_live_ sheep, which was to be given to the poor lads who were faint
from hunger. An outburst of boisterous laughter from the Austrians
greeted the dignified wether, and drowned the cries of the bitterly
disappointed cadets.

"A sheep!" they cried, "and what are we to do with it?"--and they
began to weep afresh.

"Kill him and roast him!" jeered the officer. "You are brave soldiers.
Well, you will only have to do what we often do in camp. Be your own
cook and butler; none of us will help you. We want to see what sort of
practical soldiers you will make, and whether you are as good hands at
cooking as at crying and blubbering."

And the Austrians folded their arms, and looked on idly and with
derisive satisfaction at these poor children who stood there with
their heads bowed down with helplessness and grief.

At length little Ramin arose. His eyes glistened with fierce defiance,
and an expression of noble courage illuminated his pale countenance.

"If the sheep belongs to us," said he, "we will eat him."

"But he's alive," cried the boys.

"We will kill him," answered the little fellow.

"We? we ourselves? We are no butchers. We have never done such a
thing!"

"Have we ever killed a man?" asked Ramin, rolling his large bright
eyes around the circle of his comrades. "Have we ever deprived a man
of his life?"

"No!"

"Well, then, we will have it yet to do! We hope to be able to kill
many an enemy, and to do that we will have to begin with some one. Let
us make believe, then, that this wether is the enemy, and that we have
to attack him. Now, then, down upon him!"

"Ramin is right," cried the boys; "let us attack the enemy."

"Attention!" commanded Ramin.

The boys drew themselves up in military order right opposite the
bleating sheep.

"Draw swords!"

In the twinkling of an eye they had drawn their little rapiers, which
looked more like penknives than swords, and which the Austrians had
left to their little prisoners of war.

"One, two, three!" commanded the little Ramin. "Attention! Forward!"

Down they charged upon the enemy, who was standing motionless, with
staring eyes, bleating loudly. The Austrian soldiers roared and
screamed with delight, and confessed, with tears in their eyes, that
it was the best joke in the world, and no end of fun to see these poor
boys made desperate by hunger.

The first feat of arms of the little cadets was completed, the wether
was slain. But now came the question