[begin page 472]

In Merlin’s Cave—Clarence and I, and fifty-two fresh, bright, well educated, clean-minded young BritishⒶemendation boys. At dawn I sent an orderⒶalteration in the MS to the factories, and to all our great works, to stop operations and remove all life to a safe distance, as everything was going to be blown up,Ⓐalteration in the MS by secret mines, “and no telling at what moment— therefore, Ⓐalteration in the MS vacate at once.” ThoseⒶrejected substantive people knew me, and had confidence in my word. They would clear out without waiting to part their hair, and I could take my own time about dating the explosion. You couldn’t hire one of them to go back during the century, if the explosion was still impending.

We had a week of waiting. It was not dull for me, because I was writing all the time. During the first three days, I finishedⒶalteration in the MS turning my old diary into this narrative form; it only required a chapter or so to bring it down to date. The rest of the week I took up in writing letters to my wife. It was always my habit to write to Sandy every day, wheneverⒶalteration in the MS we were separate, and now I kept up the habit for love of it and herⒶrejected substantive Ⓐtextual note, though I couldn’t do anything with the letters of [begin page 473] course after I had written them. But it put in the time, you see, and was almost likeⒶalteration in the MS talking; it was almost as if I was saying, “Sandy, if you and Hello-Central were here in the cave, instead of only your photographs, whatⒶalteration in the MS good times we could have!” And then, you know, I could imagine the baby goo-gooing something out in reply, with its fists in its mouth, and itself stretched across its mother’s lap on its back, and she a-laughing and admiring and worshiping, and now and then tickling under the baby’s chin to set it cackling, and then maybe throwing in a word of answer to me herself—and so-on and so-onⒶalteration in the MS—well, don’t you know, I could sit there in the cave with my pen, and keep it up, that way, by the hour with them. Why, it was almost like having us all together again.

I had spies out, every night, of course, to get news. Every report made things look more and more impressive.Ⓐalteration in the MS The hosts were gathering, gathering; down all the roads and paths of England the knights were riding; and priests rode with them, to hearten these original Crusaders, this being the Church’s war. All the nobilities, big and little, were on their way, and all the gentry.Ⓐalteration in the MS This was all as was expected. We should thinⒶalteration in the MS out this sort of folk to such a degree that the people would have nothing to do but just step to the front with their RepublicⒶemendation Ⓐalteration in the MS and—

Ah, what a donkey I was! Toward the end of the week, I began to get this large and disenchanting fact through my head: that the mass of the nation had swung their caps and shouted for the RepublicⒶemendation for about one day, and there an end! The Church, the nobles and the gentry then turned one grand all-disapproving frown upon them and shriveledⒶalteration in the MS them into sheep! From that moment the sheep had begun to gather to the fold—that is to say, the camps—and offer their valueless lives and their valuable wool to the “righteous cause.” Why, even the very men who had lately been slaves were in the “righteous cause,” and glorifying it, praying for itⒶalteration in the MS, sentimentally slobberingⒶrejected substantive over it, just like all the other commoners. Imagine such human muckⒶemendation as this; conceive of this folly!

Yes, it was now “Death to the Republic!” everywhere—not a dissenting voice. All England was marching against us! Truly this was more than I had bargained for.Ⓐalteration in the MS

I watched my fifty-two boys narrowly; watched their faces, their walk, their unconscious attitudes: for all these are a language—a [begin page 474]

language given us purposely that it may betray us in times of emergency, when we have secrets which we want to keep. I knew that that thought would keep saying itself over and over again in their minds and hearts, All England is marching against us! and ever moreⒶemendation Ⓐrejected substantive strenuously imploring attention with each repetition, ever more sharply realizing itself to their imaginations, until even in their sleep they would find no rest from it, but hear the vague and flitting creatures of their dreams say, All England—all England!— is Ⓐalteration in the MS marching against you! I knew all this would happen; I knew that ultimately the pressure would become so great that it would compel utterance; therefore, [begin page 475] I must be ready with an answer at that time—an answer well chosen and tranquilizing.

I was right. The time came. They had to speak. Poor lads, it was pitiful to see, they were so pale, so worn,Ⓐalteration in the MS so troubled. At first their spokesman could hardly find voice or words; but he presently got both. ThisⒶalteration in the MS is what he said—and he put it in the neat modern English taught him in my schools:

“WeⒶalteration in the MS have tried to forget what we are—English boys! We have tried to put reason before sentiment, duty before love:Ⓐalteration in the MS our minds approve, but our hearts reproach us. While apparentlyⒶalteration in the MS it was only the nobility, only the gentry, only the twenty-five or thirtyⒶemendation Ⓐalteration in the MS thousand knights left alive out of the late wars, we wereⒶalteration in the MS of one mind, and undisturbed by any troubling doubt; eachⒶalteration in the MS and every one of these fifty-two lads who stand here before you, said, ‘They have chosen—it is their affair.’Ⓐalteration in the MS But think!—the matter is altered— all England is marching against us! Ⓐalteration in the MS Oh, sir,Ⓐalteration in the MS consider!—reflect!—these people are our people, they are bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh, we love them—do not ask us to destroy our nation!”

Well, it shows the value of looking ahead, and being ready for a thing when it happens. If I hadn’t foreseen this thing,Ⓐalteration in the MS and been fixed, that boy would have had me!—I couldn’t have said a word. But I was fixed. I said:

“My boys, your hearts are in the right place, you have thought the worthy thought, you have done the worthy thing. You are English boys, you will remain English boys, andⒶalteration in the MS you will keep that name unsmirched. Give yourselves no further concern, let your minds be at peace. Consider this:Ⓐalteration in the MS while all England is marching against us, who is in the van? Who, by the commonest rules of war, will march in the front? Answer me.”

“The mounted hostⒶrejected substantive of mailed knights.”

“True. They are 30,000Ⓐalteration in the MS strong. Acres deep, they will march. Now, observe: noneⒶalteration in the MS but they will ever strike the sand-belt! Then thereⒶalteration in the MS will be an episode!Ⓐalteration in the MS Immediately after, theⒶalteration in the MS civilian multitude in the rear will retire, to meet business engagements elsewhere. None but nobles and gentry are knights, and none but these will remain to dance to our music after that episodeⒶalteration in the MS. ItⒶalteration in the MS is absolutely true that we shall have to fight nobody but these thirtyⒶalteration in the MS thousand knights.Ⓐalteration in the MS Now speak, and it shall be as you decide. Shall we avoid the battle, retire from the field?”

[begin page 476]

“NO!!!”

The shout was unanimous and hearty.Ⓐalteration in the MS

“Are you—are youⒶalteration in the MS—well,Ⓐemendation afraid of these thirtyⒶalteration in the MS thousand knights?Ⓐalteration in the MS”

That joke brought out a good laugh, the boys’ troubles vanished away, and they went gaily to their posts. Ah, they were a darling fifty-two!Ⓐalteration in the MS As pretty as girls, too.

I was ready for the enemy, now. Let the approaching big day come along—it would find us on deck.Ⓐalteration in the MS Ⓐalteration in the MS

The big day arrived, on timeⒶalteration in the MS. At dawn the sentry on watch in the corral came into the cave and reported a moving black mass under the horizon, and a faint sound which he thought to be military music. Breakfast was just ready; we sat down and ate it.

This over, I made the boys a little speech, and then sent out a detail to man the battery, with Clarence in command of it.

The sun rose presently, and sent its unobstructed splendors over the land, and we saw a prodigious host moving slowly toward us, with the steady drift and aligned front of a wave of the sea. Nearer and nearer it came, and more and more sublimely imposing became its aspect; yes, all England was there, apparently. Soon we could see the innumerable banners fluttering, and then the sun struck the sea of armor and set it all aflash. Yes, it was a fine sight; I hadn’t ever seen anything to beat it.Ⓐalteration in the MS

At last we could make out details. All the front ranks, no telling how many acresⒶalteration in the MS deep, were horsemen—plumed knights in armor. Suddenly we heard the blare of trumpets;Ⓐalteration in the MS the slow walk burst into aⒶalteration in the MS gallop, and then—well, itⒶalteration in the MS was wonderful to see! Down sweptⒶalteration in the MS that vast horse-shoeⒶalteration in the MS waveⒶalteration in the MS—it approached the sand-belt—my breath stood still; nearer, nearer—the strip of green turfⒶalteration in the MS beyond the yellow belt grew narrow—narrower, still—became a mere ribbon in front of the horses—then disappeared under their hoofsⒶemendation. Great Scott! Why, the whole front of that host shot into the sky with a thunder-crash,Ⓐalteration in the MS and became a whirling tempest of rags and fragments; and along the ground lay a thick wall of smoke that hid what was left of the multitude from our sight.

Time for the second step in the plan of campaign!Ⓐalteration in the MS I touched a button and shook the bones of England loose from her spine!Ⓐalteration in the MS

In that explosion all our noble civilization-factories went up in the air, and disappeared from the earth. It was a pity, but it was necessary. [begin page 477]

[begin page 478] We could not afford to let the enemy turn our own weapons against us.

Now ensued one of the dullest quarter-hoursⒶalteration in the MS I had ever endured. We waited in a silent solitude enclosed by our circles of wire, and by a circle of heavy smoke outside of these. We couldn’t see over the wall of smoke, and we couldn’t see through it. But at last it began to shred away lazily, and by the end of another quarter-hour the land was clear and our curiosity was enabled to satisfy itself. No living creature was in sight!Ⓐalteration in the MS We now perceived that additions had been made to our defences. The dynamite had dug a ditch more than a hundredⒶalteration in the MS feet wide, all around us, and cast up an embankment some twenty-fiveⒶalteration in the MS feet high on both borders of it. As to destruction of life,Ⓐalteration in the MS it was amazing. Moreover, it was beyond estimateⒶemendation. Of course we could not count Ⓐemendation the dead, because they did not exist as individuals, but merely as homogeneous protoplasm, with alloys of iron and buttons.Ⓐalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation Ⓐtextual note

No life was in sight, but necessarilyⒶemendation there must have been some wounded in the rear ranks, who were carried off the field under cover of the wall of smoke; there would be sickness among the others—there always is, after an episode like that. But thereⒶemendation would be no reinforcements; this was the last stand of the chivalry of England; it was all that was left of the order, after the recent annihilatingⒶalteration in the MS wars. So I felt quite safe in believing that the utmost force that could for the future be brought against us would be but small;Ⓐemendation that is, ofⒶemendation knights.Ⓐalteration in the MS I therefore issued a congratulatory proclamation to my army, in these words:

I read it well, and the applause I gotⒶemendation was very gratifying to me. I then wound up with these remarks:

“The war with the English nationⒶalteration in the MS as a nation, is at an end.Ⓐalteration in the MS The nation has retired from the field and the war. Before it can be persuaded to return, war will have ceased. This campaign is the only one that is going to be fought. It will be brief—the briefest in history. Also [begin page 479] the most destructive to life, considered from the stand-pointⒶalteration in the MS of proportion of casualtiesⒶalteration in the MS to numbers engaged. We are done with the nation; henceforth we deal only with the knights. English knights can be killed, but theyⒶalteration in the MS cannot be conquered. We know what is before us. While one of these men remains alive, our task is not finished, the war is not ended. We will kill them all.” [Loud and long continued applause.]

I picketed the great embankments thrown up around our lines by the dynamite explosion—merely a lookout of a couple of boys to announce the enemy when he should appear again.Ⓐalteration in the MS

Next, I sent an engineer and fortyⒶalteration in the MS men to a point just beyond our lines on the south, to turn a mountain brook that was there, and bring it within our lines and under our command, arranging it in such a way that I could make instant use of it in an emergency. The forty menⒶalteration in the MS were divided into two shifts of twenty each, and were to relieveⒶalteration in the MS each other every two hours. In ten hours the work was accomplished.

[begin page 480]

It was nightfall, now, and I withdrew my pickets. The one who had had the northern outlook reported a camp in sight, but visible with the glass, only. He also reported that a few knights had been feeling their way toward us, and had driven some cattle across our lines,Ⓐemendation but that the knights themselvesⒶemendation had not come very near. That was what I had been expecting. They were feeling us, you see; they wanted to know if we were going to play that red terror on them again. They would grow bolder in the night, perhaps. I believed I knew what project they would attempt, because it was plainly the thing I would attempt myself if I were in their places and as ignorant as they were. I mentioned it to Clarence.

“I think you are right,” said he; “it is the obvious thing for them to try.”

“Well, then,” I said, “if they do it they are doomed.”Ⓐalteration in the MS

“Certainly.”

“They won’t have the slightest show in the world.”

“Of course they won’t.”

“It’s dreadful, Clarence. It seems an awful pity.”

The thing disturbed me so, that I couldn’t get any peace of mind for thinking of it and worrying over it.Ⓐalteration in the MS So, at last, to quiet my conscience, I framed this message to the knights:

I read it to Clarence, and said I proposed to send it by a flag of truce. He laughed the sarcastic laugh he was born with, and said:

“Somehow it seems impossible for you to ever fully realize what these nobilities are. Now let us save a little time and trouble. Consider [begin page 481] me the Commander of the knights yonder. Now then, you are the flag of truce; approach and deliver me your message, and I will give you your answer.”

I humored the idea. I came forward under an imaginary guard of the enemy’s soldiers, produced my paper, and read it through. For answer, Clarence struck the paper out of my hand, pursed up a scornful lipⒶemendation, and said with lofty disdain—Ⓐemendation

“ DismemberⒶemendation Ⓐrejected substantive me this animal, and return him in a basketⒶemendation Ⓐrejected substantive to the base-born knaveⒶtextual note his masterⒶrejected substantive Ⓐtextual note; other answer have I none!”

How empty is theory in presence of fact! And this was just fact, and nothing else. It was the thing that would have happened, there was no getting around that. I tore up the paper and granted my mistimedⒶemendation sentimentalities a permanent rest.

Then, to business. I tested the electricalⒶrejected substantive signals from the gatling platform to the cave and made sure that they were all right; I tested and re-testedⒶemendation those which commanded the fences—these were signals whereby I could break and renew the electric current in each fence independently of the others, at will. I placed the brook-connection under the guard and authority of three of my best boys, who would alternate in two-hour watches all night and promptly obey my signal if I should have occasion to give it—Ⓐalteration in the MSthree revolver-shots in quick succession. Sentry-duty was discarded for the night, andⒶalteration in the MS the corral left empty of life; I ordered that quiet be maintained in the cave, and the electric lights turned down to a glimmer.

As soon as it was good and dark, I shut off the current from all of the fences, and then groped my way out to the embankmentⒶalteration in the MS bordering our side ofⒶalteration in the MS the great dynamite ditch.Ⓐalteration in the MS I crept to the top of it and lay there on the slant of the muck to watch. But it was too dark to see anything. As for sounds, there were none. The stillness was deathlike. True, there were the usualⒶalteration in the MS night-sounds of the country—the whir of night-birds, the buzzing of insects, the barking of distant dogs, the mellow lowing of far-off kine—but these didn’t seem to break the stillness, they only intensified it, and added a grewsome melancholy to it into the bargain.

I presently gave up looking, the night shut down so black, but I kept my ears strained to catch the least suspicious sound, for I judged I had only to wait and I shouldn’t be disappointed. However, I had to wait a long time. At last I caught what you may call indistinct glimpses of sound—dulled metallic sound. I pricked up my ears, then, and held my breath, for this was the sort of thing I had been waiting for. This [begin page 482] sound thickened, and approached—from toward the north. Presently I heard it at my own level—the ridge-top of the opposite embankment, a hundred feet or more away. Then I seemed to see a row of black dots appear along that ridge—human heads? I couldn’t tell; itⒶalteration in the MS mightn’t be anything at all; you can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.Ⓐalteration in the MS However, the question was soon settled. I heard that metallic noise descending into the great ditch. It augmented fast, it spread all along, and it unmistakably furnished me this fact: an armed host was taking up its quarters in the ditch. Yes, these people were arranging a little surprise party for us. We could expect entertainment about dawn, possibly earlier.Ⓐalteration in the MS

I groped my way back to the corral, now; I had seen enough. I went to the platform and signaled to turn the [begin page 483] current onto the two inner fences.Ⓐalteration in the MS Then I went into the cave, and found everything satisfactory there—nobody awake but the working-watch. I woke Clarence and told him the great ditch was filling up with men,Ⓐalteration in the MS and that I believed all the knights were coming for usⒶalteration in the MS in a body. It was my notionⒶalteration in the MS that as soon as dawnⒶalteration in the MS approached we could expect the ditch’s ambuscaded thousandsⒶalteration in the MS to swarm up over the embankment and make an assault, and be followed immediatelyⒶalteration in the MS by the rest of their army.Ⓐalteration in the MS

Clarence said:

“They will be wanting to send a scout or two in the dark to make preliminary observations. Why not take the lightning off the outer fences, and give themⒶalteration in the MS a chance?”

“I’ve already done it, ClarenceⒶalteration in the MS. Did you ever know me to be inhospitable?”Ⓐalteration in the MS

“No, you are a good heart. I want to go and—”

“Be a reception committee? I will go, too.”Ⓐalteration in the MS

We crossed the corral and lay down together between the two inside fences. Even the dim light inⒶrejected substantive the cave had disordered our eyesight somewhat,Ⓐalteration in the MS but the focus straightwayⒶalteration in the MS began to regulate itself and soon it was adjusted for present circumstances. We had had to feel our way before, but we could make out to see the fence-posts, now. We started a whispered conversation, but suddenly Clarence broke off and said—

“What is that?”

“What is what?”

“That thing yonder?”

“What thing?—where?”

“There beyond you a little piece—a dark something—a dull shape of some kind—against the secondⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation fence.”

I gazed, and he gazed. I said:

“Could it be a man, Clarence?”

“No, I think not. If you notice,Ⓐalteration in the MS it looksⒶrejected substantive a lit—why, it is a man!—leaning on the fence.”

“I certainlyⒶalteration in the MS believe it is; let’sⒶrejected substantive go and see.”

We crept along on our hands and kneesⒶalteration in the MS until we were pretty close, and then lookedⒶalteration in the MS up. Yes, it was a man—a dim great figure in armor, standing erect, with both hands on the upper wire—and of course thereⒶemendation was a smell of burning flesh. Poor fellow, dead as a doornail, and never knew what hurt him. He stood there like a statue—no motion [begin page 484] about him, except that his plumes swished about a little in the night wind. We rose up and looked in through the bars of his visor, but couldn’t make out whether we knew him or not—features too dim and shadowed.

We heard muffled sounds approaching,Ⓐalteration in the MS and we sank down to the ground where we were. We made out another knight vaguely; he was coming very stealthily, and feeling his way. He was near enough, now, for us to seeⒶalteration in the MS him put out a hand, find an upper wire, then bend and step under it and over the lower one. Now he arrived at the first knight—and started slightly when he discovered him. He stood a moment—no doubt wondering why the other one didn’t move on; then he said,Ⓐalteration in the MS in a low voice, “Why dreamest thou here, good Sir Mar—” thenⒶalteration in the MS he laid his hand on the corpse’s shoulder—and justⒶalteration in the MS uttered a little soft moan and sunkⒶrejected substantive down dead. Killed by a dead man, you see—killed by a dead friend, in fact. There was something awfulⒶalteration in the MS about it.Ⓐalteration in the MS

These early birds came scattering along after each other, about one every five minutes in our vicinity, during half an hour. They brought no armor of offence but their swords; as a rule they carried the sword ready in the hand, and put it forward and found the wires with it. We would now and then see a blue spark when the knight that caused it was so far away as to be invisible to us; but we knew what had happened, all the same, poor fellowⒶalteration in the MS: he had touched a charged wire with his sword, and been electedⒶalteration in the MS. We had briefⒶalteration in the MS intervals of grim stillness, interrupted with piteous regularityⒶalteration in the MS by the clash made by the falling of an iron-clad;Ⓐalteration in the MS and this sort of thing was going on, right along, and was very creepy, there in the dark and lonesomeness.

We concluded to make a tourⒶalteration in the MS between the inner fences.Ⓐalteration in the MS We elected to walk upright, for convenience sake; we argued that if discerned, we should be taken for friends rather than enemies, and in any case we should be out of reachⒶalteration in the MS of swords, and these gentry did not seem to have any spears along. Well, it was a curious trip. Everywhere dead men were lying outside the second fence—not plainly visible, but still visible; and we counted fifteen of those pathetic statues—dead knights standing with their hands on the upper wire.

One thing seemed to be sufficiently demonstrated: our current was so tremendous that it killed before the victim could cry out.Ⓐalteration in the MS Pretty soon we detected a muffled and heavy sound, and next moment we [begin page 485] guessed what it was. It was a surprise in force coming! I whispered Clarence to go and wake the armyⒶalteration in the MS, and notify it to wait in silence in the cave for furtherⒶalteration in the MS orders. He was soon back, and we stood by the inner fence and watched the silent lightning do its awful work upon that swarming host. One could make out but little of detail; but heⒶalteration in the MS could note that a black mass was piling itself up beyond the second fence. ThatⒶalteration in the MS swelling bulk was dead men! Our camp was enclosedⒶemendation with a solid wall of the dead—a bulwark, a breastwork, of corpses, youⒶemendation may say.Ⓐalteration in the MS One terrible thing about this thing was the absence of human voices; there were no cheers, no war cries: being intent upon a surprise, these men moved as noiselessly as they could; and always when the front rank was near enough to their goal to make it proper for them to begin to get a shout ready, of course they struck the fatalⒶalteration in the MS line and went down without testifying.

I sent a current through the third fence, now; andⒶalteration in the MS almost immediately through the fourth and fifth, so quicklyⒶalteration in the MS were the gaps filled up. I believed the time was come, now, for my climax; I believed that thatⒶrejected substantive whole army was in our trap. Anyway, it was high time to find out. So I touched a button and set fiftyⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation electric suns aflame on the top of our precipice.

Land, what a sight! We were enclosed in three walls of dead men! All the other fences were pretty nearly filled with the living,Ⓐalteration in the MS who were stealthilyⒶalteration in the MS working their way forward through the wires. The sudden glare paralyzed this host, petrified them, you may say, with astonishment; there was just one instant for me to utilizeⒶalteration in the MS their immobilityⒶemendation in, and I didn’t lose the chance. You see, in another instant they would [begin page 486] have recovered their faculties; then they’d have burstⒶalteration in the MS into a cheer and made a rush, and my wires would have gone down before it;Ⓐalteration in the MS but that lost instant lost them their opportunity forever:Ⓐalteration in the MS whileⒶalteration in the MS even that slightⒶalteration in the MS fragment of time was still unspent, I shot the current through all the fences and struck the whole host dead in their tracks! There was a groan you could hear! It voiced the death-pang of eleven thousand men. It swelled out on the night with awfulⒶemendation pathos.

A glance showed that the rest of the enemyⒶalteration in the MS—perhaps ten thousand strong—were between us and the encircling ditch, and pressing forward to the assault. Consequently we had them all! and had them past help. Time for the last act of the tragedy. I fired the three appointed revolver shots—which meant:

“Turn on the water!”

There was a sudden rush and roar, and in a minute the mountain brook was raging through the big ditch and creating a river a hundred feet wide and twenty-five deep.

“StandⒶalteration in the MS to your guns, men! Open fire!”

The thirteenⒶalteration in the MS gatlings began to vomit death into the fated ten thousand. They halted, they stood their ground a moment against that withering deluge of fire, then they broke, faced about and swept toward the ditch like chaff before a gale. A full fourth part of their force never reached the top of the lofty embankment; the three-fourths reached it and plunged over—to death by drowning.

Within ten short minutes after we had opened fire,Ⓐalteration in the MS armed resistance was totallyⒶalteration in the MS annihilated, the campaign was ended, we fifty-four were masters of England! Twenty-five thousand men lay dead around us.

But how treacherous is fortune! In a little while—say an hour—happened a thing, by my own fault, which—but I have no heart to write that. Let the record end here.