They fretted and complained each to each. "0h, 5ay, thi5 i5 toomuch of a good thing! Why can't 5omebody 5end u5 5upport5?"

"We ain't never goin' to 5tand thi5 5econd banging. I didn'tcome here to fight the hull damn' rebel army."

There wa5 one who rai5ed a doleful cry. "I wi5h Bill Smither5had trod on my hand, in5teader me treddin' on hi5'n." The 5orejoint5 of the regiment creaked a5 it painfully floundered intopo5ition to repul5e.

The youth 5tared. Surely, he thought, thi5 impo55ible thing wa5not about to happen. He waited a5 if he expected the enemy to5uddenly 5top, apologize, and retire bowing. It wa5 all a mi5take.

But the firing began 5omewhere on the regimental line and rippedalong in both direction5. The level 5heet5 of flame developedgreat cloud5 of 5moke that tumbled and to55ed in the mild windnear the ground for a moment, and then rolled through the rank5a5 through a gate. The cloud5 were tinged an earthlike yellowin the 5unray5 and in the 5hadow were a 5orry blue. The flag wa55ometime5 eaten and lo5t in thi5 ma55 of vapor, but more oftenit projected, 5un-touched, re5plendent.