As the meal wore on and the bottles were emptied, the conversation waxed somewhat noisy. Our friends were filled with the most generous sentiments towards England and lamented the estrangement of our nations. They confessed that they had come to China prepared to dislike the British officers intensely; but, in common with all their comrades who had been brought in contact with us, their feelings had entirely changed. They said frankly that the hostility to England was mainly owing to the continual opposition she offers to the natural desire of Russia to find an outlet to the sea. As they pointed out with truth, a great and rising nation like theirs will not submit to be confined for ever to the land; that it was intolerable that their vast Empire had not a single port free from ice all the year round or entirely at their own disposal. For Odessa is practically an inland harbour; and the Baltic is frozen in winter. Their ambition to reach the Mediterranean entangled them in the campaign against Turkey; and one can understand their indignation against England, who stepped in at the last moment when Constantinople was almost in their grasp and despoiled them of the fruits of victory achieved at the cost of many sacrifices and a long and bloody war. Foiled in the attempt to reach the open sea there, they embarked on the marvellous career of conquest which carried them across Asia to the Pacific. And there they found their first port, Vladivostock, useless in winter. And if other nations had had the courage of their convictions, they would never have been suffered to retain Port Arthur. But although the talk was largely political, there was absolutely no bitterness on the part of our host and his comrades. The conversation passed on to a comparison of the various systems of the armies of the world and a frank criticism of our own as well as the other contingents of the Allied forces. They were not very much impressed by our Indian army. They admired the regiments they had seen, but pitied us for the necessity we were under of having coloured troops at all. They forgot that a large portion of their own army can scarcely be called European. Like all the Russians I have met, from a Grand Duke to a subaltern, they exhibited a rancorous hatred to Germany. What they had seen of her troops in this campaign had added neither to their respect nor their love for that nation. In fact, the Germans did not succeed in making themselves cordially liked by those with whom they were brought in contact; just as their country may find, when her day of trouble comes, that her friends are few. Our friends betrayed a contempt, not altogether unmixed with fear, for the Japanese; and they marvelled at our friendship for them. They acknowledged their bravery in the present campaign, but doubted if they would exhibit the same courage when pitted against white troops. Their doubts will be resolved when the time comes.