6 A voice spoke in his ear, and an unseen hand
rested on his shoulder. "If you drum they will stand, and they shall
win the day. But for you, it will be your final hour."
7 "Will you be with me, Lord?" the boy asked aloud.
8 "Always will I be at your side," the Voice answered.
9 "Then I am not afraid," the boy continued. He backed off a few more
paces, straightened his drum, stood erect, put his sticks to the skin,
and began to beat the rally; "RUM-tum-te-tum-tum-TUM!"
10 Again and again he rolled the call. People began to pass him paying
little attention. In the distance he could see the first scattered
ranks of the enemy, but still, he played.
11 A fighting man ran up, screaming at him. "Come on, boy, run! We
can't stand! There's too many of them. Come on, lad!"
12 But the boy only watched the approaching enemy and continued to beat
the rally call. The fighting man ran off a few more paces, stopped,
turned back and looked at the boy, took a couple of more paces, then turned back again. "Damn!" he cried, "Damn!" Then, he
raised his voice and called loudly, "To the Drummer! To the Drummer!
Rally! Don't let him stand alone! To the Drummer!"
13 Here and there others stopped running, looked to the boy standing
defiantly beating his drum, and they, too, picked up the call. "Rally!"
they cried, "Rally! To the Drummer! Don't let him stand alone!"
14 Soon the cry was ringing through the woods, and those who had been
fleeing madly stopped, turned, listened to the rolling beat of the drum
and hurried back.