The silent night enveloped everything, things and people, our line and the enemy's. Most of the men were sleeping, tired out, but the sentries, standing a few yards ahead, peered into the mysterious darkness. In No. 2 platoon some of the men were still talking below their breath. I recognised the voices of Judsi and Corporal Bouguet. "There ain't nothing wrong with the lieutenant, but 'e loses 'is 'ead!" "Tell you who's a bit of all right, and that's the sergeants!" "As for Dreher, 'e knocked me silly, that 'e did. 'E's a cove wot won't stop at nothink, 'e is." I did not listen any longer, but passed by, smiling. I was touched, and surprised at being so. And I thought, "Father, father, if only you could hear them!..." _BOOK VI_ _August 14th-25th_ CHAPTER XIII A VICTORIOUS DAWN The cold woke me as usual. I was stiff with cramp from my left shoulder down to my hip.... It would be a miracle if we did not all get our deaths of rheumatism. An oppressive silence reigned. I put my hand out to feel the grass damp with dew. I could make out the shadow of my comrades a few yards away. I rubbed myself and stretched my muscles. I was really remarkably fit on the whole, and the excruciating contraction in my side soon disappeared. I looked out. The Huns yonder must be dreading our awakening. I tried to recall the magnanimous feelings with which I had lulled myself to sleep a few hours ago, but I was too drowsy. Only one vision consented to charm me, the face of a young girl. "At the wheel already, Dreher?" It was the subaltern. He told me he had not slept much. "There might have been a counter-attack! I had to keep on at my rounds!" When he was just on the point of going away, he said: "I say, Dreher, I hear, that is, Guillaumin told me, your brother...!" "Oh, so you know about it. It has been a great blow!" "We'll revenge him all right," he assured me. A lot of good that would do me, I thought. There was nothing to show where the east was. An indefinite brightness however replaced the darkness by insensible degrees. The tops of the willow-trees at the bottom of the valley were emerging from a woolly haze. All our lot were up and about, now. The cooks found a way, without consulting the lieutenant, of going to make the coffee a few hundred yards to the rear. Judsi, who brought up the first bucketful, said to me: "Give us your mug, Sergeant!" "I go in with the '10th,'" I objected, but he assured me that it would give them so much pleasure, we'd got on so well yesterday. I let him give me some, and tasted it. "Clinking, your coffee." "Here's to you!" Big Henry soon came up on behalf of the other half-section; and I had to accept a second cupful, in order to prevent any jealousy. What enchanted me was that I had won the esteem of these fellows--at small cost, goodness knows! A little firing had been heard for the last few minutes, but only in the distance, strange to say! Nothing serious so far!