About one o'clock he stopped, pale and angry, in front of me, and said:
"I can't stand this! Look and see if you're loaded, man--if you've
anything in your gun."
"Kindly look after your own gun," I answered. But I knew well enough
why he kept asking about mine.
And he turned away again. My answer had so effectively put him in his
place that he actually seemed cowed: he even hung his head as he walked
off.
After a while I shot a pigeon, and loaded again. While I was doing so,
I caught sight of Glahn standing half hidden behind a tree, watching me
to see if I really loaded. A little later he started singing a hymn--and
a wedding hymn into the bargain. Singing wedding hymns, and putting on
his best clothes, I thought to myself--that's his way of being extra
fascinating to-day. Even before he had finished the hymn he began
walking softly in front of me, hanging his head, and still singing as he
walked. He was keeping right in front of the muzzle of my gun again, as
if thinking to himself: Now it is coming, and that is why I am singing
this wedding hymn! But it did not come yet, and when he had finished his
singing he had to look back at me.
"We shan't get much to-day anyhow, by the look of it," he said, with a
smile, as if excusing himself, and asking pardon of me for singing while
we were out after game.
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