ven out next morning. It was a first experience, meant
especially for the younger officers, and Lieutenant Landsberg was to
command the battery.

The men were very curious to know what he would make of it. The
affected young dandy was extremely unpopular with every one. Besides
which, he was clearly not blessed with much intelligence; for at
garrison-drill more reproofs and reprimands were showered upon him
alone than upon all the rest of the battery put together. Again and
again would Wegstetten's trumpet-tones ring across the parade-ground:
"Lieutenant Landsberg, you are not in your right place!" "Lieutenant
Landsberg, you are allowing too much distance!" The little captain had
sworn many a fierce oath as he galloped to and fro on his long-legged
"Walkuere": "Lieutenant Landsberg! attention, please. What in thunder
are you about?" or "Good God, sir! don't go to sleep! Time's getting
on!"

And to-day he was to command the whole battery. Wegstetten took the
precaution of accompanying the young man himself, so that he might be
able to come to the rescue in case of necessity.

He was soon needed. The battery started from the gun-park and left the
camp, turning off the road and crossing the heather towards the broad
level stretch of the exercise-ground.

Suddenly Landsberg's snapping voice crowed out: "Battery, halt!" and
immediately afterwards: "Open with shrapnel!"

The men grinned at one another.

Two or three of the gunners got down and stood there, quite at a loss.
They ought to load; yet the word of command, "Prepare for action!"
had not been given. And how could they load when the seats and the
limber-boxes were still locked, and when the gun was still covered?

The clever lieutenant had forgotten the word of command that should
properly have been given before leaving the gun-park. And the best of
it was that he didn't even now notice what was wrong.

Wegstetten, close at hand, kept quite still. He had taken his feet out
of the stirrups and was swinging his short legs carelessly to and fro.
His eyes flashed scorn as he looked at the hapless lieutenant.

"Well, Lieutenant Landsberg," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "if I
were one of the men myself I shouldn't know what to do either."

The lieutenant raised his spotlessly gloved hand to his helmet and
replied, "Yes, sir." But as yet no solution of the riddle had dawned on
him.

Then at last the captain sat upright in his saddle, and his clear voice
ran