The intoxication of sleep masters me. But I recall what they have
done and what they will do; and with that consummate picture of a
sorry human night before me, a shroud that fills our cavern with
darkness, I dream of some great unknown light.
______
[note 1] There is a complete set for each squad--stoves, canvas
buckets, coffee-mill, pan, etc--and each man carries some item on
march.--Tr.
[note 2] Cantine vivres, chest containing two days' rations and
cooking utensils for four or five officers.--Tr.
15
The Egg
WE were badly off, hungry and thirsty; and in these wretched
quarters there was nothing!
Something had gone wrong with the revictualing department and our
wants were becoming acute. Where the sorry place surrounded them,
with its empty doors, its bones of houses, and its bald-headed
telegraph posts. a crowd of hungry men were grinding their teeth and
confirming the absence of everything:--"The juice has sloped and the
wine's up the spout, and the bully's zero. Cheese? Nix. Napoo jam,
napoo butter on skewers."
"We've nothing, and no error, nothing; and play hell as you like, it
doesn't help."
"Talk about rotten quarters! Three houses with nothing inside but
draughts and damp."
"No good having any of the filthy here, you might as well have only
the skin of a bob in your purse, as long as there's nothing to buy."
"You might be a Rothschild, or even a military tailor, but what
use'd your brass be?"
"Yesterday there was a bit of a cat mewing round where the 7th are.
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