The words ‘Peace is costly but it is worth the expense’ are ironically used because the man had to lose his huts repeatedly before he finally overcame his enemies with a ruse (plot, trick). Ordinarily, we do not talk in terms of money when we talk of peace. But, in the case of the man, peace gets linked to his property. In terms of colonisation too peace gets linked to wealth because the natives are colonised for their wealth by the colonisers. However, the urge for freedom remains alive in the hearts of the colonised and all the sacrifices made will be considered worthy of the effort.
