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。\"
4
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！\"
5
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。
6
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。
7
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。