e Prussians in the camp, seized his
rifle and hurried to the Russian barrack. Here the two suppositious
delinquents were pointed out. He went up to the Pole, and grabbing him
by the shoulder, roared:

"You've been fighting!"

The Pole protested that he had not been fighting with anyone. He had
forgotten all about the spirited argument with the orderly. Certainly
the altercation was no more serious than thousands of other such
outbreaks which were incidental to the camp. Incidents of this character
occurred every few minutes in every barrack, which was not surprising
seeing that we were all keyed to a high pitch of fretfulness while
tempers were hasty.

"Don't lie to me," shouted the non-commissioned officer, who was
decidedly infuriated by the Pole's complacent attitude. "I say you've
been fighting!"

Again the Pole meekly explained that no such encounter had taken place.
At this protest the officer grabbed the inoffensive prisoner and marched
him off to the office of the Commandant. While hurrying along the main
road through the camp the Prussian, for no reason whatever, raised his
rifle by the muzzle, swung it over his head and brought the stock down
with fearful force upon the Pole's back. The man himself fell like an ox
before the poleaxe, but the rifle flew into two pieces. Seeing that a
rifle is exceedingly strongly made and of hard wood, the fact that it
snapped in twain testifies abundantly to the force of the blow.

The attack was witnessed, not only by several of us, but also by two or
three officers as well. The latter expostulated with the
non-commissioned officer upon his action. As for ourselves our gorge
rose at this savage onslaught, and we hurried to the Commandant with the
object of being first to narrate the incident. He listened to our story
of the outrage but refused to be convinced. We persisted and mentioned
that the officers had been present and could support our statements. But
the latter, naturally perhaps, declined to confirm our story. They
denied having seen the blow struck. Still, we were so emphatic and
persevering that Major Bach, in order to settle the matter, sent for the
non-commissioned officer to whom he referred the accusation we had made.

This worthy listened with a smile lurking round his mouth. When Major
Bach had completed his statement, the non-commissioned officer, with a
mocking laugh, denied the charge, and presented his rifle for Major
Bach's inspection. _The rifle