“You,” said Serge, quietly. “You have been asleep an hour, and of course there have been plenty of poor fellows carried by, enemies and friends.”
“But—” began Marcus.
“Go to sleep again, boy. You can do nothing there. We’d go together if we could help.”
Marcus was silent as he lay resting on one hand, listening and thinking what it was his duty to do, but listening in vain, for no such sound again broke the silence of the night, while after standing by him a few minutes, Serge walked away into the darkness and then returned to his seat in the chariot, where he too, utterly devoid of all inclination to sleep, sat and thought about their position there and asked himself whether it was yet too late to reverse their plans, and seeking the first opportunity to hurry his young companion away from the scenes of carnage and the dangers by which they were surrounded.
“I have done wrong all along,” he muttered to himself. “I went against my orders, and some day I shall have to face the master and answer for myself. Yes,” he muttered, “I must take him back.” And with the full intention, as he sat there leaning his left shoulder against the side of the chariot, of leaving the little rear-guard of the army as soon as he could, Serge changed his position to the other side of the chariot to rest his right side, and as he subsided against the hard iron-bound wood, listening for danger, the galloping-in of scouts, or some other warning of another night attack, a fresh current of thoughts began to chase each other through his brain.
“No,” he said, “I won’t go, and if I would he’d say again that he wouldn’t come. He’s a soldier’s son, and it comes natural to him. What am I growling at myself for? I didn’t set him to run away. He came of himself, and if I hadn’t done the same he’d have been here all alone without me to watch over him, take his part, and help him, same as he did me when I was attacked. Why, after all, everything’s gone right and happened as it should. We are in for it, and must go on. But this won’t do; I mustn’t go to sleep.” And springing up, the old soldier took a few steps up and down like a sentry, before stopping short and going down on one knee, steadying himself the while by means of his spear, and bending over Marcus, who was sleeping heavily, his breath coming regularly as he lay there deaf to everything that was going on around, while the dog uttered a low whine and lifted his heavy tail slowly, to beat with it softly upon the ground.
“He’s all right,” said Serge, and he backed away again, to march up to the horses, pat them, and then say a word or two to their driver, who was lying upon his back just in front, sleeping heavily and quite unconscious of Serge’s presence.
The latter took another turn or two up and down, thinking deeply the while.
“Yes,” he said softly, “what I told the boy’s about right, and I can tell him some more to-morrow, for out here in the darkness and silence all my old soldiering seems to be coming back. We are a sort of rear-guard, that’s what we are, and it’s our job to keep some miles behind the main army, to prevent the enemy from closing in and harassing our troops, besides seeing that they carry out the general’s orders and bring up the food and forage they as a conquered people are ordered to supply. Conquered people!” he said, with a contemptuous ejaculation. “Why, it’s like digging a channel through a bed of dry sand. I know what this country is. If we go on like this for a few days we shall be right in amongst the mountains, full of holes and hiding-places where the enemy can lurk, and as fast as they are driven off they will be like dry sand, as I said, and come running back again.”
Serge went and bent over Marcus again to satisfy himself that the boy was sleeping deeply, and uttered a low grunt that might have been learned of the swine he tended at the farm.