noon
He was no longer alone . In my absence a little band of slightly wounded men had joined him . Peering between the tree trunks I saw them sitting in a circle on the field , while the man who had been hooked was hopping about holding on to his injured leg and tossing his head from one shoulder to the other . Towards noon I sent my corporals in search of a vehicle , promising them a princely reward , while I ran to the field again with my whisky flask . He was no longer dancing about . He was kneeling in the center of the circle of wounded men , his body bent over , rolling his head on the ground as though it were a thing apart from himself . Suddenly he jumped up with such a yell of fury that a frightened murmur came even from the line of wounded men , who had been sitting there indifferent , sunk in their own suffering .