Still there had been happy times in that other life. Two years ago, for instance, when his mother and he had travelled, leisurely through Germany, halting whenever they chose, and remaining as long as places interested them. Thoughts of his mother recalled the plaintive little German folk-song of which she had been so fond.
_Muss i denn._ Yes, that was it, and involuntarily Alaric began to hum the air. Then the words began to fit themselves to it, and before he realized what he was doing he was singing softly:
"Muss i denn, muss i denn Zum Städtele 'naus, Städtele 'naus: Und du mein Schatz bleibst hier--"
So engrossed was the lad with his thoughts and with trying to recall the words of the song running in his head that he heard nothing of a soft footstep that for several minutes had been stealthily approaching the fire-lit place where he sat. He knew nothing of the wild eyes that, peering from a haggard face, were fixed upon him with the glare of madness. He had no suspicion of the brown rifle-barrel that was slowly raised until he was covered by its deadly aim. But now he had recalled all the words of his song, and they rang out strong and clear:
"Muss i denn, muss i denn Zum Städtele 'naus, Städtele 'naus: Und du--"
[Illustration: THE STARTLED LAD SPRANG TO HIS FEET IN TERROR.]
At that moment there came a great cry from behind him: "Ach, Himmel! Wer ist denn das!" and the startled lad sprang to his feet in terror.
There would be no sense in having powerful war-ships, enormous cannons, and hard, tough projectiles to use in them, if we did not have improved powder to make them all effective. The high-grade powder used in warfare in these days is known in this country as "brown powder," because of its color. In Europe such powder has a dozen or more names, generally called after the men who have invented each kind. There are only two places in this country where the powder used in our big guns is made. One of them is the works of the E. I. Du Pont de Nemours & Company's plant on the Brandywine Creek, near Wilmington, Delaware, and the other is the works of the California Powder Company, near Santa Cruz, California. In both of these places the process is secret, and no one except those employed about the works is supposed to know exactly how "brown powder" is made.