safe and
sound."

"We have enough supplies for six months; if we take along these
superfluous passengers our time will be cut to less than three."

Her answer was a brutal piece of blackmail. "No women, no go."

If F were a young man instead of an elderly woman I could understand
this aberration better.

_September 25_: It seems Mrs H's grandchildren are all girls between
twelve and eighteen, which leaves the problem of fulfilling F's
ultimatum to finding fortyseven others. I have delegated the selection
to Mrs H.

_September 26_: Grass on Skye for the second time. This invasion was not
repulsed.

_September 27_: The cyclone fans have been set up from Moray Firth to
the Firth of Lorne. I am in two minds about asking the Tharios to join
us.

The bill authorizing the construction of a vertical city at Stonehenge
passed Commons.

_September 28_: Grass reported near Aberdeen. Panic in Scotland. No more
train service.

_September 29_: Day of fasting, humiliation and prayer proclaimed by the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Grass south of the Dee. All mines shut down.

_September 30_: Every seaworthy vessel, and many not seaworthy, now
under charter. I have ordered all remaining stores of concentrates
loaded on our own hulls, to be manned by skeleton crews. They will stand
by the _Sisyphus_ on her voyage. Lack of railway transportation making
things difficult.

_October 1_: They have actually broken ground at Stonehenge for Burlet's
fantastic city.

_October 2_: Wrote on my book for nearly twelve solid hours. The postal
service has been stopped.

_October 3_: Hearing the royal family had made no plans for departure,
the London office ventured to offer them accommodations on one of our
ships. I had always heard the House of Windsor was meticulous in its
politeness, but I cannot characterize their rejection of our wellmeant
aid as anything but rude.

_October 4_: Mrs H asks, Are we to live solely on concentrates now the
shops are shut? My query as to whether this seemed objectionable to her
was evaded.

_October 5_: Grass in Inverness and Perthshire.

_October 6_: F announces she is ready for another test. Under present
conditions, the journey to Scotland being out of the question, we
decided to use the _Sisyphus_ again and the French coast. Leaving
tomorrow.

_October 11_: This constant series of frustrations is beyond endurance.
In spite of F's noncommittal pessimism anticipating success only after
the Gra