We must surely rise up one day and drive them out." "Dear man," said the doctor, "we might, of course, at some given moment overpower the garrison that is maintained here, and seize the forts, and perhaps we might be able to mine the harbours; what then?
In a fortnight or so we could be starved into unconditional submission.

Remember, all the advantages of isolated position that told in our favour while we had the sea dominion, tell against us now that the sea dominion is in other hands.

The enemy would not need to mobilise a single army corps or to bring a single battleship into action; a fleet of nimble cruisers and destroyers circling round our coasts would be sufficient to shut out our food supplies." "Are you trying to tell me that this is a final overthrow ?" said Yeovil in a shaking voice; "are we to remain a subject race like the Poles ?" "Let us hope for a better fate," said the doctor.

"Our opportunity may come if the Master Power is ever involved in an unsuccessful naval war with some other nation, or perhaps in some time of European crisis, when everything hung in the balance, our latent hostility might have to be squared by a concession of independence.

That is what we have to hope for and watch for.