type who worried much about the loved ones at home, you'd never have taken up aviation."
A tall man moved apart from the others, and held up his hand to call his captor's attention to what he was about to say.
"Let me ask you a few questions!" he cried. "You pretend to be a fair-minded man."
"How absurd. How could a man of my position be fair-minded toward you? You might as well speak of a Spaniard being fair-minded toward a piece of steak."
At this harsh observation the faces of the two dozen fell, but the tall man continued:
"All right!" he cried. "We've argued this out before. You're not a humanitarian and you're not fair-minded, but you're human—at least you say you are—and you ought to be able to put yourself in our place for long enough to think how—how—how—"
"How what?" demanded Washington, coldly.
"—how unnecessary—"
"Not to me."
"Well—how cruel—"
"We've covered that. Cruelty doesn't exist where self-preservation is involved. You've been soldiers; you know that. Try another."
"Well, then, how stupid."
"There," admitted Washington, "I grant you that. But try to think of an alternative. I've offered to have all or any of you painlessly executed if you wish. I've offered to have your wives, sweethearts, children, and mothers kidnapped and brought out here. I'll enlarge your place down there and feed and clothe you the rest of your lives. If there was some method of producing permanent amnesia I'd have all of you operated on and released immediately, somewhere outside of my preserves. But that's as far as my ideas go."
