ccession: "Trot!" and "Gallop!" The ensign wheeled his column
much too far to the right, just where the lie of the land was steepest;
and Corporal Vertler, the leader of gun six, thinking it too near, took
a circuit twice as great as was necessary. To get to the crest of the
hill in this way was utterly impossible.

Heppner looked anxiously across. With swift determination he gave over
his duties as sergeant-major to Sergeant Wiegandt, then galloped to the
right flank to try and mend matters somehow if possible. But the
disaster had already begun.

Gun six had from a gallop dropped into a trot, and from a trot into a
walk. At last the six horses could not drag the gun one inch further.

The ground was covered with smooth coarse grass that gave the horses
very little foothold. Trembling and snorting, the animals just managed
to support the weight of the gun, while, straining forwards and pawing
the ground, they tried to get a firmer footing. The gunners had got
down, and grasping the spokes of the wheels did what they could to
assist.

The sergeant-major kept close by and tried especially to egg on the
wheel-driver.

"Buck up, Sickel!" he cried. "Show us what you can make of this! You
want to be thought our best driver, and you can't get up a little hill
like this! Get on! Put your back into it!"

The bombardier almost hung on the Turk's neck so as to release the
weight on his haunches, while the gun actually moved forward two or
three fractions of an inch. But suddenly Turk's hind legs gave way
under him, the animal collapsed and slid down upon the slippery ground.

The jerk caused by the fall made the other five horses also lose their
hold. They began to tread backwards.

"Put on the dag-chain!" roared Heppner.

Vogt darted forward, quick as lightning, and slung the chain on the
spokes of the wheel. It bore the strain for a moment, then there was a
sharp metallic sound: the chain had snapped.

The gun began to roll down the hill, faster and faster, dragging the
six powerless horses behind it. One after the other they stumbled,
slipped down, and were whirled away, kicking wildly, or entangled in
the drag-ropes.

The sergeant-major swore a terrible oath when he saw what had happened.
Springing from his horse he threw the reins to Plettau, who was
standing near, and ran down the hill. Chance had prevented the worst
from happening. At the upper edge of the precipice there was a hollow
where formerly stones ma