hed at Lord Roberts and nearly crucified him:
they laughed at the German navy, at Zeppelins, at subs and at poison
gas, and they paid no attention to Sir William Ramsay for kicking
against American cotton going into Germany to make explosives to be
used against us. Now they are having a great laugh at Pemberton
Billings because he says the air service is rotten and advocates the
building of thousands of aeroplanes wherewith to swamp the Germans
with bombs. When he talks in Parliament, they get up and walk out of
the house. That is typical of the English people as a race; they are
so intolerant and so d---- conservative that even in questions of life
and death they won't learn. The aeroplane is a new brand of the
service and therefore they won't take it seriously and they say
Billings is just a blatherskite. But you know and I know that when
sixty planes went over the German lines the other night they played
havoc with certain cantonments. If so why will not ten or twenty times
as many planes accomplish ten or twenty times as much? It is simply a
problem in mathematics. But will Englishmen see that? Not much.
'Muddle through' is their national motto and they are proud of it.
Thank God the Germans are just as stupid. If it was the United States
they wouldn't play the fool in regard to new ideas, believe me."

"Rubbish," retorted the Colonel, firing up at the mention of the
United States, "There is a nation with no sand; she hasn't even got
gumption enough to know that other people are fighting her battles for
her. She has a three-for-a-cent war on with Mexico and she can't raise
50,000 voluntary troops, while Villa sticks his fingers to his nose at
them. Their only aeroplane was brought down by a Mexican revolver
bullet; their fleet is a joke; they are the greatest bunch of bunco
steerers in the world to-day!"

"Don't you believe it," replied the Cap. with deliberation, "I have
lived in the U.S. for several years and I think I know the people.
They have the makings of a wonderful nation. They are keen as mustard
and without silly antique prejudices inherited from the middle ages.
It is true, as a nation, they have something of a swelled head. But
give them a chance; they will come up to the scratch some day; mark my
words."

"Dollars! Dollars! Dollars! that is the American God," continued the
Colonel, "like the children of Israel they worship the golden calf;
they have no other ideal than to become rich, buy automobile