A Popular History of The Great War/Volume 1/Page 89


CANADA TAKES THE LEAD


nearer to hand; the Indian princes mobilized their forces and offered their armed men, with themselves and their fortunes, to their emperor. Basuto and Zulu, Kanaka and Maori, Negro and Cingalese, clamoured to serve. Men in the heart of Africa, and in tiny Pacific Islands whose names were known to but a handful of people in Britain, men who had never in their lives seen Great Britain or met more than a score or two of Britons, were found preparing themselves to fight for the flag and empire they had learnt to love. "Why should I, the king's servant, stand idle when the king is fighting his enemies?" asked one Basuto chief. And that was the question put by the empire as a whole.

In the days of early August, when Great Britain suddenly found herself confronted with her well-prepared antagonist, the silver lining to the black clouds that hung over her was the splendid constancy of the people of the empire. Everyone in Great Britain who knew anything of Greater Britain knew that the Dominions would be loyal. But even those who knew Greater Britain best could hardly have believed that at the first cry of danger to the Motherland old foes would sink ancient controversies, old antagonists would clasp hands, and men from East and West would flock to the flag as Britain's sons did. The world had seen nothing like it before. After August 4 it was no longer a case of the people of Greater Britain helping Great Britain in her war. It was the people of Greater Britain taking their share in their own war, making common purpose and finding common strength in their unity.

The people in the Dominion of Canada were resolved to lead the way. The government did not wait until war was declared. As soon as it became evident that Great Britain was likely to be dragged into the struggle, the duke of Connaught, then governor-general, who was touring the west, started for Ottawa, and the Dominion cabinet met to take action. German cruisers were traversing the seas, and it was thought possible that some of these might attempt attacks on certain vulnerable Canadian points. There were large German colonies in the United States, and smaller ones in Canada itself. Would some of these Germans seek to open guerrilla war on Canada, or try, by destroying bridges, blowing up cities, or damaging ships, to injure the empire? All these things had to be guarded against. Canada had not given much time or care to military defence in the past.

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