"Come on now, Jordan," he said.
"Over you go."
Then he took hold of his left leg with both hands and pulled on it hard, pulling toward the foot while he lay down beside the tree he had been resting his back against.
Then lying flat and pulling hard on the leg, so the broken end of the bone would not come up and cut through the thigh, he turned slowly around on his rump until the back of his head was facing downhill.
Then with his broken leg, held by both hands, uphill, he put the sole of his right foot against the instep of his left foot and pressed hard while he rolled, sweating, over onto his face and chest. He got onto his elbows, stretched the left leg well behind him with both hands and a far, sweating, push with the right foot and there he was.
He felt with his fingers on the left thigh and it was all right.
The bone end had not punctured the skin and the broken end was well into the muscle now.
The big nerve must have been truly smashed when that damned horse rolled on it, he thought.
It truly doesn't hurt at all.
Except now in certain changes of positions.
That's when the bone pinches something else.
You see? he said.
You see what luck is?
You didn't need the giant killer at all.
He reached over for the submachine gun, took the clip out that was in the magazine, felt in his pocket for clips, opened the action and looked through the barrel, put the clip back into the groove of the magazine until it clicked, and then looked down the hill slope.
Maybe half an hour, he thought.
Now take it easy.
Then he looked at the hillside and he looked at the pines and he tried not to think at all.
Then he looked at the stream and he remembered how it had been under the bridge in the cool of the shadow.
I wish they would come, he thought.
I do not want to get in any sort of mixed-up state before they come.
Who do you suppose has it easier?
Ones with religion or just taking it straight?
It comforts them very much but we know there is no thing to fear.
It is only missing it that's bad.
Dying is only bad when it takes a long time and hurts so much that it humiliates you.
That is where you have all the luck, see?
You don't have any of that.
It's wonderful they've got away.
I don't mind this at all now they are away.
It is sort of the way I said.
It is really very much that way. Look how different it would be if they were all scattered out across that hill where that gray horse is.
Or if we were all cooped up here waiting for it.
No.
They're gone.
They're away.
Now if the attack were only a success.
What do you want?
Everything.
I want everything and I will take whatever I get.
If this attack is no good another one will be.
I never noticed when the planes came back. _God, that was lucky I could make her go_.
I'd like to tell grandfather about this one.
I'll bet he never had to go over and find his people and do a show like this.
How do you know?
He may have done fifty.
No, he said.
Be accurate.
Nobody did any fifty like this one.
Nobody did five.