THE WAR IN THE AIR

第12章

Didn’tyoufeelit？"

"Ifelteverything，"saidBert。"Ididn’tnoticeanyparticularsmash——"

"Theymusthavebeenprettydesperateiftheymeantit。Theyslasheddownonuslikeaknife;simplyrippedtheaftergas—chamberslikeguttingherrings，crumpleduptheenginesandscrew。Mostoftheenginesdroppedoffastheyfelloffus——orwe’dhavegrounded——buttherestissortofdangling。Wejustturnedupournosetotheheavensandstayedthere。Elevenmenrolledoffusfromvariouspoints，andpooroldWinterfeldfellthroughthedoorofthePrince’scabinintothechart—roomandbrokehisankle。Alsowegotourelectricgearshotorcarriedaway——nooneknowshow。That’stheposition，Smallways。We’redrivingthroughtheairlikeacommonaerostat，atthemercyoftheelements，almostduenorth——probablytotheNorthPole。Wedon’tknowwhataeroplanestheAmericanshave，oranythingatallaboutit。Verylikelywehavefinished’emup。Onefouledus，onewasstruckbylightning，someofthemensawathirdupset，apparentlyjustforfun。Theyweregoingcheapanyhow。Alsowe’velostmostofourdrachenflieger。Theyjustskatedoffintothenight。Nostabilityin’em。That’sall。Wedon’tknowifwe’vewonorlost。Wedon’tknowifwe’reatwarwiththeBritishEmpireyetoratpeace。Consequently，wedaren’tgetdown。Wedon’tknowwhatweareuptoorwhatwearegoingtodo。OurNapoleonisalone，forward，andIsupposehe’srearranginghisplans。WhetherNewYorkwasourMoscowornotremainstobeseen。We’vehadahigholdtimeandmurderednoendofpeople！War！Noblewar！I’msickofitthismorning。I

likesittinginroomsrightwayupandnotonslipperypartitions。

I’macivilisedman。IkeepthinkingofoldAlbrechtandtheBarbarossa……IfeelIwantawashandkindwordsandaquiethome。WhenIlookatyou，IKNOWIwantawash。Gott！"——hestifledavehementyawn——"WhataCockneytadpoleofaruffianyoulook！"

"Canwegetanygrub？"askedBert。

"Heavenknows！"saidKurt。

HemeditateduponBertforatime。"SofarasIcanjudge，Smallways，"hesaid，"thePrincewillprobablywanttothrowyouoverboard——nexttimehethinksofyou。Hecertainlywillifheseesyou……Afterall，youknow，youcamealsBallast……Andweshallhavetolightenshipextensivelyprettysoon。UnlessI’mmistaken，thePrincewillwakeuppresentlyandstartdoingthingswithtremendousvigour……I’vetakenafancytoyou。

It’stheEnglishstraininme。You’rearumlittlechap。I

shan’tlikeseeingyouwhizzdowntheair……You’dbettermakeyourselfuseful，Smallways。IthinkIshallrequisitionyouformysquad。You’llhavetowork，youknow，andbeinfernallyintelligentandallthat。Andyou’llhavetohangaboutupsidedownabit。Still，it’sthebestchanceyouhave。Weshan’tcarrypassengersmuchfartherthistrip，Ifancy。Ballastgoesover—board——ifwedon’twanttogroundprecioussoonandbetakenprisonersofwar。ThePrincewon’tdothatanyhow。He’llbegametothelast。"

Bymeansofafoldingchair，whichwasstillinitsplacebehindthedoor，theygottothewindowandlookedoutinturnandcontemplatedasparselywoodedcountrybelow，withnorailwaysnorroads，andonlyoccasionalsignsofhabitation。Thenabuglesounded，andKurtinterpreteditasasummonstofood。Theygotthroughthedoorandclamberedwithsomedifficultyupthenearlyverticalpassage，holdingondesperatelywithtoesandfinger—tips，totheventilatingperforationsinitsfloor。Themessstewardshadfoundtheirfirelessheatingarrangementsintact，andtherewashotcocoafortheofficersandhotsoupforthemen。

Bert’ssenseofthequeernessofthisexperiencewassokeenthatitblottedoutanyfearhemighthavefelt。Indeed，hewasfarmoreinterestednowthanafraid。Heseemedtohavetoucheddowntothebottomoffearandabandonmentovernight。Hewasgrowingaccustomedtotheideathathewouldprobablybekilledpresently，thatthisstrangevoyageintheairwasinallprobabilityhisdeathjourney。Nohumanbeingcankeeppermanentlyafraid:feargoesatlasttothebackofone’smind，accepted，andshelved，anddonewith。Hesquattedoverhissoup，soppingitupwithhisbread，andcontemplatedhiscomrades。

Theywereallratheryellowanddirty，withfour—daybeards，andtheygroupedthemselvesinthetired，unpremeditatedmannerofmenonawreck。Theytalkedlittle。Thesituationperplexedthembeyondanysuggestionofideas。Threehadbeenhurtinthepitchingupoftheshipduringthefight，andonehadabandagedbulletwound。Itwasincrediblethatthislittlebandofmenhadcommittedmurderandmassacreonascalebeyondprecedent。Noneofthemwhosquattedontheslopinggas—paddedpartition，soupmuginhand，seemedreallyguiltyofanythingofthesort，seemedreallycapableofhurtingadogwantonly。Theywereallsomanifestlybuiltforhomelychaletsonthesolidearthandcarefullytilledfieldsandblondwivesandcheerymerrymaking。

Thered—faced，sturdymanwithlighteyelasheswhohadbroughtthefirstnewsoftheairbattletothemen’smesshadfinishedhissoup，andwithanexpressionofmaternalsolicitudewasreadjustingthebandagesofayoungsterwhosearmhadbeensprained。

Bertwascrumblingthelastofhisbreadintothelastofhissoup，ekingitoutaslongaspossible，whensuddenlyhebecameawarethateveryonewaslookingatapairoffeetthatweredanglingacrossthedownturnedopendoorway。Kurtappearedandsquattedacrossthehinge。Insomemysteriouswayhehadshavedhisfaceandsmootheddownhislightgoldenhair。Helookedextraordinarilycherubic。"DerPrinz，"hesaid。

Asecondpairofbootsfollowed，makingwideandmagnificentgesturesintheirattemptstofeelthedoorframe。Kurtguidedthemtoafoothold，andthePrince，shavedandbrushedandbeeswaxedandcleanandbigandterrible，sliddownintopositionastrideofthedoor。AllthemenandBertalsostoodupandsaluted。

ThePrincesurveyedthemwiththegestureofamanwhositeasteed。TheheadoftheKapitanappearedbesidehim。

ThenBerthadaterriblemoment。TheblueblazeofthePrince’seyefelluponhim，thegreatfingerpointed，aquestionwasasked。Kurtintervenedwithexplanations。

"So，"saidthePrince，andBertwasdisposedof。

ThenthePrinceaddressedthemeninshort，heroicsentences，steadyinghimselfonthehingewithonehandandwavingtheotherinafinevarietyofgesture。WhathesaidBertcouldnottell，butheperceivedthattheirdemeanorchanged，theirbacksstiffened。TheybegantopunctuatethePrince’sdiscoursewithcriesofapproval。Attheendtheirleaderburstintosongandallthemenwithhim。"EinfesteBurgistunserGott，"theychantedindeep，strongtones，withanimmensemoraluplifting。

Itwasglaringlyinappropriateinadamaged，half—overturned，andsinkingairship，whichhadbeendisabledandblownoutofactionafterinflictingthecruellestbombardmentintheworld’shistory;butitwasimmenselystirringnevertheless。Bertwasdeeplymoved。HecouldnotsinganyofthewordsofLuther’sgreathymn，butheopenedhismouthandemittedloud，deep，andpartiallyharmoniousnotes……

Farbelow，thisdeepchantingstruckontheearsofalittlecampofChristianisedhalf—breedswhowerelumbering。Theywerebreakfasting，buttheyrushedoutcheerfully，quitepreparedfortheSecondAdvent。TheystaredattheshatteredandtwistedVaterlanddrivingbeforethegale，amazedbeyondwords。InsomanyrespectsitwasliketheirideaoftheSecondAdvent，andthenagaininsomanyrespects，itwasn’t。Theystaredatitspassage，awe—strickenandperplexedbeyondtheirpowerofwords。

Thehymnceased。Thenafteralongintervalavoicecameoutofheaven。"Vatiddissblaceheregalleditself;vat？"

Theymadenoanswer。Indeedtheydidnotunderstand，thoughthequestionrepeateditself。

Andatlastthemonsterdroveawaynorthwardoveracrestofpinewoodsandwasnomoreseen。Theyfellintoahotandlongdisputation……

Thehymnended。ThePrince’slegsdangledupthepassageagain，andeveryonewasbrisklypreparedforheroicexertionandtriumphantacts。"Smallways！"criedKurt，"comehere！"

ThenBertunderKurt’sdirection，hadhisfirstexperienceoftheworkofanair—sailor。

TheimmediatetaskbeforethecaptainoftheVaterlandwasaverysimpleone。Hehadtokeepafloat。Thewind，thoughithadfallenfromitsearlierviolence，wasstillblowingstronglyenoughtorenderthegroundingofsoclumsyamassextremelydangerous，evenifithadbeendesirableforthePrincetolandininhabitedcountry，andsoriskcapture。Itwasnecessarytokeeptheairshipupuntilthewindfellandthen，ifpossible，todescendinsomelonelydistrictoftheTerritorywheretherewouldbeachanceofrepairorrescuebysomesearchingconsort。

Inordertodothisweighthadtobedropped，andKurtwasdetailedwithadozenmentoclimbdownamongthewreckageofthedeflatedair—chambersandcutthestuffclear，portionbyportion，astheairshipsank。SoBert，armedwithasharpcutlass，foundhimselfclamberingaboutuponnettingfourthousandfeetupintheair，tryingtounderstandKurtwhenhespokeinEnglishandtodivinehimwhenheusedGerman。

Itwasgiddywork，butnotnearlysogiddyasaratherovernourishedreadersittinginawarmroommightimagine。Bertfounditquitepossibletolookdownandcontemplatethewildsub—arcticlandscapebelow，nowdevoidofanysignofhabitation，alandofrockycliffsandcascadesandbroadswirlingdesolaterivers，andoftreesandthicketsthatgrewmorestuntedandscrubbyasthedayworeon。Hereandthereonthehillswerepatchesandpocketsofsnow。Andoverallthisheworked，hackingawayatthetoughandslipperyoiledsilkandclingingstoutlytothenetting。Presentlytheyclearedanddroppedatangleofbentsteelrodsandwiresfromtheframe，andabigchunkofsilkbladder。Thatwastrying。Theairshipflewupatonceasthisloosehamperparted。ItseemedalmostasthoughtheyweredroppingallCanada。Thestuffspreadoutintheairandfloateddownandhitandtwistedupinanastyfashiononthelipofagorge。Bertclunglikeafrozenmonkeytohisropesanddidnotmoveamuscleforfiveminutes。

Buttherewassomethingveryexhilarating，hefound，inthisdangerouswork，andaboveeverythingelse，therewasthesenseoffellowship。Hewasnolongeranisolatedanddistrustfulstrangeramongtheseothers，hehadnowacommonobjectwiththem，heworkedwithafriendlyrivalrytogetthroughwithhissharebeforethem。AndhedevelopedagreatrespectandaffectionforKurt，whichhadhithertobeenonlylatentinhim。

Kurtwithajobtodirectwasaltogetheradmirable;hewasresourceful，helpful，considerate，swift。Heseemedtobeeverywhere。Oneforgothispinkness，hislightcheerfulnessofmanner。Directlyonehadtroublehewasathandwithsoundandconfidentadvice。Hewaslikeanelderbrothertohismen。

Alltogethertheyclearedthreeconsiderablechunksofwreckage，andthenBertwasgladtoclamberupintothecabinsagainandgiveplacetoasecondsquad。Heandhiscompanionsweregivenhotcoffee，andindeed，evenglovedastheywere，thejobhadbeenacoldone。Theysatdrinkingitandregardingeachotherwithsatisfaction。OnemanspoketoBertamiablyinGerman，andBertnoddedandsmiled。ThroughKurt，Bert，whoseankleswerealmostfrozen，succeededingettingapairoftop—bootsfromoneofthedisabledmen。

Intheafternoonthewindabatedgreatly，andsmall，infrequentsnowflakescamedriftingby。Snowalsospreadmoreabundantlybelow，andtheonlytreeswereclumpsofpineandspruceinthelowervalleys。Kurtwentwiththreemenintothestillintactgas—chambers，letoutacertainquantityofgasfromthem，andpreparedaseriesofrippingpanelsforthedescent。Alsotheresidueofthebombsandexplosivesinthemagazinewerethrownoverboardandfell，detonatingloudly，inthewildernessbelow。

Andaboutfouro’clockintheafternoonuponawideandrockyplainwithinsightofsnow—crestedcliffs，theVaterlandrippedandgrounded。

Itwasnecessarilyadifficultandviolentaffair，fortheVaterlandhadnotbeenplannedforthenecessitiesofaballoon。

Thecaptaingotonepanelrippedtoosoonandtheothersnotsoonenough。Shedroppedheavily，bouncedclumsily，andsmashedthehanginggalleryintothefore—part，mortallyinjuringVonWinterfeld，andthencamedowninacollapsingheapafterdraggingforsomemoments。Theforwardshieldanditsmachineguntumbledinuponthethingsbelow。Twomenwerehurtbadly——

onegotabrokenlegandonewasinternallyinjured——byflyingrodsandwires，andBertwaspinnedforatimeundertheside。

Whenatlasthegotclearandcouldtakeaviewofthesituation，thegreatblackeaglethathadstartedsosplendidlyfromFranconiasixeveningsago，sprawleddeflatedoverthecabinsoftheairshipandthefrost—bittenrocksofthisdesolateplaceandlookedamostunfortunatebird——asthoughsomeonehadcaughtitandwrungitsneckandcastitaside。Severalofthecrewoftheairshipwerestandingaboutinsilence，contemplatingthewreckageandtheemptywildernessintowhichtheyhadfallen。

Otherswerebusyundertheimromptutentmadebytheemptygas—chambers。ThePrincehadgonealittlewayoffandwasscrutinisingthedistantheightsthroughhisfield—glass。Theyhadtheappearanceofoldseacliffs;hereandthereweresmallclumpsofconifers，andintwoplacestallcascades。ThenearergroundwasstrewnwithglaciatedbouldersandsupportednothingbutastuntedAlpinevegetationofcompactclusteringstemsandstalklessflowers。Noriverwasvisible，buttheairwasfulloftherushandbabbleofatorrentcloseathand。Ableakandbitingwindwasblowing。Everandagainasnowflakedriftedpast。ThespringlessfrozenearthunderBert’sfeetfeltstrangelydeadandheavyafterthebuoyantairship。

SoitcameaboutthatthatgreatandpowerfulPrinceKarlAlbertwasforatimethrustoutofthestupendousconflicthechieflyhadbeeninstrumentalinprovoking。ThechancesofbattleandtheweatherconspiredtomaroonhiminLabrador，andthereheragedforsixlongdays，whilewarandwonderswepttheworld。

Nationroseagainstnationandair—fleetgrappledair—fleet，citiesblazedandmendiedinmultitudes;butinLabradoronemighthavedreamtthat，exceptforalittlenoiseofhammering，theworldwasatpeace。

Theretheencampmentlay;fromadistancethecabins，hoveredoverwiththesilkoftheballoonpart，lookedlikeagipsy’stentonaratherexceptionalscale，andalltheavailablehandswerebusyinbuildingoutofthesteeloftheframeworkamastfromwhichtheVaterland’selectriciansmighthangthelongconductorsoftheapparatusforwirelesstelegraphythatwastolinkthePrincetotheworldagain。Thereweretimeswhenitseemedtheywouldneverrigthatmast。Fromtheoutsetthepartysufferedhardship。Theywerenottooabundantlyprovisioned，andtheywereputonshortrations，andforallthethickgarmentstheyhad，theywerebutill—equippedagainstthepiercingwindandinhospitableviolenceofthiswilderness。Thefirstnightwasspentindarknessandwithoutfires。Theenginesthathadsuppliedpowerweresmashedanddroppedfarawaytothesouth，andtherewasneveramatchamongthecompany。Ithadbeendeathtocarrymatches。Alltheexplosiveshadbeenthrownoutofthemagazine，anditwasonlytowardsmorningthatthebird—facedmanwhosecabinBerthadtakeninthebeginningconfessedtoabraceofduellingpistolsandcartridges，withwhichafirecouldbestarted。Afterwardsthelockersofthemachinegunwerefoundtocontainasupplyofunusedammunition。

Thenightwasadistressingoneandseemedalmostinterminable。

Hardlyanyoneslept。Thereweresevenwoundedmenaboard，andVonWinterfeld’sheadhadbeeninjured，andhewasshiveringandindelirium，strugglingwithhisattendantandshoutingstrangethingsabouttheburningofNewYork。Themencrepttogetherinthemess—roominthedarkling，wrappedinwhattheycouldfindanddrankcocoafromthefirelessheatersandlistenedtohiscries。InthemorningthePrincemadethemaspeechaboutDestiny，andtheGodofhisFathersandthepleasureandgloryofgivingone’slifeforhisdynasty，andanumberofsimilarconsiderationsthatmightotherwisehavebeenneglectedinthatbleakwilderness。Themencheeredwithoutenthusiasm，andfarawayawolfhowled。

Thentheysettowork，andforaweektheytoiledtoputupamastofsteel，andhangfromitagridironofcopperwirestwohundredfeetbytwelve。Thethemeofallthattimewaswork，workcontinually，strainingandtoilsomework，andalltherestwasgrimhardshipandevilchances，saveforacertainwildsplendourinthesunsetandsunriseinthetorrentsanddriftingweather，inthewildernessaboutthem。Theybuiltandtendedaringofperpetualfires，gangsroamedforbrushwoodandmetwithwolves，andthewoundedmenandtheirbedswerebroughtoutfromtheairshipcabins，andputinsheltersaboutthefires。ThereoldVonWinterfeldravedandbecamequietandpresentlydied，andthreeoftheotherwoundedsickenedforwantofgoodfood，whiletheirfellowsmended。Thesethingshappened，asitwere，inthewings;thecentralfactsbeforeBert’sconsciousnesswerealwaysfirstlytheperpetualtoil，theholdingandlifting，andluggingatheavyandclumsymasses，thetediousfilingandwindingofwires，andsecondly，thePrince，urgentandthreateningwheneveramanrelaxed。Hewouldstandoverthem，andpointovertheirheads，southwardintotheemptysky。"Theworldthere，"hesaidinGerman，"iswaitingforus！FiftyCenturiescometotheirConsummation。"Bertdidnotunderstandthewords，buthereadthegesture。SeveraltimesthePrincegrewangry;oncewithamanwhowasworkingslowly，oncewithamanwhostoleacomrade’sration。Thefirsthescoldedandsettoamoretedioustask;thesecondhestruckinthefaceandill—used。Hedidnoworkhimself。Therewasaclearspacenearthefiresinwhichhewouldwalkupanddown，sometimesfortwohourstogether，witharmsfolded，mutteringtohimselfofPatienceandhisdestiny。

Attimesthesemutteringsbrokeoutintorhetoric，intoshoutsandgesturesthatwouldarresttheworkers;theywouldstareathimuntiltheyperceivedthathisblueeyesglaredandhiswavinghandaddresseditselfalwaystothesouthwardhills。OnSundaytheworkceasedforhalfanhour，andthePrincepreachedonfaithandGod’sfriendshipforDavid，andafterwardstheyallsang:"EinfesteBurgistunserGott。"

InanimprovisedhovellayVonWinterfeld，andallonemorningheravedofthegreatnessofGermany。"BlutundEisen！"heshouted，andthen，asifinderision，"Welt—Politik——ha，ha！"Thenhewouldexplaincomplicatedquestionsofpolitytoimaginaryhearers，inlow，wilytones。Theothersickmenkeptstill，listeningtohim。Bert’sdistractedattentionwouldberecalledbyKurt。"Smallways，takethatend。So！"

Slowly，tediously，thegreatmastwasriggedandhoistedfootbyfootintoplace。Theelectricianshadcontrivedacatchmentpoolandawheelinthetorrentcloseathand——forthelittleMulhausendynamowithitsturbinalvoluteusedbythetelegraphistswasquiteadaptabletowaterdriving，andonthesixthdayintheeveningtheapparatuswasinworkingorderandthePrincewascalling——weakly，indeed，butcalling——tohisair—fleetacrosstheemptyspacesoftheworld。Foratimehecalledunheeded。

TheeffectofthateveningwastolingerlonginBert’smemory。

Aredfiresplutteredandblazedclosebytheelectriciansattheirwork，andredgleamsxanuptheverticalsteelmastandthreadsofcopperwiretowardsthezenith。ThePrincesatonarockcloseby，withhischinonhishand，waiting。BeyondandtothenorthwardwasthecairnthatcoveredVonWinterfeld，surmountedbyacrossofsteel，andfromamongthetumbledrocksinthedistancetheeyesofawolfgleamedredly。Ontheotherhandwasthewreckageofthegreatairshipandthemenbivouackedaboutasecondruddyflare。Theywereallkeepingverystill，asifwaitingtohearwhatnewsmightpresentlybegiventhem。Faraway，acrossmanyhundredsofmilesofdesolation，otherwirelessmastswouldbeclicking，andsnapping，andwakingintoresponsivevibration。Perhapstheywerenot。Perhapsthosethrobsupontheetherz。wastedthemselvesuponaregardlessworld。Whenthemenspoke，theyspokeinlowtones。Nowandthenabirdshriekedremotely，andonceawolfhowled。Allthesethingsweresetintheimmensecoldspaciousnessofthewild。

Bertgotthenewslast，andchieflyinbrokenEnglish，fromalinguistamonghismates。Itwasonlyfaroninthenightthatthewearytelegraphistgotananswertohiscalls，butthenthemessagescameclearandstrong。Andsuchnewsitwas！

"Isay，"saidBertathisbreakfast，amidstagreatclamour，"tellusabit。"

"Alldevorltisatvor！"saidthelinguist，wavinghiscocoainanillustrativemanner，"alldevorltisatvor！"

Bertstaredsouthwardintothedawn。Itdidnotseemso。

"Alldevorltisatvor！Theyhafburn’Berlin;theyhafburn’

London;theyhafburn’HamburgandParis。ChapanhassburnSanFrancisco。WehafmateacampatNiagara。Datiswhadtheyaretellingus。Chinahascotdrachenfliegerandluftschiffebeyontcounting。Alldevorltisatvor！"

"GawI"saidBert。

"Yess，"saidthelinguist，drinkinghiscocoa。

"BurntupLondon，’avethey？LikewedidNewYork？"

"Itwassabombardment。"

"Theydon’tsayanythingaboutaplacecalledClapham，orBunHill，dothey？"

"Ihafheardnoding，"saidthelinguist。

ThatwasallBertcouldgetforatime。Buttheexcitementofallthemenabouthimwascontagious，andpresentlyhesawKurtstandingalone，handsbehindhim，andlookingatoneofthedistantwaterfallsverysteadfastly。Hewentupandsaluted，soldier—fashion。"Begpardon，lieutenant，"hesaid。

Kurtturnedhisface。Itwasunusuallygravethatmorning。"I

wasjustthinkingIwouldliketoseethatwaterfallcloser，"hesaid。"Itremindsme——whatdoyouwant？"

"Ican’tmake’eadortailofwhatthey’resaying，sir。Wouldyoumindtellingmethenews？"

"Damnthenews，"saidKurt。"You’llgetnewsenoughbeforetheday’sout。It’stheendoftheworld。They’resendingtheGrafZeppelinforus。She’llbeherebythemorning，andweoughttobeatNiagara——oreternalsmash——withineightandfortyhours……

Iwanttolookatthatwaterfall。You’dbettercomewithme。

Haveyouhadyourrations？"

"Yessir。"

"Verywell。Come。"

Andmusingprofoundly，Kurtledthewayacrosstherockstowardsthedistantwaterfall。

ForatimeBertwalkedbehindhiminthecharacterofanescort;

thenastheypassedoutoftheatmosphereoftheencampment，Kurtlaggedforhimtocomealongside。

"Weshallbebackinitallintwodays’time，"hesaid。"Andit’sadevilofawartogobackto。That’sthenews。Theworld’sgonemad。OurfleetbeattheAmericansthenightwegotdisabled，that’sclear。Welosteleven——elevenairshipscertain，andalltheiraeroplanesgotsmashed。Godknowshowmuchwesmashedorhowmanywekilled。Butthatwasonlythebeginning。

Ourstart’sbeenlikefiringamagazine。Everycountrywashidingflying—machines。They’refightingintheairalloverEurope——allovertheworld。TheJapaneseandChinesehavejoinedin。That’sthegreatfact。That’sthesupremefact。They’vepouncedintoourlittlequarrels……TheYellowPerilwasaperilafterall！They’vegotthousandsofairships。They’reallovertheworld。WebombardedLondonandParis，andnowtheFrenchandEnglishhavesmashedupBerlin。AndnowAsiaisatusall，andonthetopofusall……It’smania。Chinaonthetop。Andtheydon’tknowwheretostop。It’slimitless。It’sthelastconfusion。They’rebombardingcapitals，smashingupdockyardsandfactories，minesandfleets。"

"DidtheydomuchtoLondon，sir？"askedBert。

"Heavenknows……"

Hesaidnomoreforatime。

"ThisLabradorseemsaquietplace，"heresumedatlast。"I’mhalfamindtostayhere。Can’tdothat。No！I’vegottoseeitthrough。I’vegottoseeitthrough。You’vegotto，too。

Everyone……Butwhy？……Itellyou——ourworld’sgonetopieces。

There’snowayoutofit，nowayback。Hereweare！We’relikemicecaughtinahouseonfire，we’relikecattleovertakenbyaflood。Presentlyweshallbepickedup，andbackweshallgointothefighting。Weshallkillandsmashagain——perhaps。It’saChino—Japaneseair—fleetthistime，andtheoddsareagainstus。Ourturnswillcome。WhatwillhappentoyouIdon’tknow，butformyself，Iknowquitewell;Ishallbekilled。"

"You’llbeallright，"saidBert，afteraqueerpause。

"No！"saidKurt，"I’mgoingtobekilled。Ididn’tknow，itbefore，butthismorning，atdawn，Iknewit—asthoughI’dbeentold。"

"’Ow？"

"ItellyouIknow。"

"But’owCOULDyouknow？"

"Iknow。"

"Likebeingtold？"

"Likebeingcertain。

"Iknow，"herepeated，andforatimetheywalkedinsilencetowardsthewaterfall。

Kurt，wrappedinhisthoughts，walkedheedlessly，andatlastbrokeoutagain。"I’vealwaysfeltyoungbefore，Smallways，butthismorningIfeelold——old。Soold！Nearertodeaththanoldmenfeel。AndI’vealways。thoughtlifewasalark。Itisn’t……

Thissortofthinghasalwaysbeenhappening，Isuppose——thesethings，warsandearthquakes，thatsweepacrossallthedecencyoflife。It’sjustasthoughIhadwokeuptoitallforthefirsttime。EverynightsincewewereatNewYorkI’vedreamtofit……Andit’salwaysbeenso——it’sthewayoflife。Peoplearetornawayfromthepeopletheycarefor;homesaresmashed，creaturesfulloflife，andmemories，andlittlepeculiargiftsarescaldedandsmashed，andtorntopieces，andstarved，andspoilt。London！Berlin！SanFrancisco！ThinkofallthehumanhistoriesweendedinNewYork！……Andtheothersgoonagainasthoughsuchthingsweren’tpossible。AsIwenton！Likeanimals！

Justlikeanimals。"

Hesaidnothingforalongtime，andthenhedroppedout，"ThePrinceisalunatic！"

Theycametoaplacewheretheyhadtoclimb，andthentoalongpeatlevelbesiderivulet。ThereaquantityofdelicatelittlepinkflowerscaughtBert’seye。"Gaw！"hesaid，andstoopedtopickone。"Inaplacelikethis。"

Kurtstoppedandhalfturned。Hisfacewinced。

"Ineverseesuchaflower，"saidBert。"It’ssodelicate。"

"Picksomemoreifyouwantto，"saidKurt。

Bertdidso，whileKurtstoodandwatchedhim。

"Funny’owonealwayswantstopickflowers，"saidBert。

Kurthadnothingtoaddtothat。

Theywentonagain，withouttalking，foralongtime。

Atlasttheycametoarockyhummock，fromwhichtheviewofthewaterfallopenedout。ThereKurtstoppedandseatedhimselfonarock。

"That’sasmuchasIwantedtosee，"heexplained。"Itisn’tverylike，butit’slikeenough。"

"Likewhat？"

"AnotherwaterfallIknew。"

Heaskedaquestionabruptly。"Gotagirl，Smallways？"

"Funnything，"saidBert，"thoseflowers，Isuppose。——Iwasjes’

thinkingof’er。"

"SowasI。"

"WHAT！Edna？"

"No。IwasthinkingofMYEdna。We’veallgotEdnas，Isuppose，forourimaginationstoplayabout。Thiswasagirl。Butallthat’spastforever。It’shardtothinkIcan’tseeherjustforaminute——justletherknowI’mthinkingofher。"

"Verylikely，"saidBert，"you’llsee’erallright。"

"No，"saidKurtwithdecision，"IKNOW。"

"Imether，"hewenton，"inaplacelikethis——intheAlps——EngstlenAlp。There’sawaterfallratherlikethisone——abroadwaterfalldowntowardsInnertkirchen。That’swhyIcameherethismorning。Weslippedawayandhadhalfadaytogetherbesideit。Andwepickedflowers。Justsuchflowersasyoupicked。ThesameforallIknow。Andgentian。"

"Iknow"saidBert，"meandEdna——wedonethingslikethat。

Flowers。Andallthat。Seemsyearsoffnow。"

"Shewasbeautifulanddaringandshy，MeinGott！IcanhardlyholdmyselfforthedesiretoseeherandhearhervoiceagainbeforeIdie。Whereisshe？……Lookhere，Smallways，Ishallwriteasortofletter——Andthere’sherportrait。"Hetouchedhisbreastpocket。

"You’llsee’eragainallright，"saidBert。