Then they continued on their way.
‘Over there’s the second team’s machine gun. We only guard that one at night. These here’re the gunners’ nests. Their guard’s over there. Hey! See anythin’?’
The guard glanced up from his novel to look in the trench mirror, then replied, ‘Nope.’
Rokka explained to Hauhia, ‘Now, don’t you read on duty, even if that fella Ukkola is. So now, git this in your body head to taiclass="underline" your head don’t ever come up above the level’la the trench. Just about everybody we’ve lost round here’s somebody who lifted his head up just a second too long. You needa look out, you use the periscope.’
‘Sure, sure.’
‘Sure sure. You don’t realize they just saw you.’ Rokka yanked Hauhia away from the slit in the trench the machine gun fired through. ‘I ain’t jokin’ with you here. Every word counts. Whoever’s over there may’ve just caught sight of you through his binoculars. It’s a nice summer night and all, but don’t you go driftin’ off to dreamland for all that. Death’s not the type to marvel over the scenery, see. Seems like it’s about time for a cigarette break. You smoke?’
‘Yes. But they didn’t give us anything when we left but the cigarette ration.’
‘I’ll give you some. I can give you a whole pack when we git back to the bunker. Would you lissen’na that loudspeaker?’
‘Men of Finland. Kill your fascist officers and come join us.’ The loud, crackling voice emanated from the Devil’s Mound.
‘Fascists got knocked off a while ago. Now we’re on to the communists!’ Vanhala’s voice rang out from the other side of the trench.
‘Men of Finland. Come get bread!’
‘Why don’t you come get some butter to put on your bread? Heeheehee.’
‘He pulls that stuff all’a time,’ Rokka said half-angrily, though he was also amused by Vanhala’s constant baiting. Ukkola smiled too, and said over his shoulder, ‘He’s even rigged up a new telegraph signal. Two shots spaced out, then three right in a row. Tap… tap… tap tap tap. And then they answer. Some crackpot over there just like him, naturally.’
‘Hitler’s black bandits have lost countless men and all kinds of technology. Working soldiers of Finland! You are spilling your blood while the Germans are raping your wives and sisters.’
‘Uh-huh, and even the younger mothers are getting more than their fill. Heeheehee.’
Papapapapapapapapa.
The alders rustled and Hauhia threw himself to the floor of the trench.
‘Did they hit anything?’ he asked, panicked.
‘Russki vintovka, hutoi vintovka, heeheehee.’
‘There you heard it. Let’s go git that nutcase outta here!’
Vanhala was watching the Devil’s Mound through the periscope. The periscope was made out of two mirrors and a tube made of wooden boards. So many men had been killed by enemy snipers that now the men were forbidden from aiming without it. They had also been ordered to wear a helmet, but in keeping with tradition they had conducted an ‘experiment’ that left the helmet shot through with holes, so now it lay rusted on the side of the trench.
‘Quit shoutin’, gaddamn it!’ Rokka said, when they finally reached Vanhala.
‘The neighbors started it… heehee.’
‘And they can put a stop to it, too. Now shove it, gaddamn it! What you doin’ with that file?’
‘I was just filing a notch across the head of this bullet. Makes a nice long whistle when it blows.’ Vanhala set off, laughing as he went. He was particularly amused at the raped wives and sisters and, giggling, he dreamt up lines in his head, ‘Evil German soldiers rape valiant, hearty Nordic women.’
Rokka surveyed the foreground in the mirror and ordered Hauhia to take aim. ‘That’s how you gotta check every time. There’re fourteen bodies out there. Memorize where they are so you don’t forget. If the enemy comes out sometime, you don’t wanna mix up the dead and the livin’.’
‘When did they die?’
‘Last fall. We weren’t in this sector then. There ain’t nothin’ but bones and maggots underneath those rags by now. See those bunkers over there on’na mound? They’re aimin’ from over there too. If you’re lucky, you can spot a helmet sometimes. I’d like to git me one a those sniper rifles with telescopic sights and start takin’na real crack at ’em. At the beginnin’ I used’da try for ’em, but then I started this ring business and I ain’t had time for it. I’m tryin’na send a bit a money to help out the missus, see. She’s tryin’na rebuild stuff down in Kannas. But don’t you try takin’ any shots at ’em for a lil’ while yet. You gotta be pretty sharp to nab those fellas. And you gotta stick your own neck out, see.’
Rokka continued to lecture and instruct for the entirety of the two-hour shift. ‘If they come out, then you pull on this cord here. It rings a bell back in’na bunker. And if anythin’ happens, just don’t panic. Aim sharp and keep steady. Knock off a couple a rounds straight away at the start, that’ll quiet down the others and slow ’em down.’
‘What is it like, shooting people?’
‘Dunno. I only shot enemies.’
‘Aren’t enemies people?’ Hauhia asked, smiling. Rokka’s playful, careless reply struck him as funny.
‘No, they ain’t. Or anyway I dunno. The fellas up top say they ain’t. Dunno what else they could be, but lissen, don’t you go squabblin’ with your conscience over all that. Or at least put it off ’til later. Fellas ’cross the way’ll be happy to commit that sin if you don’t wanna. I don’t worry ’bout that kind a stuff. The higher-ups doin’na commandin’ can worry ’bout that. They’re the ones’s responsible. Antti Rokka shoots and makes rings. And that’s what you’re gonna do too!’
‘I’m not pitying them,’ Hauhia said with contrived manliness, though no sooner had the words left his mouth than he was ashamed of them. For no other reason than that he feared Rokka might take him for a braggart. Hauhia had fallen under Rokka’s spell immediately. He considered himself quite lucky to have been retained in the first section. To his mind, Rokka was the concrete realization of everything he had heard and read about soldiers on the front. Soon he would be just like that himself. Hauhia was under the illusion that war makes a man courageous. Reflecting for a minute, he asked, ‘They say you get used to being afraid. Is that true?’
‘Git used’da bein’ afraid! Don’t you dare. Fear’s bad company, hear? You shake him off quick and make sure he stays off.’
The ground shook as a six-incher aimed straight at Million went off. Hauhia clung to the trench floor, face-down, until Rokka ordered him to get up. Embarrassed, he explained that he couldn’t tell which blasts were harmless and which ones weren’t. But to his astonishment he heard Rokka saying gravely and sympathetically, ‘Lissen, there ain’t no such thing as a harmless blast. They’re all dangerous. You git down whenever you hear one. Ain’t no shame in’nat.’
Two hours later, Rahikainen came to relieve them. The other machine gun was already being guarded now as well. Määttä had brought Honkajoki along and was showing him around and acquainting him with the foreground. Honkajoki had his bow over his shoulder and his arrows in a woven birch-bark quiver. Määttä wasn’t sure there was any point in explaining things to this man, as he seemed somehow dubious. Maybe they had better not leave him alone on guard duty at all.
‘I have indeed grown accustomed to the duties of the sentinel over the course of my military career. But has Corporal Määttä heard the story of the unfortunate guard?’
‘One in particular? Day before yesterday some poor sucker got a shell on the head over at Million.’