The progress., 1904-12-31

have oAvsr seen him speak with any
Now, on the threshhold, before tn
judgement Seat Of Coo. NO man can force
him to keep silent"
"But with whom should have 70
speak n. asked the dying dragon, BIT
terly. my tongue is a. grown up and
stricken. Weeks ard weeks passed
without me saying word! Nobody has
at any time asked me about anything!
Only my ear had to keep 1t the ready,
lest I did not hear the orders. Advance.
march, were. We ordered; march
through marsh and snow. There wa
nothing to reply!"
Rabenius knelt, and gently took his
hanos in his.
But now will ye speak, Bengt Getting:
Speak. speak, since all row gather to
hear you. OF Us Ill You have now the
right to speak freely. Have ye wife.
peradventure. an old mother at home.
whom 70 would that will greet for
thee?"
my mother starved me and forced me
into the troops, and never since then
has woman had any words to say to
me- than: Get out Of the way. Bengt
Getting; get out. get outl What do ye
want with us?'"
Then have ye nothing at all to be
sorry for?"
Il am sorry that as q child did not
spring into the mill stream. and that
when ye stood before the regiment an
exhorted us to 60 on again in patience.
I did not step forward and fell ye with
the musket."
NAY will you have what troubles
me? Haye ys never heard the Bag
gagers and outposts say how in the
moonlight they have seen their dead
comrades hobbling back In thrones
to the troops, and heard them cry:
Greet my mother for me; they call them
the Black Battalion. In the Black Bat
TALON will now walk. But the worst Is
that l will be buried In my miserable
rags and bloody shirt It is that which
troubles me. A common dragon does
not wish to be buried like to the good
Gen. Liewen: but think on the CON-
rades killed at Dorfsnicki. for each one
Of them the king ordered to be given out
two boards for a cofiin and one clean
white shroud. Why should they be bet
ter or than me? In this troubled tine
where q man falls he lies. And I ar
sunk go deep In wretchedness that th'
one thing In the world which I envy ali
others. is each IN clean. white shroud:
my poor friend" answered Rabeniu,
tenderly, "in the Black Battalion. II ys
believe truly thereon. ye are In right
great company. Gyldenstolpe and Sper-
ling and Col. Morner already lie dead cn
the field. And recall the thousands OF
others! Recall the friendly Col. Wat
trang, who came riding up to our regi-
ment, and gave every man an apple; b.
is lying with the guardsmen and all the
comrades. under the high road at Holof-
zin. And have ye In mind my prede-
cessor. Nicklas Uppendich, powerful
preacher OF the Word? He fell in his
vestments. before Kalison. Over HE
grave the grass has grown. and the snow
swept. and no man can indeed show tht
place wherein he sleeps"
Rabenius bent lower over the dying
man, and smoothed his hands and fore
head
"In ten or l6 minutes at the most. you
will have died. Maybe It is, In these few
minutes you make up for what 20 have
neglected to do in the past three years
If ye turn them to good account Nc
more are ye one Of US! Do you not ser
your pastor on his knee beside you. with
barred head? Speak. and tell me thy las'
wish, nay, command one. Think oi
one BY reason Of you the regiment IS
In disorder, while others storm forward
or by now are up the scaling ladders;
fear have ye put into the young men
through your death wound and agony
! none but you can maize amend. They ere
listening to you. Bengt Getting! Cnl,
you have the power to stir them to ad,
vance. Bethink yourself. Your las
words will long resound. In coming
years they will be repeated at homo. be.
fore those sitting and roasting -thei'
pears behindthe stove"
Bengt Getting lay still. and over his
eyes came shadow Of conjecture. Their
he slowly lifted his hands as II IN sup
plication. and whispered:
Lord help me to bring about this!'
He made q sign that now he could onl,
whisper..'and Rabenius laidhis face clos,
to his IN order to hear his words. a
Afterwards the pastor beckoned te
the soldiers, but his voice trembled &c
that he could hardly make himself
heard
Nov has Bengt Getting spoke en-" sal,
-he. 1T is his.iast wish that you take
him between you on your muskets, ant
carry-him to his old place In the ranks
where he was obstinately silent day after
day. year after year"
The drums were now beat, and the ad.
vance began. and Bengt Getting. lean.
ing against the shoulders Of his com
rades. was borne step by step over tho
held onwards towards the enemy. .Ther
the whole regiment followed him; ant
behind him walked Rabenius with un-
covered head. and marked not that he a..
ready was dead.
II will see to It, he whispered. "tha,
thou gettest clean white shroud. Thor
Fnowest. the Fling does not conside,
himself more than the lowest eoldier
and so will he himself lie one day."
1 al A..k