Disheartened at the failure of my efforts to get the boys united once more against the enemy, I made up my mind to leave Ireland. I intended to go to India and strike a blow against the old enemy there and help those who were fighting the same battle as we had been fighting in Ireland. But when Sean Hogan and I got in touch with Indian leaders in London they asked how could Irishmen be trusted to fight for India when they had deserted their own country? In despair I decided to go to America. In the middle of December I acted as “best man” for Seumas Robinson when he was married in Dublin. That evening I left for London. As I left Dun Laoghaire I felt completely broken in spirit. I had seen all our efforts in vain, and the men we trusted had told the world that the freedom we fought for was the freedom to have our country cut in twain, and the freedom to take an oath of allegiance to a foreign king. [Illustration: J. J. HOGAN. FATHER DAN KELLY. DAN BREEN.] Before I left Dublin I had asked several I.R.A. officers to stand with me in resuming the war, but they would not accept my views. Had they agreed I would never have left Ireland, and I warned them that within twelve months they would be fighting a Civil War. On the 19th of December, before leaving Ireland, I addressed an open letter to Commandant Sean McKeon, T.D. In this letter I made my attitude towards the Treaty perfectly clear. These were my exact words:— “I wish to point out to you that you are reported to have stated in An Dail to-day, that this Treaty brings the freedom that is necessary and for which we are all ready to die. You also are reported to have previously stated that this Treaty gives you what you and your comrades fought for. “As one of your comrades I say that I would never have handled a gun or fired a shot, nor would I have asked any of my comrades, living or dead, to raise a hand to obtain this Treaty. “Let me remind you that to-day is the second anniversary of Martin Savage’s death. Do you suppose that he sacrificed his life in attempting to kill one British Governor-General in order to make room for another British Governor-General? “I take no party’s side, but I still stand by our old principle of Complete Separation and entire Independence.” In London I met Sean Hogan who had crossed before me. It was the first time I had ever been out of my own country, and for a time the novelty of life in London and my strange surroundings helped to keep my mind from the great tragedy of Ireland. We stayed in London for about a fortnight. During my stay I met Mr. P. L. Smyth, the well-known Dublin Commission Agent, and he proved a kind friend to us. Our next trouble was how to get to America. We decided to attempt to cross from Canada, but we had two great obstacles to overcome. In the first place we had very little money, and in the second place we had no passports. How we overcame the passport difficulty I cannot explain here.