little red-haired boy in evening clothes, balancing himself
on the rail of the balcony, and around him a great crowd, cheering,
shouting, and bidding him "Go on!"

Churchill turned with delight to the larger audience, and repeated his
appeal. The house shook with laughter and applause.

The commissionaires and police tried to reach him and a good-tempered
but very determined mob of well-dressed gentlemen and cheering girls
fought them back. In triumph Churchill ended his speech by begging his
hearers to give "fair play" to the women, and to follow him in a charge
upon the barricades.

The charge was instantly made, the barricades were torn down, and the
terrified management ordered that drink be served to its victorious
patrons.

Shortly after striking this blow for the liberty of others, Churchill
organized a dinner which illustrated the direction in which at that age
his mind was working, and showed that his ambition was already abnormal.
The dinner was given to those of his friends and acquaintances who "were
under twenty-one years of age, and who in twenty years would control the
destinies of the British Empire."

As one over the age limit, or because he did not consider me an
empire-controlling force, on this great occasion, I was permitted to
be present. But except that the number of incipient empire-builders was
very great, that they were very happy, and that save the host himself
none of them took his idea seriously, I would not call it an evening of
historical interest. But the fact is interesting that of all the
boys present, as yet, the host seems to be the only one who to any
conspicuous extent is disturbing the destinies of Great Britain.
However, the others can reply that ten of the twenty years have not yet
passed.

When he was twenty-three Churchill obtained leave of absence from his
regiment, and as there was no other way open to him to see fighting, as
a correspondent he joined the Malakand Field Force in India.

It may be truthfully said that by his presence in that frontier war he
made it and himself famous. His book on that campaign is his best piece
of war reporting. To the civilian reader it has all the delight of one
of Kipling's Indian stories, and to writers on military subjects it is
a model. But it is a model very few can follow, and which Churchill
himself was unable to follow, for the reason that only once is it given
a man to be twenty-three years of age.

The picturesque hand-t