"Not the least. Thousands would enlist."
"Would you enlist, Mr. Arlington?"
"Yes, sir, I would."
Burr's little finger tapped the burnt out inch of his cigar, and the frail ash fell, crumbling to fine powder, which the breeze bore away. The touch recorded a point won.
"Suppose that Congress and the President, disregarding the wishes of the people, and refusing to declare war, force the country to submit tamely to the insults of Spain, do you think it possible that independent men might take upon themselves the responsibility as a private business enterprise, and march against the Dons in Mexico?"
After a thoughtful pause, the young man replied:
"Yes, some would. Many would. The warfare might not be regular, but, in my view, the object would justify extraordinary means to a patriotic end. What is your own feeling on that phase of the subject, may I ask, colonel?"
"I wish to learn the sense of my fellow-citizens. You may express yourself to me with perfect freedom."
"Why not? We are discussing a public question."
"Certainly. But your idea, that an expedition against Mexico, conducted as a private enterprise, might prove popular and——"