The Red Badge of Courage Page #3

I'll have you all court-martialed!

He regarded the wounded soldiers

in an envious way.

He conceived persons

with torn bodies to be...

peculiarly happy.

He wished that he, too, had a wound.

A red badge of courage.

Pretty good fight, wasn't it?

Pretty good fight, wasn't it?

Darn me, if I ever seen fellas fight so.

Lord, how they did fight.

I knew the boys would be all right

once they got square at it.

They ain't had no fair chance up to now.

This time they showed what they was.

I knew they'd turn out this way.

You can't lick them boys. No, sir.

They're fighters, they be.

Where are you hit, old boy?

Where are you hit?

Make way!

Jim.

Jim Conklin.

Hello, Henry.

Where you been?

I thought maybe you got keeled over.

There's been thunder to pay today.

I was wondering about it a good eon.

You know, I was out there...

and, what a circus.

By Jiminy.

I got shot.

I got shot.

I'll tell you what I'm scared of.

I'll tell you what I'm afraid of.

I'm afraid I'll fall down, and then you

know them darned artillery wagons...

they're like to run over me.

That's what I'm afraid of.

You don't have to worry, Jim.

- I'll take care of you. I swear I will.

- Sure? Will you, Henry?

Sure, Jim.

I've always been a good friend to you,

wasn't I, Henry?

I've always been a pretty good fella.

It ain't much to ask, is it...

just to pull me along out of the road?

I'd do it for you, wouldn't I?

No.

Better get him out of the road.

There's a battery coming.

He'll get run over for sure.

He's a goner anyhow,

in about five minutes.

- We'd better get him out of the road.

- Jim, come out of the road.

Move off the road!

Look where he's running.

Jim.

Jim, what are you doing?

No.

Don't touch me.

Leave me be...

can't you? For a minute?

Jim, what are you doing?

What made you do this?

No.

Leave me be.

He were a regular jim-dandy, weren't he?

A regular jim-dandy.

I wonder where he got his strength from.

I've never seen a man do like that before.

He were a regular jim-dandy.

What's happening over there?

What's the matter?

- What are you running from?

- Let go!

- What's happening over there?

- Let go.

You're in a pretty bad fix, son.

Well, I'm going your way.

Come on. I'll give you a lift.

What's your regiment?

Volunteers?

- 304th, I'll betcha.

- Maybe there ain't none of us left.

You'd be surprised at how many of you

is still alive and kicking.

Always seems like more of you

is getting killed than there are.

- I don't think we're going right.

- Just stick with me.

I'll find your regiment for you.

I wonder who won today, us or the Rebs?

Reckon nobody knows,

not even the General.

'Course, they'll say we won a big victory.

Got to keep the people's spirits up...

especially the womenfolk.

They're mighty apt to get discouraged

with their husbands and sons away.

Corporal, that the 304th down there?

I just passed it in that clearing, behind me.

You see? I knew we was going right.

I gave myself up for dead

any number of times.

There was so much

shooting and hollering...

you couldn't tell, to save your soul,

which side you was on.

It was the most mixed-up thing

you ever did see.

When I saw what I did today,

I said, "There ain't no use...

"worrying about yourself.

"Just turn your affairs over to the Lord,

and go on and do your duty.

"Then, if you get killed, it's his concern.

"Anyway, dying is only dying.

"Supposing you don't hear

the birds sing tomorrow...

"or see the sun go down,

it's going to happen anyway."

And you know, son,

that thought gave me peace of mind.

You ought to write your folks a letter,

and tell them you ain't killed.

There's your regiment.

Goodbye and good luck,

and may the good Lord watch after you.

Oh, happy am I. Oh, happy am I

Who goes there?

Hello, Wilson.

Henry Fleming.

- Yeah, it's me.

- Well, by ginger, I'm glad to see you.

I gave you up for a goner.

I thought you was dead, sure enough.

I've had an awful time.

I've been way over on the right.

I got separated from the regiment.

Terrible fighting over there.

- And I got shot.

- Got shot?

- I got shot in the head.

- Why didn't you say so right off?

- Wait, I'll call the corporal.

- Who are you talking to?

You're the darndest sentinel.

Why, hello, Fleming. You here?

I thought you was dead hours ago.

Where was you?

- Over on the right. I got separated.

- He got shot in the head.

He's in a terrible fix.

I ought to look after him.

All right. Better take care of him.

It hurts. It hurts like blazes.

It's been bleeding all the way here,

but it's stopped now, I guess.

Terrible pain when I got hit.

I must have been unconscious

for a long time.

When I come to, I thought I'd keel over

from the hurt it gave me...

when I started walking.

You know,

I might have a bullet in the head.

A wound like that's likely to be fatal.

Let's have a look at your head.

Maybe it's a bad one.

You're mighty lucky.

It ain't as bad as you feared.

You've been grazed by a ball.

Raised a queer sort of a lump...

as if some fella

had lammed you on the head with a club.

The most of it is that in the morning

you'll feel a number 10 hat wouldn't fit.

Might get some other ailments, too.

You can't never tell.

Still, I don't much think so.

It's just a dang good belt on the head,

nothing more.

I'll have you fixed up in about a minute.

You don't holler or say nothing.

I'm a blacksmith

at taking care of ailing folks.

And you never even squeaked.

You're a brave one.

Most men would have been

in the hospital long ago.

- Tom.

- Yeah?

Jim Conklin's dead.

What? Jim Conklin's dead?

Yeah, he's dead.

You don't say. Jim Conklin.

Poor cuss.

Come on, we'll put you to bed

and get you a night's sleep.

Just lie down there and get some rest.

- Tom.

- Yes, Henry?

Did the Lieutenant or anyone

say anything about me being missing?

No.

The regiment lost over half its men,

and I thought they was all dead.

But they keep coming back.

Seems we didn't lose but a few.

They were scattered all over.

Meandering around, and fighting

with other regiments, just like you.

I brought your watch back.

Thanks.

He had performed his mistakes

in the dark...

so he was still a man.

What do you think the chances are?

You think we'll wallop them?

Not if we don't do a lot better

than we done yesterday.

Where I was, over on the right...

I'd say that we was getting

a good pounding.

I thought we handled them pretty rough.

Not at all.

Why, you didn't see none of the fight.

None compared to what you saw, I guess.

Maybe we are in for a licking.

What's got into you?

Day before yesterday...

you was going to lick

the whole caboodle, all by yourself.

Was I?

Perhaps I was.

- No, you wasn't, neither.

- You needn't mind, Henry.

I reckon I was a pretty big fool

in those days.

You talk like it was years ago,

instead of day before yesterday.

Seems like years.

Company, fall in!

We're always being

pushed around like rats.

Makes me sick.

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