Page:Czechoslovak stories.pdf/127

 termined and speedier. His stout horse kept rearing all the time and refused to quiet down. Among us, all laughter had quickly vanished. A grave mood fell on all when the Captain rode out before us and cried out, “Will you deliver up the criminal?”

His voice was icy, no longer as brawling as before, but more effective. I felt a chill from my feet clear to my head, and I looked around at the other men as if I expected that one of them would speak out. A deep, oppressive silence reigned.

The Captain then rode directly up to us and said something to Lieutenant Schuster, who, for reasons unknown to me, was flushing deeply. Then he lifted his head as high as possible and gave orders for us to stand in a single row, without regard to size or rank.

“Quickly! Quickly!” he shouted, seeing that the men stepped up to their neighbors with a sort of mistrust, slowness and fear.

As I passed Schuster he whispered to me, “Every fifth man-take care!”

Something immoderately, indefinably appalling fell on my chest. My heart began to beat wildly, the blood rushed to my head, and into my eyes a great heat poured. I could not at once comprehend the words of the Lieutenant and I pressed forward into the long row extending out in either direction. I found myself in the right wing, practically near the end of that long line, winding through the white oat stubble. I was