520
PARTISAN REVIEW
weighed the bone dice with that swing of the hand that reveals long
experience and a sure eye. A high number rolled out, he took
his
queen and advanced. He kept winning
in
move after move, and
saw the officers standing about, surveying the lost game with angrily
tightened lips.
At once he brought in more wine, lobster and champagne. He
looted his own stores-an unheard-of thing in this time of shortages–
for the sake of this battle which he must win, carelessly betraying the
extent of his wealth to those on whose mood everything seemed to
depend. In this way he recovered their favor, and a new game
was begun. The Frenchmen had donned their kepis toward the end
of the first game. The host now wore his steel helmet which he had
kept after the war and stored in the cellar.
They thought of new methods of combat; they fastened the
corks to short sticks ,and began to fence with them. Since there were
no set rules, the fight soon became a free-for-all.
It
was difficult to
see in the smoke-filled room. This led the clumsy to strike out blindly,
allowed roughnecks to enjoy themselves with impunity, and threw
the timid into confusion.
The host stripped off his jacket, and the soldiers followed suit.
Here and there blood had begun to flow. The two young officers
who had danced together lay helplessly drunk on the floor, licking
each other's wounds and biting them open again. Each called the
other by the name of his longed-for sweethealt. The Proven<;al played
umpire, jumping about absurdly, urging on first one, then another.
Where the fighting became too serious he spat wine into the brawlers'
faces, aiming it expertly through a gap in his teeth.
The Alsatian fought more violently than any; and when they
started to pair off he joined the host-perhaps because they spoke
the same language-against the Vicomte and a pale young man. The
latter, who had a better aim than the others, resorted when he was
safely covered to tricks which did not seriously hurt the host, but
threw him into a blind rage. More than once, when his pale adversary
feinted and ducked, his calves had been stabbed and his stick had en–
countered ,an obstacle. But he found the fellow out by seizing his
hand and discovering a rubber band on his wrist which held a stiletto
just about to bounce back up his sleeve.
So far all the officers had sided with the Frenchman, but upon
