I went further--or lower. I blush when I remember to what degrading lengths I allowed myself to go. If our neighbours were really so passionately anxious for the expansion of their "_Kultur_" as Fortin had said they were, did he, Guillaumin, know what remained to be done? Simply fold our arms and wait for them. They would not devour us, or at least not all of us! We should be invaded? And then? Annexed? What a misfortune that would be to be sure! There would be no more France? Well, if she had to disappear, why not to-morrow, just as well as in a hundred years!... All these tales of separate races, and of native lands were simply the patter of disastrous phrase-makers.... Let all those who believed them go and get killed for them. There could be nothing more just! To the frontier with the enthusiasts, the convinced--the imbeciles--who could not bear the idea of changing their names. But as for us, for me, who did not care a blow about it all...! "Talk away!" said Guillaumin. "What?" "You won't take me in!" "How do you mean?" "You want to get a rise out of me!" "I?" "You'll fight as well as the best of them!" "Well, what will that prove?" He did not answer me. There was no need. I was at a loss for words. I was pinked. Recall to reality. The time was past for weighing the reasons for and against. The philosophic juggling. The superior sphere of action, offered itself, nay imposed itself upon us.... Fortin, Guillaumin, I myself; we were all in uniform, we were going to fight.... Then there was only one thing to be done, to strain our muscles and our soul, to stake our fate on hope and on faith in our cause. What folly to be both judge and suitor. What grandeur in belief, even when absurd! If only I had been sure that I should fight as well as he said I should! CHAPTER XVI CAVILLINGS As it was my day on duty it fell to me to march the men who had reported sick to the M.O. that morning. I should have liked to have time to cast an eye over my men's equipment before the captain came to take kit inspection. My mind was not entirely at ease on the subject, when, in passing, I had asked Corporal Bouguet if he thought it would go all right, he had curtly replied that he couldn't see everything, he hadn't got eyes all over his head. Sick parade naturally promised to take longer than usual. Captain Ribet had made searching enquiries the day before and consulted the sick lists. He had told of about twenty weaklings to report themselves to the chief Medical Officer. I had not been surprised to catch sight of De Valpic's name on the list which I had been told to hand over. Surgeon-major Bouchut, a stout, apoplectic-looking man, arrived in a state of perspiration, and swearing hard began to sound the men's hearts and lungs. He was not very ferocious to-day. He must have had instructions to strike out the good-for-nothings. Whenever it was a case of enteritis, rheumatism, or bronchitis he jerked out at me: