A Tall Ship / On Other Naval Occasions

lk. There were at least half a dozen mothers in the foyer of the big, garish hotel on the sea-front. Some were tête-à-t

ealing with eggs and buttered toast, marmalade, watercress, plum-cake, and toasted scones in a manner which co

said one mother, "to hear

d eggs and some more strawberry jam. You see, dear, we haven't done anything exciting yet. That's all been the luck of the battle-cruisers and destroyers. They've had a t

iral confided his pl

an amused father, who h

for t

ut my chest is in the flat outside his steward'

your life. Do you get enoug

at an even temperature by costly and hygienic methods. "We're in four watches, you know-we get one night in in four. At sea we sleep at our guns. I've got one

gours of Arctic exploration were a

tfitter said it was quite comfortable to wear. I hope you alwa

bit of scrum practice one night after dinner, and we rolled it up for a ball, and-and the half wasn't nippy enough in getting it

officers-is the Capt

red his tea

o look at him. There's another we call the Indiarubber Man, who takes us at physical drill every morning. He's frightfully strong, and they say he licked the Japanese ju-jitsu man

r. "We put a seining-net round the quarter-deck, and play

a sing-song on guest nights, and kick up a f

per, too. He has us t

ers in a strange land, you can imagine much that cannot be conveyed with the pen. There were similar tea parties in various corners of the hotel and in

f our Snotties-Karrard-was killed at Mons, and the Captain sent for Karrard (who's rather a kid and felt it awfully) and showed him a letter from the General about Karrard'

h you were back at

. "Why, mother. Kedgeree here would have got his Fir

sation ashore. "We were treated like kids there," he explained. "But now--" He jerked his head towards the north with that unfailing sense of the cardinal points of the compas

nee under the table. A tall, sinewy Engineer Commander was

orne. Did you see his nose? . . . Captain of England!" .

sea-front there drifted a faint soun

he others, raising a