Do you think Semyonov's forgotten us?
We've been here a good many hours and we aren't doing very much." "No," I answered.

"We're doing nothing except get sick headaches." There was a pause, then he said: "Where is everything ?" "Everything ?--What ?" "Well, the battle, for instance!" "Oh, that's down the hill, I suppose.

We're trying to cross the river and they're trying to prevent us." "Yes," he answered.

"But that isn't exactly what I mean....

It's hard to explain, but even if we were to see our soldiers trying to cross the river and the Austrians trying to prevent them that wouldn't be--well, wouldn't be exactly the real thing, would it?
It would only be a kind of side-show, rather unimportant like that dead man there!" But my headache prevented my interest in his speculations.