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“You are going to do nothing of the sort, you
are going to thank God for your miraculous
escape,” interrupted the Colonel. “Indeed he
tried his best to kill you and no doubt he would
have done so had you given him time for a second
shot. Luckily you fired simultaneously. Had
you waited the fraction of a second you would
not be sitting by my side now. Didn’t you hear
the bullet whizzing over your head? Look!”
Suddenly as I looked at my hat the curtain
went down over my performance as a hero.
Stripped of his ill fitting make-up as a brave man,
the real man appeared, the man who was afraid of
death. Shaking with fear I sank back in my
corner of the carriage.
“I am proud of you, my young friend,” the
Colonel went on. “It did my old soldier’s heart
good to watch you, I could not have done it better
myself! When we charged the Prussians at
Gravelotte. . . .”
The chattering of my teeth prevented me from
catching the end of the sentence. I felt sick
and faint, I wanted to tell Norstrom to let down
the window for a breath of air but I could not
articulate a word. I wanted to fling open the
door and bolt like a rabbit but I could move
neither arms nor legs.
“He was losing lots of blood,” chuckled
Norstrom, “Professor Labbé said the bullet had
passed clean through the base of the right lung,
he will be a lucky man if he escapes with two
months in bed.”
The chattering of my teeth ceased instantly, I
listened attentively.
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