Withthefirsthefoundthewreckageofanaeronauttoo。
　　Themachinehadevidentlydroppedverticallyandwasbadlyknockedaboutamidstalotofsmashedbranchesinaclumpoftrees。Itsbentandbrokenwingsandshatteredstayssprawledamidstnewsplinteredwood，anditsforepeakstuckintotheground。Theaeronautdangledweirdlyheaddownwardamongtheleavesandbranchessomeyardsaway，andBertonlydiscoveredhimasheturnedfromtheaeroplane。Intheduskyeveninglightandstillness——forthesunhadgonenowandthewindhadaltogetherfallen—thisinvertedyellowfacewasanythingbutatranquilisingobjecttodiscoversuddenlyacoupleofyardsaway。Abrokenbranchhadruncleanthroughtheman’sthorax，andhehung，sostabbed，lookinglimpandabsurd。Inhishandhestillclutched，withthegripofdeath，ashortlightrifle。
　　ForsometimeBertstoodverystill，inspectingthisthing。
　　Thenhebegantowalkawayfromit，lookingconstantlybackatit。
　　Presentlyinanopengladehecametoastop。
　　"Gaw！"hewhispered，"Idon’likedeadbodiessome’ow！I’dalmostratherthatchapwasalive。"
　　HewouldnotgoalongthepathathwartwhichtheChinamanhung。
　　Hefelthewouldrathernothavetreesroundhimanymore，andthatitwouldbemorecomfortabletobequiteclosetothesociablesplashanduproaroftherapids。
　　Hecameuponthesecondaeroplaneinacleargrassyspacebythesideofthestreamingwater，anditseemedscarcelydamagedatall。Itlookedasthoughithadfloateddownintoapositionofrest。Itlayonitssidewithonewingintheair。Therewasnoaeronautnearit，deadoralive。Thereitlayabandoned，withthewaterlappingaboutitslongtail。
　　Bertremainedalittlealooffromitforalongtime，lookingintothegatheringshadowsamongthetrees，intheexpectationofanotherChinamanaliveordead。Thenverycautiouslyheapproachedthemachineandstoodregardingitswidespreadvans，itsbigsteeringwheelandemptysaddle。Hedidnotventuretotouchit。
　　"Iwishthatotherchapwasn’tthere，"hesaid。"Idowish’ewasn’tthere！"
　　Hesawafewyardsaway，somethingbobbingaboutinaneddythatspunwithinaprojectingheadofrock。Asitwentrounditseemedtodrawhimunwillinglytowardsit……
　　Whatcoulditbe？
　　"Blow！"saidBert。"It’sanotherof’em。"
　　Itheldhim。Hetoldhimselfthatitwastheotheraeronautthathadbeenshotinthefightandfallenoutofthesaddleashestrovetoland。Hetriedtogoaway，andthenitoccurredtohimthathemightgetabranchorsomethingandpushthisrotatingobjectoutintothestream。Thatwouldleavehimwithonlyonedeadbodytoworryabout。Perhapshemightgetalongwithone。
　　Hehesitatedandthenwithacertainemotionforcedhimselftodothis。Hewenttowardsthebushesandcuthimselfawandandreturnedtotherocksandclamberedouttoacornerbetweentheeddyandthestream，Bythattimethesunsetwasoverandthebatswereabroad——andhewaswetwithperspiration。
　　Heproddedthefloatingblue—cladthingwithhiswand，failed，triedagainsuccessfullyasitcameround，andasitwentoutintothestreamitturnedover，thelightgleamedongoldenhairand——itwasKurt！
　　ItwasKurt，whiteanddeadandverycalm。Therewasnomistakinghim。Therewasstillplentyoflightforthat。Thestreamtookhimandheseemedtocomposehimselfinitsswiftgripasonewhostretcheshimselftorest。White—facedhewasnow，andallthecolourgoneoutofhim。
　　AfeelingofinfinitedistresssweptoverBertasthebodysweptoutofsighttowardsthefall。"Kurt！"hecried，"Kurt！I
　　didn’tmeanto！Kurt！don’leaveme’ere！Don’leaveme！"
　　Lonelinessanddesolationoverwhelmedhim。Hegaveway。Hestoodontherockintheeveninglight，weepingandwailingpassionatelylikeachild。Itwasasthoughsomelinkthathadheldhimtoallthesethingshadbrokenandgone。Hewasafraidlikeachildinalonelyroom，shamelesslyafraid。
　　Thetwilightwasclosingabouthim。Thetreeswerefullnowofstrangeshadows。Allthethingsabouthimbecamestrangeandunfamiliarwiththatsubtlequeernessonefeelsoftenestindreams。"OGod！Icarn’stand，this，"hesaid，andcreptbackfromtherockstothegrassandcroucheddown，andsuddenlywildsorrowforthedeathofKurt，Kurtthebrave，Kurtthekindly，cametohishelpandhebrokefromwhimperingtoweeping。Heceasedtocrouch;hesprawleduponthegrassandclenchedanimpotentfist。
　　"Thiswar，"hecried，"thisblarstedfooleryofawar。
　　"OKurt！LieutenantKurt！
　　"Idone，"hesaid，"Idone。I’ve’adallIwant，andmorethanI
　　want。Theworld’sallrot，andthereain’tnosenseinit。Thenight’scoming……If’Ecomesafterme——’Ecan’tcomeafterme——’Ecan’t！……
　　"If’Ecomesafterme，I’llfro’myselfintothewater。"……
　　Presentlyhewastalkingagaininalowundertone。
　　"Thereain’tnothingtobeafraidofreely。It’sjestimagination。PooroldKurt——hethoughtitwouldhappen。
　　Previsionlike。’Enevergavemethatletterortolemewhotheladywas。It’slikewhat’esaid——peopletoreawayfromeverythingtheybelongedto——everywhere。Exactlylikewhat’esaid……’EreIamcastaway——thousandsofmilesfromEdnaorGrubboranyofmylot——likeaplanttoreupbytheroots……Andeverywar’sbeenlikethis，onlyI’adn’tthesensetounderstandit。Always。Allsortsof’olesandcornerschaps’avediedin。
　　Andpeople’adn’tthesensetounderstand，’adn’tthesensetofeelitandstopit。Thoughtwarwasfine。MyGawd！……
　　"DearoldEdna。Shewasafairbitofallright——shewas。Thattimewe’adaboatatKingston……
　　"Ibet——I’llsee’eragainyet。Won’tbemyfaultifIdon’t。"……
　　4
　　Suddenly，ontheveryvergeofthisheroicresolution，Bertbecamerigidwithterror。Somethingwascreepingtowardshimthroughthegrass。Somethingwascreepingandhaltingandcreepingagaintowardshimthroughthedimdarkgrass。Thenightwaselectricalwithhorror。Foratimeeverythingwasstill。
　　Bertceasedtobreathe。Itcouldnotbe。No，itwastoosmall！
　　Itadvancedsuddenlyuponhimwitharush，withalittlemeawlingcryandtailerect。Itrubbeditsheadagainsthimandpurred。
　　Itwasatiny，skinnylittlekitten。
　　"Gaw，Pussy！’owyoufrightenedme！"saidBert，withdropsofperspirationonhisbrow。
　　5
　　Hesatwithhisbacktoatreestumpallthatnight，holdingthekitteninhisarms。Hismindwastired，andhetalkedorthoughtcoherentlynolonger。Towardsdawnhedozed。
　　Whenheawoke，hewasstiffbutinbetterheart，andthekittensleptwarmlyandreassuringlyinsidehisjacket。Andfear，hefound，hadgonefromamidstthetrees。
　　Hestrokedthekitten，andthelittlecreaturewokeuptoexcessivefondnessandpurring。"Youwantsomemilk，"saidBert。
　　"That’swhatyouwant。AndIcoulddowithabitofbrekkertoo。"
　　Heyawnedandstoodup，withthekittenonhisshoulder，andstaredabouthim，recallingthecircumstancesofthepreviousday，thegrey，immensehappenings。
　　"Mus’dosomething，"hesaid。
　　Heturnedtowardsthetrees，andwaspresentlycontemplatingthedeadaeronautagain。Thekittenheheldcompanionablyagainsthisneck。Thebodywashorrible，butnotnearlysohorribleasithadbeenattwilight，andnowthelimbswerelimperandthegunhadslippedtothegroundandlayhalfhiddeninthegrass。
　　"Isupposeweoughttobury’im，Kitty，"saidBert，andlookedhelplesslyattherockysoilabouthim。"Wegottostayontheislandwith’im。"
　　Itwassometimebeforehecouldturnawayandgoontowardsthatprovisionshed。"Brekkerfirst，"hesaid，"anyhow，"strokingthekittenonhisshoulder。Sherubbedhischeekaffectionatelywithherfurrylittlefaceandpresentlynibbledathisear。"Wan’
　　somemilk，eh？"hesaid，andturnedhisbackonthedeadmanasthoughhematterednothing。
　　Hewaspuzzledtofindthedooroftheshedopen，thoughhehadclosedandlatcheditverycarefullyovernight，andhefoundalsosomedirtyplateshehadnotnoticedbeforeonthebench。Hediscoveredthatthehingesofthetinlockerwereunscrewedandthatitcouldbeopened。Hehadnotobservedthisovernight。
　　"Sillyofme！"saidBert。"’EreIwaspuzzlin’andwhackin’awayatthepadlock，nevernoticing。"Ithadbeenusedapparentlyasanice—chest，butitcontainednothingnowbuttheremainsofhalf—dozenboiledchickens，someambiguoussubstancethatmightoncehavebeenbutter，andasingularlyunappetisingsmell。Heclosedthelidagaincarefully。
　　Hegavethekittensomemilkinadirtyplateandsatwatchingitsbusylittletongueforatime。Thenhewasmovedtomakeaninventoryoftheprovisions。Thereweresixbottlesofmilkunopenedandoneopened，sixtybottlesofmineralwaterandalargestockofsyrups，abouttwothousandcigarettesandupwardsofahundredcigars，nineoranges，twounopenedtinsofcornedbeefandoneopened，andfivelargetinsCaliforniapeaches。Hejotteditdownonapieceofpaper"’Ain’tmuchsolidfood，"hesaid。"Still——Afortnight，say！
　　"Anythingmighthappeninafortnight。"
　　Hegavethekittenasmallsecondhelpingandascrapofbeefandthenwentdownwiththelittlecreaturerunningafterhim，tailerectandinhighspirits，tolookattheremainsoftheHohenzollern。
　　IthadshiftedinthenightandseemedonthewholemorefirmlygroundedonGreenIslandthanbefore。FromithiseyewenttotheshatteredbridgeandthenacrosstothestilldesolationofNiagaracity。Nothingmovedovertherebutanumberofcrows。
　　Theywerebusywiththeengineerhehadseencutdownonthepreviousday。Hesawnodogs，butheheardonehowling。
　　"Wegottogetoutofthissome’ow，Kitty，"hesaid。"Thatmilkwon’tlastforever——notattherateyoulapit。"
　　Heregardedthesluice—likefloodbeforehim。
　　"Plentyofwater，"hesaid。"Wontbedrinkweshallwant。"
　　Hedecidedtomakeacarefulexplorationoftheisland。
　　Presentlyhecametoalockedgatelabelled"BiddleStairs，"andclamberedovertodiscoverasteepoldwoodenstaircaseleadingdownthefaceofthecliffamidstavastandincreasinguproarofwaters。Heleftthekittenaboveanddescendedthese，anddiscoveredwithathrillofhopeapathleadingamongtherocksatthefootoftheroaringdownrushoftheCentreFall。Perhapsthiswasasortofway！
　　ItledhimonlytothechokinganddeafeningexperienceoftheCaveoftheWinds，andafterhehadspentaquarterofanhourinapartiallystupefiedconditionflattenedbetweensolidrockandnearlyassolidwaterfall，hedecidedthatthiswasafterallnopracticableroutetoCanadaandretracedhissteps。AshereascendedtheBiddleStairs，heheardwhathedecidedatlastmustbeasortofecho，asoundofsomeonewalkingaboutonthegravelpathsabove。Whenhegottothetop，theplacewasassolitaryasbefore。
　　Thencehemadehisway，withthekittenskirmishingalongbesidehiminthegrass，toastaircasethatledtoalumpofprojectingrockthatenfiladedthehugegreenmajestyoftheHorseshoeFall。
　　Hestoodthereforsometimeinsilence。
　　"Youwouldn’tthink，"hesaidatlast，"therewassomuchwater……Thisroarin’andsplashin’，itgetsonone’snervesatlast……Soundslikepeopletalking……Soundslikepeoplegoingabout……Soundslikeanythingyoufancy。"
　　Heretiredupthestaircaseagain。"Is’poseIshallkeepongoin’roundthisblessedisland，"hesaiddrearily。"Roundandroundandround。"
　　HefoundhimselfpresentlybesidethelessdamagedAsiaticaeroplaneagain。Hestaredatitandthekittensmeltit。
　　"Broke！"hesaid。
　　Helookedupwithaconvulsivestart。
　　Advancingslowlytowardshimoutfromamongthetreesweretwotallgauntfigures。Theywereblackenedandtatteredandbandaged;thehind—mostonelimpedandhadhisheadswathedinwhite，buttheforemostonestillcarriedhimselfasaPrinceshoulddo，forallthathisleftarmwasinaslingandonesideofhisfacescaldedalividcrimson。HewasthePrinceKarlAlbert，theWarLord，the"GermanAlexander，"andthemanbehindhimwasthebird—facedmanwhosecabinhadoncebeentakenfromhimandgiventoBert。
　　6
　　WiththatapparitionbegananewphaseofGoatIslandinBert’sexperience。Heceasedtobeasolitaryrepresentativeofhumanityinavastandviolentandincomprehensibleuniverse，andbecameoncemoreasocialcreature，amaninaworldofothermen。Foraninstantthesetwowereterrible，thentheyseemedsweetanddesirableasbrothers。Theytoowereinthisscrapewithhim，maroonedandpuzzled。Hewantedextremelytohearexactlywhathadhappenedtothem。WhatmattereditifonewasaPrinceandbothwereforeignsoldiers，ifneitherperhapshadadequateEnglish？HisnativeCockneyfreedomflowedtoogenerouslyforhimtothinkofthat，andsurelytheAsiaticfleetshadpurgedallsuchtrivialdifferences。"Ul—LO！"hesaid;"’owdidyouget’ere？"
　　"ItistheEnglishmanwhobroughtustheButteridgemachine，"
　　saidthebird—facedofficerinGerman，andtheninatoneofhorror，asBertadvanced，"Salute！"andagainlouder，"SALUTE！"
　　"Gaw！"saidBert，andstoppedwithasecondcommentunderhisbreath。Hestaredandsalutedawkwardlyandbecameatonceamaskeddefensivethingwithwhomco—operationwasimpossible。
　　ForatimethesetwoperfectedmodernaristocratsstoodregardingthedifficultproblemoftheAnglo—Saxoncitizen，thatambiguouscitizenwho，obeyingsomemysteriouslawinhisblood，wouldneitherdrillnorbeademocrat。Bertwasbynomeansabeautifulobject，butinsomeinexplicablewayhelookedresistant。Heworehischeapsuitofserge，nowshowingmanysignsofwear，anditsloosefitmadehimseemsturdierthanhewas;abovehisdisengagingfacewasawhiteGermancapthatwasaltogethertoobigforhim，andhistrouserswerecrumpleduphislegsandtheirendstuckedintotherubberhighlowsofadeceasedGermanaeronaut。Helookedaninferior，thoughbynomeansaneasyinferior，andinstinctivelytheyhatedhim。
　　ThePrincepointedtotheflying—machineandsaidsomethinginbrokenEnglishthatBerttookforGermanandfailedtounderstand。Heintimatedasmuch。
　　"DummerKerl！"saidthebird—facedofficerfromamonghisbandages。
　　ThePrincepointedagainwithhisundamagedhand。"Youverstehendisdrachenflieger？"
　　Bertbegantocomprehendthesituation。HeregardedtheAsiaticmachine。ThehabitsofBunHillreturnedtohim。"It’saforeignmake，"hesaidambiguously。
　　ThetwoGermansconsulted。"Youareanexpert？"saidthePrince。
　　"Wereckontorepair，"saidBert，intheexactmannerofGrubb。
　　ThePrincesoughtinhisvocabulary。"Isdat，"hesaid，"goottofly？"
　　Bertreflectedandscratchedhischeekslowly。"Igottolookatit，"hereplied……"It’s’adroughusage！"
　　HemadeasoundwithhisteethhehadalsoacquiredfromGrubb，puthishandsinhistrouserpockets，andstrolledbacktothemachine。TypicallyGrubbchewedsomething，butBertcouldchewonlyimaginatively。"Threedays’workinthis，"hesaid，teething。Forthefirsttimeitdawnedonhimthattherewerepossibilitiesinthismachine。Itwasevidentthatthewingthatlayonthegroundwasbadlydamaged。Thethreestaysthathelditrigidhadsnappedacrossaridgeofrockandtherewasalsoastrongpossibilityoftheenginebeingbadlydamaged。Thewinghookonthatsidewasalsoaskew，butprobablythatwouldnotaffecttheflight。Beyondthatthereprobablywasn’tmuchthematter。BertscratchedhischeekagainandcontemplatedthebroadsunlitwasteoftheUpperRapids。"Wemightmakeajobofthis……Youleaveittome。"
　　Hesurveyeditintentlyagain，andthePrinceandhisofficerwatchedhim。InBunHillBertandGrubbhaddevelopedtoaveryhighpitchamongthehiringstockamethodofrepairbysubstituting;theysubstitutedbitsofothermachines。Amachinethatwastooutterlyandobviouslydoneforeventoprofferforhire，hadneverthelessstillcapitalvalue。Itbecameasortofquarryfornutsandscrewsandwheels，barsandspokes，chain—linksandthelike;amineofill—fitting"parts"toreplacethedefectsofmachinesstillcurrent。AndbackamongthetreeswasasecondAsiaticaeroplane……
　　ThekittencaressedBert’sairshipbootsunheeded。
　　"Menddatdrachenflieger，"saidthePrince。
　　"IfIdomendit，"saidBert，struckbyanewthought，"noneofusain’ttobetrustedtoflyit。"
　　"_I_villflyit，"saidthePrince。
　　"Verylikelybreakyourneck，"saidBert，afterapause。
　　ThePrincedidnotunderstandhimanddisregardedwhathesaid。
　　Hepointedhisglovedfingertothemachineandturnedtothebird—facedofficerwithsomeremarkinGerman。TheofficeransweredandthePrincerespondedwithasweepinggesturetowardsthesky。Thenhespoke——itseemedeloquently。Bertwatchedhimandguessedhismeaning。"Muchmorelikelytobreakyour，neck，"
　　hesaid。"’Owever。’Eregoes。"
　　Hebegantopryaboutthesaddleandengineofthedrachenfliegerinsearchfortools。Alsohewantedsomeblackoilystuffforhishandsandface。Forthefirstruleintheartofrepairing，asitwasknowntothefirmofGrubbandSmallways，wastogetyourhandsandfacethoroughlyandconclusivelyblackened。Alsohetookoffhisjacketandwaistcoatandputhiscapcarefullytothebackofhisheadinordertofacilitatescratching。
　　ThePrinceandtheofficerseemeddisposedtowatchhim，buthesucceededinmakingitcleartothemthatthiswouldinconveniencehimandthathehadto"puzzleoutabit"beforehecouldgettowork。Theythoughthimover，buthisshopexperiencehadgivenhimsomethingoftheauthoritativewayoftheexpertwithcommonmen。Andatlasttheywentaway。
　　Thereuponhewentstraighttothesecondaeroplane，gottheaeronaut’sgunandammunitionandhidtheminaclumpofnettlescloseathand。"That’sallright，"saidBert，andthenproceededtoacarefulinspectionofthedebrisofthewingsinthetrees。
　　Thenhewentbacktothefirstaeroplanetocomparethetwo。TheBunHillmethodwasquitepossiblypracticableiftherewasnothinghopelessorincomprehensibleintheengine。
　　TheGermansreturnedpresentlytofindhimalreadygenerouslysmuttyandtouchingandtestingknobsandscrewsandleverswithanexpressionofprofoundsagacity。Whenthebird—facedofficeraddressedaremarktohim，hewavedhimasidewith，"Nongcomprong。Shutit！It’snogood。"
　　Thenhehadanidea。"Deadchapbacktherewantsburying，"hesaid，jerkingathumboverhisshoulder。
　　7
　　WiththeappearanceofthesetwomenBert’swholeuniversehadchangedagain。Acurtainfellbeforetheimmenseandterribledesolationthathadoverwhelmedhim。Hewasinaworldofthreepeople，aminutehumanworldthatneverthelessfilledhisbrainwitheagerspeculationsandschemesandcunningideas。Whatweretheythinkingof？Whatdidtheythinkofhim？Whatdidtheymeantodo？AhundredbusythreadsinterlacedinhismindashepotteredstudiouslyovertheAsiaticaeroplane。Newideascameuplikebubblesinsodawater。
　　"Gaw！"hesaidsuddenly。HehadjustappreciatedasaspecialaspectofthisirrationalinjusticeoffatethatthesetwomenwerealiveandthatKurtwasdead。AllthecrewoftheHohenzollernwereshotorburntorsmashedordrowned，andthesetwolurkinginthepaddedforwardcabinhadescaped。
　　"Isuppose’ethinksit’s’isbloomin’Star，"hemuttered，andfoundhimselfuncontrollablyexasperated。
　　Hestoodup，facingroundtothetwomen。Theywerestandingsidebysideregardinghim。
　　"’It’snogood，"hesaid，"starin’atme。Youonlyputmeout。"
　　Andthenseeingtheydidnotunderstand，headvancedtowardsthem，wrenchinhand。ItoccurredtohimashedidsothatthePrincewasreallyaverybigandpowerfulandserene—lookingperson。Buthesaid，nevertheless，pointingthroughthetrees，"deadman！"
　　Thebird—facedmanintervenedwithareplyinGerman。
　　"Deadman！"saidBerttohim。"There。"
　　HehadgreatdifficultyininducingthemtoinspectthedeadChinaman，andatlastledthemtohim。Thentheymadeitevidentthattheyproposedthathe，asacommonpersonbelowtherankofofficershouldhavethesoleandundividedprivilegeofdisposingofthebodybydraggingittothewater’sedge。Therewassomeheatedgesticulation，andatlastthebird—facedofficerabasedhimselftohelp。TogethertheydraggedthelimpandnowswollenAsiaticthroughthetrees，andafterarestorso——forhetrailedveryheavily——dumpedhimintothewestwardrapid。Bertreturnedtohisexpertinvestigationoftheflying—machineatlastwithachingarmsandinastateofgloomyrebellion。"Brastedcheek！"
　　hesaid。"One’dthinkIwasoneof’isbeastlyGermanslaves！
　　"Prancingbeggar！"
　　Andthenhefellspeculatingwhatwouldhappenwhentheflying—machine，wasrepaired——ifitcouldberepaired。
　　ThetwoGermanswentawayagain，andaftersomereflectionBertremovedseveralnuts，resumedhisjacketandvest，pocketedthosenutsandhistoolsandhidthesetoftoolsfromthesecondaeroplaneintheforkofatree。"RightO，"hesaid，ashejumpeddownafterthelastoftheseprecautions。ThePrinceandhiscompanionreappearedashereturnedtothemachinebythewater’sedge。ThePrincesurveyedhisprogressforatime，andthenwenttowardsthePartingoftheWatersandstoodwithfoldedarmsgazingupstreaminprofoundthought。Thebird—facedofficercameuptoBert，heavywithasentenceinEnglish。
　　"Go，"hesaidwithahelpinggesture，"undeat。"
　　WhenBertgottotherefreshmentshed，hefoundallthefoodhadvanishedexceptonemeasuredrationofcornedbeefandthreebiscuits。
　　Heregardedthiswithopeneyesandmouth。
　　Thekittenappearedfromunderthevendor’sseatwithaningratiatingpurr。"Ofcourse！"saidBert。"Why！where’syourmilk？"
　　Heaccumulatedwrathforamomentorso，thenseizedtheplateinonehand，andthebiscuitsinanother，andwentinsearchofthePrince，breathingvilewordsanent"grub"andhisintimateinterior。Heapproachedwithoutsaluting。
　　"’Ere！"hesaidfiercely。"Whadthedevil’sthis？"
　　Anentirelyunsatisfactoryaltercationfollowed。BertexpoundedtheBunHilltheoryoftherelationsofgrubtoefficiencyinEnglish，thebird—facedmanrepliedwithpointsaboutnationsanddisciplineinGerman。ThePrince，havingmadeanestimateofBert’squalityandphysique，suddenlyhectored。HegrippedBertbytheshoulderandshookhim，makinghispocketsrattle，shoutedsomethingtohim，andflunghimstrugglingback。HehithimasthoughhewasaGermanprivate。Bertwentback，whiteandscared，butresolvedbyallhisCockneystandardsupononething。
　　Hewasboundinhonourto"gofor"thePrince。"Gaw！"hegasped，buttoninghisjacket。
　　"Now，"criedthePrince，"Vilyougo？"andthencatchingtheheroicgleaminBert’seye，drewhissword。
　　Thebird—facedofficerintervened，sayingsomethinginGermanandpointingskyward。
　　FarawayinthesouthwestappearedaJapaneseairshipcomingfasttowardthem。Theirconflictendedatthat。ThePrincewasfirsttograspthesituationandleadtheretreat。Allthreescuttledlikerabbitsforthetrees，andrantoandforcoveruntiltheyfoundahollowinwhichthegrassgrewrank。Theretheyallsquattedwithinsixyardsofoneanother。Theysatinthisplaceforalongtime，uptotheirnecksinthegrassandwatchingthroughthebranchesfortheairship。Berthaddroppedsomeofhiscornedbeef，buthefoundthebiscuitsinhishandandatethemquietly。ThemonstercamenearlyoverheadandthenwentawaytoNiagaraanddroppedbeyondthepower—works。Whenitwasnear，theyallkeptsilence，andthenpresentlytheyfellintoanargumentthatwasrobbedperhapsofimmediateexplosiveeffectonlybytheirfailuretounderstandoneanother。
　　ItwasBertbeganthetalkingandhetalkedonregardlessofwhattheyunderstoodorfailedtounderstand。Buthisvoicemusthaveconveyedhiscantankerousintentions。
　　"Youwantthatmachinedone，hesaidfirst，"youbetterkeepyour’andsoffme！"
　　Theydisregardedthatandherepeatedit。
　　Thenheexpandedhisideaandthespiritofspeechtookholdofhim。"Youthinkyougot’oldofachapyoucankickand’itlikeyoudoyourprivatesoldiers——you’rejollywellmistaken。See？
　　I’ve’adaboutenoughofyouandyourantics。Ibeenthinkingyouover，youandyourwarandyourEmpireandalltherotofit。
　　Rotitis！It’syouGermansmadeallthetroubleinEuropefirstandlast。Andallfornothin’。Jestsillyprancing！Jestbecauseyou’vegottheuniformsandflags！’EreIwas——Ididn’twantto’aveanythingtodowithyou。Ijestdidn’tcarea’engatallaboutyou。Thenyouget’oldofme——stealmepractically——and’ereIam，thousandsofmilesawayfrom’omeandeverything，andallyoursillyfleetsmasheduptorags。Andyouwanttogoonprancin’NOW！Notif’Iknowit！
　　"Lookatthemischiefyoudone！LookatthewayyousmashedupNewYork——thepeopleyoukilled，thestuffyouwasted。Can’tyoulearn？"
　　"DummerKerl！"saidthebird—facedmansuddenlyinatoneofconcentratedmalignancy，glaringunderhisbandages。"Esel！"
　　"That’sGermanforsillyass！——Iknow。Butwho’sthesillyass——
　　’imorme？WhenIwasakid，Iusedtoreadpennydreadfulsabout’avinadventuresandbein’agreatc’manderandallthatrot。Istowedit。Butwhat’s’egotin’ishead？RotaboutNapoleon，rotaboutAlexander，rotabout’isblessedfamilyand’imandGordandDavidandallthat。Anyonewhowasn’tadressed—upsillyfoolofaPrincecould’avetoldallthiswasgoin’to’appen。TherewasusinEuropeallatsixesandsevenswithoursillyflagsandoursillynewspapersraggin’usupagainsteachotherandkeepin’usapart，andtherewasChina，solidasacheese，withmillionsandmillionsofmenonlywantin’
　　abitofscienceandabitofenterprisetobeasgoodasallofus。Youthoughttheycouldn’tgetatyou。Andthentheygotflying—machines。Andbif！——’ereweare。Why，whentheydidn’tgoonmakinggunsandarmiesinChina，wewentandpoked’emupuntiltheydid。They’ADtogiveusthislickin’they’vegiveus。