Tuesday 13 September 2016

William Walker

SM Stirling, Against the Tide of Years (New York, 1999), Chapter Six.

Between Neayoruk and Walkeropolis, there are imported cotton, corn, potatoes and tomatoes and plowed fields. It would be good to remake a world but not by Walker's methods.

Walker quotes a stanza from Kipling which I have found, with slightly different words, by googling.

Swindapa says:

"'There's always a man like Walker...'" (p. 116)

- to which Alston replies:

"'Fortunately, there's always someone like us too...'" (ibid.)

That is certainly true if you are characters in a certain kind of fiction.

At the end of Chapter Six, Odikweos asks, "'Troy next?'" (p. 119) to which Walker replies, "'Troy, indeed...'" (ibid.) so will Odikweos devise a wooden horse?

2 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I remembered that Kipling poem Walker quoted, "Cold Iron." BUT, he neglected to recall the rest of that piece! Both about how cold iron used to make cannons humbled the baron of the first stanza and the verses about CHRIST. Because Walker would not LIKE them.

Sean

Sean M. Brooks said...

Again, I was too hasty! I wanted to add that I did not agree with Marian Alston. I don't think tyrants like Walker will always be successfully opposed by people like Alston. Because, alas, tyrants do sometimes SUCCEED.

Sean