"Cease firing!"
And leaning towards me, said:
"Steady on; you must husband your ammunition! And the show's over for to-day!"
Over? It was only then that I noticed that the sun had just disappeared, that the night was falling. The engrossing struggle had robbed us of all idea of time.
WE COLLECT OURSELVES
"No! Call yourselves poilus!" Bouillon exclaimed.
We looked at each other, and at the strained faces smeared with sweat and powder, the torn greatcoats, the knees and hands covered with earth. But what a feeling of buoyancy! In me most of all! I dared not predict the issue of the battle. Victory or defeat, that seemed of very slight importance to me, I admit, compared with the fact that I was still alive.