empire. There were many thousands of us, all
checked and held in order by a superb display of
armed power. The line of march was double-walled
with soldiers. The base of the Nelson Column was
triple-fringed with blue-jackets. Eastward, at the
entrance to the square, stood the Royal Marine
Artillery. In the triangle of Pall Mall and Cock-
spur, the statue of George III was buttressed on
either side by the Lancers and Hussars. To the
west were the red coats of the Royal Marines, and
from the Union Club to the embouchure of White
hall swept the glittering, massive curve of the ist
Life Guards gigantic men mounted on gigantic
chargers, steel-breastplated, steel-helmeted, steel-
caparisoned, a great war-sword of steel ready to the
hand of the powers that be. And further, through
out the crowd, were flung long lines of the Metro
politan Constabulary, while in the rear were the
reserves tall, well-fed men, with weapons to wield
and muscles to wield them in case of need.

And as it was thus at Trafalgar Square, so was it
along the whole line of march force, overpower
ing force; myriads of men, splendid men, the pick
of the people, whose sole function in life is blindly
to obey, and blindly to kill and destroy and stamp
out life. And that they should be well fed, well
clothed, and well armed, and have ships to hurl
them to the ends of the earth, the East End of

[[140]]

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v?