RUPERT'S JOURNAL--_Continued_.
_March_ 6, 1908.
I breathe more freely. The meeting has taken place here at Vissarion.Nominal cause of meeting: a hunting-party in the Blue Mountains. Not anyformal affair. Not a Chancellor or Secretary of State or Diplomatist ofany sort present. All headquarters. It was, after all, a realhunting-party. Good sportsmen, plenty of game, lots of beaters,everything organized properly, and an effective tally of results. Ithink we all enjoyed ourselves in the matter of sport; and as thepolitical result was absolute unanimity of purpose and intention, therecould be no possible cause of complaint.
So it is all decided. Everything is pacific. There is not a suggestioneven of war, revolt, or conflicting purpose of any kind. We all go onexactly as we are doing for another year, pursuing our own individualobjects, just as at present. But we are all to see that in our ownhouseholds order prevails. All that is supposed to be effective is to bekept in good working order, and whatever is, at present, not adequate topossibilities is to be made so. This is all simply protective anddefensive. We understand each other. But if any hulking stranger shouldundertake to interfere in our domestic concerns, we shall all unite onthe instant to keep things as we wish them to remain. We shall be ready.Alfred's maxim of Peace shall be once more exemplified. In the meantimethe factories shall work overtime in our own mountains, and the outputshall be for the general good of our special community--the bill to besettled afterwards amicably. There can hardly be any difference ofopinion about that, as the others will be the consumers of our surplusproducts. We are the producers, who produce for ourselves first, andthen for the limited market of those within the Ring. As we undertake toguard our own frontiers--sea and land--and are able to do so, the goodsare to be warehoused in the Blue Mountains until required--if at all--forparticipation in the markets of the world, and especially in the Europeanmarket. If all goes well and the markets are inactive, the goods shallbe duly delivered to the purchasers as arranged.
So much for the purely mercantile aspect.