Pongo and the Bull. By Hilaire Belloc, M.P. (Constable and
Co. 6s.)—Mr. Belloc gives us here a political novel, projecting himself and his readers into a future-1925 is the date—not so remote as to be uninteresting, not so near as to forbid a certain license of conjecture. The Conference will by that time have borne fruit, for we find "Dolly," the Prime Minister, and " Pongo," the Leader of the Opposition, in continual confabulation, arranging how the political game is to be played. The question of the day concerns a certain loan which an Indian famine had made neces- sary. Some of the Premier's Socialist supporters have opinions which he will not accept as to the application of the money ; the Leader of the Opposition is to help, but he does not appear because he is hindered, and the hindering cause is to be seen in the title of the story. This is very broad comedy indeed, and more broad than funny. Mr. Belloc is more serious when he has to do with the raising of the loan. Here he seizes the opportunity to display his Anti-Semitism, and does it with effect. The book is full of amusing things ; perhaps the best is the story of how the French police dealt with Mr. Quinlan Smith, the American financier, suspected of stealing a silver spoon.
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