buttons of the jacket shone again, and not a rent was
to be found anywhere. He folded the trousers and beat them with his
hand--not a particle of dust rose from them. The leather things also
were unimpeachable, and the boots were in the exact regulation
condition--not brightly polished, but merely rubbed over with grease to
prevent the leather from drying up.

Keyser muttered a surly "all right," and turning away threw the things
over Findeisen's arm and put the boots into his hand. But the gunner,
who was already holding four pairs by the tags, let them fall to the
ground.

Sergeant Keyser picked them up, scolding furiously. The dust from the
floor had stuck in thick streaks on the greasy leather.

Then a bright idea occurred to the sergeant. He held the boots up
before Findeisen's face and bellowed at him, "Lick that off, you
swine!"

It was not really meant literally, that was plain; but an ungovernable
fury began to glow in his eyes.

Findeisen had drawn back. He ground his teeth and looked defiance
straight into the sergeant's eyes.

This maddened Keyser. His face became purple with passion, and again he
hissed out, "Dog, lick it at once!"

Suddenly the resolute spirit of opposition died out of Findeisen's
eyes. The strong, broad-shouldered man bowed as if under the lash; he
became pale as death, and actually touched the boot with his tongue.

The sergeant rubbed the leather roughly over his face, leaving patches
of dirt and grease on the skin. Then he turned and looked Wolf straight
in the eyes. "Do you see that, fellow?" the triumphant challenging look
seemed to say: "Your comrade must abase himself to the level of the
beasts, if we so will it,--we, who have the power!"

Wolf hit him full in the face with his clenched fist.

The sergeant staggered. He uttered a gurgling cry and tried to throw
himself upon the reservist.

Then something unexpected happened, taking place so suddenly and so
quickly that afterwards Wolf was hardly able to picture it. Findeisen
had thrown to the ground all that he carried--the boots and the outfit.
In a flash he seized the sergeant, held him raised for an instant in
his powerful arms, and then flung him head forwards against the wall.

The skull struck the wall with a dull thud, and the body fell heavily
to the ground.

There was a cry of "Stop that!" Deputy sergeant-major Heimert rushed
through the doorway and flung himself upon Findeisen. The gunner
defended himself