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。
