Page:Poet Lore, volume 27, 1916.djvu/397

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JAROSLAV HILBERT
377

you fool—hide over here—Holy Mary—not there, there they’ll get you. (With sudden fear.) See there! —I told you—what’s that—you see that—(a second later.) Hurrah!

Soukup.—Shut up you.

Kloc.—Hurrah!

Soukup.—Shut up!

Kloc.—Hurrah!

Soukup.—Shut up!

Kloc.—Hurrah, Hurrah!

Soukup (Shakes him until he awakens).—Save that for the Prussians.

Kloc(Jumps up).—What!—Prussians?—Prussians—Brothers stand by me, brothers here——

Soukup (Throws him to the ground).—Coward—cry-baby.

Kloc (On the ground murmuring).—Brother, brother, brother.

(Everyone is on his feet now.)

Levinsky.—You can tell anyone you like, that you’ll be able to stop and rest here. I know you won’t.

Kovar.—I was hardly able to rise from the ground. (He was lying flat on his back—he’s reeling.) Water—somebody get me water—I can’t lie any more. (He is reeling—more impatiently now.) I am going to die—I want to have a drop of water.

Levinsky.—You can say what you like but you cannot sleep here.

Spravil.—Well—what then?

Kovar.—Water, get me some water.

Levinsky (Laughing).—What I expected to happen, is taking place and in fifteen minutes you will be out of your grave-yard.

Soukup.—Silence!

Levinsky.—You are not going to order me about!

Kovar (Commanding tone).—Water! I demand some water! (Levinsky is laughing.)

Spravil.—Let him talk. Well, what now?—Who first wanted to sleep here!

Havlin (Breaks out).—This one!

Spravil.—Who?

Havlin (Closing in on Vonka).—This devil, traitor, he!

(Levinsky is laughing.)

Havlin.—He was the first one to lie down in here. Out of revenge, because he was the first to fly from the battlefield. He fled just like all the rest of us and now he wants us all to be hot down because he forgot to remain in the battle and ran away.