@@@@@They began to wait for Roth to fall and the
@@@@@They began to wait for Roth to fall and the inevitable recurrence of it rasped their sensesTheir anger began to shift from Croft to Roth
The mountain was becoming more treacherousFor ten minutes Croft had been leading them along a rocky ledge up the side of a sheer bluff of stone, and the path in places was only a few feet wideAt their right, never more than a yard or two away, was a drop of several hundred feet, and despite themselves they would pitch at times close to the edgeIt roused another fear in them, and Roth's halts made them impatientThey were anxious to get past the ledge
In the middle of this ascent Roth fell down, started to get up, and then sprawled out again when no one helped himThe rock surface of the ledge was hot but he felt comfortable lying against itThe afternoon rain had just begun and he felt it driving into his flesh, cooling the stoneHe wasn't going to get upSomewhere through his numbness another resentment had taken holdWhat was the point of going on?
Someone was tugging at his shoulder, and he flung him off"I can't go on," he gasped, "I can't go on, I can't He slapped his fist weakly against the stone
It was Gallagher trying to lift him"Get up, you sonofabitch," Gallagher shoutedHis body ached with the effort of holding RothGo 'way!"
Roth heard himself sobbingHe was dimly aware that most of the platoon had gathered around, were looking at himBut this had no effect; it gave him an odd bitter pleasure to have the others see him, an exaltation compounded of shame and fatigue
Nothing more could happen after thisLet them see him weeping, let them know for one more time that he was the poorest man in the platoonIt was the only way he could find recognitionAfter so much anonymity, so much ridicule, this was almost better