"I didn't suppose you would," said the Officer scornfully. "Don't speak in such a hurry. The powder I'm speaking of is felt but not seen. It's our last improvement, arrived at by slow degrees. Gunpowder,--smokeless gunpowder,--soundless gunpowder,--invisible gunpowder. Thus we may surround an enemy with enough gunpowder to blow up a town, but they neither see it nor hear it. In fact, they know nothing about it until they are blown up." This time all the Toys nearly expired with fright! The Elephant only remained, as before, unmoved. "Invisible gunpowder is more humane in the end," the Officer continued. "You are quite unaware of what is happening until you find yourself in pieces." "The same thing may happen to yourself, I suppose?" asked the Elephant, in his heavy and clumsy fashion. "Beg pardon; did anyone speak?" inquired the Officer in the most insulting of voices. For he despised the Elephant and wished to snub him. "I asked you if the same might not happen to yourself?" the Elephant repeated, regardless of the Officer's attempt to make him appear foolish. "What if the enemy serves you the same way?" "That difficulty, my good beast," he answered in his most overbearing manner, "is easily disposed of. We have special Soldiers trained to _smell_ gunpowder. We have merely to send out these scouts, and we can trace the gunpowder anywhere within gunshot." "I don't believe it," said the Elephant. The Officer at this laughed a grim laugh, truly awful to hear. "Ha, Ha!" he exclaimed; "do not provoke me too far lest I slay you with my sword. I'm a man of sport, and to do the act would cause me no little diversion. Beware!" The Elephant made no reply, which induced the Officer to think he had frightened him. "A great clumsy beast of no spirit," he said to his Soldiers. "Right, sir," answered the Soldiers. "Now to drill," he continued sharply. "Attention! Eyes right, eyes left; right movement, left movement; swords out, swords in! Mark--_time_!" This last command they were obliged to obey with their heads, their feet being tightly gummed on to the platform. So tightly gummed that they could not get free even when Mortals were not present, and all the Toys were at liberty to speak, walk, and talk. Indeed, nothing but a strong blow could possibly loosen them from their position. Therefore, when they marched or even took a simple walk they were obliged to march or walk in a body, taking the platform with them. Again, if the Commanding-officer granted leave of absence to one, he was obliged to grant it to all, even to himself, otherwise no one could have taken it. "Come," said the Officer to the Elephant one day, "you are a bright beast. Let me propound you a mathematical problem. If a herring and a half cost three halfpence, how much would six herrings cost?" "Just as much as they ought to, if you went to an honest fishmonger," answered the Elephant. The Officer and his men laughed loudly.