replies his mother (22). This appears to be an arbitrary act of killing.
             The cruelties against nature the novel presents become more and more blatant the further we proceed. The next notable example of this cruelty is the loading of the horses onto the S.S. Massanabie and the conditions under which they have to live in during the trip. Findley describes the loading of the animals as if they were not living beings anymore: "Each horse was lifted in a harness by a gigantic crane and lowered into the hold like a cargo" (50). Such language transforms the horses into inanimate objects. The conditions onboard the ship complete the transformation: "There was hardly any light and the scuppers were awash with sea bilge and urine. Manure was left where it fell for days on end" (60). The military regarded the horses simply as part of the war-machinery. This is an attack against the rights of the animals.
             The first time we see nature fighting back is when strong storms hit the ships crossing the Atlantic: " 'We shall be drownded, sir?and Robert said 'No we shan't? amazed at the authority with which he said it because he thought himself that the ship was sinking" (64). Here the war-machinery is the victim of nature. It almost seems that nature wants to protect itself by keeping the soldiers away from the war. It seems the author is telling us that in destroying nature we threaten our own lives.
             The attacks against nature and the life threatening results for human beings become clearer as we step onto the battlefield in Europe
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