So he fretted for an opportunity.
Meanwhile, he continually tried to measure himself by his comrades.
The tall soldier, for one, gave him some assurance.

This man's serene unconcern dealt him a measure of confidence, for he had known him since childhood, and from his intimate knowledge he did not see how he could be capable of anything that was beyond him, the youth.

Still, he thought that his comrade might be mistaken about himself.

Or, on the other hand, he might be a man heretofore doomed to peace and obscurity, but, in reality, made to shine in war.
The youth would have liked to have discovered another who suspected himself.

A sympathetic comparison of mental notes would have been a joy to him.
He occasionally tried to fathom a comrade with seductive sentences.