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theguerrillero bands are still active in these mountains and jungles. These
are men who know the country and know how to fight in it. What I propose to do
is to supply them with modern rifles and ammunition and as many cannon as we
can get to them throughTexas . Once they are armed they will push south. I see
no reason why they should not be able to vanquish the French in the field. If
the enemy makes a stand in any cities on the way, the cannon will drive them
out. As the new army sweeps south it will gain men from theguerrilleros along
the way. So, the situation will be such that it will be the direct opposite of
the usual attacking force, in that it will gain strength as it advances,
instead of growing weaker and weaker as it would normally do through
attrition."
Juarezsaid something to Romero who nodded, then spoke.
"The president says that he will write letters to the various commanders that
will be encountered on the way, so they will know that they are fighting in
his cause and that ofMexico . He also says that the men in the mountains are
poor and very hungry. If they could receive some money as well as the guns
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they will be able to carry the war to the enemy."
"That will surely be done,"Lincoln said. "But what of those British troops in
the south? How can we reach them?"
"I have talked to Mr. O'Higgins,"Sherman said. "He assures me that the men
now in theOaxaca mountains will be able to take care of that. He has
volunteered to contact their leader,PorfirioDiz . I sincerely hope that it
will be possible for him to accomplish this mission."
"Dizwill do it,"Juarez said. "If any man in the world can do it he is the
one who can."
"Good,"Lincoln said. "But what will our army be doing while all these battles
are going on? Surely our efforts to supply the Mexicans in the north of their
country is a magnanimous one and will enable them to drive out the French. But
what of the south, inOaxaca ? To me it looks very much like we are asking the
fighters there to pull our chestnuts out of the fire. I imagine this British
invasion is doing them no harm at the present time. And when the British
leave, or are driven out, why they will leave a nice little road behind.
Surely our own army can do something to combat the invasion."
"They certainly can, Mr. President," General Sherman said. "I have given it
much thought. As soon as the present operation is organized and set into
motion I shall have the plan in your hands."
"I look forward to reading it, General. But for now all aid to the Mexican
fighters. And the beginning of the expulsion of the invaders."
THE IRON CONQUEROR
Only a few white puffs of cloud hung in the still, pale sky overBelfast . The
air still held a touch of winter in it, but since there was only a light
breeze the sun felt warm. Seagulls flapped in great circles above the
chimneys, buildings and dockyards of Harland and Wolff. A goodly number of
people had assembled by the slipway, dwarfed by the great black form resting
there. On the platform, between the crowd and the newly built ship, stood the
shipyard's shipbuilder and spokesman, Edward Harland. Splendidly turned out in
a dark wool suit and shining, tall silk hat.
"And in conclusion..." he said, which remark was greeted with a sigh of
relief, for he had been talking for a good half an hour. "In conclusion, I
wish to thank all here who have constructed this leviathan of the deep. It is
through your works and your skill that we can behold this mighty vessel that
will very soon join the Royal Navy. Those who sail in her will bless you for
your skill and your tenacity. For you who have labored to build the guardian
ofBritain , the pride of our navy, the mightiest ship of war that the world
has ever seen, you must be swelled with pride at what you have attained. No
other ship has armor as weighty, nor guns as mighty, nor engines so powerful
that they can match hers. This is more than a ship, more than an insensate
construct of iron. This is the pride and the strength ofGreat Britain and the
Empire. This is the ship that will guard our bastions. A ship that will show
the flag in foreign parts right around the world. You have built more than a
ship. You have built history. Take pride in what you have done, for you have
labored industriously and well."
He took a deep breath and bowed in the direction of the royal viewing box.
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"I now surrender this ship to the able and noble hands of Her Majesty the
Queen."
There was a murmur through the crowd as the last of his speech was made; a
flutter of applause from the stand where the silk-hattedand bonneted gentry
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