Part 9 (2/2)

”Unfortunately,” said Yeovil, ”we have to travel with them, as partners in the same State concern, and not by any means the predominant partner either.”

”Oh, that will soon right itself,” said the other with loud a.s.sertiveness, ”that will right itself d.a.m.n soon.”

”Nothing in politics rights itself,” said Yeovil; ”things have to be righted, which is a different matter.”

”What d'y'mean?” said the fisherman, who did not like to have his a.s.sertions taken up and shaken into shape.

”We have given a clever and domineering people a chance to plant themselves down as masters in our land; I don't imagine that they are going to give us an easy chance to push them out. To do that we shall have to be a little cleverer than they are, a little harder, a little fiercer, and a good deal more self-sacrificing than we have been in my lifetime or in yours.”

”We'll be that, right enough,” said the fisherman; ”we mean business this time. The last war wasn't a war, it was a snap. We weren't prepared and they were. That won't happen again, bless you. I know what I'm talking about. I go up and down the country, and I hear what people are saying.”

Yeovil privately doubted if he ever heard anything but his own opinions.

”It stands to reason,” continued the fisherman, ”that a highly civilised race like ours, with the record that we've had for leading the whole world, is not going to be held under for long by a lot of d.a.m.ned sausage- eating Germans. Don't you believe it! I know what I'm talking about.

I've travelled about the world a bit.”

Yeovil shrewdly suspected that the world travels amounted to nothing more than a trip to the United States and perhaps the Channel Islands, with, possibly, a week or fortnight in Paris.

”It isn't the past we've got to think of, it's the future,” said Yeovil.

”Other maritime Powers had pasts to look back on; Spain and Holland, for instance. The past didn't help them when they let their sea-sovereignty slip from them. That is a matter of history and not very distant history either.”

”Ah, that's where you make a mistake,” said the other; ”our sea-sovereignty hasn't slipped from us, and won't do, neither. There's the British Empire beyond the seas; Canada, Australia, New Zealand, East Africa.”

He rolled the names round his tongue with obvious relish.

”If it was a list of first-cla.s.s battles.h.i.+ps, and armoured cruisers and destroyers and airs.h.i.+ps that you were reeling off, there would be some comfort and hope in the situation,” said Yeovil; ”the loyalty of the colonies is a splendid thing, but it is only pathetically splendid because it can do so little to recover for us what we've lost. Against the Zeppelin air fleet, and the Dreadnought sea squadrons and the new Gelberhaus cruisers, the last word in maritime mobility, of what avail is loyal devotion plus half-a-dozen wars.h.i.+ps, one keel to ten, scattered over one or two ocean coasts?”

”Ah, but they'll build,” said the fisherman confidently; ”they'll build.

They're only waiting to enlarge their dockyard accommodation and get the right cla.s.s of artificers and engineers and workmen together. The money will be forthcoming somehow, and they'll start in and build.”

”And do you suppose,” asked Yeovil in slow bitter contempt, ”that the victorious nation is going to sit and watch and wait till the defeated foe has created a new war fleet, big enough to drive it from the seas? Do you suppose it is going to watch keel added to keel, gun to gun, airs.h.i.+p to airs.h.i.+p, till its preponderance has been wiped out or even threatened?

That sort of thing is done once in a generation, not twice. Who is going to protect Australia or New Zealand while they enlarge their dockyards and hangars and build their dreadnoughts and their airs.h.i.+ps?”

”Here's my station and I'm not sorry,” said the fisherman, gathering his tackle together and rising to depart; ”I've listened to you long enough.

You and me wouldn't agree, not if we was to talk all day. Fact is, I'm an out-and-out patriot and you're only a half-hearted one. That's what you are, half-hearted.”

And with that parting shot he left the carriage and lounged heavily down the platform, a patriot who had never handled a rifle or mounted a horse or pulled an oar, but who had never flinched from demolis.h.i.+ng his country's enemies with his tongue.

”England has never had any lack of patriots of that type,” thought Yeovil sadly; ”so many patriots and so little patriotism.”

CHAPTER XIII: TORYWOOD

<script>