The Sniper audiobook - Liam O'Flaherty

the sniper by Liam O'Flaherty the long June Twilight faded in tonight Dublin lay enveloped in darkness but for the dim light of the moon that shone through fleecy clouds casting a pale light as of approaching dawn over the streets in the dark waters of the Liffey around the beleaguered four courts the heavy guns roared here and there through the city machine guns and rifles broke the Silence of the night spasmodically like dogs barking on lone farms Republicans and Free Staters were waging civil war on a rooftop near O'Connell bridge a Republican sniper lay watching beside him lay his rifle and over his shoulders was slung a pair of field-glasses his face was the face of a student thin and ascetic but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic they were deep and thoughtful the eyes of a man who's used to looking at death he was eating a sandwich hungrily he'd eaten nothing since morning he had been too excited to eat he finished the sandwich and taking a flask of whiskey from his pocket he took a short draught then he returned the flask to his pocket he paused for a moment considering whether he should risk a smoke it was dangerous the flash might be seen in the darkness and there were enemies watching he decided to take the risk placing a cigarette between his lips he struck a match and hailed the smoke hurriedly and put out the light almost immediately I bullet flattened itself against the parapet of the roof the sniper took another whiff and put out the cigarette and he swore softly and crawled away to the left cautiously he raised himself and peered over the parapet there was a flash and a bullet whizzed over his head he dropped immediately he had seen the flash it came from the opposite side of the street he rolled over the roof to a chimney stack in the rear and slowly drew himself up behind it until his eyes were level with the top of the parapet there was nothing to be seen just the dim outline of the opposite housetop against the blue sky his enemy was under cover just then an armored car came across the bridge and advanced slowly up the street it stopped on the opposite side of the street 50 yards ahead the sniper could hear the dull panting of the motor his heart beat faster it was an enemy car he wanted to fire but he knew it was useless his bullets would never pierce the steel that covered the gray monster then around the corner of a side street came an old woman her head covered by a tattered shawl she began to talk to the man in the turret of the car she was pointing to the roof where the sniper lay an informer the turret opened a man's head and shoulders appeared looking toward the sniper the sniper races rifle and fired the head fell heavily onto the turret wall the woman darted toward the side screen the sniper fight again the woman whirled around and fell with a shriek into the gutter suddenly from the opposite roof a shot rang out and the sniper dropped his rifle with a curse the rifle clattered to the roof the sniper thought the noise would wake the dead he stooped to pick the rifle up he couldn't lift it his forearm was dead I'm hit he muttered dropping flat onto the roof he crawled back to the parapet with his left hand he felt the injured right forearm the blood was oozing through the sleeve of his coat there was no pain just a deadened sensation as if the arm had been cut off quickly he drew his knife from his pocket opened it on the breast work the parapet and ripped open the sleeve there was a small hole with a bullet had entered on the other side there was no hole the bullet lodged into the bone he must have fractured it he bent the arm below the wound the arm bent back easily he ground his teeth to overcome the pain then taking out his field dressing he ripped open the packet with his knife he broke the neck of the iodine bottle and let the bitter fluid drip into the wound a paroxysm of pain swept through him he placed the cotton wadding over the wound and wrapped the dressing over it he tied the ends with his teeth then he lay still against the parapet and closing his eyes he made an assertive will to overcome the pain in the street beneath all was still the armored car had retired speedily over the bridge with the machine gunners had hanging lifeless over the turret the woman's corpse lay still in the gutter the sniper lay still for a long time cursing his wounded arm and planning escape morning must not find him wounded on the roof the enemy on the opposite roof covered his escape he must kill that enemy and he could not use his rifle he had only a revolver to do it then he thought of a plan taking off his cap he placed it over the muzzle of his rifle then he pushed the rifle slowly upward over the parapet until the cap was visible from the opposite side of the street almost immediately there was a report and a bullet pierced the center of his cap the sniper slanted the rifle forward the cap clipped down into the street then catching the rifle in the middle the sniper dropped his left hand over the roof and let it hang lifelessly after a few moments he let the rifle drop into the street then he sank to the roof dragging his hand with him crawling quickly to his feet he peered up at the corner of the roof his ruse had succeeded the other sniper seeing the cap and rifle fall thought that he had killed his man he was now standing before a row of chimney pots looking across with his head clearly silhouetted against the western sky the republican snipers smiled and lifted his revolver above the edge of the parapet the distance was about 50 yards a hard shot in the dim light and his right arm was paining him like a thousand Devils he took a steady aim his hand trembled with eagerness pressing his lips together he took a deep breath through his nostrils and fired he was almost deafened with the report and his arms shook with the recoil then when the smoke cleared he peered across and uttered a cry of joy his enemy had been hit he was reeling over the parapet in his death agony he struggled to keep his feet but he was slowly falling forward as if in a dream the rifle fell from his grasp hit the parapet fell over bounded off the pole of a barber's shop beneath and then clattered onto the pavement then the dying man on the roof crumpled up and fell forward the body turned over and over in space and hit the ground with a dull thud then it lay still the sniper looked at his enemy falling and he shuddered the lust of battle died in him he became bitten by remorse the sweat stood out in beads on his forehead weakened by his wound and the long summer day of fasting and watching on the roof he revolted from the sight of the shattered mass of his dead enemy his teeth chattered he began to jibber to himself cursing the war cursing himself cursing everybody he looked at the smoking revolver in his hand and with an oath he hurled it to the roof at his feet the revolver went off with a concussion and the bullet whizzed past the snipers head he was frightened back to his senses by the shock his nerves steadied the cloud of fears scattered from his mind and he laughed taking the whiskey flask from his pocket he emptied it a draught he felt reckless under the influence of the spirit he decided to leave the roof now and look for his company commander to report everywhere around was quiet there was not much danger in going through the streets he picked up his revolver and put it in his pocket then he crawled down through the skylight to the house underneath when the sniper reached the laneway on the street level he felt a sudden curiosity as to the identity of the enemy sniper whom he had killed he decided that he was a good shot whoever he was he wondered did he know him perhaps he had been in his own company before the split in the army he decided to risk going over to have a look at him he peered around the corner into O'Connell Street in the upper part of the street there was heavy firing but around here all is quiet the sniper darted across the street a machine-gun tore up the ground round him with a hail of bullets but he escaped he threw himself face downward beside the corpse the machine gun stopped then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother's face

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Views: 144,102

Rating: 4.6812749 out of 5

Keywords: The Sniper, Irish Republican Army, Ireland, Dublin, Liam O'Flaherty

Id: Qniva4k947o

Length: 9min 7sec (547 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 30 2016