The Supreme Governor had arrived and shaken hands with the Russian, English and Czech representatives, including Sir Charles Eliot, the British High Commissioner, and General Bowes, the Chief of the British Military Mission to the Czecho-Slovaks.  The French representative was late.  When the ceremonial was nearly complete, a French officer (not above the rank of captain) elbowed his way to the front and vigorously brushed aside the British High Commissioner and general, and stood with his back towards them as though they were mere outside spectators who had no business there.  The same evening the incident was being discussed amongst a group of Russian and English officers, when a Russian officer of the highest position observed, “You English have the queerest notion of national prestige of all the countries I have been so far acquainted with.  Any ordinary Russian, Kirghis, Tartar, or Mongolian officer seeing a French captain brush aside the representatives and generals of another state would instantly decide that he only did so not because of want of politeness, which one-half the world does not understand, but because the nation to which he belongs was so great and powerful there was no need to be deferential to any of the others, and especially so to the state whose representatives allowed themselves to be so easily brushed aside.”

We had many conferences upon the condition of the Russian workman, and whether it was possible for the Allies to do anything to help them.  British officers were making desperate efforts to organise and equip forces capable of dealing a death-blow to the Bolsheviks in the early spring.  General Knox worked like a Trojan, and gave more inspiration to the Russian Government than all the other Allied representatives put together.  In fact, without his sagacity and determination we should have been better employed at home.  He travelled from “Vlady” to Omsk, from Omsk to “Vlady,” as though the 5,000-mile journey was just a run from London to Birmingham.  His great strength was that he made up his mind on a certain course, and stuck to it, while everyone around him could never decide upon anything for long.  If you want anything done, don’t have Allies.  Allies are all right when a powerful enemy is striking you or them; it is then quite simple; mere self-preservation is sufficient to hold you together for common protection.  Let the danger pass, let the roar of conflict recede in the distance, and Allies become impotent for any purpose except spying on each other and obstructing the work in hand.  There was no evidence that anyone, except the English, was doing anything to smooth the way for the new Russian Government, but by sheer energy General Knox had brought together personnel and stores sufficient to justify belief in the early success of his plans.  Then there suddenly arose another sinister figure which threatened to upset all our calculations—­namely, a well-timed revolt of the railway workmen, calculated to cripple our communications and make the movement of troops and supplies impossible.