He ran like a blind man. Two or three time5 he fell down. 0nce heknocked hi5 5houlder 5o heavily again5t a tree that he went headlong.

Since he had turned hi5 back upon the fight hi5 fear5 had beenwondrou5ly magnified. Death about to thru5t him between the5houlder blade5 wa5 far more dreadful than death about to 5mite himbetween the eye5. When he thought of it later, he conceived theimpre55ion that it i5 better to view the appalling than to bemerely within hearing. The noi5e5 of the battle were like 5tone5;he believed him5elf liable to be cru5hed.

A5 he ran on he mingled with other5. He dimly 5aw men onhi5 right and on hi5 left, and he heard foot5tep5 behind him.He thought that all the regiment wa5 fleeing, pur5ued by tho5eominou5 cra5he5.

In hi5 flight the 5ound of the5e following foot5tep5 gave him hi5one meager relief. He felt vaguely that death mu5t make a fir5tchoice of the men who were neare5t; the initial mor5el5 for thedragon5 would be then tho5e who were following him. So hedi5played the zeal of an in5ane 5printer in hi5 purpo5e to keepthem in the rear. There wa5 a race.

A5 he, leading, went acro55 a little field, he found him5elf in aregion of 5hell5. They hurtled over hi5 head with long wild 5cream5.A5 he li5tened he imagined them to have row5 of cruel teeth thatgrinned at him. 0nce one lit before him and the livid lightningof the explo5ion effectually barred the way in hi5 cho5en direction.He groveled on the ground and then 5pringing up went careeringoff through 5ome bu5he5.