ButOrofixedhiseyesuponmeandslowlywavedhisthinhandtoandfroabovemyhead。
Mysensesreeled。Thencameagreatdarkness。
Theyreturnedagain。NowIwasstandinginanicy,reekingfog,whichIknewcouldbelongtooneplaceonly——London,inDecember,andatmysidewasOro。
"Isthistheclimateofyourwonderfulcity?"heasked,orseemedtoask,inanaggrievedtone。
Irepliedthatitwas,foraboutthreemonthsintheyear,andbegantolookaboutme。
SoonIfoundmybearings。Infrontofmeweregreatpilesofbuildings,lookingdimandmysteriousinthefog,inwhichI
recognisedtheHousesofParliamentandWestminsterAbbey,forbothcouldbeseenfromwherewestoodinfrontoftheWestminsterBridgeStation。IexplainedtheiridentitytoOro。
"Good,"hesaid。"LetusenteryourPlaceofTalk。"
"ButIamnotamember,andwehavenopassesfortheStrangers’Gallery,"Iexpostulated。
"Weshallnotneedany,"herepliedcontemptuously。"Leadon。"
Thusadjured,Icrossedtheroad,Orofollowingme。Lookinground,tomyhorrorIsawhimrightinthepathofamotor—buswhichseemedtogooverhim。
"There’sanendtoOro,"thoughtItomyself。"Well,atanyrate,Ihavegothome。"
Nextinstanthewasatmysidequiteundisturbedbytheincidentofthebus。WecametoapolicemanatthedoorandI
hesitated,expectingtobechallenged。Butthepolicemanseemedabsolutelyindifferenttoourpresence,evenwhenOromarchedpasthiminhisflowingrobes。SoIfollowedwithalikesuccess。
ThenIunderstoodthatwemustbeinvisible。
Wepassedtothelobby,wherememberswerehurryingtoandfro,andconstituentsandpressmenweregathered,andsoonintotheHouse。Orowalkedupitsfloorandtookhisstandbythetable,infrontoftheSpeaker。Ifollowedhim,nonesayingusNo。
Asitchancedtherewaswhatiscalledasceneinprogress——I
thinkitwasoverIrishmatters;thedetailsareofnoaccount。
Membersshouted,Ministersprevaricatedandgrewangry,theSpeakerintervened。Onthewhole,itwasratheradegradingspectacle。Istood,orseemedtostand,andwatcheditall。Oro,inhissweepingrobes,whichlookedsoincongruousinthatplace,stepped,orseemedtostep,uptotheprincipalpersonagesoftheGovernmentandOpposition,whomIindicatedtohim,andinspectedthemonebyone,asanaturalistmightexaminestrangeinsects。
Then,returningtome,hesaid:
"Comeaway;Ihaveseenandheardenough。Whowouldhavethoughtthatthisnationofyourswasstrugglingforitslifeinwar?"
WepassedoutoftheHouseandsomehowcametoTrafalgarSquare。Ameetingwasinprogressthere,convened,apparently,toadvocatetherightsofLabour,alsothoseofwomen,alsotoprotestagainstthingsingeneral,especiallythethreatofConscriptionintheserviceofthecountry。
Herethenoisewastremendous,and,thefoghavingliftedsomewhat,wecouldseeeverything。SpeakersbawledfromthebaseofNelson’scolumn。Theirsupporterscheered,theiradversariesrushedatthem,andinoneortwoinstancessucceededinpullingthemdown。Awomanclimbedupandbegantoscreamoutsomethingwhichcouldonlybeheardbyafewreportersgatheredroundher。
Ithoughtheranunpleasant—lookingperson,andevidentlyherremarkswerenotpalatabletothemajorityofherauditors。Therewasarush,andshewasdraggedfromthebaseofoneofLandseer’slionsonwhichshestood。Herskirtwashalfrentoffherandherbodicesplitdowntheback。Finally,shewasconveyedaway,kicking,biting,andscratching,byanumberofpolice。Itwasadisgustingsight,andtumultensued。
"Letusgo,"saidOro。"Yourofficersoforderaregood;therestisnotgood。"
Laterwefoundourselvesoppositetothedoorsofafamousrestaurantwhereamagnificentandgiganticcommissionairehelpedladiesfrommotor—cars,receivinginreturnmoneyfromthemenwhoattendedonthem。Weentered;itwasthehourofdinner。Theplacesparkledwithgems,andthenakedbacksofthewomengleamedintheelectriclight。Coursefolloweduponcourse;
champagneflowed,afinebandplayed,everythingwascostly;
everythingwas,inasense,repellent。
"Thesearethewealthycitizensofanationengagedinfightingforitslife,"remarkedOrotome,strokinghislongbeard。"Itisinteresting,veryinteresting。Letusgo。"
Wewentoutandon,passingapublic—housecrowdedwithwomenwhohadlefttheirbabiesinchargeofchildrenintheicystreet。ItwasadayofIntercessionforthesuccessofEnglandinthewar。Thiswasplacardedeverywhere。Weentered,or,rather,Orodid,Ifollowinghim,oneofthechurchesintheStrandwhereaneveningservicewasinprogress。Thepreacherinthepulpit,averyableman,washoldingforthuponthenecessityfornationalrepentanceandself—denial;alsoofprayer。Inthebodyofthechurchexactlythirty—twopeople,mostofthemelderlywomen,werelisteningtohimwithanairofplacidacceptance。
"Thepriesttalkswell,buthishearersarenotmany,saidOro。
"Letusgo。"
Wecametotheflauntingdoorsofagreatmusic—hallandpassedthroughthem,thoughtoothersthiswouldhavebeenimpossible,fortheplacewasfilledfromfloortoroof。Initspromenadesmenweredrinkingandsmoking,whilegaudywomen,paintedandlow—robed,leeredatthem。Onthestagegirlsdanced,throwingtheirlegsabovetheirheads。Thentheyvanishedamidstapplause,andawomaninayellowrobe,whopretendedtobetipsy,sangahorribleandvulgarsongfulloftopicalallusions,whichwasreceivedwithscreamsofdelightbytheenormousaudience。
"Herethehearersareverymany,butthosetowhomtheylistendonottalkwell。Letusgo,"saidOro,andwewent。
Atarecruitingstationwepausedamomenttoconsiderposterssupposedtobeattractive,theverysightofwhichsentathrillofshamethroughme。Irememberthattheinscriptionunderoneofthemwas:"Whatwillyourbestgirlsay?"
"Isthathowyougatheryoursoldiers?Lateritwillbeotherwise,"saidOro,andpassedon。
WereachedBlackfriarsandenteredahallatthedoorsofwhichstoodwomeninpoke—bonnets,verysweet—faced,earnest—lookingwomen。TheircountenancesseemedtostrikeOro,andhemotionedmetofollowhimintothehall。Itwasquitefullofamiserable—
lookingcongregationofperhapsathousandpeople。AmanintheblueandreduniformoftheSalvationArmywaspreachingofdutytoGodandcountry,ofself—denial,hopeandforgiveness。Heseemedahumbleperson,buthiswordswereearnest,andloveflowedfromhim。Someofhismiserablecongregationwept,othersstaredathimopen—mouthed,afew,whowereveryweary,slept。Hecalledthemuptoreceivepardon,andanumber,ledbythesweet—
facedwomen,cameandkneltbeforehim。Heandotherswhisperedtothem,thenseemedtoblessthem,andtheyrosewiththeirfaceschanged。
"Letusgo,"saidOro。"Idonotunderstandtheserites,butatlastinyourgreatandwonderfulcityIhaveseensomethingthatispureandnoble。"
Wewentout。Inthestreetstherewasgreatexcitement。Peoplerantoandfropointingupwards。Searchlights,likehugefingersofflame,stoleacrossthesky;gunsboomed。Atlast,intheglareofasearchlight,wesawalongandsinisterobjectfloatinghighaboveusandgleamingasthoughitweremadeofsilver。Flashescamefromitfollowedbyterribleboomingreportsthatgrewnearerandnearer。Ahousecollapsedwithacrashjustbehindus。
"Ah!"saidOro,withasmile。"Iknowthis——itiswar,warasitwaswhentheworldwasdifferentandyetthesame。"
Ashespoke,amotor—busrumbledpast。Anotherflashandexplosion。Aman,walkingwithhisarmsroundthewaistofagirljustaheadofus;seemedtobetossedupandtomelt。Thegirlfellinaheaponthepavement;somehowherheadandherfeethadcomequiteclosetogetherandyetsheappearedtobesittingdown。Themotor—busburstintofragmentsanditspassengershurtledthroughtheair,merehideouslumpsthathadbeenmenandwomen。Theheadofoneofthemcamedancingdownthepavementtowardsus,acigarstillstuckinthecornerofitsmouth。
"Yes,thisiswar,"saidOro。"Itmakesmeyoungagaintoseeit。Butdoesthiscityofyoursunderstand?"
Wewatchedawhile。Acrowdgathered。Policemenranup,ambulancescame。Theplacewascleared,andallthatwaslefttheycarriedaway。Afewminuteslateranothermanpassedbywithhisarmroundthewaistofanothergirl。Anothermotor—busrumbledup,and,avoidingtheholeintheroadway,travelledon,itsconductorkeepingakeenlook—outforfares。
Thestreetwasclearedbythepolice;theairshipcontinueditscourse,spawningbombsinthedistance,andvanished。Theincidentwasclosed。
"Letusgohome,"saidOro。"Ihaveseenenoughofyourgreatandwonderfulcity。IwouldrestinthequietofNyoandthink。"
ThenextthingthatIrememberwasthevoiceofBastin,saying:
"Ifyoudon’tmind,Arbuthnot,Iwishthatyouwouldgetup。
TheGlitteringLady(hestillcalledherthat)iscomingheretohaveatalkwithmewhichIshouldprefertobeprivate。Excusemefordisturbingyou,butyouhaveoversleptyourself;indeed,I
thinkitmustbenineo’clock,sofarasIcanjudgebythesun,formywatchisveryerraticnow,eversinceBickleytriedtocleanit。"
"Iamsorry,mydearfellow,"Isaidsleepily,"butdoyouknowIthoughtIwasinLondon——infact,IcouldswearthatIhavebeenthere。"
"Then,"interruptedBickley,whohadfollowedBastinintothehut,givingmethatdoubtfulglancewithwhichIwasnowfamiliar,"Iwishtogoodnessthatyouhadbroughtbackaneveningpaperwithyou。"
AnightortwolaterIwasagainsuddenlyawakenedtofeelthatOrowasapproaching。Heappearedlikeaghostinthebrightmoonlight,greetedme,andsaid:
"Tonight,Humphrey,wemustmakeanotherjourney。Iwouldvisittheseatofthewar。"
"Idonotwishtogo,"Isaidfeebly。
"Whatyouwishdoesnotmatter,"hereplied。"Iwishthatyoushouldgo,andthereforeyoumust。"
"Listen,Oro,"Iexclaimed。"Idonotlikethisbusiness;itseemsdangeroustome。"
"Thereisnodangerifyouareobedient,Humphrey。"
"Ithinkthereis。Idonotunderstandwhathappens。DoyoumakeuseofwhattheLadyYvacalledtheFourthDimension,sothatourbodiespassovertheseasandthroughmountains,likethevibrationsofourWireless,ofwhichIwasspeakingtoyou?"
"No,Humphrey。Thatmethodisgoodandeasy,butIdonotuseitbecauseifIdidweshouldbevisibleintheplaceswhichwevisit,sincetherealltheatomsthatmakeamanwouldcollecttogetheragainandbeaman。"
"What,then,doyoudo?"Iasked,exasperated。
"Man,Humphrey,isnotone;heismany。Thus,amongstotherthingshehasaDouble,whichcanseeandhear,ashecanintheflesh,ifitisseparatedfromtheflesh。"
"TheoldEgyptiansbelievedthat,"Isaid。
"Didthey?Doubtlesstheyinheritedtheknowledgefromus,theSonsofWisdom。Thecupofourlearningwassofullthat,keepitsecretaswewould,fromtimetotimesomeofitoverflowedamongthevulgar,anddoubtlessthusthelightofourknowledgestillburnsfeeblyintheworld。"
Ireflectedtomyselfthatwhatevermightbetheirothercharacteristics,theSonsofWisdomhadlostthatofmodesty,butIonlyaskedhowheusedhisDouble,supposingthatitexisted。
"Veryeasily,"heanswered。"Insleepitcanbedrawnfromthebodyandsentuponitsmissionbyonethatisitsmaster。"
"ThenwhileyouwereasleepforallthosethousandsofyearsyourDoublemusthavemademanyjourneys。"
"Perhaps,"herepliedquietly,"andmyspiritalso,whichisanotherpartofmethatmayhavedweltinthebodiesofothermen。Butunhappily,ifsoIforget,andthatiswhyIhavesomuchtolearnandmustevenmakeuseofsuchpoorinstrumentsasyou,Humphrey。"
"ThenifIsleepandyoudistilmyDoubleoutofme,Isupposethatyousleeptoo。InthatcasewhodistilsyourDoubleoutofyou,LordOro?"
Hegrewangryandanswered:
"Asknomorequestions,blindandignorantasyouare。Itisyourpartnottoexamine,buttoobey。Sleepnow,"andagainhewavedhishandoverme。
Inaninstant,asitseemed,wewerestandinginagreyoldtownthatIjudgedfromitsappearancemustbeeitherinnorthernFranceorBelgium。Itwasmuchshatteredbybombardment;thechurch,forinstance,wasaruin;alsomanyofthehouseshadbeenburnt。Now,however,nofiringwasgoingonforthetownhadbeentaken。ThestreetswerefullofarmedmenwearingtheGermanuniformandhelmet。Wepasseddownthemandwereabletoseeintothehouses。InsomeofthesewereGermansoldiersengagedinlootingandinotherthingssohorriblethateventheunmovedOroturnedawayhishead。
Wecametothemarket—place。ItwascrowdedwithGermantroops,alsowithagreatnumberoftheinhabitantsofthetown,mostofthemelderlymenandwomenwithchildren,whohadfallenintotheirpower。TheGermans,underthecommandofofficers,weredraggingthemenfromthearmsoftheirwivesandchildrentooneside,andwithrifle—buttsbeatingbackthescreamingwomen。AmongthemenInoticedtwoorthreepriestswhoweredoingtheirbesttosoothetheircompanionsandevengivingthemabsolutioninhurriedwhispers。
Atlengththeseparationwaseffected,whereonatahoarsewordofcommand,acompanyofsoldiersbegantofireatthemenandcontinueddoingsountilallhadfallen。Thenpettyofficerswentamongtheslaughteredandwithpistolsblewoutthebrainsofanywhostillmoved。
"Thesebutchers,yousay,areGermans?"askedOroofme。
"Yes,"Ianswered,sickwithhorror,forthoughIwasinthemindandnotinthebody,Icouldfeelastheminddoes。HadI
beeninthebodyalso,Ishouldhavefainted。
"Thenweneednotwastetimeinvisitingtheircountry。Itisenough;letusgoon。"
Wepassedoutintotheopenlandandcametoavillage。ItwasintheoccupationofGermancavalry。Twoofthemheldalittlegirlofnineorten,onebyherbody,theotherbyherrighthand。Anofficerstoodbetweenthemwithadrawnswordfrontingtheterrifiedchild。Hewasahorrible,coarse—facedmanwholookedtomeasthoughhehadbeendrinking。
"I’llteachtheyoungdeviltoshowusthewrongroadandletthoseFrenchswineescape,"heshouted,andstruckwiththesword。Thegirl’srighthandfelltotheground。
"WaraspractisedbytheGermans!"remarkedOro。Thenhestepped,orseemedtostepuptothemanandwhispered,orseemedtowhisper,inhisear。
Idonotknowwhattongueorwhatspiritspeechheused,orwhathesaid,butthebloated—facedbruteturnedpale。Yes,hedrewsickwithfear。
"Ithinktherearespiritsinthisplace,"hesaidwithaGermanoath。"IcouldhaveswornthatsomethingtoldmethatI
wasgoingtodie。Mount!"
TheUhlansmountedandbegantorideaway。
"Watch,"saidOro。
Ashespokeoutofadarkcloudappearedanaeroplane。ItspilotsawthebandofGermansbeneathanddroppedabomb。Theaimwasgood,forthemissileexplodedinthemidstofthem,causingagreatcloudofdustfromwhicharosethescreamsofmenandhorses。
"Comeandsee,"saidOro。
Wewerethere。Outofthecloudofdustappearedonemangallopingfuriously。Hewasayoungfellowwho,asInoted,hadturnedhisheadawayandhiddenhiseyeswithhishandwhenthehorrorwasdoneyonder。Alltheothersweredeadexcepttheofficerwhohadworkedthedeed。Hewasstillliving,butbothhishandsandoneofhisfeethadbeenblownaway。Presentlyhedied,screamingtoGodformercy。
Wepassedonandcametoabarnwithwidedoorsthatswungalittleinthewind,causingtherustedhingestoscreamlikeacreatureinpain。Oneachofthesedoorshungadeadmancrucified。Thehatofoneofthemlayupontheground,andIknewfromtheshapeofitthathewasaColonialsoldier。
"Didyounottellme,"saidOroaftersurveyingthem,"thattheseGermansareofyourChristianfaith?"
"Yes;andtheNameofGodisalwaysontheirruler’slips。"
"Ah!"hesaid,"IamgladthatIworshipFate。Bastinthepriestneedtroublemenomore。"
"ThereissomethingbehindFate,"Isaid,quotingBastinhimself。
"Perhaps。SoindeedIhavealwaysheld,butaftermuchstudyI
cannotunderstandthemannerofitsworking。Fateisenoughforme。"
Wewentonandcametoaflatcountrythatwaslinedwithditches,allofthemfullofmen,Germansononeside,EnglishandFrenchupontheother。Aterriblebombardmentshooktheearth,theshellsrainingupontheditches。PresentlythatfromtheEnglishgunsceasedandoutofthetrenchesinfrontofthemthousandsofmenwerevomited,whoranforwardthroughahailoffireinwhichscoresandhundredsfell,acrossanopenpieceofgroundthatwaspittedwithshellcraters。Theycametobarbedwiredefenses,orwhatremainedofthem,cutthewirewithnippersandpulleduptheposts。Thenthroughthegapstheysurgedin,shoutingandhurlinghandgrenades。TheyreachedtheGermantrenches,theyleaptintothemandfromthoseholesaroseahellishdin。Pistolswerefiredandeverywherebayonetsflashed。
Behindthemrushedahordeoflittle,dark—skinnedmen,Indianswhocarriedgreatknivesintheirhands。Thoseleaptoverthefirsttrenchandrunningonwithwildyells,divedintothesecond,thosewhowereleftofthem,andtherebeganhackingwiththeirknivesatthedefendersandthesoldierswhoworkedthespittingmaximguns。Intwentyminutesitwasover;thoselinesoftrenchesweretaken,andoncemorefromeithersidethegunsbegantoboom。
"Waragain,"saidOro,"clean,honestwar,suchasthegodI
callFatedecreesforman。Ihaveseenenough。NowIwouldvisitthosewhomyoucallTurks。IunderstandtheyhaveanotherworshipandperhapstheyarenoblerthantheseChristians。"
WecametoahillycountrywhichIrecognisedasArmenia,foronceItravelledthere,andstoppedonanseashore。HereweretheTurksinthousands。Theywereengagedindrivingbeforethemmobsofmen,womenandchildrenincountlessnumbers。Onandontheydrovethemtilltheyreachedtheshore。Theretheymassacredthemwithbayonets,withbullets,orbydrowning。Irememberadreadfulsceneofapoorwomanstandinguptoherwaistinthewater。Threechildrenwereclingingtoher——butIcannotgoon,reallyIcannotgoon。IntheendaTurkwadedoutandbayonetedherwhileshestrovetoprotectthelastlivingchildwithherpoorbodywhenceitsprang。
"These,Iunderstand,"saidOro,pointingtotheTurkishsoldiers,"worshipaprophetwhotheysayisthevoiceofGod。"
"Yes,"Ianswered,"andthereforetheymassacrethesewhoareChristiansbecausetheyworshipGodwithoutaprophet。"
"AndwhatdotheChristiansmassacreeachotherfor?"
"Powerandthewealthandterritoriesthatarepower。Thatis,theKingoftheGermanswishestoruletheworld,buttheotherNationsdonotdesirehisdominion。ThereforetheyfightforLibertyandJustice。"
"Asitwas,soitisandshallbe,"remarkedOro,"onlywiththisdifference。Intheoldworldsomewerewise,buthere——"andhestopped,hiseyesfixedupontheArmenianwomanstrugglinginherdeathagonywhilethemurdererdrownedherchild,thenadded:
"Letusgo。"
Ourroadranacrossthesea。OnitwesawashipsolargethatitattractedOro’sattention,andforonceheexpressedastonishment。
"Inmyday,"hesaid,"wehadnovesselsofthisgreatnessintheworld。Iwishtolookuponit。"
Welandedonthedeckoftheship,orratherthefloatingpalace,andexaminedher。Shecarriedmanypassengers,someEnglish,someAmerican,andIpointedouttoOrothedifferencesbetweenthetwopeoples。Thesewerenot,heremarked,verywideexceptthattheAmericanwomenworemorejewels,alsothatsomeoftheAmericanmen,towhomwelistenedastheyconversed,spokeofthegreatnessoftheircountry,whereastheEnglishmen,iftheysaidanythingconcerningit,belittledtheircountry。
Presently,onthesurfaceoftheseaatalittledistanceappearedsomethingstrange,asmallandominousobjectlikeacanonthetopofapole。Avoicecriedout"Submarine!"andeveryonenearrushedtolook。
"IfthoseGermanstryanyoftheirmonkeytricksonus,IguesstheUnitedStateswillgivethemhell,"saidanothervoicenearby。
Thenfromthedirectionofthepolewiththetincanonthetopofit,camesomethingwhichcausedadisturbanceinthesmoothwaterandbubblestoriseinitswake。
"Atorpedo!"criedsome。
"Shutyourmouth,"saidthevoice。"WhodaretorpedoavesselfullofthecitizensoftheUnitedStates?"
Nextcameaboomingcrashandafloodofupthrownwater,inthewashofwhichthatspeakerwascarriedawayintothedeep。Thenhorror!horror!horror!indescribable,asthemightyvesselwentwallowingtoherdoom。Boatslaunched;boatsoverset;boatsdraggedunderbyherrushthroughthewaterwhichcouldnotbestayed。Maddenedmenandwomenrunningtoandfro,theireyesstartingfromtheirheads,claspingchildren,fasteninglifebeltsovertheircostlygowns,orappearingfromtheircabins,theirhandsfilledwithjewelsthattheysoughttosave。Orderscriedfromhighplacesbystern—facedofficersdoingtheirdutytothelast。Andalittlewayoffthatthinpolewithatincanonthetopofitwatchingitswork。
Thentheplungeoftheenormousshipintothedeep,itshugescrewsstillwhirlingintheairandtheboomoftheburstingboilers。Lastlyeverythinggonesaveafewboatsfloatingonthequietseaandaroundthemdotsthatweretheheadsofstrugglinghumanbeings。
"Letusgohome,"saidOro。"IgrowtiredofthiswarofyourChristianpeoples。Itisnobetterthanthatofthebarbariannationsoftheearlyworld。Indeeditisworse,sincethenweworshippedFateandbutafewofushadwisdom。NowyouallclaimwisdomanddeclarethatyouworshipaGodofMercy。"
WiththesewordsstillringinginmyearsIwokeupupontheIslandofOrofena,filledwithterroratthehorriblepossibilitiesofnightmare。
Whatelsecoulditbe?Therewasthebrownandancientconeoftheextinctvolcano。Therewerethetallpalmsofthemainislandandthelakeglitteringinthesunlightbetween。TherewasBastinconductingakindofSundayschoolofOrofenansuponthepointoftheRockofOfferings,asnowhehadobtainedtheleaveofOrotodo。Therewasthemouthofthecave,andissuingfromitBickley,whobyhelpofoneofthehurricanelampshadbeenmakinganexaminationoftheburiedremainsofwhathesupposedtobeflyingmachines。Withoutdoubtitwasnightmare,andIwouldsaynothingtothemaboutitforfearofmockery。
YettwonightslaterOrocameagainandaftertheusualpreliminaries,said:
"Humphrey,thisnightwewillvisitthatmightyAmericannation,ofwhichyouhavetoldmesomuch,andtheotherNeutralCountries。
[AtthispointthereisagapinMr。Arbuthnot’sM。S。,soOro’sreflectionsontheNeutralNations,ifany,remainunrecorded。Itcontinues:]
OnourhomewardwaywepassedoverAustralia,makingadetourtodoso。OfthecitiesOrotooknoaccount。Hesaidthattheyweretoolargeandtoomany,butthecountryinterestedhimsomuchthatIgatheredhemusthavegivengreatattentiontoagricultureatsometimeinthepast。Hepointedouttomethattheclimatewasfine,andthelandsofertilethatwithapropersystemofirrigationandwater—storageitcouldsupporttensofmillionsandfeednotonlyitselfbutagreatpartoftheoutlyingworld。
"Butwherearethepeople?"heasked。"Outsideofthosehugehives,"andheindicatedthegreatcities,"Iseefewofthem,thoughdoubtlesssomeofthemenarefightinginthiswar。Well,inthedaystocomethismustberemedied。"
OverNewZealand,whichhefoundbeautiful,heshookhisheadforthesamereason。
OnanothernightwevisitedtheEast。Chinawithitsteemingmillionsinterestedhimextremely,partlybecausehedeclaredthesetobethedescendantsofoneofthebarbariannationsofhisownday。Hemadearemarktotheeffectthatthisracehadalwayspossessedpointsandcapacities,andthathethoughtthatwithpropergovernmentandinstructiontheirChineseoffspringwouldbeofuseinaregeneratedworld。
FortheJapaneseandallthattheyhaddoneintwoshortgenerations,hewentsofarastoexpressrealadmiration,averyrarethingwithOro,whowasbynaturecritical。Icouldseethatmentallyheputawhitemarkagainsttheirname。
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