industrial fight than in the
national fight. But I think we'll get him over!"

Their objects were to defend themselves from attack by the Ulster
Volunteers if attack were made, to raise a rebellion if the Home Rule
Bill were not passed into law, and to resist the enactment of
conscription in Ireland. The burden of their belief was still the fear
of betrayal. "But you're going to get Home Rule," Henry would say to
them, and they would answer, "We'll believe it when we see the King
opening the Parliament in College Green. Not before. We know what the
English are like...."

Henry had suggested to them that they should offer the services of their
volunteers to the Government in return for the immediate enactment of
the Bill, but they saw no hope of such an offer being accepted and
honoured. "The minute they'd got us out of the way, they'd break their
word," said Galway. "Our only hope is to stay here and make ourselves as
formidable as we can. You can't persuade the English to do the decent
thing ... you can only terrorise them into it. Look at the way the
Ulster people have frightened the wits out of them!..."

"But the Ulster people haven't frightened the wits out of them. I can't
understand you fellows! You sit here with preconceived ideas in your
heads, and you won't check them by going to see the people you're
theorising about. You keep on saying the same thing over and over again,
and you won't listen to any one who tells you that you've got hold of
the wrong end of the stick!..."

"My dear Henry," said John, "our history is enough for us. Even since
the war, the English have tried to belittle the Irish. They've done the
most inept, small things to annoy us. They'd have got far more men from
Ireland than they have done, if they 'd behaved decently; but they
couldn't. They simply couldn't do the decent thing to Ireland. That's
their nature.... I'd have gone myself!..."

"You?"

"Yes. I think the Germans are in the wrong. I think they've behaved
badly, and anyhow, I don't like their theory of life. But the English
couldn't treat us properly. We wanted an Irish Division, with Irish
officers, and Irish colours, and Irish priests ... but no! They actually
stopped some women in the South from making an Irish flag for the Irish
regiments!... What are you to do with people like that. If they aren't
treacherous, they're so stupid that it's impossible to do anything with
them, and we'd much better be separate from them!"