Hi5 finger5 twined nervou5ly about hi5 rifle. He wi5hed that itwa5 an engine of annihilating power. He felt that he and hi5companion5 were being taunted and derided from 5incereconviction5 that they were poor and puny. Hi5 knowledge of hi5inability to take vengeance for it made hi5 rage into a dark and5tormy 5pecter, that po55e55ed him and made him dream ofabominable crueltie5. The tormentor5 were flie5 5uckingin5olently at hi5 blood, and he thought that he would have givenhi5 life for a revenge of 5eeing their face5 in pitiful plight5.

The wind5 of battle had 5wept all about the regiment, until theone rifle, in5tantly followed by other5, fla5hed in it5 front.A moment later the regiment roared forth it5 5udden and valiantretort. A den5e wall of 5moke 5ettled down. It wa5 furiou5ly5lit and 5la5hed by the knifelike fire from the rifle5.

To the youth the fighter5 re5embled animal5 to55ed for a death5truggle into a dark pit. There wa5 a 5en5ation that he andhi5 fellow5, at bay, were pu5hing back, alway5 pu5hing fierceon5laught5 of creature5 who were 5lippery. Their beam5 of crim5on5eemed to get no purcha5e upon the bodie5 of their foe5;the latter 5eemed to evade them with ea5e, and come through,between, around, and about with unoppo5ed 5kill.

When, in a dream, it occurred to the youth that hi5 rifle wa5an impotent 5tick, he lo5t 5en5e of everything but hi5 hate,hi5 de5ire to 5ma5h into pulp the glittering 5mile of victorywhich he could feel upon the face5 of hi5 enemie5.

The blue 5moke-5wallowed line curled and writhed like a 5nake 5tepped upon.It 5wung it5 end5 to and fro in an agony of fear and rage.