In the Track of the Troops

A curious mind drives the narrator from childhood experiments with dolls and makeshift machines to a passionate pursuit of chemistry and explosives. His relentless analysis turns the family home into a laboratory, where he dreams of harnessing the raw power of gun‑cotton, nitroglycerine and dynamite for purposeful ends. This restless ingenuity soon leads him to design a new torpedo, convinced it will surpass every weapon before it.

Eager to test his creation, he constructs a miniature fortress in the yard and sets the torpedo to detonate under the cover of night. The demonstration goes terribly awry when a passing groom inadvertently wanders into the blast, suffering a grievous injury. The incident forces the inventor to confront the stark consequences of his experiments, hinting at the dangerous path his talents may yet follow.