kipling, Rudyard, 1865-1936

"Soldiers Three"


Take 'eed _you_ don't 'ear something one of these days.'
In the restless nights, after he had been asleep all day, fits of blind
rage came upon Simmons and held him till he trembled all over, while
he thought in how many different ways he would slay Losson. Sometimes
he would picture himself trampling the life out of the man, with heavy
ammunition-boots, and at others smashing in his face with the butt,
and at others jumping on his shoulders and dragging the head back till
the neckbone cracked. Then his mouth would feel hot and fevered, and
he would reach out for another sup of the beer in the pannikin.
But the fancy that came to him most frequently and stayed with him
longest was one connected with the great roll of fat under Lesson's
right ear. He noticed it first on a moonlight night, and thereafter
it was always before his eyes. It was a fascinating roll of fat. A man
could get his hand upon it and tear away one side of the neck; or he
could place the muzzle of a rifle on it and blow away all the head in
a flash. Losson had no right to be sleek and contented and well-to-do,
when he, Simmons, was the butt of the room.


Pages:
92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116