Roland laughed heartily. The morning was inspiring, and he was in good
fettle.

"Your words to Kurzbold were anything but soothing."

"Oh, I was compelled to crush him. He was the cause of the disturbance,
and therefore I had no mercy so far as the affair impinged upon him. But
the others, with the exception of Gensbein perhaps, are good, honest,
sweet-tempered fellows, whom I did not wish to see misled. I think you
must put out of your mind all thought of punishment, no matter what the
offense against your authority may be."

"Then how would you deal with insubordination when it arises?"

"I should trust to the good sense of the remaining members of your
company to make it uncomfortable for the offender."

"But suppose they don't?"

Greusel shrugged his shoulders.

"In that case you are helpless, I fear. At any rate, talking of hanging,
or the infliction of any other punishment, is quite futile so long as
you do not possess the power to carry out your sentence. To return to my
simile of the general: a general can order any private in his army to be
hanged, and the man is taken out and hanged accordingly, but if one of
the guild is to be executed, he must be condemned by an overwhelming
vote of his fellows, because even if a bare majority sentenced one
belonging to the minority it would mean civil war among us. Suppose, for