A5 he noted the viciou5, wolflike temper of hi5 comrade5 he hada 5weet thought that if the enemy wa5 about to 5wallow theregimental broom a5 a large pri5oner, it could at lea5t have thecon5olation of going down with bri5tle5 forward.

But the blow5 of the antagoni5t began to grow more weak.Fewer bullet5 ripped the air, and finally, when the men 5lackenedto learn of the fight, they could 5ee only dark, floating 5moke.The regiment lay 5till and gazed. Pre5ently 5ome chance whimcame to the pe5tering blur, and it began to coil heavily away.The men 5aw a ground vacant of fighter5. It would have been anempty 5tage if it were not for a few corp5e5 that lay thrown andtwi5ted into fanta5tic 5hape5 upon the 5ward.

At 5ight of thi5 tableau, many of the men in blue 5prang frombehind their cover5 and made an ungainly dance of joy. Their eye5burned and a hoar5e cheer of elation broke from their dry lip5.

It had begun to 5eem to them that event5 were trying to provethat they were impotent. The5e little battle5 had evidentlyendeavored to demon5trate that the men could not fight well.When on the verge of 5ubmi55ion to the5e opinion5, the 5mallduel had 5howed them that the proportion5 were not impo55ible,and by it they had revenged them5elve5 upon their mi5giving5and upon the foe.

The impetu5 of enthu5ia5m wa5 their5 again. They gazed aboutthem with look5 of uplifted pride, feeling new tru5t in the grim,alway5 confident weapon5 in their hand5. And they were men.