The Man Who Collected Machen and Other Weird Tales by Samuels Mark

Author:Samuels, Mark [Samuels, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Chomu Press
Published: 2011-03-15T20:00:00+00:00

A Question of Obeying Orders

Hanns Kugel cursed his luck. He’d lost his map and compass six hours ago in a muddy ditch and had to rely on the position of the sun in the sky in order to navigate through the forest in an easterly direction. It was now obvious to him that he’d missed his destination by some miles, and would have to decide between pressing on in the hope of coming across another village by accident or taking his chances by camping in the forest overnight. He recalled that timber wolves roamed this area and the weight of the rifle slung across his shoulders was a comforting burden.

He sat down on the fallen trunk of a tree, rummaged in the bulging pockets of his grey greatcoat and pulled out a slab of bread and cured sausage. Both had turned rotten and he cast them aside with disgust. The blood-orange sun had now dipped below the tops of the trees to his back, behind the leaves, casting long shadows. As soon as the sun had gone down, Kugel realised, the twilight would not last for more than a few minutes and then he would have to contend with utter darkness. He would press on, he decided, for another half hour and take his chances.

It would be ironic, he thought, if he were to perish out here in the wilderness after having deserted from the ranks of the Imperial German army. He had expected to meet his end when first he had fled from his comrades, accompanied by the startled cry of Kapitan Von Drost and a volley of rifle fire at this back. He had dodged and weaved like a rabbit until he was inside the cover of the forest, leaping, sprinting and hurling himself forward deeper and deeper into its depths until the pursuit had faltered.

Four months killing for the Kaiser at the Eastern Front had ended when the Russians had begun shooting their own officers and decided to return home. At this news he and his comrades had celebrated, certain that they would return to their own homes in return. They were all sick of blood, death and the thunder of artillery. But when Von Drost informed them that their company was to be honoured by redeployment on the Western Front, in order to crush the British pig-dogs, Kugel decided to desert and follow the example the Russians had set. It was soon apparent to him that he was alone in his resolve. Although just as sick of war, his fellow soldiers had no stomach for revolution and would, like all good Germans, follow the orders of their superiors. And so he had fled alone.

Not more than five or six minutes of daylight left now, Kugel calculated. It was getting darker and darker. Had he not stopped to strike a match and light a cigarette he would have certainly missed the pathway. It was partially obscured by an enormous bramble bush. Kugel grinned in relief. He sucked the cigarette smoke into his lungs and tossed the match aside once it stung his fingers.

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