Betweentheexplosionswecouldheartherattleoftheautomaticpistolsandrifles。Forseveralminutesthismid—airbattlecontinued,thendiedout。Itwaspatentthatourcomradeswereinonebuilding,thatMercenarieswereintheother,andthattheywerefightingacrossthestreet。Butwecouldnottellwhichwaswhich—whichbuildingcontainedourcomradesandwhichtheMercenaries。
Bythistimethecolumnonthestreetwasalmostonus。Asthefrontofitpassedunderthewarringbuildings,bothwentintoactionagain—
onebuildingdroppingbombsintothestreet,beingattackedfromacrossthestreet,andinreturnreplyingtothatattack。Thuswelearnedwhichbuildingwasheldbyourcomrades,andtheydidgoodwork,savingthoseinthestreetfromthebombsoftheenemy。
Hartmangrippedmyarmanddraggedmeintoawideentrance。
\'They\'renotourcomrades,\'heshoutedinmyear。
Theinnerdoorstotheentrancewerelockedandbolted。Wecouldnotescape。Thenextmomentthefrontofthecolumnwentby。Itwasnotacolumn,butamob,anawfulriverthatfilledthestreet,thepeopleoftheabyss,madwithdrinkandwrong,upatlastandroaringforthebloodoftheirmasters。Ihadseenthepeopleoftheabyssbefore,gonethroughitsghettos,andthoughtIknewit;butIfoundthatI
wasnowlookingonitforthefirsttime。Dumbapathyhadvanished。Itwasnowdynamic—afascinatingspectacleofdread。Itsurgedpastmyvisioninconcretewavesofwrath,snarlingandgrowling,carnivorous,drunkwithwhiskeyfrompillagedwarehouses,drunkwithhatred,drunkwithlustforblood—men,women,andchildren,inragsandtatters,dimferociousintelligenceswithallthegodlikeblottedfromtheirfeaturesandallthefiendlikestampedin,apesandtigers,anaemicconsumptivesandgreathairybeastsofburden,wanfacesfromwhichvampiresocietyhadsuckedthejuiceoflife,bloatedformsswollenwithphysicalgrossnessandcorruption,witheredhagsanddeath\'s—headsbeardedlikepatriarchs,festeringyouthandfesteringage,facesoffiends,crooked,twisted,misshapenmonstersblastedwiththeravagesofdiseaseandallthehorrorsofchronicinnutrition—therefuseandthescumoflife,araging,screaming,screeching,demoniacalhorde。
Andwhynot？Thepeopleoftheabysshadnothingtolosebutthemiseryandpainofliving。Andtogain？—nothing,saveonefinal,awfulglutofvengeance。AndasIlookedthethoughtcametomethatinthatrushingstreamofhumanlavaweremen,comradesandheroes,whosemissionhadbeentorousetheabysmalbeastandtokeeptheenemyoccupiedincopingwithit。
Andnowastrangethinghappenedtome。Atransformationcameoverme。Thefearofdeath,formyselfandforothers,leftme。Iwasstrangelyexalted,anotherbeinginanotherlife。Nothingmattered。
TheCauseforthisonetimewaslost,buttheCausewouldbehereto—morrow,thesameCause,everfreshandeverburning。Andthereafter,intheorgyofhorrorthatragedthroughthesucceedinghours,Iwasabletotakeacalminterest。Deathmeantnothing,lifemeantnothing。Iwasaninterestedspectatorofevents,and,sometimessweptonbytherush,wasmyselfacuriousparticipant。Formymindhadleapedtoastar—coolaltitudeandgraspedapassionlesstransvaluationofvalues。Haditnotdonethis,IknowthatIshouldhavedied。
Halfamileofthemobhadsweptbywhenwewerediscovered。Awomaninfantasticrags,withcheekscavernouslyhollowandwithnarrowblackeyeslikeburninggimlets,caughtaglimpseofHartmanandme。
Sheletoutashrillshriekandboreinuponus。Asectionofthemobtoreitselflooseandsurgedinafterher。Icanseehernow,asI
writetheselines,aleapinadvance,hergrayhairflyinginthintangledstrings,theblooddrippingdownherforeheadfromsomewoundinthescalp,inherrighthandahatchet,herlefthand,leanandwrinkled,ayellowtalon,grippingtheairconvulsively。Hartmanspranginfrontofme。Thiswasnotimeforexplanations。Wewerewelldressed,andthatwasenough。Hisfistshotout,strikingthewomanbetweenherburningeyes。Theimpactoftheblowdroveherbackward,butshestruckthewallofheron—comingfellowsandbouncedforwardagain,dazedandhelpless,thebrandishedhatchetfallingfeeblyonHartman\'sshoulder。
ThenextmomentIknewnotwhatwashappening。Iwasoverbornebythecrowd。Theconfinedspacewasfilledwithshrieksandyellsandcurses。Blowswerefallingonme。Handswererippingandtearingatmyfleshandgarments。IfeltthatIwasbeingtorntopieces。Iwasbeingbornedown,suffocated。Somestronghandgrippedmyshoulderinthethickofthepressandwasdraggingfiercelyatme。BetweenpainandpressureIfainted。Hartmannevercameoutofthatentrance。Hehadshieldedmeandreceivedthefirstbruntoftheattack。Thishadsavedme,forthejamhadquicklybecometoodenseforanythingmorethanthemadgrippingandtearingofhands。
Icametointhemidstofwildmovement。Allaboutmewasthesamemovement。IhadbeencaughtupinamonstrousfloodthatwassweepingmeIknewnotwhither。Freshairwasonmycheekandbitingsweetlyinmylungs。Faintanddizzy,Iwasvaguelyawareofastrongarmaroundmybodyunderthearms,andhalf—liftingmeanddraggingmealong。Feeblymyownlimbswerehelpingme。InfrontofmeIcouldseethemovingbackofaman\'scoat。Ithadbeenslitfromtoptobottomalongthecentreseam,anditpulsedrhythmically,theslitopeningandclosingregularlywitheveryleapofthewearer。Thisphenomenonfascinatedmeforatime,whilemysenseswerecomingbacktome。NextIbecameawareofstingingcheeksandnose,andcouldfeelblooddrippingonmyface。Myhatwasgone。Myhairwasdownandflying,andfromthestingingofthescalpImanagedtorecollectahandinthepressoftheentrancethathadtornatmyhair。Mychestandarmswerebruisedandachinginascoreofplaces。
Mybraingrewclearer,andIturnedasIranandlookedatthemanwhowasholdingmeup。Heitwaswhohaddraggedmeoutandsavedme。Henoticedmymovement。
\'It\'sallright！\'heshoutedhoarsely。\'Iknewyouontheinstant。\'
Ifailedtorecognizehim,butbeforeIcouldspeakItroduponsomethingthatwasaliveandthatsquirmedundermyfoot。Iwassweptonbythosebehindandcouldnotlookdownandsee,andyetI
knewthatitwasawomanwhohadfallenandwhowasbeingtrampledintothepavementbythousandsofsuccessivefeet。
\'It\'sallright,\'herepeated。\'I\'mGarthwaite。\'
Hewasbeardedandgauntanddirty,butIsucceededinrememberinghimasthestalwartyouththathadspentseveralmonthsinourGlenEllenrefugethreeyearsbefore。HepassedmethesignalsoftheIronHeel\'ssecretservice,intokenthathe,too,wasinitsemploy。
\'I\'llgetyououtofthisassoonasIcangetachance,\'heassuredme。\'Butwatchyourfooting。Onyourlifedon\'tstumbleandgodown。\'
Allthingshappenedabruptlyonthatday,andwithanabruptnessthatwassickeningthemobcheckeditself。Icameinviolentcollisionwithalargewomaninfrontofme（themanwiththesplitcoathadvanished）,whilethosebehindcollidedagainstme。Adevilishpandemoniumreigned,—shrieks,curses,andcriesofdeath,whileaboveallrosethechurningrattleofmachine—gunsandtheput—a—put,put—a—putofrifles。AtfirstIcouldmakeoutnothing。Peoplewerefallingaboutmerightandleft。Thewomaninfrontdoubledupandwentdown,herhandsonherabdomeninafrenziedclutch。Amanwasquiveringagainstmylegsinadeath—struggle。
Itcametomethatwewereattheheadofthecolumn。Halfamileofithaddisappeared—whereorhowIneverlearned。TothisdayIdonotknowwhatbecameofthathalf—mileofhumanity—whetheritwasblottedoutbysomefrightfulboltofwar,whetheritwasscatteredanddestroyedpiecemeal,orwhetheritescaped。Buttherewewere,attheheadofthecolumninsteadofinitsmiddle,andwewerebeingsweptoutoflifebyatorrentofshriekinglead。
Assoonasdeathhadthinnedthejam,Garthwaite,stillgraspingmyarm,ledarushofsurvivorsintothewideentranceofanofficebuilding。Here,attherear,againstthedoors,wewerepressedbyapanting,gaspingmassofcreatures。Forsometimeweremainedinthispositionwithoutachangeinthesituation。
\'Ididitbeautifully,\'Garthwaitewaslamentingtome。\'Ranyourightintoatrap。Wehadagambler\'schanceinthestreet,butinherethereisnochanceatall。It\'salloverbuttheshouting。VivelaRevolution！\'
Then,whatheexpected,began。TheMercenarieswerekillingwithoutquarter。Atfirst,thesurgebackuponuswascrushing,butasthekillingcontinuedthepressurewaseased。Thedeadanddyingwentdownandmaderoom。Garthwaiteputhismouthtomyearandshouted,butinthefrightfuldinIcouldnotcatchwhathesaid。Hedidnotwait。Heseizedmeandthrewmedown。Nexthedraggedadyingwomanoverontopofme,and,withmuchsqueezingandshoving,crawledinbesidemeandpartlyoverme。Amoundofdeadanddyingbegantopileupoverus,andoverthismound,pawingandmoaning,creptthosethatstillsurvived。Butthese,too,soonceased,andasemi—silencesettleddown,brokenbygroansandsobsandsoundsofstrangulation。
IshouldhavebeencrushedhaditnotbeenforGarthwaite。Asitwas,itseemedinconceivablethatIcouldbeartheweightIdidandlive。Andyet,outsideofpain,theonlyfeelingIpossessedwasoneofcuriosity。Howwasitgoingtoend？Whatwoulddeathbelike？
ThusdidIreceivemyredbaptisminthatChicagoshambles。Priortothat,deathtomehadbeenatheory;buteverafterwarddeathhasbeenasimplefactthatdoesnotmatter,itissoeasy。
ButtheMercenarieswerenotcontentwithwhattheyhaddone。Theyinvadedtheentrance,killingthewoundedandsearchingouttheunhurtthat,likeourselves,wereplayingdead。Irememberonemantheydraggedoutofaheap,whopleadedabjectlyuntilarevolvershotcuthimshort。Thentherewasawomanwhochargedfromaheap,snarlingandshooting。Shefiredsixshotsbeforetheygother,thoughwhatdamageshedidwecouldnotknow。Wecouldfollowthesetragediesonlybythesound。Everylittlewhileflurrieslikethisoccurred,eachflurryculminatingintherevolvershotthatputanendtoit。Intheintervalswecouldhearthesoldierstalkingandswearingastheyrummagedamongthecarcasses,urgedonbytheirofficerstohurryup。
Atlasttheywenttoworkonourheap,andwecouldfeelthepressurediminishastheydraggedawaythedeadandwounded。
Garthwaitebeganutteringaloudthesignals。Atfirsthewasnotheard。Thenheraisedhisvoice。
\'Listentothat,\'weheardasoldiersay。Andnextthesharpvoiceofanofficer。\'Holdonthere！Carefulasyougo！\'
Oh,thatfirstbreathofairasweweredraggedout！Garthwaitedidthetalkingatfirst,butIwascompelledtoundergoabriefexaminationtoproveservicewiththeIronHeel。
\'Agents—provocateursallright,\'wastheofficer\'sconclusion。Hewasabeardlessyoungfellow,acadet,evidently,ofsomegreatoligarchfamily。
\'It\'sahellofajob,\'Garthwaitegrumbled。\'I\'mgoingtotryandresignandgetintothearmy。Youfellowshaveasnap。\'
\'You\'veearnedit,\'wastheyoungofficer\'sanswer。\'I\'vegotsomepull,andI\'llseeifitcanbemanaged。IcantellthemhowIfoundyou。\'
HetookGarthwaite\'snameandnumber,thenturnedtome。
\'Andyou？\'
\'Oh,I\'mgoingtobemarried,\'Iansweredlightly,\'andthenI\'llbeoutofitall。\'
Andsowetalked,whilethekillingofthewoundedwenton。Itisalladream,now,asIlookbackonit;butatthetimeitwasthemostnaturalthingintheworld。Garthwaiteandtheyoungofficerfellintoananimatedconversationoverthedifferencebetweenso—calledmodernwarfareandthepresentstreet—fightingandsky—scraperfightingthatwastakingplacealloverthecity。Ifollowedthemintently,fixingupmyhairatthesametimeandpinningtogethermytornskirts。Andallthetimethekillingofthewoundedwenton。
SometimestherevolvershotsdrownedthevoicesofGarthwaiteandtheofficer,andtheywerecompelledtorepeatwhattheyhadbeensaying。
IlivedthroughthreedaysoftheChicagoCommune,andthevastnessofitandoftheslaughtermaybeimaginedwhenIsaythatinallthattimeIsawpracticallynothingoutsidethekillingofthepeopleoftheabyssandthemid—airfightingbetweensky—scrapers。I
reallysawnothingoftheheroicworkdonebythecomrades。Icouldheartheexplosionsoftheirminesandbombs,andseethesmokeoftheirconflagrations,andthatwasall。Themid—airpartofonegreatdeedIsaw,however,andthatwastheballoonattacksmadebyourcomradesonthefortresses。Thatwasonthesecondday。Thethreedisloyalregimentshadbeendestroyedinthefortressestothelastman。ThefortresseswerecrowdedwithMercenaries,thewindblewintherightdirection,andupwentourballoonsfromoneoftheofficebuildingsinthecity。
NowBiedenbach,afterheleftGlenEllen,hadinventedamostpowerfulexplosive—\'expedite\'hecalledit。Thiswastheweapontheballoonsused。Theywereonlyhot—airballoons,clumsilyandhastilymade,buttheydidthework。Isawitallfromthetopofanofficebuilding。Thefirstballoonmissedthefortressescompletelyanddisappearedintothecountry;butwelearnedaboutitafterward。
BurtonandO\'Sullivanwereinit。Astheyweredescendingtheysweptacrossarailroaddirectlyoveratroop—trainthatwasheadingatfullspeedforChicago。Theydroppedtheirwholesupplyofexpediteuponthelocomotive。Theresultingwrecktiedthelineupfordays。Andthebestofitwasthat,releasedfromtheweightofexpedite,theballoonshotupintotheairanddidnotcomedownforhalfadozenmiles,bothheroesescapingunharmed。
Thesecondballoonwasafailure。Itsflightwaslame。Itfloatedtoolowandwasshotfullofholesbeforeitcouldreachthefortresses。HerfordandGuinnesswereinit,andtheywereblowntopiecesalongwiththefieldintowhichtheyfell。Biedenbachwasindespair—weheardallaboutitafterward—andhewentupaloneinthethirdballoon。He,too,madealowflight,buthewasinluck,fortheyfailedseriouslytopuncturehisballoon。IcanseeitnowasI
didthen,fromtheloftytopofthebuilding—thatinflatedbagdriftingalongtheair,andthattinyspeckofamanclingingonbeneath。Icouldnotseethefortress,butthoseontheroofwithmesaidhewasdirectlyoverit。Ididnotseetheexpeditefallwhenhecutitloose。ButIdidseetheballoonsuddenlyleapupintothesky。Anappreciabletimeafterthatthegreatcolumnoftheexplosiontoweredintheair,andafterthat,inturn,Iheardtheroarofit。Biedenbachthegentlehaddestroyedafortress。Twootherballoonsfollowedatthesametime。Onewasblowntopiecesintheair,theexpediteexploding,andtheshockofitdisruptedthesecondballoon,whichfellprettilyintotheremainingfortress。Itcouldn\'thavebeenbetterplanned,thoughthetwocomradesinitsacrificedtheirlives。
Buttoreturntothepeopleoftheabyss。Myexperienceswereconfinedtothem。Theyragedandslaughteredanddestroyedalloverthecityproper,andwereinturndestroyed;butneveroncedidtheysucceedinreachingthecityoftheoligarchsoveronthewestside。
Theoligarchshadprotectedthemselveswell。Nomatterwhatdestructionwaswreakedintheheartofthecity,they,andtheirwomenkindandchildren,weretoescapehurt。Iamtoldthattheirchildrenplayedintheparksduringthoseterribledaysandthattheirfavoritegamewasanimitationoftheireldersstampingupontheproletariat。
ButtheMercenariesfounditnoeasytasktocopewiththepeopleoftheabyssandatthesametimefightwiththecomrades。Chicagowastruetohertraditions,andthoughagenerationofrevolutionistswaswipedout,ittookalongwithitprettyclosetoagenerationofitsenemies。Ofcourse,theIronHeelkeptthefiguressecret,but,ataveryconservativeestimate,atleastonehundredandthirtythousandMercenarieswereslain。Butthecomradeshadnochance。Insteadofthewholecountrybeinghandinhandinrevolt,theywereallalone,andthetotalstrengthoftheOligarchycouldhavebeendirectedagainstthemifnecessary。Asitwas,hourafterhour,dayafterday,inendlesstrain—loads,byhundredsofthousands,theMercenarieswerehurledintoChicago。
Andthereweresomanyofthepeopleoftheabyss！Tiringoftheslaughter,agreatherdingmovementwasbegunbythesoldiers,theintentofwhichwastodrivethestreetmobs,likecattle,intoLakeMichigan。ItwasatthebeginningofthismovementthatGarthwaiteandIhadencounteredtheyoungofficer。Thisherdingmovementwaspracticallyafailure,thankstothesplendidworkofthecomrades。
InsteadofthegreathosttheMercenarieshadhopedtogathertogether,theysucceededindrivingnomorethanfortythousandofthewretchesintothelake。Timeandagain,whenamobofthemwaswellinhandandbeingdrivenalongthestreetstothewater,thecomradeswouldcreateadiversion,andthemobwouldescapethroughtheconsequentholetornintheencirclingnet。
\'GarthwaiteandIsawanexampleofthisshortlyaftermeetingwiththeyoungofficer。Themobofwhichwehadbeenapart,andwhichhadbeenputinretreat,waspreventedfromescapingtothesouthandeastbystrongbodiesoftroops。Thetroopswehadfalleninwithhadhelditbackonthewest。Theonlyoutletwasnorth,andnorthitwenttowardthelake,drivenonfromeastandwestandsouthbymachine—gunfireandautomatics。Whetheritdivinedthatitwasbeingdriventowardthelake,orwhetheritwasmerelyablindsquirmofthemonster,Idonotknow;butatanyratethemobtookacrossstreettothewest,turneddownthenextstreet,andcamebackuponitstrack,headingsouthtowardthegreatghetto。
GarthwaiteandIatthattimeweretryingtomakeourwaywestwardtogetoutoftheterritoryofstreet—fighting,andwewerecaughtrightinthethickofitagain。Aswecametothecornerwesawthehowlingmobbearingdownuponus。Garthwaiteseizedmyarmandwewerejuststartingtorun,whenhedraggedmebackfrominfrontofthewheelsofhalfadozenwarautomobiles,equippedwithmachine—guns,thatwererushingforthespot。Behindthemcamethesoldierswiththeirautomaticrifles。Bythetimetheytookposition,themobwasuponthem,anditlookedasthoughtheywouldbeoverwhelmedbeforetheycouldgetintoaction。
Hereandthereasoldierwasdischarginghisrifle,butthisscatteredfirehadnoeffectincheckingthemob。Onitcame,bellowingwithbruterage。Itseemedthemachine—gunscouldnotgetstarted。Theautomobilesonwhichtheyweremountedblockedthestreet,compellingthesoldierstofindpositionsin,between,andonthesidewalks。Moreandmoresoldierswerearriving,andinthejamwewereunabletogetaway。Garthwaiteheldmebythearm,andwepressedcloseagainstthefrontofabuilding。
Themobwasnomorethantwenty—fivefeetawaywhenthemachine—gunsopenedup;butbeforethatflamingsheetofdeathnothingcouldlive。Themobcameon,butitcouldnotadvance。Itpiledupinaheap,amound,ahugeandgrowingwaveofdeadanddying。Thosebehindurgedon,andthecolumn,fromguttertogutter,telescopeduponitself。Woundedcreatures,menandwomen,werevomitedoverthetopofthatawfulwaveandfellsquirmingdownthefaceofittilltheythreshedaboutundertheautomobilesandagainstthelegsofthesoldiers。Thelatterbayonetedthestrugglingwretches,thoughoneI
sawwhogainedhisfeetandflewatasoldier\'sthroatwithhisteeth。
Togethertheywentdown,soldierandslave,intothewelter。
Thefiringceased。Theworkwasdone。Themobhadbeenstoppedinitswildattempttobreakthrough。Orderswerebeinggiventoclearthewheelsofthewar—machines。Theycouldnotadvanceoverthatwaveofdead,andtheideawastorunthemdownthecrossstreet。
Thesoldiersweredraggingthebodiesawayfromthewheelswhenithappened。Welearnedafterwardhowithappened。Ablockdistantahundredofourcomradeshadbeenholdingabuilding。Acrossroofsandthroughbuildingstheymadetheirway,tilltheyfoundthemselveslookingdownupontheclose—packedsoldiers。Thenitwascounter—massacre。
Withoutwarning,ashowerofbombsfellfromthetopofthebuilding。Theautomobileswereblowntofragments,alongwithmanysoldiers。We,withthesurvivors,sweptbackinmadretreat。Halfablockdownanotherbuildingopenedfireonus。Asthesoldiershadcarpetedthestreetwithdeadslaves,so,inturn,didtheythemselvesbecomecarpet。GarthwaiteandIborecharmedlives。Aswehaddonebefore,soagainwesoughtshelterinanentrance。Buthewasnottobecaughtnappingthistime。Astheroarofthebombsdiedaway,hebeganpeeringout。
\'Themob\'scomingback！\'hecalledtome。\'We\'vegottogetoutofthis！\'
Wefled,handinhand,downthebloodypavement,slippingandsliding,andmakingforthecorner。Downthecrossstreetwecouldseeafewsoldiersstillrunning。Nothingwashappeningtothem。Thewaywasclear。Sowepausedamomentandlookedback。Themobcameonslowly。Itwasbusyarmingitselfwiththeriflesoftheslainandkillingthewounded。Wesawtheendoftheyoungofficerwhohadrescuedus。Hepainfullyliftedhimselfonhiselbowandturnedloosewithhisautomaticpistol。
\'Theregoesmychanceofpromotion,\'Garthwaitelaughed,asawomanboredownonthewoundedman,brandishingabutcher\'scleaver。
\'Comeon。It\'sthewrongdirection,butwe\'llgetoutsomehow。\'
Andwefledeastwardthroughthequietstreets,preparedateverycrossstreetforanythingtohappen。Tothesouthamonsterconflagrationwasfillingthesky,andweknewthatthegreatghettowasburning。AtlastIsankdownonthesidewalk。Iwasexhaustedandcouldgonofarther。Iwasbruisedandsoreandachingineverylimb;yetIcouldnotescapesmilingatGarthwaite,whowasrollingacigaretteandsaying:
\'IknowI\'mmakingamessofrescuingyou,butIcan\'tgetheadnortailofthesituation。It\'sallamess。Everytimewetrytobreakout,somethinghappensandwe\'returnedback。We\'reonlyacoupleofblocksnowfromwhereIgotyououtofthatentrance。Friendandfoeareallmixedup。It\'schaos。Youcan\'ttellwhoisinthosedarnedbuildings。Trytofindout,andyougetabombonyourhead。Trytogopeaceablyonyourway,andyourunintoamobandarekilledbymachine—guns,oryourunintotheMercenariesandarekilledbyyourowncomradesfromaroof。Andonthetopofitallthemobcomesalongandkillsyou,too。\'
Heshookhisheaddolefully,lightedhiscigarette,andsatdownbesideme。
\'AndI\'mthathungry,\'headded,\'Icouldeatcobblestones。\'
Thenextmomenthewasonhisfeetagainandoutinthestreetpryingupacobblestone。Hecamebackwithitandassaultedthewindowofastorebehindus。
\'It\'sgroundfloorandnogood,\'heexplainedashehelpedmethroughtheholehehadmade;\'butit\'sthebestwecando。YougetanapandI\'llreconnoitre。I\'llfinishthisrescueallright,butI
wanttime,time,lotsofit—andsomethingtoeat。\'
Itwasaharnessstorewefoundourselvesin,andhefixedmeupacouchofhorseblanketsintheprivateofficewelltotherear。Toaddtomywretchednessasplittingheadachewascomingon,andIwasonlytoogladtoclosemyeyesandtrytosleep。
\'I\'llbeback,\'werehispartingwords。\'Idon\'thopetogetanauto,butI\'llsurelybringsomegrub,*anyway。\'
*Food。
AndthatwasthelastIsawofGarthwaiteforthreeyears。Insteadofcomingback,hewascarriedawaytoahospitalwithabulletthroughhislungsandanotherthroughthefleshypartofhisneck。
CHAPTERTWENTY—FOUR。
Nightmare。
IHADNOTCLOSEDMYEYESthenightbeforeontheTwentiethCentury,andwhatofthatandofmyexhaustionIsleptsoundly。WhenI
firstawoke,itwasnight。Garthwaitehadnotreturned。Ihadlostmywatchandhadnoideaofthetime。AsIlaywithmyeyesclosed,Iheardthesamedullsoundofdistantexplosions。Theinfernowasstillraging。Icreptthroughthestoretothefront。Thereflectionfromtheskyofvastconflagrationsmadethestreetalmostaslightasday。Onecouldhavereadthefinestprintwithease。Fromseveralblocksawaycamethecrackleofsmallhand—bombsandthechurningofmachine—guns,andfromalongwayoffcamealongseriesofheavyexplosions。Icreptbacktomyhorseblanketsandsleptagain。
WhennextIawoke,asicklyyellowlightwasfilteringinonme。
Itwasdawnofthesecondday。Icrepttothefrontofthestore。A
smokepall,shotthroughwithluridgleams,filledthesky。Downtheoppositesideofthestreettotteredawretchedslave。Onehandheheldtightlyagainsthisside,andbehindhimheleftabloodytrail。Hiseyesrovedeverywhere,andtheywerefilledwithapprehensionanddread。Oncehelookedstraightacrossatme,andinhisfacewasallthedumbpathosofthewoundedandhuntedanimal。
Hesawme,buttherewasnokinshipbetweenus,andwithhim,atleast,nosympathyofunderstanding;forhecoweredperceptiblyanddraggedhimselfon。HecouldexpectnoaidinallGod\'sworld。Hewasahelotinthegreathuntofhelotsthatthemastersweremaking。Allhecouldhopefor,allhesought,wassomeholetocrawlawayinandhidelikeanyanimal。Thesharpclangofapassingambulanceatthecornergavehimastart。Ambulanceswerenotforsuchashe。Withagroanofpainhethrewhimselfintoadoorway。A
minutelaterhewasoutagainanddesperatelyhobblingon。
IwentbacktomyhorseblanketsandwaitedanhourforGarthwaite。Myheadachehadnotgoneaway。Onthecontrary,itwasincreasing。ItwasbyaneffortofwillonlythatIwasabletoopenmyeyesandlookatobjects。Andwiththeopeningofmyeyesandthelookingcameintolerabletorment。Also,agreatpulsewasbeatinginmybrain。Weakandreeling,Iwentoutthroughthebrokenwindowanddownthestreet,seekingtoescape,instinctivelyandgropingly,fromtheawfulshambles。AndthereafterIlivednightmare。Mymemoryofwhathappenedinthesucceedinghoursisthememoryonewouldhaveofnightmare。Manyeventsarefocussedsharplyonmybrain,butbetweentheseindeliblepicturesIretainareintervalsofunconsciousness。WhatoccurredinthoseintervalsIknownot,andnevershallknow。
Irememberstumblingatthecorneroverthelegsofaman。Itwasthepoorhuntedwretchthathaddraggedhimselfpastmyhiding—place。HowdistinctlydoIrememberhispoor,pitiful,gnarledhandsashelaythereonthepavement—handsthatweremorehoofandclawthanhands,alltwistedanddistortedbythetoilofallhisdays,withonthepalmsahornygrowthofcallousahalfinchthick。AndasIpickedmyselfupandstartedon,Ilookedintothefaceofthethingandsawthatitstilllived;fortheeyes,dimlyintelligent,werelookingatmeandseeingme。
Afterthatcameakindlyblank。Iknewnothing,sawnothing,merelytotteredoninmyquestforsafety。Mynextnightmarevisionwasaquietstreetofthedead。Icameuponitabruptly,asawandererinthecountrywouldcomeuponaflowingstream。OnlythisstreamI
gazedupondidnotflow。Itwascongealedindeath。Frompavementtopavement,andcoveringthesidewalks,itlaythere,spreadoutquiteevenly,withonlyhereandtherealumpormoundofbodiestobreakthesurface。Poordrivenpeopleoftheabyss,huntedhelots—theylaythereastherabbitsinCaliforniaafteradrive。*UpthestreetanddownIlooked。Therewasnomovement,nosound。Thequietbuildingslookeddownuponthescenefromtheirmanywindows。Andonce,andonceonly,Isawanarmthatmovedinthatdeadstream。I
swearIsawitmove,withastrangewrithinggestureofagony,andwithitliftedahead,gorywithnamelesshorror,thatgibberedatmeandthenlaydownagainandmovednomore。
*Inthosedays,sosparselypopulatedwasthelandthatwildanimalsoftenbecamepests。InCaliforniathecustomofrabbit—drivingobtained。Onagivendayallthefarmersinalocalitywouldassembleandsweepacrossthecountryinconverginglines,drivingtherabbitsbyscoresofthousandsintoapreparedenclosure,wheretheywereclubbedtodeathbymenandboys。
Irememberanotherstreet,withquietbuildingsoneitherside,andthepanicthatsmotemeintoconsciousnessasagainIsawthepeopleoftheabyss,butthistimeinastreamthatflowedandcameon。AndthenIsawtherewasnothingtofear。Thestreammovedslowly,whilefromitarosegroansandlamentations,cursings,babblingsofsenility,hysteria,andinsanity;fortheseweretheveryyoungandtheveryold,thefeebleandthesick,thehelplessandthehopeless,allthewreckageoftheghetto。TheburningofthegreatghettoontheSouthSidehaddriventhemforthintotheinfernoofthestreet—fighting,andwhithertheywendedandwhateverbecameofthemI
didnotknowandneverlearned。*
*Itwaslongaquestionofdebate,whethertheburningoftheSouthSideghettowasaccidental,orwhetheritwasdonebytheMercenaries;
butitisdefinitelysettlednowthattheghettowasfiredbytheMercenariesunderordersfromtheirchiefs。
Ihavefaintmemoriesofbreakingawindowandhidinginsomeshoptoescapeastreetmobthatwaspursuedbysoldiers。Also,abombburstnearme,once,insomestillstreet,where,lookasIwould,upanddown,Icouldseenohumanbeing。ButmynextsharprecollectionbeginswiththecrackofarifleandanabruptbecomingawarethatIambeingfiredatbyasoldierinanautomobile。Theshotmissed,andthenextmomentIwasscreamingandmotioningthesignals。
Mymemoryofridingintheautomobileisveryhazy,thoughthisride,inturn,isbrokenbyonevividpicture。Thecrackoftherifleofthesoldiersittingbesidememademeopenmyeyes,andIsawGeorgeMilford,whomIhadknowninthePellStreetdays,sinkingslowlydowntothesidewalk。Evenashesankthesoldierfiredagain,andMilforddoubledin,thenflunghisbodyout,andfellsprawling。Thesoldierchuckled,andtheautomobilespedon。
ThenextIknewafterthatIwasawakenedoutofasoundsleepbyamanwhowalkedupanddownclosebesideme。Hisfacewasdrawnandstrained,andthesweatrolleddownhisnosefromhisforehead。Onehandwasclutchedtightlyagainsthischestbytheotherhand,andblooddrippeddownuponthefloorashewalked。HeworetheuniformoftheMercenaries。Fromwithout,asthroughthickwalls,camethemuffledroarofburstingbombs。Iwasinsomebuildingthatwaslockedincombatwithsomeotherbuilding。
Asurgeoncameintodressthewoundedsoldier,andIlearnedthatitwastwointheafternoon。Myheadachewasnobetter,andthesurgeonpausedfromhisworklongenoughtogivemeapowerfuldrugthatwoulddepresstheheartandbringrelief。Isleptagain,andthenextIknewIwasontopofthebuilding。Theimmediatefightinghadceased,andIwaswatchingtheballoonattackonthefortresses。
SomeonehadanarmaroundmeandIwasleaningcloseagainsthim。
ItcametomequiteasamatterofcoursethatthiswasErnest,andIfoundmyselfwonderinghowhehadgothishairandeyebrowssobadlysinged。
Itwasbythemerestchancethatwehadfoundeachotherinthatterriblecity。HehadhadnoideathatIhadleftNewYork,and,comingthroughtheroomwhereIlayasleep,couldnotatfirstbelievethatitwasI。LittlemoreIsawoftheChicagoCommune。Afterwatchingtheballoonattack,Ernesttookmedownintotheheartofthebuilding,whereIslepttheafternoonoutandthenight。Thethirddaywespentinthebuilding,andonthefourth,Ernesthavinggotpermissionandanautomobilefromtheauthorities,weleftChicago。
Myheadachewasgone,but,bodyandsoul,Iwasverytired。IlaybackagainstErnestintheautomobile,andwithapatheticeyeswatchedthesoldierstryingtogetthemachineoutofthecity。Fightingwasstillgoingon,butonlyinisolatedlocalities。Hereandtherewholedistrictswerestillinpossessionofthecomrades,butsuchdistrictsweresurroundedandguardedbyheavybodiesoftroops。Inahundredsegregatedtrapswerethecomradesthusheldwhiletheworkofsubjugatingthemwenton。Subjugationmeantdeath,fornoquarterwasgiven,andtheyfoughtheroicallytothelastman。*
*Numbersofthebuildingsheldoutoveraweek,whileoneheldoutelevendays。Eachbuildinghadtobestormedlikeafort,andtheMercenariesfoughttheirwayupwardfloorbyfloor。Itwasdeadlyfighting。Quarterwasneithergivennortaken,andinthefightingtherevolutionistshadtheadvantageofbeingabove。Whiletherevolutionistswerewipedout,thelosswasnotone—sided。TheproudChicagoproletariatliveduptoitsancientboast。Forasmanyofitselfaswerekilled,itkilledthatmanyoftheenemy。
Wheneverweapproachedsuchlocalities,theguardsturnedusbackandsentusaround。Once,theonlywaypasttwostrongpositionsofthecomradeswasthroughaburntsectionthatlaybetween。Fromeithersidewecouldheartherattleandroarofwar,whiletheautomobilepickeditswaythroughsmokingruinsandtotteringwalls。Oftenthestreetswereblockedbymountainsofdebristhatcompelledustogoaround。Wewereinalabyrinthofruin,andourprogresswasslow。
Thestockyards（ghetto,plant,andeverything）weresmoulderingruins。Farofftotherightawidesmokehazedimmedthesky,—thetownofPullman,thesoldierchauffeurtoldus,orwhathadbeenthetownofPullman,foritwasutterlydestroyed。Hehaddriventhemachineoutthere,withdespatches,ontheafternoonofthethirdday。
Someoftheheaviestfightinghadoccurredthere,hesaid,manyofthestreetsbeingrenderedimpassablebytheheapsofthedead。
Swingingaroundtheshatteredwallsofabuilding,inthestockyardsdistrict,theautomobilewasstoppedbyawaveofdead。Itwasforalltheworldlikeawavetossedupbythesea。Itwaspatenttouswhathadhappened。Asthemobchargedpastthecorner,ithadbeenswept,atrightanglesandpoint—blankrange,bythemachine—gunsdrawnuponthecrossstreet。Butdisasterhadcometothesoldiers。Achancebombmusthaveexplodedamongthem,forthemob,checkeduntilitsdeadanddyingformedthewave,hadwhite—cappedandflungforwarditsfoamofliving,fightingslaves。Soldiersandslaveslaytogether,tornandmangled,aroundandoverthewreckageoftheautomobilesandguns。
Ernestsprangout。Afamiliarpairofshouldersinacottonshirtandafamiliarfringeofwhitehairhadcaughthiseye。Ididnotwatchhim,anditwasnotuntilhewasbackbesidemeandwewerespeedingonthathesaid:
\'ItwasBishopMorehouse。\'
Soonwewereinthegreencountry,andItookonelastglancebackatthesmoke—filledsky。Faintandfarcamethelowthudofanexplosion。ThenIturnedmyfaceagainstErnest\'sbreastandweptsoftlyfortheCausethatwaslost。Ernest\'sarmaboutmewaseloquentwithlove。
\'Forthistimelost,dearheart,\'hesaid,\'butnotforever。Wehavelearned。To—morrowtheCausewillriseagain,strongwithwisdomanddiscipline。\'
Theautomobiledrewupatarailroadstation。HerewewouldcatchatraintoNewYork。Aswewaitedontheplatform,threetrainsthunderedpast,boundwesttoChicago。Theywerecrowdedwithragged,unskilledlaborers,peopleoftheabyss。
\'Slave—leviesfortherebuildingofChicago,\'Ernestsaid。\'Yousee,theChicagoslavesareallkilled。\'
CHAPTERTWENTY—FIVE。
TheTerrorists。
ITWASNOTUNTILERNESTandIwerebackinNewYork,andafterweekshadelapsed,thatwewereabletocomprehendthoroughlythefullsweepofthedisasterthathadbefallentheCause。Thesituationwasbitterandbloody。Inmanyplaces,scatteredoverthecountry,slaverevoltsandmassacreshadoccurred。Therollofthemartyrsincreasedmightily。Countlessexecutionstookplaceeverywhere。Themountainsandwasteregionswerefilledwithoutlawsandrefugeeswhowerebeinghunteddownmercilessly。Ourownrefugeswerepackedwithcomradeswhohadpricesontheirheads。Throughinformationfurnishedbyitsspies,scoresofourrefugeswereraidedbythesoldiersoftheIronHeel。
Manyofthecomradesweredisheartened,andtheyretaliatedwithterroristictactics。Theset—backtotheirhopesmadethemdespairinganddesperate。Manyterroristorganizationsunaffiliatedwithussprangintoexistenceandcausedusmuchtrouble。*Thesemisguidedpeoplesacrificedtheirownliveswantonly,veryoftenmadeourownplansgoastray,andretardedourorganization。
*Theannalsofthisshort—livederaofdespairmakebloodyreading。
Revengewastherulingmotive,andthemembersoftheterroristicorganizationswerecarelessoftheirownlivesandhopelessaboutthefuture。TheDanites,takingtheirnamefromtheavengingangelsoftheMormonmythology,sprangupinthemountainsoftheGreatWestandspreadoverthePacificCoastfromPanamatoAlaska。TheValkyrieswerewomen。Theywerethemostterribleofall。NowomanwaseligibleformembershipwhohadnotlostnearrelativesatthehandsoftheOligarchy。Theywereguiltyoftorturingtheirprisonerstodeath。AnotherfamousorganizationofwomenwasTheWidowsofWar。A
companionorganizationtotheValkyrieswastheBerserkers。Thesemenplacednovaluewhateverupontheirownlives,anditwastheywhototallydestroyedthegreatMercenarycityofBellonaalongwithitspopulationofoverahundredthousandsouls。TheBedlamitesandtheHelldamitesweretwinslaveorganizations,whileanewreligioussectthatdidnotflourishlongwascalledTheWrathofGod。Amongothers,toshowthewhimsicalityoftheirdeadlyseriousness,maybementionedthefollowing:TheBleedingHearts,SonsoftheMorning,theMorningStars,TheFlamingoes,TheTripleTriangles,TheThreeBars,TheRubonics,TheVindicators,TheComanches,andtheErebusites。
AndthroughitallmovedtheIronHeel,impassiveanddeliberate,shakingupthewholefabricofthesocialstructureinitssearchforthecomrades,combingouttheMercenaries,thelaborcastes,andallitssecretservices,punishingwithoutmercyandwithoutmalice,sufferinginsilenceallretaliationsthatweremadeuponit,andfillingthegapsinitsfightinglineasfastastheyappeared。Andhandinhandwiththis,ErnestandtheotherleaderswerehardatworkreorganizingtheforcesoftheRevolution。Themagnitudeofthetaskmaybeunderstoodwhenitistakeninto*
*ThisistheendoftheEverhardManuscript。Itbreaksoffabruptlyinthemiddleofasentence。ShemusthavereceivedwarningofthecomingoftheMercenaries,forshehadtimesafelytohidetheManuscriptbeforeshefledorwascaptured。Itistoberegrettedthatshedidnotlivetocompletehernarrative,forthen,undoubtedly,wouldhavebeenclearedawaythemysterythathasshroudedforsevencenturiestheexecutionofErnestEverhard。