Part 48 (1/2)

”Know? why, of course I do!” answered Falkenhein; ”and of course I explained to him. But he regarded my description as exaggerated. I may tell you in confidence that he belongs to the very clique who managed to keep Mohr in the service so long. And he regards his opinion as infallible--namely, that too many punishments in a troop are the consequence of a lack of discipline. He considers that a certain similarity in the punishment-registers of the batteries should be aimed at unconditionally. Otherwise unfavourable conclusions as to the capability of individual captains must be drawn, he says.”

Guntz was honestly indignant, and when anything struck him as unjust, it never mattered to him in whose presence he was; he must speak his mind, even to his colonel.

”Pardon me, sir,” he began, ”but the general has surely lost sight of the fact that for similar results similar previous conditions are necessary. I consider, with all respect, that even in normal batteries the material on which we have to work is different; and that in the very same battery perhaps the new year's recruits may effect an enormous difference in the punishment-register. To say nothing of such circ.u.mstances as there were in my case. If my punishment-register were _not_ greater than those of the fourth and sixth batteries, then that would reflect unfavourably upon me. And I most respectfully hope that it is not a more important matter to the general to receive punishment-registers of the same length, than that the discipline of a battery should suffer.” Almost out of breath, he added! ”Pardon me, sir, I beg!”

Falkenhein had become very serious.

”I take nothing you have said amiss, my dear Guntz,” he replied. ”I cannot but admit that you are perfectly right. And exactly what you have just argued I myself said very plainly to the general, very plainly indeed. He became d.a.m.nably cold to me at the end of it.”

The colonel paused, and smiled a little to himself as he thought over the conversation. The general had been nearly bursting with rage, and would not have permitted such opposition from any one else to go unpunished. But Falkenhein was a recognised favourite of the old monarch; he had been the king's hunting-companion for days together, and was surer in his position than even the general in his. So he could not cut up too rough.

”Nevertheless,” continued the colonel more cheerfully, ”he regarded it as desirable that a greater similarity should gradually be obtained.”

Guntz answered firmly: ”Forgive me, sir, I cannot promise the general this in antic.i.p.ation. I could not bring it into harmony with my conception of the duty of an officer.”

”Good,” answered Falkenhein. ”You have given me that answer as your friend and colleague. As your commander, I have perfect confidence that you will do all you can that is useful and desirable for the king's service, and that in this sense you will accede to the general's wish.”

Guntz bowed, and answered: ”Certainly, sir.”

In the orderly-room he asked the sergeant-major whether Zampa had been exercised that day.

”Not yet, sir.”

”Then please have him saddled, and I will take him out for a little myself.”

He rode down towards the valley. Yonder on the left among the fresh green plantations lay the pistol-practice ground, on which a few months ago his duel with Lieutenant Landsberg had taken place. He thought less of that episode itself than of the night before it, during which he had written down his reasons for contemplating resignation.

To-day he felt himself enriched by a fresh argument.

Deuce take it! Was not this pa.s.sion for similarity enough to madden one? Must everything be tainted by this d.a.m.ned, regular, grinding drill, this parade-march sort of principle? Must things everywhere run smoothly and according to rule, just in order that the authorities might be convinced of the excellence of the whole system?

So even the punishment-register should be carefully edited! No one must lift his head above his fellows! It was really laughable. Teachers might have bad pupils; but it seemed to be against the rules for the captain of a battery to have bad soldiers in his troop!

Luckily for him, he happened to be in very favourable circ.u.mstances. He had a colonel who stood up for him, and who could dare to express a difference of opinion from his superior officer, because he himself chanced to be in the good books of the king. So that this affair would pa.s.s by all right and do n.o.body any harm. But what would have happened if the colonel himself had felt uncertain of his position? Would he have found the moral courage to oppose his influential superior, even if only by a modest remonstrance? Would he not rather, for the sake of his career, have said, merely: ”Certainly, sir!”

And then the pressure would have gone on downwards; and among a hundred captains there were certainly but few who, in the struggle between their better knowledge and their future career, would remain true to their convictions. Most of them would bring the punishment-register up to the ”desirable” regularity, and just do as best they could with the bad elements in their batteries: the men who sneered at all discipline, and whom nevertheless their captain dared not punish properly; who spoilt the good soldiers, and increased the dislike of the reservists for the service. Otherwise the punishment-register might exceed the average demanded, and ”that would cause unfavourable conclusions as to the discipline of the battery and the capability of the captain.”

Guntz rode slowly back along the gra.s.sy lane. He looked around him.

Yonder the white walls of the barracks gleamed in the suns.h.i.+ne; a fresh wind gently shook the budding branches, and all around everything was sprouting, filled with the vigour of youth. He guided his horse carefully round a patch of primroses, which covered the whole width of the path with a sheet of yellow blossoms.

He bade dull care begone. Could he not at any time quit the service directly he became convinced of its ineffectiveness? To-day's experience was simply a fresh weight in the scales of his doubt.

He had once more determined to apply all his strength to the solution of a problem, which had been in his mind even at the time of his employment in Berlin.

There seemed to him no doubt that the French field-artillery with its anti-recoil construction had gained a great advantage over all other armies; an advantage which could only be prejudiced if the utility of the invention were proved on the field of battle to be less than was expected. Up to the present time the French gun-carriage had only been tested on a small scale in peace manuvres, and it had not been absolutely demonstrated that its construction would stand the continuous high pressure of a campaign. He was now absorbed in a scheme for simplifying and strengthening the anti-recoil attachments in such a way that they would keep in working order under the severest test. And at the same time he had been directing his attention to the steel s.h.i.+elds used in the French field-artillery for the protection of the men who served the guns. German military authorities were for the most part opposed to the introduction of this method of protection; but the s.h.i.+eld seemed to him very worthy of adoption. In the battles of the future the percentage of probable losses must be computed quite mathematically; and it would be a great advantage if, by virtue of the s.h.i.+eld, a large number of the combatants could be considered safe.

The opponents of the measure gave it as their opinion that the men would s.h.i.+rk quitting the protection of the s.h.i.+eld; or that, at any rate, they would take aim so hurriedly that their accuracy must necessarily suffer. Well, one might equally well argue that the infantry would refuse to leave their trenches. The other objection was more convincing: shooting would become too difficult if this steel s.h.i.+eld were a.s.sociated with the anti-recoil construction. It was a question of mobility; therefore Guntz set to work to find out some method of lightening the gun. Why should the gun-carriage be loaded with such a large quant.i.ty of ammunition as was customary--more, probably, than would ever be needed? He was constructing the model of a carriage in which the quant.i.ty of ammunition carried was to be diminished by one-third; so that the extra weight of the anti-recoil construction and the steel s.h.i.+eld should be more than counterbalanced.

When he was in Berlin he had gone into the details of his invention with the head of a large Rhenish gun-foundry. This man proposed that Guntz should send in his resignation and enter the service of the firm at a handsome salary. Guntz at that time was not prepared to decide in the matter; but at the close of the interview the manager had said: ”Who knows? perhaps we shall see each other again.”

Had the man been right?