Going After Cacciato

Following the events of Chapter 26, the soldiers are sitting on a train. They watch the mountains of Punjab, Peshawar, and Kabul. Sitting with the soldiers is Lieutenant Corson—the soldiers have brought him along. Corson wakes up and asks where he is. Then he sees that he’s in a train, and quietly lights a cigarette.

Paul Berlin watches Corson smoke his cigarette, and thinks back to his own experiences earlier in the year. After climbing through the mountains, ordered on by Lieutenant Sidney Martin, Berlin found himself in the midst of a large battle. Trees were burning, and shots were coming from the distance. One of Berlin’s fellow soldiers, Ready Mix (whose real name nobody knew) was killed immediately. The soldiers pushed ahead for what felt like days. Eventually, they came to a burning hospital, surrounded by bombshell craters. The enemy forces seemed to have left. Martin and the soldiers discovered a network of tunnels, and as usual, Martin ordered his troops to explore the tunnels before bombing them out.

The chapter cuts back to the soldiers’ train ride from Delhi to Kabul. The soldiers play cards, sleep, and stare at the vast, snow-capped mountains.

The soldiers’ train stops—there is a problem on the tracks, and the passengers will have to spend the night in the neighboring town of Ovissil. The soldiers meet the mayor of Ovissil, who loves to tell stories. The mayor tells the soldiers that “God’s will is always stronger than man’s will.” Paul Berlin is especially fascinated by the mayor—a charismatic, mysterious man. The mayor stares at Berlin, and says, “you are young. Come to me when you have had time to make a real history for yourself.” The next morning, he sends the soldiers on their way, weeping slightly.