For the first few days, of course, he had no time to think, he was as busy as an ant, getting himself and his men ashore, and setting up their benches and tools in an iron shed, with a roaring stove at each end, and heaps of firewood which the peasants brought on heavy flat sledges dragged by reindeer.  Jimmie and his unit worked, not merely during the hours of daylight, but most of the hours of darkness, not stopping for Sundays.  There were five thousand men to be got ashore with their supplies—­and in a desperate rush, as if the Germans were expected at any hour.  It was some while before Jimmie found time to go about the city, to meet the “Tommies”, who had been here a month before him, and to hear what they had done, and what they were expecting to do.

Jimmie had understood that this expedition was to fight the Germans; but now he became suspicious; apparently it was to fight the Bolsheviki!  The social revolution had accomplished itself in Archangel, and a council of working-men and peasants had been in full control, when the British troops and sailors had made a surprise attack and seized the port, driving the revolutionists in confusion before them.  Now they were sending an expedition up the railroad, and another on steamers up the North Dwina river, pursuing Russian Socialists and driving them back into frozen swamps!  And here were American troops, being hurried ashore, and outfitted and made ready to join in what seemed to Jimmie to be warfare upon organized working-men!

Jimmie was almost beside himself with bewilderment.  It was all so new and strange to him—­and he had nobody to advise him.  At home, if there were a Socialist problem to settle, he would take it to Meissner or Stankewitz, or Comrade Gerrity the organizer, or Comrade Mabel Smith, the chairman of the Literature Committee.  But now, in all this expedition Jimmie did not know a single man who had any idea of radicalism; they looked upon the Bolsheviki as mad dogs, as traitors, criminals, lunatics, any word that seemed worst to you.  The Bolsheviki had deserted the cause of the Allies, they had gone into league with Germany to betray Democracy; so now the Americans had come to teach them the lesson of law and order.  The Americans looked upon themselves as an advance guard of a vast expedition which was to march to Petrograd and Moscow, and wipe the idea of Bolshevism off the map.  And Jimmie Higgins was to help!  Jimmie Higgins, bound and gagged, lashed to the chariot of Militarism, was to take part in destroying the first proletarian government in history!

The more Jimmie thought of it, the more indignant he became; he took it as a personal outrage—­a scurvy trick that had been played upon him.  He had swallowed their propaganda, he had filled himself up with their patriotism, he had dropped everything to come and fight for Democracy.  He had gone into battle, had risked his life, had suffered wounds and agony for them.  And now they had broken their bargain with him, they had brought him here and ordered him to fight working-men—­just as if he had been a militiaman at home!  Democracy indeed!  Here they were marching in, glorying in their purpose to conquer the Russian Revolutionists!