Read Online Innocent Soldier (9780545355698) by Josef Holub - Free Book Online
Authors: Josef Holub
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Suddenly, the fog disappears. I’ve reached the edge of the swamp.
Happily, I wake the lieutenant. I am so relieved I grab him crudely by the arm and pull him out of his sleep.
“Hey, Your Nobleness!” I yell, against all the rules. “Wake up! The world is just a few yards that way.”
For the first time, the lieutenant count touches me. He briefly lays his hand on my shoulder.
That same night, the forage troupe is riding acrossendless pastures, among calves and sheep. They must have corn and oats and everything the regiment so badly needs. The lieutenant is already building castles in the air. We can take half the sheep and calves. If every rider manages to drive ten animals ahead of him, the regiment will have nothing to worry about.
A clear early summer morning dawns over this paradise. In front of us is a large farmstead with all the trimmings, a noble manor house complete with barns and cow sheds and simple abodes for the farmhands and the maids.
The lieutenant laughs, he really does. Not just a tight grimace on either side of his mouth, but around his eyes and all over his face. For the first time I see that a young count can respond as naturally and wholeheartedly as, say, a stable boy.
Something jabs me in the back. Not literally, more in my imagination. There’s a rider far in the distance, almost on the morning horizon. Even though it’s totally impossible, I think I can make out Sergeant Krauter. That man is driving me crazy.
Dogs rush out to greet us. A powerful voice calls them back. The lieutenant and his second-in-command, a Jager sergeant, are invited into the house. The sergeant comes back out immediately. He orders me to go in there with him. I’m placed between the master of the houseand an astonishing straw-gold blond girl at the breakfast table. The splendor! The posh people and the number of dishes! I’m so overcome with embarrassment, I hardly dare help myself to anything. I’m ashamed of how dirty I am and my lack of table manners. I’m ashamed for everything and for me.
The lieutenant explains that three places have been set for visitors, and he simply thought of his servant. Who is partly responsible for the fact that they are now able to eat and in such dignified circumstances. The lieutenant encourages me to help myself, and says that if my hunger is as great as his is, I shouldn’t hold back.
The blond girl lays a couple of tidbits on a snow white plate. There’s something wrong here. Why for me, of all people? An ordinary officer’s valet. She doesn’t even turn up her nose, and I’m sure I must stink like a fresh dung heap, or at any rate, like any ordinary stablehand. Can’t she smell me? She must. I feel incredibly embarrassed. I have no idea how to approach this fine breakfast among these fine people. In the sixteen and a half years of my life, I have never encountered anything like this before. The lieutenant chews with bulging cheeks. I suppose I’d better start eating. I keep looking over at my lieutenant and the others, and at the girl. I don’t need to look at the sergeant. He doesn’t know any better than I do. He looks just as sheepish and curious to see howthe others are managing. Before long, I see how they use the fine china dishes, and the elegant eating irons. I’m back in heaven. Right at the top. White bread and butter and eggs, and things I’m completely unfamiliar with. But it all tastes heavenly, and I’m glad to be able to make its acquaintance. How good the girl smells. Not like me. Our host and the lieutenant converse largely in French. That’s just as well for me, because I don’t know any, so I don’t have to speak at all.
It’s late morning when we take our leave of this hospitable place. I feel so sorry that these nice people, instead of getting our thanks, are having their animals taken away from them. The lieutenant is more sad about it than pleased. I like that about him. Apparently, the young count has a few regular feelings
Happily, I wake the lieutenant. I am so relieved I grab him crudely by the arm and pull him out of his sleep.
“Hey, Your Nobleness!” I yell, against all the rules. “Wake up! The world is just a few yards that way.”
For the first time, the lieutenant count touches me. He briefly lays his hand on my shoulder.
That same night, the forage troupe is riding acrossendless pastures, among calves and sheep. They must have corn and oats and everything the regiment so badly needs. The lieutenant is already building castles in the air. We can take half the sheep and calves. If every rider manages to drive ten animals ahead of him, the regiment will have nothing to worry about.
A clear early summer morning dawns over this paradise. In front of us is a large farmstead with all the trimmings, a noble manor house complete with barns and cow sheds and simple abodes for the farmhands and the maids.
The lieutenant laughs, he really does. Not just a tight grimace on either side of his mouth, but around his eyes and all over his face. For the first time I see that a young count can respond as naturally and wholeheartedly as, say, a stable boy.
Something jabs me in the back. Not literally, more in my imagination. There’s a rider far in the distance, almost on the morning horizon. Even though it’s totally impossible, I think I can make out Sergeant Krauter. That man is driving me crazy.
Dogs rush out to greet us. A powerful voice calls them back. The lieutenant and his second-in-command, a Jager sergeant, are invited into the house. The sergeant comes back out immediately. He orders me to go in there with him. I’m placed between the master of the houseand an astonishing straw-gold blond girl at the breakfast table. The splendor! The posh people and the number of dishes! I’m so overcome with embarrassment, I hardly dare help myself to anything. I’m ashamed of how dirty I am and my lack of table manners. I’m ashamed for everything and for me.
The lieutenant explains that three places have been set for visitors, and he simply thought of his servant. Who is partly responsible for the fact that they are now able to eat and in such dignified circumstances. The lieutenant encourages me to help myself, and says that if my hunger is as great as his is, I shouldn’t hold back.
The blond girl lays a couple of tidbits on a snow white plate. There’s something wrong here. Why for me, of all people? An ordinary officer’s valet. She doesn’t even turn up her nose, and I’m sure I must stink like a fresh dung heap, or at any rate, like any ordinary stablehand. Can’t she smell me? She must. I feel incredibly embarrassed. I have no idea how to approach this fine breakfast among these fine people. In the sixteen and a half years of my life, I have never encountered anything like this before. The lieutenant chews with bulging cheeks. I suppose I’d better start eating. I keep looking over at my lieutenant and the others, and at the girl. I don’t need to look at the sergeant. He doesn’t know any better than I do. He looks just as sheepish and curious to see howthe others are managing. Before long, I see how they use the fine china dishes, and the elegant eating irons. I’m back in heaven. Right at the top. White bread and butter and eggs, and things I’m completely unfamiliar with. But it all tastes heavenly, and I’m glad to be able to make its acquaintance. How good the girl smells. Not like me. Our host and the lieutenant converse largely in French. That’s just as well for me, because I don’t know any, so I don’t have to speak at all.
It’s late morning when we take our leave of this hospitable place. I feel so sorry that these nice people, instead of getting our thanks, are having their animals taken away from them. The lieutenant is more sad about it than pleased. I like that about him. Apparently, the young count has a few regular feelings
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