!" to that dilatory old Truchsess. On the other
hand, it could not be denied that Brettschneider was in the right:
they were forbidden to speak unless it was absolutely necessary, and
"necessary" his admonition had certainly not been.

Nevertheless, a bitter feeling of having been unjustly treated remained
in Vogt's mind.

When they came back from the practice-camp he rejoiced to be once more
doing ordinary drill; for at this he knew he was especially good,
particularly in the gun-drill. He would be able now to show the
senior-lieutenant what a capable fellow he was. And this time they
would have to be more than usually particular over the exercises; the
colonel himself was going to review the sixth battery.

The mantling and dismantling of the guns needed great promptitude and
dexterity. Imaginary accidents were therefore said to have happened,
and the men keenly competed together to see who should remedy them most
quickly and satisfactorily.

The pole of Vogt's gun was supposed to be broken. In a second he had
put on the spare iron bands that should in reality be fixed with nails,
and then he wound coil after coil of stout rope round the join, till
the pole was as if held in a strong web of cordage, and would be more
likely to break in a new place than to give way again where it had
broken before.

He had just finished this piece of work, when a gunner came running to
say that the off-wheel of the gun-carriage had been destroyed by a
shot, and must be replaced by a new one.

This was a serious piece of business. Three men would have to hold the
heavy carriage while the two others fixed the scarcely less heavy wheel
on to the axle. To make things worse, that blockhead Truchsess had hurt
himself in removing the wheel that had been "destroyed," so that only
four men were left. Vogt rolled up the spare wheel, but it was almost
impossible to fix it; the heavy wheel was too cumbersome for a single
man.

The sweat ran in streams down Vogt's forehead into his eyes, making
them smart terribly; but he would not give up, and at last with a
tremendous effort managed to lift the wheel into place and slide it on
to the axle. There was nothing to do now but to run the linch-pin
through the axle and screw on the nave to keep all safe. This he did
with trembling fingers.

Vogt raised himself. Thank God! Neither of the other five guns had got
as far as his, and yet his had been the heaviest job. He told his men
to keep still