NOTES 485 



on wise matters or listened to wonderful songs and music ; and 

 as far as the eye could reach, this spectacle could be seen. 



" There," said Mr. Man-in-the-Mass, " see what I have made. 



That fell magician (he always liked the word fell because he 



thought it to be a fine one, though it contained only one syllable) 



pretends that he did this ; but it was really I who made it, 



though he kept me at it working like anything for thousands 



of years. I will therefore seat myself on this rock, and will have 



you, my friends, crown me Emperor. First I will give you these 



magnificent orders — not that you have done anything for me as 



yet, but because you tell me that you will do something some 



day." So he sat himself down on a rock on the top of the 



mountain, and his friends, Field-Marshal Militarius and Baron 



Politicus, crowned him with thistles and pinned the new orders 



on their breasts, which were already covered with decorations. 



" So," exclaimed Mr. Man-in-the-Mass, " I am Emperor at last, 



and my name is Alexander-Pompey-Caesar-Autocrat-Plutocrat- 



Democrat-Journalist-General-Admiral-Secretary-of-State-Hans- 



Jean-Bull-Smith-Jones-Robinson-the-Great, M.P. It is I who 



have done all this. Now I will make a World ten thousand times 



more beautiful in a second. But first let us have a drink out 



of that bottle." 



After taking the drink, he waved the magician's wand. 

 But in a second the sun was darkened by great clouds, and the 

 most terrible din resounded everywhere. The people on the 

 flanks of the mountain sprang to their feet and ran fighting and 

 tearing at each other. The airships flew at each other and began 

 to drop bombs on the beautiful cities and villages. Out from 

 the depths of the sea rose great iron monsters which torpedoed 

 the ships that were sailing peacefully on the waters. Simul- 

 taneously the air was rent with the shriek of innumerable bullets 

 and shells, and some of these began to burst round Mr. Man-in- 

 the-Mass and his two friends. They stood aghast, and then 

 jumped behind the rocks for shelter. The clouds grew more 

 and more black, and the noise became more and more terrible. 

 Where there was nothing but prosperity and beauty, now could 

 be seen innumerable dead and dying, the ruins of cities, and 

 human bodies scattered by the bursting of shells, while women 

 and children ran shrieking amid the turmoil. Mr. Man-in-the- 

 Mass and his two friends all blamed each other as they ran, 

 and soon began to fight amongst themselves. The Field- 



