There is a roll call of the company, now reduced in numbers by half, in the ruins of Dompierre, now cleared out, conquered and organized.
None of the two sections surprised in the explosion of the mine came back.
There are great gaps in the ranks of the other two, especially among the non-commissioned officers. One sergeant out of four and two or three corporals are seriously wounded.
As names are called and there is no response, we look around as though to search better. Lips seem to murmur, “What, he too?” Eyes search the distance, the turn of the road at the entrance of the village, as if they still expect to see him come. But no one comes. They will never come again.
The lieutenant has to furnish all possible information about each one missing.
“Did you see him fall? Who was near him? Was he wounded? Do you think he was killed? Did he stay there motionless?”
There were as many inexact replies as there were questions. No one knew exactly or could know exactly whether the fallen was killed or wounded; appearances are deceitful. In the uproar of battle, he who seems dead is not even touched. Another may have had to stay hidden a long time to avoid being killed or made a prisoner.
Opposite the name of each absent one the quartermaster writes:
“Missing the ... presumably killed at....”