The man shouted in dismay and then was silent at a word from the captain. Hugo weighed the gun in his hands while they watched and then slowly bent the barrel double. Next he tore it from its stock. Then he grasped the parallel steel ends and broke them apart with a swift wrench. The captain half rose, his eyes bulged, he knocked over his ink-well. His hand tugged at his moustache and waved spasmodically.

“You see?” Hugo said.

The captain went to staff meeting that afternoon very thoughtful. He understood the difficulty of exhibiting his soldier’s prowess under circumstances that would assure the proper commission. He even considered remaining silent about Hugo. With such a man in his company it would soon be illustrious along the whole broad front. But the chance came. When the meeting was finished and the officers relaxed over their wine, a colonel brought up the subject of the merits of various breeds of men as soldiers.

“I think,” he said, “that the Prussians are undoubtedly our most dangerous foe. On our own side we have—”

“Begging the colonel’s pardon,” the captain said, “there is a species of fighter unknown, or almost unknown, in this part of the world, who excels by far all others.”

“And who may they be?” the colonel asked stiffly.

“Have you ever heard of the Colorados?”

“No,” the colonel said.

Another officer meditated. “They are redskins, American Indians, are they not?”

The captain shrugged. “I do not know. I know only that they are superior to all other soldiers.”

“And in what way?”

The captain’s eyes flickered. “I have one Colorado in my troops. I will tell you what he did in five days near the town of Barsine.” The officers listened. When the captain finished, the colonel patted his shoulder. “That is a very amusing fabrication. Very. With a thousand such men, the war would be ended in a week. Captain Crouan, I fear you have been overgenerous in pouring the wine.”

The captain rose, saluted. “With your permission, I shall cause my Colorado to be brought and you shall see.”

The other men laughed. “Bring him, by all means.”

The captain dispatched an orderly. A few minutes later, Hugo was announced at headquarters. The captain introduced him. “Here, messieurs, is a Colorado. What will you have him do?”

The colonel, who had expected the soldier to be both embarrassed and made ridiculous, was impressed by Hugo’s calm demeanour. “You are strong?” he said with a faint irony.

“Exceedingly.”

“He is not humble, at least, gentlemen.” Laughter. The colonel fixed Hugo with his eye. “Then, my good fellow, if you are so strong, if you can run so swiftly and carry such burdens, bring us one of our beautiful seventy-fives from the artillery.”

“With your written order, if you please.”

The colonel started, wrote the order laughingly, and gave it to Hugo. He left the room.