power like their rulers are, to let themselves be governed by a
bunch of warlords like that."

"Ah'd lahk te cepture a German officer an' make him shine ma boots
an' then shoot him dead," said Chris to Andrews as they walked
down the long row towards their barracks.

"You would?"

"But Ah'd a damn side rather shoot somebody else Ah know," went on
Chris intensely. "Don't stay far from here either. An' Ah'll do it
too, if he don't let off pickin' on me."

"Who's that?"

"That big squirt Anderson they made a file closer at drill
yesterday. He seems to think that just because Ah'm littler than
him he can do anything he likes with me."

Andrews turned sharply and looked in his companion's face;
something in the gruffness of the boy's tone startled him. He was
not accustomed to this. He had thought of himself as a passionate
person, but never in his life had he wanted to kill a man.

"D'you really want to kill him?"

"Not now, but he gits the hell started in me, the way he teases
me. Ah pulled ma knife on him yisterday. You wasn't there. Didn't
ye notice Ah looked sort o' upsot at drill?"