y can settle everything by talk, and fancy themselves
the arbiters of the world, and then suddenly the great man arrives, your
Caesar or Cromwell, and clears out the talkers."

"I've heard something like that before. In fact, on occasions I have
said it myself. It's a pretty idea. How long do you give this
_Volkerwanderung_ to get started?"

"It will not be in our time," said the man sadly. "I confess I am
rather anxious for it to come off. Europe is a dull place at present,
given up to Jews and old women. But I am an irreclaimable wanderer, and
it is some time since I have been home. Things may be already
changing."

"Scarcely," said Lewis. "And meantime where is this Slav invasion going
to begin? I suppose they will start with us here, before they cross the
Channel?"

"Undoubtedly. But Britain is the least sick of the crew, so she may be
left in peace till the confirmed invalids are destroyed. At the best it
will be a difficult work. Our countrymen, you will permit the name, my
friends, have unexpected possibilities in their blood. And even this
India will be a hard nut to crack. It is assumed that Russia has but to
find Britain napping, buy a passage from the more northerly tribes, and
sweep down on the Punjab. I need not tell you how impossible such a
land invasion is. It is my opinion that when the time comes the attack
will be by sea from some naval base on the Persian Gulf. It is a mere
matter of time till Persia is the Tsar's territory, and then they may
begin to think about invasion."

"You think the northern road impossible! I suppose you ought to know."

"I do, and I have some reason for my opinion. I know Afghanistan and
Chitral as few Europeans know it."

"But what about Bardur, and this Kashmir frontier? I can understand the
difficulties of the Khyber, but this Kashmir road looks promising."

Marker laughed a great, good-humoured, tolerant, incredulous laugh. "My
dear sir, that's the most utter nonsense. How are you to bring an army
over a rock wall which a chamois hunter could scarcely climb? An
invading army is not a collection of winged fowl. I grant you Bardur is
a good starting-point if it were once reached. But you might as well
think of a Chinese as of a Russian invasion from the north. It would be
a good deal more possible, for there is a road to Yarkand, and
respectable passes to the north-east. But here we are shut off from the
Oxus by as difficult a barrier as the Elburz. Go up and see.