Northern Pacific Railway. A warm meal had
been prepared for the regiment at a little station; then the roll was
called once more and the three long trains transporting the regiment
started off again.

Colonel Katterfeld had soon won the affection of his men. He was a thin
little man with grizzly hair and beard; a soldier of fortune, who had an
eventful life behind him, having seen war on three continents. But he
never spoke of his experiences. His commands were short and decisive,
and each man felt instinctively that he was facing an able officer. He
had given up his practice as a physician in Milwaukee, and when, at the
outbreak of the war, he had offered his services to the Governor of
Wisconsin, the latter was at once convinced that here was a man upon
whom he could rely, and it had not taken Colonel Katterfeld long to
establish the correctness of the Governor's judgment. He succeeded in
being the first to raise the full complement of men for his regiment in
Wisconsin, and was therefore the first to leave for the front. The rush
for officers' commissions was tremendous and the staff of officers was
therefore excellent. One day an officer, named Walter Lange, presented
himself at the recruiting office of the regiment. When the colonel heard
the name, he glanced up from his writing, and looking inquiringly at the
newcomer, asked in an off-hand fashion: "Will you take command of the
Seventh Company as captain?"

"Sir?"

"Yes, I know, you were at Elandslaagte and afterwards at Cronstadt, were
you not?"

"Yes, sir."

"We need some officers like you who can keep their men together when
under fire. Do you accept or not?"

"Certainly, but----"

"We'll have no buts."

And so the two became war-comrades for the second time, Captain Lange
taking command of the Seventh Company.

In thousands of ways the colonel gave proof of his practical experience;
above all else he possessed the knack of putting the right people in the
right place, and his just praise and blame aroused the ambition of
officers and men to such an extent, that the 28th Militia Regiment soon
became conspicuous for its excellence. But no one, not even his comrade
from Elandslaagte, succeeded in getting nearer to the colonel's heart.
Colonel Katterfeld was a reticent man, whom no one dared bother with
questions.

In order to make the best possible use of what little room there was in
the cars, the colonel had ordered two-hour watches to be kept. Hal