Colonel Katterfeld was kneeling on the ground examining the map of Hilgard and marking several positions with a pencil. He could overhear the conversation of the soldiers under the board-covering next to his own.
"Do you think all this is on account of the Philippines?" asked one.
"The Philippines? Not much. It would have come sooner or later anyhow. The Japs want the whole Pacific to themselves. We wouldn't be here if it were only for the Philippines."
"We wouldn't? It's on account of imperialism, then, is it?"
"Don't talk foolish. We know very well what the Japs want, imperialism or no imperialism."
"Well, why are the papers always talking so much about imperialism?"
"They write from their own standpoint. Imperialism simply means that we wish to rule wherever the Stars and Stripes are waving."
The colonel peeped into the adjacent cover. It was Sergeant Benting who was speaking.
"Right you are, Benting," said the colonel, "imperialism is the desire for power. Imperialism means looking at the world from a great altitude. And the nation which is without it will never inherit the earth."
Then the colonel gave the order to fire at a house on the right side of the street, in which a bursting shrapnel had just effected a breach and out of which a detachment of infantry was seen to run.