The Angels of Mons - The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War by Arthur Machen
page 16 of 39 (41%)
page 16 of 39 (41%)
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In fact, there were ten thousand dead German soldiers left before that salient of the English army, and consequently there was no Sedan. In Germany, a country ruled by scientific principles, the Great General Staff decided that the contemptible English must have employed shells containing an unknown gas of a poisonous nature, as no wounds were discernible on the bodies of the dead German soldiers. But the man who knew what nuts tasted like when they called themselves steak knew also that St. George had brought his Agincourt Bowmen to help the English. The Soldiers' Rest The soldier with the ugly wound in the head opened his eyes at last, and looked about him with an air of pleasant satisfaction. He still felt drowsy and dazed with some fierce experience through which he had passed, but so far he could not recollect much about it. But--an agreeable glow began to steal about his heart--such a glow as comes to people who have been in a tight place and have come through it better than they had expected. In its mildest form this set of emotions may be observed in passengers who have crossed the Channel on a windy day without being sick. They triumph a little internally, and are suffused with vague, kindly feelings. The wounded soldier was somewhat of this disposition as he opened his eyes, pulled himself together, and looked about him. He felt a sense |
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