Thus matters hung in the balance; the masters could not reduce their slaves to complete subjection, though they put down some feeble and partial riots easily enough.

The workers forced their masters to grant them ameliorations, real or imaginary, of their condition, but could not force freedom from them.

At last came a great crash.

To explain this you must understand that very great progress had been made amongst the workers, though as before said but little in the direction of improved livelihood." I played the innocent and said: "In what direction could they improve, if not in livelihood ?" Said he: "In the power to bring about a state of things in which livelihood would be full, and easy to gain.

They had at last learned how to combine after a long period of mistakes and disasters.