第 24 节
作者:风雅颂      更新:2021-02-21 10:00      字数:9322
  had seen and heard no creature of any sort。 Yet he was sure that
  on the way back he had been pursued byby Something! And into
  his scared memory; as he ran; had flashed the ofttold Black
  Forest tale of the Werewolfthe devilbeast that is entered by
  the soul of a murdered man and which tracks the murderer to his
  death。
  Glad was the unnerved Corporal Freund when his run ceased and he
  stood close to his grossly solid and rank…scented fellowmen once
  more。 Almost he was inclined to laugh at his fears of the fabled
  Werewolfand especially at the idea that he had been pursued。 He
  drew a long breath of relief。 He drew the breath in。 But he did
  not at once expel it。 For on his ears came the sound of a hideous
  menacing growl。
  Corporal Freund spun about; in the direction of the mysterious
  threat。 And there; not thirty feet from him; in the ghostly
  moonlight; stood the Werewolf!
  This time there could be no question of overstrained nerves and
  of imagination。 The Thing was THERE!
  Horribly visible in every detail; the Werewolf was glaring at
  him。 He could see the red glow of the gigantic devil…beast's
  eyes; the white flash of its teeth; the ghostly shimmering of its
  snowy chest。 The soul of the man he had slain had taken this
  traditional form and was hunting down the slayer! A thousand
  stories of Freund's childhood verified the frightful truth。 And
  overwrought human nature's endurance went to pieces under the
  shock。
  A maniac howl of terror split the midnight stillness。 Shriek
  after shriek rent the air。 Freund tumbled convulsively to the
  ground at his colonel's feet; gripping the officer's booted knees
  and screeching for protection。 The colonel; raging that the
  surprise attack should be imperiled by such a racket; beat the
  frantic man over the mouth with his heavy fist; kicking
  ferociously at his upturned writhing face; and snarling to him to
  be silent。
  The shower of blows brought Freund back to sanity; to the extent
  of changing his craven terror into Fear's secondary phasethe
  impulse to strike back at the thing that had caused the fright。
  Rolling over and over on the ground; under the impact of his
  superior's fist blows and kicks; Freund somehow regained his
  feet。
  Reeling up to the nearest soldier; the panic…crazed corporal
  snatched the private's rifle and fired three times; blindly; at
  Bruce。 Then; foaming at the mouth; Freund fell heavily to earth
  again; chattering and twitching in a fit。
  Bruce; at the second shot; leaped high in the air; and collapsed;
  in an inert furry heap; among the bushes。 There he lay;his
  career as a courier…dog forever ended。
  Corporal Rudolph Freund was perhaps the best sniper in his
  regiment。 Wildly though he had fired; marksman…instinct had
  guided his bullets。 And at such close range there was no missing。
  Bruce went to earth with one rifle ball through his body; and
  another in his leg。 A third had reached his skull。
  Now; the complete element of surprise was all…needful for the
  attack the Germans had planned against the 〃Here…We…Comes。〃
  Deprived of that advantage the expedition was doomed to utter
  failure。 For; given a chance to wake and to rally; the regiment
  could not possibly be 〃rushed;〃 in vivid moonlight; before the
  nearest Allied forces could move up to its support。 And those
  forces were only a mile or so to the rear。 There can be no
  possible hope for a surprise attack upon a well…appointed camp
  when the night's stillness has been shattered by a series of
  maniac screams and by three echoing rifle…shots。
  Already the guard was out。 A bugle was blowing。 In another
  minute; the sentry…calls would locate the gap made by the three
  murdered sentinels。
  A swift guttural conference among the leaders of the gray…clad
  marauders was followed by the barking of equally guttural
  commands。 And the Germans withdrew as quietly and as rapidly as
  they had come。
  *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
  It was the mouthing and jabbering of the fit…possessed Corporal
  Rudolph Freund that drew to him the notice of a squad of Yankees
  led by Top…Sergeant Mahan; ten minutes later。 It was the shudder
  accompanied pointing of the delirious man's finger; toward the
  nearby clump of undergrowth; that revealed to them the still warm
  body of Bruce。
  Back to camp; carried lovingly in Mahan's strong arms; went all
  that was left of the great courier…dog。 Back to camp; propelled
  between two none…too…gentle soldiers; staggered the fit…ridden
  Corporal Freund。
  At the colonel's quarters; a compelling dose of stimulant cleared
  some of the mists from the prisoner's brain。 His nerve and his
  will…power still gone to smash; he babbled eagerly enough of the
  night attack; of the killing of the sentries and of his encounter
  with the Werewolf。
  〃I saw him fall!〃 he raved。 〃But he is not dead。 The Werewolf can
  be killed only by a silver bullet; marked with a cross and
  blessed by a priest。 He will live to track me down! Lock me where
  he cannot find me; for the sake of sweet mercy!〃
  And in this way; the 〃Here…We…Comes〃 learned of Bruce's part in
  the night's averted disaster。
  Old Vivier wept unashamed over the body of the dog he had loved。
  Top…Sergeant Mahanthe big tears splashing; unnoted; from his
  own red eyesbesought the Frenchman to strive for better self…
  control and not to set a cry…baby example to the men。
  Then a group of grim…faced soldiers dug a grave。 And; carried by
  Mahan and Vivier; the beautiful dog's body was borne to its
  resting…place。 A throng of men in the gray dawn stood wordless
  around the grave。 Some one shamefacedly took off his hat。 With
  equal shamefacedness; everybody else followed the example。
  Mahan laid the dog's body on the ground; at the grave's brink。
  Then; looking about him; he cleared his throat noisily and spoke。
  〃Boys;〃 he began; 〃when a human dies for other humans; there's a
  Christian burial service read over him。 I'd have asked the
  chaplain to read one over Bruce; here; if I hadn't known he'd say
  no。 But the Big Dog isn't going to rest without a word said over
  his grave; for all that。〃
  Mahan cleared his throat noisily once more; winked fast; then
  went on:
  〃You can laugh at me; if any of you feel like it。 But there's
  some of you here who wouldn't be alive to laugh; if Bruce hadn't
  done what he did last night。 He was only just a dogwith no
  soul; and with no life after this one; I s'pose。 So he went ahead
  and did his work and took the risks; and asked no pay。
  〃And by and by he died; still doing his work and asking no pay。
  〃He didn't work with the idea of getting a cross or a ribbon or a
  promotion or a pension or his name in the paper or to make the
  crowd cheer him when he got back home; or to brag to the
  homefolks about how he was a hero。 He just went ahead and WAS a
  hero。 That's because he was only a dog; with no souland not a
  man。
  〃All of us humans are working for some reward; even if it's only
  for our pay or for the fun of doing our share。 But Bruce was a
  hero because he was just a dog; and because he didn't know enough
  to be anything else but a hero。
  〃I've heard about him; before he joined up with us。 I guess most
  of us have。 He lived up in Jersey; somewhere。 With folks that had
  bred him。 I'll bet a year's pay he was made a lot of by those
  folks; and that it wrenched 'em to let him go。 You could see he'd
  been brought up that way。 Life must 'a' been pretty happy for the
  old chap; back there。 Then he was picked up and slung into the
  middle of this hell。
  〃So was the rest of us; says you。 But you're wrong。 Those of us
  that waited for the draft had our choice of going to the hoosgow;
  as 'conscientious objectors;' if we didn't want to fight。 And
  every mother's son of us knew we was fighting for the Right; and
  that we was making the world a decenter and safer place for our
  grandchildren and our womenfolks to live in。 We didn't brag about
  God being on our side; like the boches do。 It was enough for us
  to know WE was on GOD'S side and fighting His great fight for
  Him。 We had patriotism and religion and Right; behind us; to give
  us strength。
  〃Brucie hadn't a one of those things。 He didn't know what he was
  here forand why he'd been pitched out of his nice home; into
  all this。 He didn't have a chance to say Yes or No。 He didn't
  have any spellbinders to tell him he was making the world safe
  for d'mocracy。 He was MADE to come。
  〃How would any of us humans have acted; if a deal like that had
  been handed to us? We'd 'a' grouched and slacked and maybe
  deserted。 That's because we're lords of creation and have souls
  and brains and such。 What did Bruce do? He jumped into this game;
  with bells on。 He risked his life a hundred times; and he was
  just as ready to risk it again the next day。
  〃Yes; and he knew he was risking it; too。 There's blame little he
  didn't know。 He saw war…dogs; all