The British little maneuver did not escape the Austrian ambassador to Portugal, and the news was relayed to Vienna at once. This time, it was the Vienna Government's turn to be baffled, completely unaware of why the British had suddenly swallowed gunpowder.
The South African crisis was merely a potential one. Austria was currently busy consolidating its newly acquired territories and had no intention of picking a fight with the British.
Not long ago, Colonial Minister Josip Jelačić had honorably retired, and Stephen, the acting colonial minister, was now presiding over affairs.
Stephen was something of a legendary figure. During Austria's colonial expansion, while still an army lieutenant colonel, he had been temporarily appointed mayor of New Brook, thus embarking on a meteoric rise.
He had successively served as Governor of West Africa and Governor of Congo, before later being transferred back to Vienna as deputy minister of the Colonial Ministry. After Josip Jelačić retired, he took over the ministry's affairs.
After so many years of development, the Colonial Ministry was no longer the dispensable department it had once been. It had become a powerful ministry second only to the Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Defense.
Colonial Minister Stephen explained, "Your Majesty, we have verified it. Recently, we have not had any major clashes with the British in Africa.
"Just last month, the Governor of West Africa was still in communication with the British over their colonial outposts in West Africa. The negotiations made breakthrough progress, and they are now merely haggling over the price."
Clearly, this Anglo-Austrian South African crisis had not been provoked by the Austrian African colonial government. Colonial bureaucrats were not fools either. Even if they intended to make a move against South Africa, now was not the time.
Would it not be