Union and Liberty: An American TL

[wilcoxchar]

Oh, so do you want us loyal readers to make a few more comments about how great this TL is?

Yes.

Here's the maps.

#1: The United States in all its glory as of the 1868 election.

#2: Showing the readmission of the former Confederate states into the Union. The darkest blue is the states at the surrender of the CSA.

 

[Aero]

Love the timeline and maps so far, wilcoxchar.

Regarding the Colorado Territory, I am assuming the southern border is the Arkansas River? And is the capital Auraria (Denver)?

 

[QuoProQuid]

Glad to see that the Civil War has ended. The post-war situation looks pretty interesting. It will be interesting to see how culture develops in this timeline.

I am still hoping that the United States absorbs at least part of California in the future. That western border just does not look right to me.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Love the timeline and maps so far, wilcoxchar.

Regarding the Colorado Territory, I am assuming the southern border is the Arkansas River? And is the capital Auraria (Denver)?

The southern border of Colorado is indeed the Arkansas. However, the capital is Ferroplano (Boulder). A little favoritism never hurt anyone, right?

Glad to see that the Civil War has ended. The post-war situation looks pretty interesting. It will be interesting to see how culture develops in this timeline.

I am still hoping that the United States absorbs at least part of California in the future. That western border just does not look right to me.

The US has bought a little bit of California so far, if you remember the mention of the San Xavier purchase a while back. It's shown on the latest map, as the western border of Colorado Territory has been extended a bit. Still not sure how much more of California the US will absorb, if any.

 

[wilcoxchar]

I've put up a map of the Confluence Megalopolis in the Map Thread. It's something I've been thinking about as a possibility further down the line.

 

[GreatScottMarty]

So for that to work, river traffic would have to be much larger. imo

 

[jycee]

I've put up a map of the Confluence Megalopolis in the Map Thread. It's something I've been thinking about as a possibility further down the line.

This is interesting. If there is indeed a higher pop density there it would be a very likely development, and probably a symbol of American progress in the late 19th century like Chicago was in OTL.


Nice maps. But are the electoral votes up to date? I thought Cuba was now getting 7 votes. And something tells me Houston and Tejas are likely to be more populous now (several Southerners probably ended up there fleeing the war).

 

[wilcoxchar]

So for that to work, river traffic would have to be much larger. imo

With the devastation of Cincinnati in the war and increased immigration to the Gulf Coast, I think it would be reasonable to have much increased river traffic as well as having it focused more along the Mississippi and not spread around the Ohio as well. Also, more people are settling in the Great Plains so transport via the Mississippi is more viable than transport via the Pacific for those pioneers.

This is interesting. If there is indeed a higher pop density there it would be a very likely development, and probably a symbol of American progress in the late 19th century like Chicago was in OTL.

Especially since cities in the South will be looking to recover quickly from the National War, and in particular Memphis will have a great opportunity for expansion after the fire and being the new capital of Chickasaw.

Nice maps. But are the electoral votes up to date? I thought Cuba was now getting 7 votes. And something tells me Houston and Tejas are likely to be more populous now (several Southerners probably ended up there fleeing the war).

Whoops, my bad. I just copied the 1860 election map and added the new states in. I'll make an updated map soon, since the 1868 election is fast approaching.

 

[Guildencrantz]

With the devastation of Cincinnati in the war and increased immigration to the Gulf Coast, I think it would be reasonable to have much increased river traffic as well as having it focused more along the Mississippi and not spread around the Ohio as well. Also, more people are settling in the Great Plains so transport via the Mississippi is more viable than transport via the Pacific for those pioneers.

I just realized how screwed over Ohio has gotten in this TL. Yet, I still love it.

 

[jycee]

I just realized how screwed over Ohio has gotten in this TL. Yet, I still love it.

It is also missing Toledo. With larger cities along the Mississippi and the confluence, later on when industry increases, the rustbelt might actually have an entirely different location. Leaving Ohio, & Michigan looking a lot more like Indiana and Marquette (Wisconsin) respectively.

The change might have some interesting social effects as well. But I am not sure how those will go.


Also looking at the map I am trying to figure out how the rest of the territories might be divided. I really hope no state is named Champoeg, it is not a very attractive name, and whoever get it might not be too popular. What is interesting is that the Dakhota Territory is pretty much mad up of OTL's Montana, Wyoming, and the most unpopulated parts of Nebraska and the Dakotas. Size wise it is big enough to be divided into three maybe even four states, but population wise it can be made into one large state with very little difficulty. And probably makes much more sense, even if the Union of very small states ends up with one huge state. And New Mexico has such an odd shape that I can't see how it could even be divided logically.

It is also worthy to note that without California, the western myth might not play such a big part in culture ITTL.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Oh my goodness! Could this be? It is! Two updates in one week!


Part Forty-Seven: The Aftermath of the National War

Economic Effects of National War: The National War had a great impact on both the economies of the northern and southern United States in the years following it. In the southern states, the largest impact by far was the conversion of former slaves working on plantations into free American citizens. Many newly freed blacks concentrated in cities such as New Orleans and Montgomery. Some fled north with their new found freedom to try and find a job there. Most freed blacks stayed on the plantations that they had lived on prior to the National War, but were now paid by their former owners. Railroad construction in the south helped stimulate its recovery, but overall the economy in the former Confederacy was still slow due to a reliance on single cash crops such as cotton. Cotton production and exports in the southern states especially declined due to foreign markets such as Britain and France turning to cotton from India and Egypt.

The slump in agricultural production in the southern United States also led to the first development of major urban and industrial centers in the region. Fueled by the influx of black laborers and the switch of production on some plantations from cash crops like cotton to food crops such as rice in the Lower Mississippi, cities such as New Orleans and Montgomery flourished in the late nineteenth century. With the development of textile industries in those two cities, railroads from the Carolinas and Georgia soon wound their way westward to support the movement of cotton. Other gulf port cities developed as well to support the growing economy in Cuba. Pensacola continued to grow and a new harbor sprung up in Tampa Bay[1], which soon had a railroad link to Jacksonville. But aside from the Mississippi valley, the Gulf coast, and exceptional areas such as Montgomery, the southern United States experienced a rather slow recovery in the decades following the National War.

The development of the northern states after the National War was rather different from that of the southern states. The fighting that Cincinnati endured during the war drove many factories and producers away from the city and to cities away from the Ohio River. The river lost much of its steamship traffic as railroads were built through Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Indianapolis became a major rail hub in the Old Northwest as rail lines replaced the old steamer routes toward the Mississippi River. The states in the Old Northwest were further assisted by Fremont's push to begin construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Three major cities, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Saint Louis quickly expanded as steel mills and other industries flocked to the cities and as people passed thorugh on their way to the plains states and the Pacific or up north to Minneapolis or Duluth. These three cities became what was known as the Northern Industrial Triangle for much of the later nineteenth century and into the twentieth. This development helped the northern states recover faster from the National War than their southern brethren and only increased the economic disparity between the two regions.


Demographic Effects of National War: The shift in the economic centers of the United States in the 1860s was brought about by major shifts in population, and also brought about some population movements of its own. At the end of the National War, several freed blacks from the southern states moved to the cities or migrated north. Some even headed out west to work on the railroads that began crisscrossing the Great Plains in the 1870s and 1880s. The settling of freed slaves in cities such as New Orleans and Memphis helped the cities and their states flourish in the latter half of the 19th century.

The urbanization of the area along the Mississippi brought about some special challenges to city planners. A couple cities brought in Ildefons Cerda to plan the growth of the cities, who inspired the style of urban planning known as Cerdismo[2]. Cerda gained fame for designing a grand plan for the expansion of Barcelona in 1859[3], and was commissioned by several American cities including Ferroplano, Memphis, and Chicago to design plans for the cities in the aftermath of the National War. Cerda would return to Spain under the reign of Alfonso XII, but his mark on these American cities was permanent. After the Great Fire of 1871, Memphis took advantage of Cerda's planning expertise and redesigned itself as a premiere modern city.

The plantation owners of the former Confederate states did not fare well in the years following the National War. Many who wanted to maintain their life as slaveowners or simply could not keep financing their plantations left the United States, going to Veracruz, Costa Rica, Colombia, or Brazil, which still permitted slavery. Those plantation owners who stayed faced several economic problems with the transfer to wage labor. Some had to switch production from cotton to a less profitable crop. Others sold their plantations and moved to the major cities to try and get a better life in the economic downturn of the late 1870s.

The northern population also experienced a change following the economic shift. As mentioned previously, Saint Louis, Chicago, and Indianapolis flourished along with Cairo, Illinois due to transportation links and a general shift west in the population and economic centers of the country. Saint Louis and Chicago each recorded over 300,000 people in the 1870s census whereas they had just over 100,000 in 1860, and Indianapolis jumped to over 100,000 people from just 20,000 a decade before, replacing Cincinnati on the top ten most populous cities in the United States[4]. Meanwhile, the populations of the east coast cities began to shift as more immigrants from southern Europe came to the United States during the turmoil brought on by the Six Years' War and the Grand Unification War. The shift in population toward the Mississippi helped encourage westward expansion in the next few decades and fueled a number of new businesses and technological advancements.

[1] It needs a name. I was thinking Gadsden, or something more Spanish. Suggestions would be welcome.
[2] Cerdismo incorporates a mostly grid system with wide boulevards optimized for pedestrian and urban railway traffic and includes large green areas.
[3] Cerda published his Eixample or Enlargement in 1859 in OTL as well, which effectively planned Barcelona's growth for the next century. ITTL he gains more fame and work than he did in OTL.
[4] I'm planning on making a list of top ten US cities at each census.

 

[fernerdave]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJW8lOzJJPE&feature=related

Imagining this place as a bustling metropolis is what makes AH great.
Ive been there and it is a wild place, Collapsed buildings in the street and Graffitied gutted churchs....

 

[othyrsyde]

great analysis Wilcoxchar, love how different cities are becoming metropolises while ones from OTL are already fading.

 

[jycee]

I love how you have Cerda designing major cities in the US. Personally I think Cerda invented not only the most efficient city design but also one of the most beautiful ones. It seems that some of the worst places to live in OTL might be quite nice to live ITTL. As fernerdave points out on the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJW8lOzJJPE&feature=related

Imagining this place as a bustling metropolis is what makes AH great.
Ive been there and it is a wild place, Collapsed buildings in the street and Graffitied gutted churchs....

Damn this is kinda crazy. But it does make a great example of what AH can do. (I think similarly in most TL where people are not as crazy as us, Los Angeles would look more like the Cario in that video once it runs out of water).


Even if TTL does not turn out to be a massive Ameriwank (i am hoping it is not, I like the just a little bit different approach you are giving it), it seems to be turning into a midwestwank. Kinda cool actually.

 

[QuoProQuid]

Even if TTL does not turn out to be a massive Ameriwank (i am hoping it is not, I like the just a little bit different approach you are giving it), it seems to be turning into a midwestwank. Kinda cool actually.

I actually like this as well. It's interesting to see how your Midwest is developing. I am particularly interested in Cerda and what he does in the future. Perhaps we can see him around the Great Lakes area... maybe near Cleveland...

Ah, ignore that last part. My regionalism was slipping through. Anyways, as always you are doing fantastic. I am truly interested to see where this goes.

 

[wilcoxchar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJW8lOzJJPE&feature=related

Imagining this place as a bustling metropolis is what makes AH great.
Ive been there and it is a wild place, Collapsed buildings in the street and Graffitied gutted churchs....

Wow, I didn't realize that Cairo had suffered that badly.

great analysis Wilcoxchar, love how different cities are becoming metropolises while ones from OTL are already fading.

Thanks! This is the urban planner in me getting to have fun.

I love how you have Cerda designing major cities in the US. Personally I think Cerda invented not only the most efficient city design but also one of the most beautiful ones. It seems that some of the worst places to live in OTL might be quite nice to live ITTL. As fernerdave points out on the video.

Yeah, Cerda was a great thinker and was really ahead of his time in city development. Looking at how Barcelona is today, its a wonder he didn't get more recognition.

Even if TTL does not turn out to be a massive Ameriwank (i am hoping it is not, I like the just a little bit different approach you are giving it), it seems to be turning into a midwestwank. Kinda cool actually.

Well, it might be a midwestwank compared to OTL, but in some ways in OTL the Midwest really got the short end of the stick. Only Chicago remains in the top 10 US cities. It's also one of the first good areas I found when looking for potential megalopolises.

I actually like this as well. It's interesting to see how your Midwest is developing. I am particularly interested in Cerda and what he does in the future. Perhaps we can see him around the Great Lakes area... maybe near Cleveland...

Ah, ignore that last part. My regionalism was slipping through. Anyways, as always you are doing fantastic. I am truly interested to see where this goes.

Perhaps, but Cerda will have some work to do in Spain. And I'm still not sure what to do with Cleveland, or the Lake Erie area. With most businesses moving to Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri, Ohio will probably have a few important rail links but Michigan isn't likely to develop much, except for maybe the Detroit-Miami area.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Next update shall come soon. And I do believe it will be a return to the Undisclosed Adventures of Theodore Roosevelt!

 

[vultan]

Just wanna say- I love this TL! Keep it up!

 

[wilcoxchar]

Time for the next update! This is apparently much longer than the first episode, and I am seriously considering making this into a series.

By the way, the previous episode's title is Volcanic Corruption


The Undisclosed Adventures of Theodore Roosevelt, Episode 2: Young Victoria

President Theodore Roosevelt and the Secretary of the Navy walked along the docks at the Habana shipyard. A light breeze blew in from the bay creating a slight mist of salty sea spray. They strolled past several newly built vessels, their steel hulls gleaming in the early sunlight. At the end of the marina they stopped by the CSS Pensacola. Retired after the National War, the CSS Pensacola had been docked in Habana and served as a military museum dedicated to the war.

"Ah, what a beautiful day." Roosevelt said, cleaning his pince-nez with a handkerchief. "And such a historic vessel."

"Yes, Mister President. It was an excellent idea to convert this ship into a national memorial." the Secretary replied.

The two stood admiring the Pensacola bobbing up and down in the water for a few minutes until Roosevelt heard footsteps coming up behind him. Roosevelt turned around to see Secretary of the Interior Muir walking along the concrete toward them.

"Mister President, Secretary." Muir said calmly. The three politicians nodded their greetings. Muir pulled the President aside. "We have a situation," he said.

Roosevelt nodded and they turned back to the Navy Secretary. "Excuse me Secretary, but I must attend to some urgent business." Roosevelt doffed his campaign hat and walked with Muir back along the dock.

"Theodore," Muir said, "we have been getting reports that the British have located the Fountain of Youth."

"The Fountain of Youth? I always thought that was just a myth."

"Apparently not," Muir replied. They walked across the waterfront boulevard to the hotel where the dignitaries in Habana were staying. Sitting down in a table, they began discussing the Fountain.

"So, do we have any idea where the Fountain is?" Roosevelt asked.

"We only have the cryptic clue that the British found during an expedition in Jamaica." Muir pulled out and unrolled a luzograph[1] of a worn page from a notebook. "It is from Ponce de Leon's ship log. It reads 'The key to eternal youth is found, in the deepest depths of waters round, with Pascua west and Antilles east, the Wild Lion tames the beast'. We have determined that we are looking for the point on the Caribbean with the lowest elevation, but it seems obvious that it should be sea level."

Roosevelt pored over the luzograph, taking out some maps and stroking his moustache in thought. After a while, he brightened and looked up. "There," he pointed. "The Fountain is in Lake Enrqiuillo, on Saint Domingue. The Wild Lion is a translation of salva leon and refers to the city of Salvaleon de Higuey on the eastern side of the island."

"Remarkable!" Muir exclaimed. "How did you know that?"

Roosevelt adjusted the pince-nez on his nose. "I did a lot of research for A Century of the American Navy[2]. Now then, we should be going. We have a state visit to pay in Saint Domingue." The President picked up his machete and tucked it in the sheath on his belt.

"Er, Mister President? Must you carry your machete everywhere?" Roosevelt smiled and nodded before leading the way out of the room.


Roosevelt and the rest of the expedition cut through the jungle on Saint Domingue. In the afternoon, they finally broke through and arrived at a vast lake with three islands in the middle.

"There it is, Lake Enriquillo. The lowest point in all of the Caribbean, just like in the description." Roosevelt said in awe. The water was almost clear and the biggest of the three islands was teeming with lush forests. Looking to his right along the beach, Roosevelt scowled. The tents on the beach meant that the British had already arrived. A tall lanky man in a pith helmet was sitting at a table, alone. The President walked up to the man who looked up at him casually.

"Where is Victoria!" Roosevelt demanded. The man broke into a smile.

"Oh, Teddy." The man's voice was condescending. "You're so young and naive for a world leader. You can't just barge in on a British expedition and throw your weight around willy-nilly. That's why you'll never win. You lack the finesse requi-"

The man was cut off as Roosevelt picked him up and threw him into the sand. As the man looked up and began to scramble for his pith helmet, he froze on his elbows as his nose almost met with the end of Roosevelt's machete.

"I can do whatever I damn well please. Now tell me, where is your Queen!"

"She - the expedition went to the island," the man said pointing across the water. "There is a pyramid of the Mesoamerican style that was covered by the forest."

"Thank you," Teddy smiled and began walking away. The man struggled to his knees.

"Oh," Roosevelt said turning around, "and don't call me Teddy." Suddenly there was a glint of the sun off metal and the man found a coattail pierced by Roosevelt's machete. The President lightly tipped his campaign hat to the man, picked up his machete, and walked back to the waiting expedition.


The expedition began embarking on boats toward the largest island. Muir got in a boat and waited for Roosevelt to get in.

"Are you coming, Theodore?" Muir called.

"I will be there soon. You go ahead without me." Roosevelt replied as he doffed his hat, coat, and boots and deposited them in the boat.

"Um, Theodore, why are you-" Muir did not finish his sentence before Roosevelt jumped into the water and started swimming across the lake toward the island.

"Bet you I will make it to the island before you!" Roosevelt called back. Muir sighed as he began rowing his boat across the lake.


Roosevelt and Muir arrived at the island minutes after the rest of the expedition. Roosevelt walked up out of the water and grabbed his clothes and pince-nez out of Muir's boat. Putting on his clothes, spectacles, and hat, he strutted boldly into the brush with the expedition in tow. The expedition cut a path through the brush and arrived at a clearing ten minutes later. In the center of the clearing stood a tall stepped pyramid.

"You all wait here. I'm going in there to stop Victoria." Roosevelt turned and said to the expedition. Before Muir could respond, Roosevelt disappeared into the dark void of the pyramid entrance.

"Damnit! There he goes again thundering off alone." Muir looked stunned. "Does he not remember he is the president and needs to keep himself from getting killed? We need to go in there and protect him!"

"Calm down, Secretary," one of the members of the expedition put his hand on Muir's shoulder. "You and a few men can go in there after him in case he needs help. But I highly doubt that." The man scoffed and told three expedition members to go with Muir. They went into the pyramid after the President.


Roosevelt walked slowly down a downward sloping hallway with his torch providing the only light. After twnety more steps the hallway emptied out into a large room. The room was lined with pillars on the left and right sides and had smouldering torches along the walls. Roosevelt carefully moved toward the center of the room. As he reached the center and looked around, his foot sliiped. A stone on the floor gave way slightly under the weight of his foot and a circular passageway opened up on the far side of the room. Roosevelt walked toward the passageway, but stopped when he heard a rumbling. As the rumbling grew louder, Roosevelt dropped his torch and it went out.

In the tunnel behind Roosevelt, Muir and the men with him felt the rumble as well. Muir put his hand on the wall to steady himself. "What the devil is going on down there?" Muir wondered.

Roosevelt grabbed another torch and forged on into the circular passage. The passage was sloped slightly upward, and the rumbling grew louder as Roosevelt continued onward. As the President rounded a curve in the passage, he saw a large boulder rolling down the passage toward him.

"Oh, bully!" Roosevelt yelled as he ran back down the passageway with the boulder right behind him. As he reentered the large room, he dove to the side as the boulder rolled across the room and smashed into the opposite wall, blocking the doorway. Roosevelt stood up and looked at the smooth, round boulder now lodged in the wall. "Well, that is a peculiar trap. Why on earth would someone go through create something that elaborate that is only going to be used once?"

Roosevelt went back into the circular passage. Going further than he had before, he found the bodies of two men in scarlet tunics on the floor of the passageway. "Ha. Just like Victoria to waste a couple of redcoats on a venture like this," Roosevelt mused. He continued on a few more paces and found a smaller side passage leading downward and to the left. The President moved down the passage.


Meanwhile, Muir's group finally arrived at the entrance to the first room, only to find it blocked by the boulder. "Well, what do we do now?" on of the expedition members asked.

Muir thought. "Usually when we explore these sorts of temples, there are all kinds of hidden hallways and secret passages." He began feeling the stones on the wall with his hand. As his hand came across one particular stone, Muir could feel that it was a bit loose.

"There it is!" Muir pushed the stone in. The wall near the boulder slid back slightly and sideways revealing a descending staircase. Muir led the others as they walked down into the depths of the temple.


The President continued down the passageway, feeling the slick, damp walls. "I must be getting close", he thought. Sure enough, he was. As Roosevelt felt along the wall, he found a strangely circular shaped stone. He spoke to noone in particular, "So, what is it this time? Flames perhaps? Or one of those gradually descending ceilings?" Roosevelt's keen ears picked up a sharp click and whirring sounds. "Ah, the old volley of arrows coming out of the wall." Roosevelt ran down the passage, leaping and performing acrobatics in order to dodge the arrows as they flew into the walls behind him.

Rounding another bend he was blinded by a sharp light. Continuing onto the light, Roosevelt found that the passage opened up into a grand room. Gaining his focus, he saw dozens of redcoats guarding the area and in the center, the Fountain of Youth. It was a tall marvelous structure gleaming of white stone, possibly marble, and had pools and miniature waterfalls all along it splashing into one large pool in the middle of the floor. Standing beside the Fountain was her Majesty, Queen Victoria. Roosevelt lunged forward but was held back by two well-built guards as Victoria stepped into the Fountain and appeared to descend a set of stairs under the water. Moments after completely submerging herself, Victoria reemerged from the depths. Roosevelt's eyes widened. "My God, your Majesty. You look as youthful and radiant as you did on the day of your Coronation!"

Roosevelt pushed the guards away and ran toward the now younger Queen. Victoria was shocked at her new appearance and at Roosevelt's advance. However, that did not mean she did not like either of them. "Well, Mister President, it looks like you failed to stop me." Roosevelt ceased moving toward her. He frowned. "But maybe," Victoria continued, "there is a was for you to salvage something fruitful from your efforts." She smiled and winked at him. "After all, you did come all the way out to the Caribbean just to find me."

"When you put it that way, your Majesty," Roosevelt doffed his hat and winked back.

"Guards! Leave the room at once!" Victoria turned to her redcoats. "The President and I are going to conduct a little, ah, international diplomacy." She turned back to Roosevelt as he fiddled with her corset.


Muir's men continued down the staircase. The staircase ended and led to a short hallway before which was a small door. Two redcoats were standing on either side of it. "Shhh! Stay in the shadows," Muir whispered to the other men in the expedition. "You. Hand me your pistol." The man he was addressing gave him the pistol. Muir stepped out of the shadow.

"Halt! Who go-" one of the redcoats began to yell, but before he could finish Muir shot the redcoat and his accomplice straight in the heart. Muir handed the pistol back. "Heh, going on safari with the president has really helped my aim." They moved closer to the door.

"Stand back, let me survey the situation first," Muir advised them as they approached the door. Muir slowly creaked the door open and peered into the room. His eyes adjusting to the brightness of the open chamber, Muir stared as his jaw dropped. At the side of the Fountain, Roosevelt had the Young Victoria in a heartfelt embrace.

Roosevelt noticed Muir out of the corner of his eye and almost let go of the Queen. "Ahem," he flustered as he helped Victoria onto her feet.

"Mister President..." Muir cocked his head and gave a suspicious glance toward the two.

"Um, nothing to see here, John." Roosevelt mumbled trying to make his voice sound as official as possible. Roosevelt began walking toward Muir while adjusting his hat. "As you can see we were unfortunately unable to reach the Fountain before the Queen could make use of it."

"The Fountain among other things," Muir mumbled under his breath.

Roosevelt clapped his hand on Muir's shoulder. "Well, John, let's go. We have finished our business here and I believe I have some bills that need signing back in Washington." Muir, still trying to shake the image of Roosevelt and the Queen out of his head, nodded and turned back toward the doorway. Roosevelt turned back toward Victoria. "Good day, your Majesty." Roosevelt winked again at the Queen and put his index finger to his lips. She blushed and finished donning her dress.


The expedition came out of the pyramid and got back on the boats to cross the lake. This time, Roosevelt chose to row with Muir instead of swim across.

"So, did you and the Queen-" Muir ventured.

Roosevelt nodded once sharply and continued rowing. "Nobody but you and I must know of this," the President looked the Secretary of the Interior in the eyes. His face was the essence of austerity.

"But what about the other men who were with me in the passage. Surely they saw something." Muir objected.

Roosevelt thought for a moment. "Hmmm." Suddenly he hit on an idea. "Arrange for each of them to acquire a nice villa in Cuba." Muir had no idea in the slightest about how this might be accomplished, but he nodded anyway as they came to the waiting airship. "Yes, mister President."

[1] Photograph
[2] This replaces Roosevelt's OTL The Naval War of 1812

 

[Guildencrantz]