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"The Eighteenth."

"Then why are you here? You should have gone on long ago, now you

won't get there till evening."

"What stupid orders! They don't themselves know what they are

doing!" said the officer and rode off.

Then a general rode past shouting something angrily, not in

Russian.

"Tafa-lafa! But what he's jabbering no one can make out," said a

soldier, mimicking the general who had ridden away. "I'd shoot

them, the scoundrels!"

"We were ordered to be at the place before nine, but we haven't

got halfway. Fine orders!" was being repeated on different sides.

And the feeling of energy with which the troops had started began

to turn into vexation and anger at the stupid arrangements and at

the Germans.