ground. Not wanting to fire his revolver and draw attention to himself, he
began to choke him. Fingers and thumbs on his throat, the German tried to
speak.
“Amerikanerl Amerikanerl Ich ergebe michl” He held his palms up in
desperation and. gestured behind him.
Scarlett partially released his grip. He whispered. ‘What? What do you
want?” He let the German raise himself as much as he was able to. The man
had been left to die with his weapon, holding off whatever assault came
while the rest of his company retreated.
He pushed the German machine gun out of the wounded man’s reach and, while
alternately looking forward and backward, crawled several yards into the
forest. All around were signs of evacuation. Gas masks, emptied knapsacks,
even bandoliers of ammunition. Anything too heavy to carry easily.
They’d all gone.
He rose and walked back to the German soldier. Something was becoming very
clear to Ulster Scarlett.
“Amerikanerl Der Scheint ist fast zu Ende zu seinl Erlaube mir nach Hause
zu gehen?”
Lieutenant Scarlett had made up his mind. The situation was perfectl More
than perfect-it was extraordinaryl
It would take an hour, perhaps longer, for the rest of the Fourtmnth
Battalion to reach the area. B Company’s Captain Jenkins was so determined
to be a hero he had ran hell out of them.’Advancel Advancel Advancel
But this was his-Scarlett’s-way outl Maybe they’d jump a rank and make him
a captain. Why not? He’d be a hero.
Only he wouldn!t be there. –
Scarlett withdrew his revolver and as – the German screamed he shot him in
the forehead. Then he leapt to the machine gun. He started firing.
First to the rear, then to the’right, then to the left.
45
The crackling, shattering noise echoed throughout the forest The bullets
entenng trees thumped with a terrible finality. The sound was overpowering.
And then Scarlett pointed the weapon in the direction of his own men. He
pulled the trigger and held it steady, swinging the gun from one Bank to
the other. Scare the living Jesus out of theml Maybe kill a fewl
Who cared?
H~ was a power of death.
He enjoyed it.
He was entitled to it.
He laughed.
He withdrew his pressed finger and stood up.
He could see the mounds of dirt several hundred yards to the west. Soon he
would be miles away and out of it alll
Suddenly he had the feeling he was being watchedl Someone was watching himl
He withdrew his pistol once again and crouched to the earth.
Snapl
A twig, a branch, a crushed stonel
He crawled on his knees slowly, cautiously into the woods.
Nt)thing.
He allowed his imagination to take over his reason. The sound was the sound
of a tree limb cracked by the machine-gun fire. ne sound was the sound of
that s
limb failing to the ground.
Nothing.
scarlett retreated, stiff unsure, to the edge of the woods. He quickly
picked up the remains of the dead German’s helmet and began to run back to
Company B’s position.
what Ulster Stewart did not know was that he wag being watched. He was
being watched intently. With incredulity.
A German officer, the blood on -his forehead slowly congealing, stood
upright hidden from the American by the trunk of a wide pine tree. He had
been about to kill the Yank lieutenant-as soon as his enemy left the
gun-when be saw the man suddenly turn his fire on his own men. His own
troops.
His own troopsl
46
He had the American in his Lugees sight but he did not wish to kill this
man.
Not yet.
For the German officer, the last man of his company in that small
forest-4eft for dead-knew precisely what the American was doing.
It was a classic example under maximum conditions.
An infantry point, a commissioned officer at that, turn
ing his information to his own advantage against his own troopst
He could put himself out of range of combat and get a medal in the bargainI
ne German officer would follow -this American.
lieutenant Scarlett was halfway back -to Company Bs position when he heard
the noise behind him. He Rung himself to the ground and slowly turned his
body around. He tried to stare through the slightly weaving tall grass.
Nothing.
Or was there nothing?
There was a corpse not twenty feet ‘away-face down. But there were corpses
everywhere.
Scarlett didn’t remember this one. He remembered only the faces. He saw
only the faces. He didn’t remember.
Why should he?
Corpses everywhere. How could he remember? A sin-
‘b With t~ face down. There must be dozens like e L olyju iL t notice them.
tha. H st d
He was letting his imagination overwork againl It was dawn. . . . Animals
would come out of the ground, out of the trees.
Maybe.
Nothing moved.
He got up and raced to the mounds of dirt to Company B.
‘Scarlettl My God, its youl” said the captain, who was crouchecl_ in front
of the first trench. “You’re lucky we didn!t shoot. We lost Fernald and
Otis in the L%qA firel We couldn’t return it because you were out therel”
Ulster remembered Fernald and Otis.
No loss. Not in exchange for his own escape.
He threw the German helmet he had carried from the forest to the ground.
“Now, listen to me. I’ve wiped out one nest, but there are two others.
They’re waiting for
47
us. I know where they are and I can get them. But you’ve got to stay putl
Down! Fire off to the left in ten minute3 after I leave!”
“Where are you going?” asked the captain’ in consternation.
“Back where I can do some goodl Give me ten minutes and then start firing.
Keep it up for at least three or four minutes, but for Christ’s sake, shoot
left. Don’t kill me. I need the diversion.” He abruptly stopped and before
the captain could speak reentered the field.
Once in the tall grass, Scarlett sprung from one German corpse to another,
grabbing the helmets off the lifeless heads. After he had five helmets, he
lay on the ground and waited for the firing to commence.
TILe captain did his part. One would have thought they were back at
Chiteau-Thierry. In four minutes the firing stopped.
Scarlett rose and ran back to his company’s lines. As he appeared with the
helmets in his hand, the men broke into spontaneous cheers. Even the
captain, whose resentment disappeared with his newfound admiration, joined
his men.
“God danm it to hell, Scarlettl That was the bravest act I’ve seen in the
warl”
“Not so fast,” Scarlett demurred with a humility not in evidence before.
“We’re clear in front and on the left flank, but a couple of Krauts ran off
to the right. rm going after them.”
“You don’t have to. Let ’em go. You’ve done enough.” Captain Jenkins
revised his opinion of Ulster ScarletL The young lieutenant had met his
challenge.
“If you don’t mind, sir, I don’t think I have.”
“What do you mean?”
“My brother. . . . Rolly was his name. The Krauts got him eight months ago.
Let me go after them and you take the ground.”
Ulster Scarlett disappeared back into the field.
He knew exactly where he was going.
A few minutes later the American Lieutenant crouched by a large rock in his
tiny island of stone and weeds. He waited for B Company to start its
assault on the forest of pines. He leaned against the hard surface and
looked up at the sky.
Then it came.
48
The men shouted to give -themselves a touch more courage in the conceivable
event they met the retreating enemy. Sporadic shots rang out. Several
fingers were nervous. As the company reached the forest, a shattering
volley from a score of rifles could be heard.
They were firing at dead men, thought Ulster Scarlett.
He was safe now.
For him the war Was over.
“Stay where you are, Amerikanerl” The voice was thickly Germanic- “Don’t
movel”
Scarlett had reached for his pistol but the voice above him was emphatic.
To touch his revolver meant death.
“You speak English.” It was all Lieutenant Scarlett could think of to say.
“Reasonably well. Don’t movel My gun is aimed at your skull. . . . The same
area of the skull where you put a bullet into Corporal Kroeger.”
Ulster Scarlett froze.
There had been someonel He had heard somethinol
. The corpse in the fieldl
But why hadn’t the German killed him?
“I did what I had to do.” Again it was the only thing Scarlett could think
of to say.
“I’m sure of that. Just as I am sure you had no alternative but to fire on
your own troops. . . . You have … very strange concepts of your calling
In this war, do you notT’
Scarlett was beginning to understand.
“This war … is over.”