The Soldier's Dream.
By the other Campbell.
Our bugles sang truce for the night-cloud had lowered—
Delightful arrangement that, one must admit. A truce is, after all, more fun than a night attack. And perhaps the cloud was a big one and it looked like rain!
And the Sentinel stars set their watch in the sky—
Much better! But that does away with the rain theory.
And thousands had sunk on the ground overpowered—
Bad-fitting word. Sounds like avoirdupois. But it must have referred to gas fumes, otherwise the line certainly reflects on the condition of the men. This climate could be called "overpowering."
The weary to sleep and the wounded to die—
That scouts the gas theory! As a matter of fact it's the last thing the weary have a chance to do, and the wounded certainly take weeks to die. Look at Cockie!