He
found the same feeling of intense patriotism again, which civilians can
not quite attain to, however they may make the attempt. The relations
between some of the officers seemed to Sam somewhat strange. The
highest naval officer on board, a captain, was not on speaking terms
with the highest army officer, a brigadier-general of volunteers. This
breach apparently set the fashion, for all the way down, through both
arms of the service, there were jealousies and quarrels. There was one
great subject of dispute, the respective merits of the two admirals who
had overcome the Castalian fleet at Havilla. Some ascribed the victory
to the one and some to the other, but to take one side was to put an
end to all friendships on the other.
"See here, Sam," said Cleary, not long after they had been out of sight
of land, "who are you for, Admiral Hercules or Admiral Slewey? We can't
keep on the fence, that's evident, and if we get down on different
sides we can't be friends, and that might upset all our plans, not to
speak of the Benevolent Assimilation Trust."
"The fact is," said Sam, "that I don't know anything about it. They're
both admirals, and they both must be right."
"Nobody knows anything about it, but we must make up our minds all the
same. My idea is that Hercules is going to come out ahead; and as long
as one seems as good as the other in other respects, I move that we go
for Hercules.
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