It was one of his comrades that time, and the sun was rising, so they ought to be stirring to see about, something for breakfast. But in his drowsy state he could not make out that this was six years ago, nor yet what this brown leather thing was which kept going up and down.
Then all at once he could. It was not six years ago, neither was it early morning, but close upon sunset; that movement was caused by Bracy’s respirations, and the brown leather case contained the little field-glass; while the well-drilled soldier, and one of the smartest lads in Captain Roberts’s company, had shamefully disgraced himself by going to sleep at his post.
Before he had half-thought this he was upon his feet, to stoop again and pick up his rifle, and then begin stamping up and down with rage.
“Oh!” he groaned; “I ought to be shot—I ought to be shot! Why, the niggers might ha’ come and knifed Mr Bracy as he lay there helpless as a kid, and all through me. Slep’? Why, I must ha’ slep’ hours upon hours. What’s the good o’ saying you couldn’t help it, sir? You ought to have helped it. Call yourself a soldier, and go to sleep at your post in the face of the enemy! That’s what the Colonel will say. I can’t never face no one agen. I shall desert; that’s what I shall do—cut right away and jyne the rebels if they’ll have me. Better go and jump down into that hole and bury myself in the snow; but I can’t.
“How am I to go and leave the gov’nor when he wants me as he does? Oh dear, oh dear! This is the worst of all. And I was hoping that I should have my stripes when I got back to the fort. Yes, that’s it—stripes. I shall get ’em, o’ course, but on my back instead of my sleeve. There, I’m a marked man now, and it’s about all over.”
Gedge grew calmer as he went, on pacing up and down, for he stopped twice over by Bracy, to find that he was sleeping as quietly as a child, and he evidently had not stirred. The young soldier’s next act was to get possession of the little field-glass again, and, to his dismay, he made out no less than three bodies of men in the valley far below, one of which was streaming along as if marching quickly, while the other two were stationary, close up to a little clump of pines or cedars, he could not make out which.
“T’others are going to ketch up to ’em and camp for the night, I bet. Yes, that they are,” he added as a tiny cloud of grey smoke began to rise. “They’re going to cook, so they must have something to roast, and I’m—oh, how hungry I do feel! Better not hold up this rifle, or they may see it in the sunshine, and come and cook us.”
He had a good long look, swept the valley as far as he could see, and then laid down his rifle, to go down on one knee by Bracy and begin replacing the glass in its leather case.
“It’s all right, sir; on’y me,” cried Gedge, for, awakened by the light touch, Bracy seized one hand and made an effort to pull out his revolver.
“Ha!” he cried. “You startled me, Gedge. Want the glass?”