I watched him with intense fascination, till once again a thick black cloud drifted across my lens.
When the battalion next came into sight, it was considerably smaller, and it had left a heap much higher than any of the others about thirty yards in the rear; but the one remaining point of the spear-head still waved its black and yellow folds to and fro.
Suddenly the movement of the mass increased in speed, but it was still one body, save for that detached point in the van.
To it something--I could only guess what--at last happened.
The flag disappeared, the greyish-white figure sank to the ground. I choked back a sigh of regret, when flag and figure came into sight again, only the former had changed its position from right to left.
Now, too, the white puffs came out quicker from the heights; and as the pace of the column increased, so did these curly little clouds.
Then, as I looked, the battalion stopped dead; half of it sank to the ground; the rest, each part separated from its neighbour, fell to pieces; and the various atoms, without any appearance of order, ran back quickly along the track so recently made.
One figure alone moved slowly--it was the apex of the spear-head, the shaft of which had broken; and in spite of the yellow and black colours, I was downright glad to see the flag returning.
"Steady, my boys, steady! Don't fire till you get the word. Remember our general trusts to the 9th Honveds."
The words and the cheer that followed them brought me back with a rush to the reality of my own position.