2nd Engineer. Listen to him.
Chief Engineer. ‘This territory comprises the historical, vital, industrial, general, and military interests of our state, so that it rightly belongs to us.’—
2nd Engineer. An insult, an insult, we shall not tolerate it!
Chief Engineer. ‘Meanwhile we are giving orders to our Army to mobilize.’ War, war, at last!
2nd Engineer. At last a war is forced upon us.
Chief Engineer. To arms!
Another Messenger runs on.
2nd Messenger. The Yellows are marching across our frontier—
Chief Engineer. To arms! To arms!
2nd Messenger. Mobilization—to arms!
Both Messengers. To arms! To arms!
[Alarm sirens—from all sides the Ants scramble into the Ant Heap.
Blind Ant. Blank, two, three, four—blank, two, three, four—
[Increasing din within.
Tramp. It does yer good to see ’em pass,
Prepared to shed their blood—
And jest for ’alf a yard o’ mud,
Between two blades o’ grass.
It does yer good to see ’em all
So ’andsome and so spry.
They’re not afraid to up and die—
They’ve ’eard the Nation’s call.
It makes yer think o’ them ole scenes,
With star-shells over ’ead,
