western Europe.

Further south, beating up against the northerly winds, came a third fleet
with the gold and red of Spain fluttering from its masthead. This, too,
was carrying its King westward, where now, indeed, the star of empire
had taken its way.

Universal Brotherhood.

Rising a little higher, so as to extend our horizon, we saw coming
down the English channel, behind the British fleet, the black ships of
Russia. Side by side, or following one another's lead, these war
fleets were on a peaceful voyage that belied their threatening
appearance. There had been no thought of danger to or from the forts
and ports of rival nations which they had passed. There was no enmity,
and no fear between them when the throats of their ponderous guns
yawned at one another across the waves. They were now, in spirit, all
one fleet, having one object, bearing against one enemy, ready to
defend but one country, and that country was the entire earth.

It was some time before we caught sight of the Emperor William's fleet. It
seems that the Kaiser, although at first consenting to the arrangement
by which Washington had been selected as the assembling place for the
nations, afterwards objected to it.

Kaiser Wilhelm's Jealousy.

"I ought to do this thing myself," he had said. "My glorious ancestors
would never have consented to allow these upstart Republicans to lead in
a warlike enterprise of this kind. What would my grandfather have said to
it? I suspect that it is some scheme aimed at the divine right of kings."

But the good sense of the German people would not suffer their ruler to
place them in a position so false and so untenable. And swept along
by their enthusiasm the Kaiser had at last consented to embark on his
flagship at Kiel, and now he was following the other fleets on their
great mission to the Western Continent.

Why did they bring their warships when their intentions were peaceable,
do you ask? Well, it was partly the effect of ancient habit, and partly
due to the fact that such multitudes of officials and members of ruling
families wished to embark for Washington that the ordinary means of
ocean communications would have been utterly inadequate to convey them.

After we had feasted our eyes on this strange sight, Mr. Edison suddenly
exclaimed: "Now let us see the fellows from the rising sun."

Over the Mississippi.

The car was immediately directed toward the west. We rapidly approached
the American