ree, and with wild leaps she fled
towards the forest. On the slope of the hill she turned. Her bare skin
gleamed in the bright sunshine, and her dishevelled hair hung down over
her brow. She shook her naked arms with furious gestures towards the
sergeant-major, and screamed a hideous curse in his face. Then she
disappeared into the wood.

Heimert looked after her with a dull expression of countenance, till no
trace of her white garments was to be seen among the green bushes. Then
he returned home with firm footsteps.

Wegstetten gave orders that the sergeant-major should not be disturbed
that day. Under such circumstances a man had better be left to himself.
But when Heimert did not put in an appearance next morning, Kaeppchen
was sent to look him up.

The battery-clerk came back much disturbed, and announced: "Excuse me,
sir, I think the sergeant-major's gone mad."

"Mad? You are mad yourself, man!" was the captain's reply; and he went
in person to the sergeant-major's quarters.

Heimert was sitting at the table, his little wooden guns and horsemen
before him. With smiling looks he was drilling them, giving the words
of command in a soft voice.

He did not seem to recognise the commander of his battery, but gazed
stupidly at Wegstetten when he spoke to him.

"Don't you know me, sergeant-major?" asked the captain.

Heimert smiled at him, and pointed to the little horses.

"I ask you, Sergeant-major Heimert, don't you know your captain?"
demanded Wegstetten once more.

The sergeant-major shook his head, grinning. Then he set to work again,
and the guns were made to advance, each at an equal distance from the
other, with the leaders of the columns and the mounted men all in their
places.

Heimert was taken to the lunatic asylum of the district. In general he
was a very manageable patient, and it was only if a woman approached
him that he began to rave. His greatest delight was to play with some
wooden toys that were given him,--mimic guns and mounted soldiers of
all descriptions.

CHAPTER XIII

[Illustration: ("Das Ganze--halt!")]

Shortly before Christmas Senior-lieutenant Guentz was promoted to be
captain, and was placed in command of the fifth battery, _vice_ Captain
Mohr, discharged from the service for incompetence.

New brooms sweep clean, and Guentz set to work with ardour at the
difficult task of bringing order and efficiency into the neglected
troop.