第5章

Fouryearsago，onthefirstdayofAugust，inthetownofCracow，AustrianPoland，nobodywouldbelievethatthewarwascoming。Myapprehensionsweremetbythewords:“Wehavehadthesescaresbefore。”Thisincredulitywassouniversalamongstpeopleofintelligenceandinformation，thatevenI，whohadaccustomedmyselftolookattheinevitableforyearspast，feltmyconvictionshaken。Atthattime，itmustbenoted，theAustrianarmywasalreadypartlymobilised，andaswecamethroughAustrianSilesiawehadnoticedallthebridgesbeingguardedbysoldiers。

“Austriawillbackdown，“wastheopinionofallthewell-informedmenwithwhomItalkedonthefirstofAugust。ThesessionoftheUniversitywasendedandthestudentswereeitherallgoneorgoinghometodifferentpartsofPoland，buttheprofessorshadnotalldepartedyetontheirrespectiveholidays，andamongstthemthetoneofscepticismprevailedgenerally。Uponthewholetherewasverylittleinclinationtotalkaboutthepossibilityofawar。

Nationally，thePolesfeltthatfromtheirpointofviewtherewasnothingtohopefromit。“Whateverhappens，“saidaverydistinguishedmantome，“wemaybecertainthatit\'sourskinswhichwillpayforitasusual。”Awell-knownliterarycriticandwriteroneconomicalsubjectssaidtome:“Warseemsamaterialimpossibility，preciselybecauseitwouldmeanthecompleteruinofallmaterialinterests。”

Hewaswrong，asweknow；butthosewhosaidthatAustriaasusualwouldbackdownwere，asamatteroffactperfectlyright。Austriadidbackdown。WhatthesemendidnotforeseewastheinterferenceofGermany。Andonecannotblamethemverywell；forwhocouldguessthat，whenthebalancestoodeven，theGermanswordwouldbethrownintothescalewithnothingintheopenpoliticalsituationtojustifythatact，orratherthatcrime——ifcrimecaneverbejustified?For，asthesameintelligentmansaidtome:“Asitis，thosepeople“(meaningGermans)“haveverynearlythewholeworldintheireconomicgrip。Theirprestigeisevengreaterthantheiractualstrength。Itcangetforthempracticallyeverythingtheywant。Thenwhyriskit?“Andtherewasnoapparentanswertothequestionputinthatway。ImustalsosaythatthePoleshadnoillusionsaboutthestrengthofRussia。ThoseillusionswerethemonopolyoftheWesternworld。

NextdaythelibrarianoftheUniversityinvitedmetocomeandhavealookatthelibrarywhichIhadnotseensinceIwasfourteenyearsold。ItwasfromhimthatIlearnedthatthegreaterpartofmyfather\'sMSS。waspreservedthere。Heconfessedthathehadnotlookedthemthroughthoroughlyyet，buthetoldmethattherewasalotofveryimportantlettersbearingontheepochfrom\'60to\'63，toandfrommanyprominentPolesofthattime:

andheadded:“Thereisabundleofcorrespondencethatwillappealtoyoupersonally。Thoseareletterswrittenbyyourfathertoanintimatefriendinwhosepaperstheywerefound。Theycontainmanyreferencestoyourself，thoughyoucouldn\'thavebeenmorethanfouryearsoldatthetime。Yourfatherseemstohavebeenextremelyinterestedinhisson。”ThatafternoonIwenttotheUniversity，takingwithmeMYeldestson。TheattentionofthatyoungEnglishmanwasmainlyattractedbysomerelicsofCopernicusinaglasscase。Isawthebundleoflettersandacceptedthekindproposalofthelibrarianthatheshouldhavethemcopiedformeduringtheholidays。Intherangeofthedesertedvaultedroomslinedwithbooks，fullofaugustmemories，andinthepassionlesssilenceofallthisenshrinedwisdom，wewalkedhereandtheretalkingofthepast，thegreathistoricalpastinwhichlivedtheinextinguishablesparkofnationallife；

andallaroundusthecenturies-oldbuildingslaystillandempty，composingthemselvestorestafterayearofworkonthemindsofanothergeneration。

NoechooftheGermanultimatumtoRussiapenetratedthatacademicalpeace。Butthenewshadcome。Whenwesteppedintothestreetoutofthedesertedmainquadrangle，wethree，Iimagine，weretheonlypeopleinthetownwhodidnotknowofit。MyboyandIpartedfromthelibrarian(whohurriedhometopackupforhisholiday)andwalkedontothehotel，wherewefoundmywifeactuallyinthecarwaitingforustotakearunofsometenmilestothecountryhouseofanoldschool-friendofmine。Hehadbeenmygreatestchum。InmywanderingsabouttheworldIhadheardthathislatercareerbothatschoolandattheUniversityhadbeenofextraordinarybrilliance——inclassics，Ibelieve。Butinthis，theiron-greymoustacheperiodofhislife，heinformedmewithbadlyconcealedpridethathehadgainedworldfameastheInventor——no，Inventorisnottheword——Producer，Ibelievewouldbetherightterm——ofawonderfulkindofbeetrootseed。Thebeetgrownfromthisseedcontainedmoresugartothesquareinch——orwasittothesquareroot?——thananyotherkindofbeet。Heexportedthisseed，notonlywithprofit(andeventotheUnitedStates)，butwithacertainamountofglorywhichseemedtohavegoneslightlytohishead。ThereisafundamentalstrainofagriculturalistinaPolewhichnoamountofbrilliance，evenclassical，candestroy。Whilewewerehavingteaoutside，lookingdownthelovelyslopeofthegardensattheviewofthecityinthedistance，thepossibilitiesofthewarfadedfromourminds。

Suddenlymyfriend\'swifecametouswithatelegraminherhandandsaidcalmly:“Generalmobilisation，doyouknow?“Welookedatherlikemenarousedfromadream。“Yes，“sheinsisted，“theyarealreadytakingthehorsesoutoftheploughsandcarts。”I

said:“Wehadbettergobacktotownasquickaswecan，“andmyfriendassentedwithatroubledlook:“Yes，youhadbetter。”Aswepassedthroughvillagesonourwaybackwesawmobsofhorsesassembledonthecommonswithsoldiersguardingthem，andgroupsofvillagerslookingonsilentlyattheofficerswiththeirnote-bookscheckingdeliveriesandwritingoutreceipts。Someoldpeasantwomenwerealreadyweepingaloud。

Whenourcardrewupatthedoorofthehotel，themanagerhimselfcametohelpmywifeout。InthefirstmomentIdidnotquiterecognisehim。Hisluxuriantblacklocksweregone，hisheadwascloselycropped，andasIglancedatithesmiledandsaid:“I

shallsleepatthebarracksto-night。”

Icannotreproducetheatmosphereofthatnight，thefirstnightaftermobilisation。Theshopsandthegatewaysofthehouseswereofcourseclosed，butallthroughthedarkhoursthetownhummedwithvoices；theechoesofdistantshoutsenteredtheopenwindowsofourbedroom。Groupsofmentalkingnoisilywalkedinthemiddleoftheroad-wayescortedbydistressedwomen:menofallcallingsandofallclassesgoingtoreportthemselvesatthefortress。Nowandthenamilitarycartootingfuriouslywouldwhiskthroughthestreetsemptyofwheeledtraffic，likeanintenselyblackshadowunderthegreatfloodofelectriclightsonthegreypavement。

Butwhatproducedthegreatestimpressiononmymindwasagatheringatnightinthecoffee-roomofmyhotelofafewmenofmarkwhomIwasaskedtojoin。Itwasaboutoneo\'clockinthemorning。Theshutterswereup。Forsomereasonorothertheelectriclightwasnotswitchedon，andthebigroomwaslituponlybyafewtallcandles，justenoughforustoseeeachother\'sfacesby。Isawinthosefacestheawfuldesolationofmenwhosecountry，torninthree，founditselfengagedinthecontestwithnowillofitsown，andnoteventhepowertoassertitselfatthecostoflife。Allthepastwasgone，andtherewasnofuture，whateverhappened；noroadwhichdidnotseemtoleadtomoralannihilation。Irememberoneofthosemenaddressingmeafteraperiodofmournfulsilencecompoundedofmentalexhaustionandunexpressedforebodings。

“WhatdoyouthinkEnglandwilldo?Ifthereisarayofhopeanywhereitisonlythere。”

Isaid:“IbelieveIknowwhatEnglandwilldo“(thiswasbeforethenewsoftheviolationofBelgianneutralityarrived)，“thoughI

won\'ttellyou，forIamnotabsolutelycertain。ButIcantellyouwhatIamabsolutelycertainof。Itisthis:IfEnglandcomesintothewar，then，nomatterwhomaywanttomakepeaceattheendofsixmonthsatthecostofrightandjustice，Englandwillkeeponfightingforyearsifnecessary。Youmayreckononthat。”

“What，evenalone?“askedsomebodyacrosstheroom。

Isaid:“Yes，evenalone。ButifthingsgosofarasthatEnglandwillnotbealone。”

IthinkthatatthatmomentImusthavebeeninspired。

WELLDONE——1918

I。

ItcanbesafelysaidthatforthelastfouryearstheseamenofGreatBritainhavedonewell。Imeanthateverykindandsortofhumanbeingclassifiedasseaman，steward，fore-masthand，fireman，lamp-trimmer，mate，master，engineer，andalsoallthroughtheinnumerableratingsoftheNavyuptothatofAdmiral，hasdonewell。Idon\'tsaymarvellouslywellormiraculouslywellorwonderfullywellorevenverywell，becausethesearesimplyover-

statementsofundisciplinedminds。Idon\'tdenythatamanmaybeamarvellousbeing，butthisisnotlikelytobediscoveredinhislifetime，andnotalwaysevenafterheisdead。Man\'smarvellousnessisahiddenthing，becausethesecretsofhisheartarenottobereadbyhisfellows。Astoaman\'swork，ifitisdonewellitistheveryutmostthatcanbesaid。Youcandowell，andyoucandonomoreforpeopletosee。IntheNavy，wherehumanvaluesarethoroughlyunderstood，thehighestsignalofcommendationcomplimentingaship(thatis，aship\'scompany)onsomeachievementsconsistsexactlyofthosetwosimplewords“Welldone，“followedbythenameoftheship。Notmarvellouslydone，astonishinglydone，wonderfullydone——no，onlyjust:

“Welldone，so-and-so。”

Andtothemenitisamatterofinfinitepridethatsomebodyshouldjudgeitpropertomentionaloud，asitwere，thattheyhavedonewell。Itisamemorableoccurrence，forintheseaservicesyouareexpectedprofessionallyandasamatterofcoursetodowell，becausenothinglesswilldo。Andinsoberspeechnomancanbeexpectedtodomorethanwell。Thesuperlativesaremeresignsofuninformedwonder。Thustheofficialsignalwhichcanexpressnothingbutadelicateshareofappreciationbecomesagreathonour。

Speakingnowasapurelycivilseaman(or，perhaps，Ioughttosaycivilian，becausepolitenessisnotwhatIhaveinmymind)ImaysaythatIhaveneverexpectedtheMerchantServicetodootherwisethanwellduringthewar。Therewerepeoplewhoobviouslydidnotfeelthesameconfidence，nay，whoevenconfidentlyexpectedtoseethecollapseofmerchantseamen\'scourage。Imustadmitthatsuchpronouncementsdidarrestmyattention。InmytimeIhaveneverbeenabletodetectanyfaintheartsintheships\'companieswithwhomIhaveservedinvariouscapacities。ButIreflectedthatI

hadlefttheseain\'94，twentyyearsbeforetheoutbreakofthewarthatwastoapplyitsseveretesttothequalityofmodernseamen。Perhapstheyhaddeteriorated，Isaidunwillinglytomyself。IrememberedalsothealarmistarticlesIhadreadaboutthegreatnumberofforeignersintheBritishMerchantService，andIdidn\'tknowhowfartheselamentationswerejustified。

Inmytimetheproportionofnon-Britishersinthecrewsoftheshipsflyingtheredensignwasratherunderone-third，which，asamatteroffact，waslessthantheproportionallowedundertheverystrictFrenchnavigationlawsforthecrewsoftheshipsofthatnation。Forthestrictestlawsaimingatthepreservationofnationalseamenhadtorecognisethedifficultiesofmanningmerchantshipsallovertheworld。Theone-thirdoftheFrenchlawseemedtobetheirreducibleminimum。ButtheBritishproportionwasevenless。ThusitmaybesaidthatuptothedateIhavementionedthecrewsofBritishmerchantshipsengagedindeepwatervoyagestoAustralia，totheEastIndiesandroundtheHornwereessentiallyBritish。ThesmallproportionofforeignerswhichI

rememberweremostlyScandinavians，andmygeneralimpressionremainsthatthosemenweregoodstuff。Theyappearedalwaysableandreadytodotheirdutybytheflagunderwhichtheyserved。

ThemajoritywereNorwegians，whosecourageandstraightnessofcharacteraremattersbeyonddoubt。IrememberalsoacoupleofFinns，bothcarpenters，ofcourse，andverygoodcraftsmen；aSwede，themostscientificsailmakerIevermet；anotherSwede，asteward，whoreallymighthavebeencalledaBritishseamansincehehadsailedoutofLondonforoverthirtyyears，arathersuperiorperson；oneItalian，aneverlastinglysmilingbutapugnaciouscharacter；oneFrenchman，amostexcellentsailor，tirelessandindomitableunderverydifficultcircumstances；oneHollander，whoseplacidmanneroflookingattheshipgoingtopiecesunderourfeetIshallneverforget，andoneyoung，colourless，muscularlyverystrongGerman，ofnoparticularcharacter。Ofnon-Europeancrews，lascarsandKalashes，Ihavehadverylittleexperience，andthatwasonlyinonesteamshipandforsomethinglessthanayear。ItwasonthesameoccasionthatIhadmyonlysightofChinesefiremen。Sightistheexactword。Onedidn\'tspeaktothem。Onesawthemgoingalongthedecks，toandfro，characteristicfigureswithrolled-uppigtails，verydirtywhencomingoffdutyandveryclean-facedwhengoingonduty。Theyneverlookedatanybody，andoneneverhadoccasiontoaddressthemdirectly。Theirappearancesinthelightofdaywereveryregular，andyetsomewhatghostlikeintheirdetachmentandsilence。

ButofthewhitecrewsofBritishshipsandalmostexclusivelyBritishinbloodanddescent，theimmediatepredecessorsofthemenwhoseworththenationhasdiscoveredforitselfto-day，Ihavehadathoroughexperience。Atfirstamongstthem，thenwiththem，I

havesharedalltheconditionsoftheirveryspeciallife。Foritwasveryspecial。Inmyearlydays，startingoutonavoyagewaslikebeinglaunchedintoEternity。IsayadvisedlyEternityinsteadofSpace，becauseoftheboundlesssilencewhichswalloweduponeforeightydays——foronehundreddays——forevenyetmoredaysofanexistencewithoutechoesandwhispers。LikeEternityitself！Foronecan\'tconceiveavocalEternity。Anenormoussilence，inwhichtherewasnothingtoconnectonewiththeUniversebuttheincessantwheelingaboutofthesunandothercelestialbodies，thealternationoflightandshadow，eternallychasingeachotheroverthesky。Thetimeoftheearth，thoughmostcarefullyrecordedbythehalf-hourlybells，didnotcountinreality。

Itwasaspeciallife，andthemenwereaveryspecialkindofmen。

BythisIdon\'tmeantosaytheyweremorecomplexthanthegeneralityofmankind。Neitherweretheyverymuchsimpler。I

havealreadyadmittedthatmanisamarvellouscreature，andnodoubtthoseparticularmenweremarvellousenoughintheirway。

Butintheircollectivecapacitytheycanbebestdefinedasmenwholivedunderthecommandtodowell，orperishutterly。Ihavewrittenofthemwithallthetruththatwasinme，andwithantheimpartialityofwhichIwascapable。Letmenotbemisunderstoodinthisstatement。Affectioncanbeveryexacting，andcaneasilymissfairnessonthecriticalside。Ihavelookeduponthemwithajealouseye，expectingperhapsevenmorethanitwasstrictlyfairtoexpect。Andnowonder——sinceIhadelectedtobeoneofthemverydeliberately，verycompletely，withoutanylookingbackorlookingelsewhere。Thecircumstancesweresuchastogivemethefeelingofcompleteidentification，averyvividcomprehensionthatifIwasn\'toneofthemIwasnothingatall。Butwhatwasmostdifficulttodetectwasthenatureofthedeepimpulseswhichthesemenobeyed。Whatspiritwasitthatinspiredtheunfailingmanifestationsoftheirsimplefidelity?Nooutwardcohesiveforceofcompulsionordisciplinewasholdingthemtogetherorhadevershapedtheirunexpressedstandards。Itwasverymysterious。AtlastIcametotheconclusionthatitmustbesomethinginthenatureofthelifeitself；thesea-lifechosenblindly，embracedforthemostpartaccidentallybythosemenwhoappearedbutalooseagglomerationofindividualstoilingfortheirlivingawayfromtheeyesofmankind。Whocantellhowatraditioncomesintotheworld?Wearechildrenoftheearth。Itmaybethatthenoblesttraditionisbuttheoffspringofmaterialconditions，ofthehardnecessitiesbesettingmen\'sprecariouslives。Butonceithasbeenbornitbecomesaspirit。Nothingcanextinguishitsforcethen。Cloudsofgreedyselfishness，thesubtledialecticsofrevoltorfear，mayobscureitforatime，butinverytruthitremainsanimmortalrulerinvestedwiththepowerofhonourandshame。

II。

Themysteriouslyborntraditionofsea-craftcommandsunityinabodyofworkersengagedinanoccupationinwhichmenhavetodependuponeachother。Itraisesthem，sotospeak，abovethefrailtiesoftheirdeadselves。Idon\'twishtobesuspectedoflackofjudgmentandofblindenthusiasm。Idon\'tclaimspecialmoralityorevenspecialmanlinessforthemenwhoinmytimereallylivedatsea，andatthepresenttimeliveatanyratemostlyatsea。Butintheirqualitiesaswellasintheirdefects，intheirweaknessesaswellasintheir“virtue，“therewasindubitablysomethingapart。Theywereneverexactlyoftheearthearthly。Theycouldn\'tbethat。Chanceordesire(mostlydesire)

hadsetthemapart，oftenintheirverychildhood；andwhatistoberemarkedisthatfromtheverynatureofthingsthisearlyappeal，thisearlydesire，hadtobeofanimaginativekind。Thustheirsimplemindshadasortofsweetness。Theywereinawaypreserved。Iamnotalludingheretothepreservingqualitiesofthesaltinthesea。Thesaltoftheseaisaverygoodthinginitsway；itpreservesforinstanceonefromcatchingabeastlycoldwhileoneremainswetforweekstogetherinthe“roaringforties。”

Butinsoberunpoeticaltruththesea-saltnevergetsmuchfurtherthantheseaman\'sskin，whichincertainlatitudesittakestheopportunitytoencrustverythoroughly。Thatandnothingmore。

Andthen，whatisthissea，thesubjectofsomanyapostrophesinverseandproseaddressedtoitsgreatnessanditsmysterybymenwhohadneverpenetratedeithertheoneortheother?Theseaisuncertain，arbitrary，featureless，andviolent。Exceptwhenhelpedbythevariedmajestyofthesky，thereissomethinginaneinitsserenityandsomethingstupidinitswrath，whichisendless，boundless，persistent，andfutile——agrey，hoarythingraginglikeanoldogreuncertainofitsprey。Itsveryimmensityiswearisome。Atanytimewithinthenavigatingcenturiesmankindmighthaveaddresseditwiththewords:“Whatareyou，afterall?

Oh，yes，weknow。Thegreatestsceneofpotentialterror，adevouringenigmaofspace。Yes。Butourliveshavebeennothingifnotacontinuousdefianceofwhatyoucandoandwhatyoumayhold；aspiritualandmaterialdefiancecarriedoninourpluckycockleshellsonandonbeyondthesuccessiveprovocationsofyourunreadablehorizons。”

Ah，butthecharmofthesea！Oh，yes，charmenough。Orratherasortofunholyfascinationasofanelusivenymphwhoseembraceisdeath，andaMedusa\'sheadwhosestareisterror。Thatsortofcharmiscalculatedtokeepmenmorallyinorder。Butastosea-

salt，withitsparticularbitternesslikenothingelseonearth，that，Iamsafetosay，penetratesnofurtherthantheseamen\'slips。Withthemtheinnersoundnessiscausedbyanotherkindofpreservativeofwhich(nobodywillbesurprisedtohear)themainingredientisacertainkindoflovethathasnothingtodowiththefutilesmilesandthefutilepassionsofthesea。

Beinglovethisfeelingisnaturallynaiveandimaginative。Ithasalsoinitthatstrainoffantasythatissooften，nayalmostinvariably，tobefoundinthetemperamentofatrueseaman。ButI

repeatthatIclaimnoparticularmoralityforseamen。IwilladmitwithoutdifficultythatIhavefoundamongstthemtheusualdefectsofmankind，charactersnotquitestraight，uncertaintempers，vacillatingwills，capriciousness，smallmeannesses；allthiscomingoutmostlyonthecontactwiththeshore；andallrathernaive，peculiar，alittlefantastic。Ihaveevenhadadownrightthiefinmyexperience。One。

Thisisindeedaminuteproportion，butitmighthavebeenmyluck；

andsinceIamwritingineulogyofseamenIfeelirresistiblytemptedtotalkaboutthisuniquespecimen；notindeedtoofferhimasanexampleofmorality，buttobringoutcertaincharacteristicsandsetoutacertainpointofview。Hewasalarge，strongmanwithaguilelesscountenance，notverycommunicativewithhisshipmates，butwhendrawnintoanysortofconversationdisplayingaverypainstakingearnestness。Hewasfairandcandid-eyed，ofaverysatisfactorysmartness，and，fromtheofficer-of-the-watchpointofview，——altogetherdependable。Then，suddenly，hewentandstole。Andhedidn\'tgoawayfromhishonourablekindtodothatthingtosomebodyonshore；hestolerightthereonthespot，inproximitytohisshipmates，onboardhisownship，withcompletedisregardforoldBrown，ournightwatchman(whosefamefortrustworthinesswasutterlyblastedfortherestofthevoyage)andinsuchawayastobringtheprofoundestpossibletroubletoalltheblamelesssoulsanimatingthatship。Hestoleelevengoldensovereigns，andagoldpocketchronometerandchain。Iamreallyindoubtwhetherthecrimeshouldnotbeenteredunderthecategoryofsacrilegeratherthantheft。Thosethingsbelongedtothecaptain！Therewascertainlysomethinginthenatureoftheviolationofasanctuary，andofaparticularlyimpudentkind，too，becausehegothisplunderoutofthecaptain\'sstate-roomwhilethecaptainwasasleepthere。Butlook，now，atthefantasyoftheman！Aftergoingthroughthepocketsoftheclothes，hedidnothastentoretreat。No。Hewentdeliberatelyintothesaloonandremovedfromthesideboardtwobigheavy，silver-platedlamps，whichhecarriedtothefore-endoftheshipandstoodsymmetricallyontheknight-heads。This，Imustexplain，meansthathetookthemawayasfaraspossiblefromtheplacewheretheybelonged。Thesewerethedeedsofdarkness。Inthemorningthebo\'suncamealongdraggingafterhimahosetowashthefoc\'slehead，and，beholdingtheshinycabinlamps，resplendentinthemorninglight，oneoneachsideofthebowsprit，hewasparalysedwithawe。Hedroppedthenozzlefromhisnervelesshands——andsuchhands，too！Ihappenedalong，andhesaidtomeinadistractedwhisper:“Lookatthat，sir，look。”“Takethembackaftatonceyourself，“Isaid，veryamazed，too。Asweapproachedthequarterdeckweperceivedthesteward，apreytoasortofsacredhorror，holdingupbeforeusthecaptain\'strousers。

Bronzedmenwithbroomsandbucketsintheirhandsstoodaboutwithopenmouths。“Ihavefoundthemlyinginthepassageoutsidethecaptain\'sdoor，“thestewarddeclaredfaintly。Theadditionalstatementthatthecaptain\'swatchwasgonefromitshookbythebedsideraisedthepainfulsensationtothehighestpitch。Weknewthenwehadathiefamongstus。Ourthief！Beholdthesolidarityofaship\'scompany。Hecouldn\'tbetouslikeanyotherthief。

Weallhadtoliveundertheshadowofhiscrimefordays；butthepolicekeptoninvestigating，andonemorningayoungwomanappearedonboardswingingaparasol，attendedbytwopolicemen，andidentifiedtheculprit。ShewasabarmaidofsomebarneartheCircularQuay，andknewreallynothingofourmanexceptthathelookedlikearespectablesailor。Shehadseenhimonlytwiceinherlife。Onthesecondoccasionhebeggedhernicelyasagreatfavourtotakecareforhimofasmallsolidlytied-uppaperparcelforadayortwo。Buthenevercamenearheragain。Attheendofthreeweekssheopenedit，and，ofcourse，seeingthecontents，wasmuchalarmed，andwenttothenearestpolice-stationforadvice。

Thepolicetookheratonceonboardourship，whereallhandsweremusteredonthequarterdeck。Shestaredwildlyatallourfaces，pointedsuddenlyafingerwithashriek，“That\'stheman，“andincontinentlywentoffintoafitofhystericsinfrontofthirty-

sixseamen。ImustsaythatneverinmylifedidIseeaship\'scompanylooksofrightened。Yes，inthistaleofguilt，therewasacuriousabsenceofmerecriminality，andatouchofthatfantasywhichisoftenapartofaseaman\'scharacter。Itwasn\'tgreedthatmovedhim，Ithink。Itwassomethingmuchlesssimple:

boredom，perhaps，orabet，orthepleasureofdefiance。

Andnowforthepointofview。Itwasgiventomebyashort，black-beardedA。B。ofthecrew，whoonseapassageswashedmyflannelshirts，mendedmyclothesand，generally，lookedaftermyroom。Hewasanexcellentneedlemanandwasherman，andaverygoodsailor。Standinginthispeculiarrelationtome，heconsideredhimselfprivilegedtoopenhismindonthematteroneeveningwhenhebroughtbacktomycabinthreecleanandneatlyfoldedshirts。

Hewasprofoundlypained。Hesaid:“Whataship\'scompany！Neverseensuchacrowd！Liars，cheats，thieves……“

Itwasaneedlesslyjaundicedview。Therewereinthatship\'scompanythreeorfourfellowswhodealtintallyarns，andIknewthatonthepassageouttherehadbeenadisputeoveragameinthefoc\'sleonceortwiceofaratheracutekind，sothatallcard-

playinghadtobeabandoned。Inregardtothieves，asweknow，therewasonlyone，andhe，Iamconvinced，cameoutofhisreservetoperformanexploitratherthantocommitacrime。Butmyblack-

beardedfriend\'sindignationhaditsspecialmorality，forheadded，withaburstofpassion:“Andonboardourship，too——ashiplikethis……”

Thereinliesthesecretoftheseamen\'sspecialcharacterasabody。Theship，thisship，ourship，theshipweserve，isthemoralsymbolofourlife。Ashiphastoberespected，actuallyandideally；hermerit，herinnocence，aresacredthings。Ofallthecreationsofmansheistheclosestpartnerofhistoilandcourage。Fromeverypointofviewitisimperativethatyoushoulddowellbyher。And，asalwaysinthecaseoftruelove，allyoucandoforheraddsonlytothetaleofhermeritsinyourheart。

Muteandcompelling，sheclaimsnotonlyyourfidelity，butyourrespect。Andthesupreme“Welldone！“whichyoumayearnismadeovertoher。

III。

Itismydeepconviction，or，perhaps，Ioughttosaymydeepfeelingbornfrompersonalexperience，thatitisnottheseabuttheshipsoftheseathatguideandcommandthatspiritofadventurewhichsomesayisthesecondnatureofBritishmen。I

don\'twanttoprovokeacontroversy(forintellectuallyIamratheraQuietist)butIventuretoaffirmthatthemaincharacteristicoftheBritishmenspreadallovertheworld，isnotthespiritofadventuresomuchasthespiritofservice。Ithinkthatthiscouldbedemonstratedfromthehistoryofgreatvoyagesandthegeneralactivityoftherace。ThattheBritishmanhasalwayslikedhisservicetobeadventurousratherthanotherwisecannotbedenied，foreachBritishmanbeganbybeingyounginhistimewhenallriskhasaglamour。Afterwards，withthecourseofyears，riskbecameapartofhisdailywork；hewouldhavemisseditfromhissideasonemissesalovedcompanion。

Themereloveofadventureisnosavinggrace。Itisnograceatall。Itlaysamanundernoobligationoffaithfulnesstoanideaandeventohisownself。Roughlyspeaking，anadventurermaybeexpectedtohavecourage，oratanyratemaybesaidtoneedit。

Butcourageinitselfisnotanideal。Asuccessfulhighwaymanshowedcourageofasort，andpiratecrewshavebeenknowntofightwithcourageorperhapsonlywithrecklessdesperationinthemannerofcorneredrats。Thereisnothingintheworldtopreventamereloverorpursuerofadventurefromrunningatanymoment。

Thereishisownself，hismeretasteforexcitement，theprospectofsomesortofgain，butthereisnosortofloyaltytobindhiminhonourtoconsistentconduct。Ihavenoticedthatthemajorityofmereloversofadventurearemightilycarefuloftheirskins；

andtheproofofitisthatsomanyofthemmanagetokeepitwholetoanadvancedage。Youfindtheminmysteriousnooksofislandsandcontinents，mostlyred-nosedandwatery-eyed，andnotevenamusinglyboastful。Thereisnothingmorefutileunderthesunthanamereadventurer。Hemighthavelovedatonetime——whichwouldhavebeenasavinggrace。Imeanlovedadventureforitself。

Butifso，hewasboundtolosethisgraceverysoon。Adventurebyitselfisbutaphantom，adubiousshapewithoutaheart。Yes，thereisnothingmorefutilethananadventurer；butnobodycansaythattheadventurousactivitiesoftheBritishracearestampedwiththefutilityofachaseaftermereemotions。

ThesuccessivegenerationsthatwentouttoseafromtheseIsleswentouttotoildesperatelyinadventurousconditions。Amanisaworker。Ifheisnotthatheisnothing。Justnothing——likeamereadventurer。Thosemenunderstoodthenatureoftheirwork，butmoreorlessdimly，invariousdegreesofimperfection。Thebestandgreatestoftheirleadersevenhadneverseenitclearly，becauseofitsmagnitudeandtheremotenessofitsend。Thisisthecommonfateofmankind，whosemostpositiveachievementsarebornfromdreamsandvisionsfollowedloyallytoanunknowndestination。Anditdoesn\'tmatter。Forthegreatmassofmankindtheonlysavinggracethatisneededissteadyfidelitytowhatisnearesttohandandheartintheshortmomentofeachhumaneffort。

Inotherandingreaterwords，whatisneededisasenseofimmediateduty，andafeelingofimpalpableconstraint。Indeed，seamenanddutyareallthetimeinseparablecompanions。Ithasbeensuggestedtomethatthissenseofdutyisnotapatrioticsenseorareligioussense，orevenasocialsenseinaseaman。I

don\'tknow。Itseemstomethataseaman\'sdutymaybeanunconsciouscompoundofthesethree，somethingperhapssmallerthaneither，butsomethingmuchmoredefiniteforthesimplemindandmoreadaptedtothehumblenessoftheseaman\'stask。IthasbeensuggestedalsotomethattheimpalpableconstraintisputuponthenatureofaseamanbytheSpiritoftheSea，whichheserveswithadumbanddoggeddevotion。

Thosearefinewordsconveyingafineidea。ButthisIdoknow，thatitisverydifficulttodisplayadoggeddevotiontoamerespirit，howevergreat。Ineverydaylifeordinarymenrequiresomethingmuchmorematerial，effective，definiteandsymboliconwhichtoconcentratetheirloveandtheirdevotion。Andthen，whatisit，thisSpiritoftheSea?Itistoogreatandtooelusivetobeembracedandtakentoahumanbreast。Allthataguilelessorguilefulseamanknowsofitisitshostility，itsexactionoftoilasendlessasitsever-renewedhorizons。No。Whatawakenstheseaman\'ssenseofduty，whatlaysthatimpalpableconstraintuponthestrengthofhismanliness，whatcommandshisnotalwaysdumbifalwaysdoggeddevotion，isnotthespiritoftheseabutsomethingthatinhiseyeshasabody，acharacter，afascination，andalmostasoul——itishisship。

ThereisnotadaythathaspassedformanycenturiesnowwithoutthesunseeingscatteredoveralltheseasgroupsofBritishmenwhosematerialandmoralexistenceisconditionedbytheirloyaltytoeachotherandtheirfaithfuldevotiontoaship。

Eachagehassentitscontingent，notofsons(forthegreatmassofseamenhavealwaysbeenachildlesslot)butofloyalandobscuresuccessorstakingupthemodestbutspiritualinheritanceofahardlifeandsimpleduties；ofdutiessosimplethatnothingevercouldshakethetraditionalattitudebornfromthephysicalconditionsoftheservice。Itwasalwaystheship，boundonanypossibleerrandintheserviceofthenation，thathasbeenthestagefortheexerciseofseamen\'sprimitivevirtues。Thedimnessofgreatdistancesandtheobscurityoflivesprotectedthemfromthenation\'sadmiringgaze。Thosescattereddistantships\'

companiesseemedtotheeyesoftheearthonlyonedegreeremoved(ontherightside，Isuppose)fromtheotherstrangemonstersofthedeep。Ifspokenofatalltheywerespokenofintonesofhalf-contemptuousindulgence。Agoodmanyyearsagoitwasmylottowriteaboutoneofthoseships\'companiesonacertainsea，undercertaincircumstances，inabookofnoparticularlength。

ThatsmallgroupofmenwhomItriedtolimnwithlovingcare，butsparingnoneoftheirweaknesses，wascharacterisedbyafriendlyreviewerasalotofengagingruffians。Thisgavemesomefoodforthought。Wasit，then，inthatguisethattheyappearedthroughthemistsofthesea，distant，perplexed，andsimple-minded?Andwhatonearthisan“engagingruffian“?Hemustbeacreatureofliteraryimagination，Ithought，forthetwowordsdon\'tmatchinmypersonalexperience。Ithashappenedtometomeetafewruffianshereandthere，butIneverfoundoneofthem“engaging。”

Iconsoledmyself，however，bythereflectionthatthefriendlyreviewermusthavebeentalkinglikeaparrot，whichsooftenseemstounderstandwhatitsays。

Yes，inthemistsofthesea，andintheirremotenessfromtherestoftherace，theshapesofthosemenappeareddistorted，uncouthandfaint——sofaintastobealmostinvisible。Itneededtheluridlightoftheenginesofwartobringthemoutintofullview，verysimple，withoutworldlygraces，organisednowintoabodyofworkersbythegeniusofoneofthemselves，whogavethemaplaceandavoiceinthesocialscheme；butinthemainstillapartintheirhomeless，childlessgenerations，scatteredinloyalgroupsoveralltheseas，givingfaithfulcaretotheirshipsandservingthenation，which，sincetheyareseamen，cangivethemnorewardbutthesupreme“WellDone。”

TRADITION——1918

“Workisthelaw。Likeironthatlyingidledegeneratesintoamassofuselessrust，likewaterthatinanunruffledpoolsickensintoastagnantandcorruptstate，sowithoutactionthespiritofmenturnstoadeadthing，losesitsforce，ceasespromptingustoleavesometraceofourselvesonthisearth。”Thesenseoftheabovelinesdoesnotbelongtome。Itmaybefoundinthenote-

booksofoneofthegreatestartiststhateverlived，LeonardodaVinci。Ithasasimplicityandatruthwhichnoamountofsubtlecommentcandestroy。

TheMasterwhohadmeditatedsodeeplyontherebirthofartsandsciences，ontheinwardbeautyofallthings，——ships\'lines，women\'sfaces——andonthevisibleaspectsofnaturewasprofoundlyrightinhispronouncementontheworkthatisdoneontheearth。

Fromthehardworkofmenarebornthesympatheticconsciousnessofacommondestiny，thefidelitytorightpracticewhichmakesgreatcraftsmen，thesenseofrightconductwhichwemaycallhonour，thedevotiontoourcallingandtheidealismwhichisnotamisty，wingedangelwithouteyes，butadivinefigureofterrestrialaspectwithaclearglanceandwithitsfeetrestingfirmlyontheearthonwhichitwasborn。

Andworkwillovercomeallevil，exceptignorance，whichistheconditionofhumanityand，liketheambientair，fillsthespacebetweenthevarioussortsandconditionsofmen，whichbreedshatred，fear，andcontemptbetweenthemassesofmankind，andputsonmen\'slips，ontheirinnocentlips，wordsthatarethoughtlessandvain。

Thoughtless，forinstance，werethewordsthat(inallinnocence，I

believe)cameonthelipsofaprominentstatesmanmakingintheHouseofCommonsaneulogisticreferencetotheBritishMerchantService。InthisnameIincludemenofdiversestatusandorigin，wholiveonandbythesea，byitexclusively，outsideallprofessionalpretensionsandsocialformulas，menforwhomnotonlytheirdailybreadbuttheircollectivecharacter，theirpersonalachievementandtheirindividualmeritcomefromthesea。Thosewordsofthestatesmanweremeantkindly；but，afterall，thisisnotacompleteexcuse。Rightlyorwrongly，weexpectfromamanofnationalimportancealargerandatthesametimeamorescrupulousprecisionofspeech，foritispossiblethatitmaygoechoingdowntheages。Hiswordswere:

“ItisrightwhenthinkingoftheNavynottoforgetthemenoftheMerchantService，whohaveshown——anditismoresurprisingbecausetheyhavehadnotraditionstowardsit——courageasgreat，“etc。，etc。

AndthenhewentontalkingoftheexecutionofCaptainFryatt，aneventofundyingmemory，butlessconnectedwiththepermanent，unchangeableconditionsofseaservicethanwiththewrongviewGermanmindsdelightintakingofEnglishmen\'spsychology。Theenemy，hesaid，meantbythisatrocitytofrightenoursailorsawayfromthesea。

“Whathashappened?“hegoesontoask。“Neveratanytimeinpeacehavesailorsstayedsoshortatimeashoreorshownsuchareadinesstostepagainintoaship。”

Whichmeans，inotherwords，thattheyansweredtothecall。I

shouldliketoknowatwhattimeofhistorytheEnglishMerchantService，thegreatbodyofmerchantseamen，hadfailedtoanswerthecall。Noticedorunnoticed，ignoredorcommanded，theyhaveansweredinvariablythecalltodotheirwork，theveryconditionsofwhichmadethemwhattheyare。Theyhavealwaysservedthenation\'sneedsthroughtheirowninvariablefidelitytothedemandsoftheirspeciallife；butwiththedevelopmentandcomplexityofmaterialcivilisationtheygrewlessprominenttothenation\'seyeamongallthevastschemesofnationalindustry。Neverwastheneedgreaterandthecalltotheservicesmoreurgentthanto-day。

Andthoseinconspicuousworkersonwhosequalitiesdependssomuchofthenationalwelfarehaveanswereditwithoutdismay，facingriskwithoutglory，intheperfectfaithfulnesstothattraditionwhichthespeechofthestatesmandeniestothemattheverymomentwhenhethinksfittopraisetheircourage……andmentionhissurprise！

Thehourofopportunityhasstruck——notforthefirsttime——fortheMerchantService；andifIassociatemyselfwithallmyheartintheadmirationandthepraisewhichisthegreatestrewardofbravemenImustbeexcusedfromjoininginanysentimentofsurprise。

ItisperhapsbecauseIhavenotbeenborntotheinheritanceofthattradition，whichhasyetfashionedthefundamentalpartofmycharacterinmyyoungdays，thatIamsoconsciouslyawareofitandventuretovindicateitsexistenceinthisoutspokenmanner。

Merchantseamenhavealwaysbeenwhattheyarenow，fromtheirearliestdays，beforetheRoyalNavyhadbeenfashionedoutofthematerialtheyfurnishedforthehandsofkingsandstatesmen。

Theirworkhasmadethem，asworkundertakenwithsingle-mindeddevotionmakesmen，givingtotheirachievementsthatvitalityandcontinuityinwhichtheirsoulsareexpressed，temperedandmaturedthroughthesucceedinggenerations。Initssimplestdefinitiontheworkofmerchantseamenhasbeentotakeshipsentrustedtotheircarefromporttoportacrosstheseas；and，fromthehighesttothelowest，towatchandlabourwithdevotionforthesafetyofthepropertyandthelivescommittedtotheirskillandfortitudethroughthehazardsofinnumerablevoyages。

Thatwasalwaysthecleartask，thesingleaim，thesimpleideal，theonlyproblemforanunselfishsolution。Thetermsofithavechangedwiththeyears，itsriskshaveworndifferentaspectsfromtimetotime。Therearenolongeranyunexploredseas。Humaningenuityhasdevisedbettermeanstomeetthedangersofnaturalforces。Butitisalwaysthesameproblem。Theyoungsterswhoweregrowingupatseaattheendofmyservicearecommandingshipsnow。AtleastIhaveheardofsomeofthemwhodo。Andwhatevertheshapeandpoweroftheirshipsthecharacterofthedutyremainsthesame。Amineoratorpedothatstrikesyourshipisnotsoverydifferentfromasharp，unchartedrocktearingherlifeoutofherinanotherway。Atagreatercostofvitalenergy，underthewell-nighintolerablestressofvigilanceandresolution，theyaredoingsteadilytheworkoftheirprofessionalforefathersinthemidstofmultiplieddangers。Theygotoandfroacrosstheoceansontheireverlastingtask:thesamemen，thesamestouthearts，thesamefidelitytoanexactingtraditioncreatedbysimpletoilerswhointheirtimeknewhowtoliveanddieatsea。

Allowedtoshareinthisworkandinthistraditionforsomethingliketwentyyears，IamboldenoughtothinkthatperhapsIamnotaltogetherunworthytospeakofit。Itwasthespherenotonlyofmyactivitybut，Imaysafelysay，alsoofmyaffections；butaftersuchacloseconnectionitisverydifficulttoavoidbringinginone\'sownpersonality。WithoutlookingatallattheaspectsoftheLabourproblem，IcansafelyaffirmthatIhavenever，neverseenBritishseamenrefuseanyrisk，anyexertion，anyeffortofspiritorbodyuptotheextremestdemandsoftheircalling。Yearsago——itseemsagesago——IhaveseenthecrewofaBritishshipfightthefireinthecargoforawholesleeplessweekandthen，withherdecksblownup，Ihaveseenthemstillcontinuethefighttosavethefloatingshell。AndatlastIhaveseenthemrefusetobetakenoffbyavesselstandingby，andthisonlyinorder“toseethelastofourship，“attheword，atthesimpleword，ofamanwhocommandedthem，aworthysoulindeed，butofnoheroicaspect。Ihaveseenthat。Ihavesharedtheirdaysinsmallboats。Harddays。Agesago。Andnowletmementionastoryofto-day。

Iwilltrytorelateitheremainlyinthewordsofthechiefengineerofacertainsteamshipwhich，afterbunkering，leftLerwick，boundforIceland。Theweatherwascold，theseaprettyrough，withastiffheadwind。Allwentwelltillnextday，about1。30p。m。，thenthecaptainsightedasuspiciousobjectfarawaytostarboard。SpeedwasincreasedatoncetocloseinwiththeFaroesandgoodlookoutsweresetforeandaft。Nothingfurtherwasseenofthesuspiciousobject，butabouthalf-pastthreewithoutanywarningtheshipwasstruckamidshipsbyatorpedowhichexplodedinthebunkers。Noneofthecrewwasinjuredbytheexplosion，andallhands，withoutexception，behavedadmirably。

ThechiefofficerwithhiswatchmanagedtolowertheNo。3boat。

Twootherboatshadbeenshatteredbytheexplosion，andthoughanotherlifeboatwasclearedandready，therewasnotimetolowerit，and“someofusjumpedwhileotherswerewashedoverboard。

Meantimethecaptainhadbeenbusyhandinglifebeltstothemenandcheeringthemupwithwordsandsmiles，withnothoughtofhisownsafety。”Theshipwentdowninlessthanfourminutes。Thecaptainwasthelastmanonboard，goingdownwithher，andwassuckedunder。Oncominguphewascaughtunderanupturnedboattowhichfivehandswereclinging。“Onelifeboat，“saysthechiefengineer，“whichwasfloatingemptyinthedistancewascleverlymanoeuvredtoourassistancebythesteward，whoswamofftoherpluckily。Ournextendeavourwastoreleasethecaptain，whowasentangledundertheboat。Asitwasimpossibletorighther，weset-totosplithersideopenwiththeboathook，becausebyawfulbadlucktheheadoftheaxewehadflewoffatthefirstblowandwaslost。Therescuetookthirtyminutes，andtheextricatedcaptainwasinapitiablecondition，beingbadlybruisedandhavingswallowedalotofsaltwater。Hewasunconscious。Whileatthatworkthesubmarinecametothesurfacequitecloseandmadeacompletecircleroundus，thesevenmenthatwecountedontheconningtowerlaughingatourefforts。

“Therewereeighteenofussaved。Ideeplyregretthelossofthechiefofficer，afinefellowandakindshipmateshowingsplendidpromise。Theothermenlost——oneA。B。，onegreaser，andtwofiremen——werequiet，conscientious，goodfellows。”

Withnorestorativesintheboat，theyendeavouredtobringthecaptainroundbymeansofmassage。MeantimetheoarsweregotoutinordertoreachtheFaroes，whichwereaboutthirtymilesdeadtowindward，butafteraboutninehours\'hardworktheyhadtodesist，and，puttingoutasea-anchor，theytookshelterunderthecanvasboat-coverfromthecoldwindandtorrentialrain。Saysthenarrator:“Wewereallverywetandmiserable，anddecidedtohavetwobiscuitsallround。Theeffectsofthisandbeingundertheshelterofthecanvaswarmedusupandmadeusfeelprettywellcontented。Ataboutsunrisethecaptainshowedsignsofrecovery，andbythetimethesunwasuphewaslookingalotbetter，muchtoourrelief。”

Afterbeinginformedofwhathadbeendonetherevivedcaptain“droppedabombshellinourmidst，“byproposingtomakefortheShetlands，whichwereONLYonehundredandfiftymilesoff。“Thewindisinourfavour，“hesaid。“Ipromisetotakeyouthere。

Areyouallwilling?“This——commentsthechiefengineer——“fromamanwhobutafewhourspreviouslyhadbeenhauledbackfromthegrave！“Thecaptain\'sconfidentmannerinspiredthemen，andtheyallagreed。Underthebestpossibleconditionsaboat-runofonehundredandfiftymilesintheNorthAtlanticandinwinterweatherwouldhavebeenafeatofnomeanmerit，butinthecircumstancesitrequireduncommonnerveandskilltocarryoutsuchapromise。

Withanoarforamastandtheboat-covercutdownforasailtheystartedontheirdangerousjourney，withtheboatcompassandthestarsfortheirguide。Thecaptain\'sundauntedserenitybuoyedthemallupagainstdespondency。Hetoldthemwhatpointhewasmakingfor。ItwasRonasHill，“andwestruckitasstraightasadie。”

Thechiefengineercommendsalsotheshipstewardforthemannerinwhichhemadethelittlefoodtheyhadlast，thecheeryspirithemanifested，andthegreathelphewastothecaptainbykeepingthemeningoodhumour。Thattrustymanhad“hishandscruellychafedwiththerowing，butitneverdampedhisspirits。”

TheymadeRonasHill(asstraightasadie)，andthechiefengineercannotexpresstheirfeelingsofgratitudeandreliefwhentheysettheirfeetontheshore。HepraisestheunboundedkindnessofthepeopleinHillswick。“ItseemedtousalllikeParadiseregained，“

hesays，concludinghisletterwiththewords:

“Andtherewasourcaptain，justhisusualself，asifnothinghadhappened，asifbringingtheboatthathazardousjourneyandbeingthemeansofsavingeighteensoulswastohimaneverydayoccurrence。”

Suchisthechiefengineer\'stestimonytothecontinuityoftheoldtraditionofthesea，whichmadebytheworkofmenhasinitsturncreatedforthemtheirsimpleidealofconduct。

CONFIDENCE——1919

I。

TheseamenholduptheEdifice。Theyhavebeenholdingitupinthepastandtheywillholditupinthefuture，whateverthisfuturemaycontainoflogicaldevelopment，ofunforeseennewshapes，ofgreatpromisesandofdangersstillunknown。

ItisnotanunpardonablestretchingofthetruthtosaythattheBritishEmpirerestsontransportation。Iamspeakingnownaturallyofthesea，asamanwhohaslivedonitformanyyears，atatime，too，whenonsightingavesselonthehorizonofanyofthegreatoceansitwasperfectlysafetobetanyreasonableoddsonherbeingaBritishship——withthecertitudeofmakingaprettygoodthingofitattheendofthevoyage。

Ihavetriedtoconveyhereinpopulartermsthestrongimpressionrememberedfrommyyoungdays。TheRedEnsignprevailedonthehighseastosuchanextentthatonealwaysexperiencedaslightshockonseeingsomeothercombinationofcoloursblowoutatthepeakorflag-poleofanychanceencounterindeepwater。Inthelongrunthepersistenceofthevisualfactforceduponthemindahalf-unconscioussenseofitsinnersignificance。Wehaveallheardofthewell-knownviewthattradefollowstheflag。Andthatisnotalwaystrue。Thereisalsothistruththattheflag，innormalconditions，representscommercetotheeyeandunderstandingoftheaverageman。Thisisatruth，butitisnotthewholetruth。Initsnumbersandinitsunfailingubiquity，theBritishRedEnsign，underwhichnavalactionstoohavebeenfought，adventuresentereduponandsacrificesoffered，representedinfactsomethingmorethantheprestigeofagreattrade。

Theflutterofthatpieceofredbuntingshoweredsentimentonthenationsoftheearth。Iwillnotventuretosaythatineverycasethatsentimentwasofafriendlynature。Ofhatred，halfconcealedorconcealednotatall，thisisnottheplacetospeak；andindeedthelittleIhaveseenofitabouttheworldwastaintedwithstupidityandseemedtoconfessinitsveryviolencetheextremepoornessofitscase。Butgenerallyitwasmoreinthenatureofenviouswonderqualifiedbyahalf-concealedadmiration。

Thatflag，whichbutfortheUnionJackinthecornermighthavebeenadoptedbythemostradicalofrevolutions，affirmedinitsnumbersthestabilityofpurpose，thecontinuityofeffortandthegreatnessofBritain\'sopportunitypursuedsteadilyintheorderandpeaceoftheworld:thatworldwhichfortwenty-fiveyearsorsoafter1870maybesaidtohavebeenlivinginholycalmandhushedsilencewithonlynowandthenaslightclinkofmetal，asifinsomedistantpartofmankind\'shabitationsomerestlessbodyhadstumbledoveraheapofoldarmour。

II。

Wewhohavelearnedbynowwhataworld-warislikemaybeexcusedforconsideringthedisturbancesofthatperiodasinsignificantbrawls，merehole-and-cornerscuffles。Intheworld，whichmemorydepictsassowonderfullytranquilallover，itwastheseayetthatwasthesafestplace。AndtheRedEnsign，commercial，industrial，historic，pervadedthesea！Assertiveonlybyitsnumbers，highlysignificant，and，underitscharacterofatrade——

emblem，nationallyexpressive，itwassymbolicofoldandnewideas，ofconservatismandprogress，ofroutineandenterprise，ofdrudgeryandadventure——andofacertaineasy-goingoptimismthatwouldhaveappearedtheFatherofSlothitselfifithadnotbeensostubbornly，soeverlastinglyactive。

Theunimaginative，hard-workingmen，greatandsmall，whoservedthisflagafloatandashore，nurseddumblyamysterioussenseofitsgreatness。Itshelteredmagnificentlytheirvagabondlaboursunderthesleeplesseyeofthesun。IthelduptheEdifice。Butitcrownedittoo。Thisisnottheextravaganceofamixedmetaphor。Itisthesoberexpressionofanotverycomplextruth。

Withinthatdoublefunctionthenationallifethatflagrepresentedsowellwentoninsafety，assuredofitsdailycrustofbreadforwhichweallprayandwithoutwhichwewouldhavetogiveupfaith，hopeandcharity，theintellectualconquestsofourmindsandthesanctifiedstrengthofourlabouringarms。ImaypermitmyselftospeakofitinthesetermsbecauseasamatteroffactitwasonthatverysymbolthatIhadfoundedmylifeand(asIhavesaidelsewhereinamomentofoutspokengratitude)hadknownformanyyearsnootherroofabovemyhead。

Inthosedaysthatsymbolwasnotparticularlyregarded。

Superficiallyanddefinitelyitrepresentedbutoneoftheformsofnationalactivityratherremotefromtheclose-knitorganisationsofotherindustries，akindoftoilnotimmediatelyunderthepubliceye。ItwasofitsNavythatthenation，lookingoutofthewindowsofitsworld-wideEdifice，wasproudlyaware。Andthatwasbutfair。TheNavyisthearmedmanatthegate。Anexistencedependingupontheseamustbeguardedwithajealous，sleeplessvigilance，fortheseaisbutaficklefriend。

Ithadprovokedconflicts，encouragedambitions，andhadluredsomenationstodestruction——asweknow。He——manorpeople——who，boastingoflongyearsoffamiliaritywiththesea，neglectsthestrengthandcunningofhisrighthandisafool。TheprideandtrustofthenationinitsNavysostrangelymingledwithmomentsofneglect，causedbyaparticularlythick-headedidealism，isperfectlyjustified。Itisalsoveryproper:foritisgoodforabodyofmenconsciousofagreatresponsibilitytofeelthemselvesrecognised，ifonlyinthatfallible，imperfectandoftenirritatingwayinwhichrecognitionissometimesofferedtothedeserving。

ButtheMerchantServicehadnevertosufferfromthatsortofirritation。Norecognitionwasthrustonitoffensively，and，truthtosay，itdidnotseemtoconcernitselfundulywiththeclaimsofitsownobscuremerit。Ithadnoconsciousness。Ithadnowords。Ithadnotime。Tothesebusymentheirworkwasbuttheordinarylabourofearningaliving；theirdutiesintheirever-recurringroundhad，likethesunitself，thecommonnessofdailythings；theirindividualfidelitywasnotsomuchunitedasmerelyco-ordinatedbyanaimthatshonewithnospirituallustre。

Theywereeverydaymen。Theywerethat，eminently。Whenthegreatopportunitycametothemtolinkarmsinresponsetoasupremecalltheyreceiveditwithcharacteristicsimplicity，incorporatingself-sacrificeintothetextureoftheircommontask，and，asfarasemotionwent，framingthehorrorofmankind\'scatastrophictimewithintherigidrulesoftheirprofessionalconscience。Andwhocansaythattheycouldhavedonebetterthanthis?

Suchwastheirpastbothremoteandnear。Ithasbeenstubbornlyconsistent，andasthisconsistencywasbaseduponthecharacterofmenfashionedbyaveryoldtradition，thereisnodoubtthatitwillendure。Suchchangesascameintothesealifehavebeenforthemainpartmechanicalandaffectingonlythematerialconditionsofthatinbredconsistency。Thatmendon\'tchangeisaprofoundtruth。Theydon\'tchangebecauseitisnotnecessaryforthemtochangeeveniftheycouldaccomplishthatmiracle。Itisenoughforthemtobeinfinitelyadaptable——asthelastfouryearshaveabundantlyproved。

III。

Thusonemayawaitthefuturewithoutundueexcitementandwithunshakenconfidence。Whetherthehuesofsunriseareangryorbenign，gorgeousorsinister，weshallalwayshavethesameskyoverourheads。YetbyakindlydispensationofProvidencethehumanfacultyofastonishmentwillneverlackfood。Whatcouldbemoresurprisingforinstance，thanthecalminvitationtoGreatBritaintodiscardtheforceandprotectionofitsNavy?Ithasbeensuggested，ithasbeenproposed——Idon\'tknowwhetherithasbeenpressed。Probablynotmuch。Foriftheexcursionsofaudaciousfollyhavenoboundsthathumaneyecansee，reasonhasthehabitofneverstrayingveryfarawayfromitsthrone。

Itisnotthefirsttimeinhistorythatexcitedvoiceshavebeenheardurgingthewarriorstillpantingfromthefraytoflinghistriedweaponsonthealtarofpeace，fortheywouldbeneedednomore！Andsuchvoiceshavebeen，inundyinghopeorextremeweariness，listenedtosometimes。Butnotforlong。Afteralleverysortofshoutingisatransitorything。Itisthegrimsilenceoffactsthatremains。

TheBritishMerchantServicehasbeenchallengedinitssupremacybefore。Itwillbechallengedagain。Itmaybeevenaskedmenacinglyinthenameofsomehumanitariandoctrineorsomeemptyidealtostepdownvoluntarilyfromthatplacewhichithasmanagedtokeepforsomanyyears。ButIimaginethatitwilltakemorethanwordsofbrotherlyloveorbrotherlyanger(which，asiswellknown，istheworstkindofanger)todriveBritishseamen，armedorunarmed，fromtheseas。Firminthisindestructibleifnoteasilyexplainedconviction，Icanallowmyselftothinkplacidlyofthatlong，longfuturewhichIshallnotsee。

Myconfidencerestsontheheartsofmenwhodonotchange，thoughtheymayforgetmanythingsforatimeandevenforgettobethemselvesinamomentoffalseenthusiasm。ButofthatIamnotafraid。Itwillnotbeforlong。Iknowthemen。ThroughthekindnessoftheAdmiralty(which，letmeconfesshereinawhitesheet，Irepaidbythebasestingratitude)IwaspermittedduringthewartorenewmycontactwiththeBritishseamenofthemerchantservice。Itistotheirgenerosityinrecognisingmeundertheshorerustoftwenty-fiveyearsasoneofthemselvesthatIoweoneofthedeepestemotionsofmylife。NeverforamomentdidIfeelamongthemlikeanidle，wanderingghostfromadistantpast。Theytalkedtomeseriously，openly，andwithprofessionalprecision，offacts，ofevents，ofimplements，Ihadneverheardofinmytime；

butthehandsIgraspedwerelikethehandsofthegenerationwhichhadtrainedmyyouthandisnownomore。Irecognisedthecharacteroftheirglances，theaccentoftheirvoices。Theirmovingtalesofmoderninstanceswerepresentedtomewiththatpeculiarturnofmindflavouredbytheinheritedhumourandsagacityofthesea。Idon\'tknowwhattheseamanofthefuturewillbelike。Hemayhavetoliveallhisdayswithatelephonetieduptohisheadandbristlealloverwithscientificantennaelikeafigureinafantastictale。Buthewillalwaysbethemanrevealedtouslately，immutableinhisslightvariationsliketheclosedpathofthisplanetofoursonwhichhemustfindhisexactpositiononce，attheveryleast，ineverytwenty-fourhours。

Thegreatestdesideratumofasailor\'slifeistobe“certainofhisposition。”Itisasourceofgreatworryattimes，butIdon\'tthinkthatitneedbesoatthistime。Yeteventhebestpositionhasitsdangersonaccountoftheficklenessoftheelements。ButIthinkthat，leftuntrammelledtotheindividualeffortofitscreatorsandtothecollectivespiritofitsservants，theBritishMerchantServicewillmanagetomaintainitspositiononthisrestlessandwateryglobe。

FLIGHT——1917

Tobeginattheend，Iwillsaythatthe“landing“surprisedmebyaslightandverycharacteristically“dead“sortofshock。

Imayfairlycallmyselfanamphibiouscreature。Agoodhalfofmyactiveexistencehasbeenpassedinfamiliarcontactwithsaltwater，andIwasaware，theoretically，thatwaterisnotanelasticbody:butitwasonlythenthatIacquiredtheabsoluteconvictionofthefact。Irememberdistinctlythethoughtflashingthroughmyhead:“ByJove！itisn\'telastic！“Suchistheilluminatingforceofaparticularexperience。

Thislanding(onthewateroftheNorthSea)waseffectedinaShortbiplaneafteronehourandtwentyminutesintheair。I

reckoneveryminutelikeamisercountinghishoard，for，ifwhatI\'vegotismine，Iamnotlikelynowtoincreasethetale。Thatfeelingistheeffectofage。ItstrikesmeasIwritethat，whennexttimeIleavethesurfaceofthisglobe，itwon\'tbetosoarbodilyaboveitintheair。Quitethecontrary。AndIamnotthinkingofasubmarineeither……

Butletusdropthisdismalstrainandgobacklogicallytothebeginning。ImustconfessthatIstartedonthatflightinastate——Iwon\'tsayoffury，butofamostintenseirritation。I

don\'tremembereverfeelingsoannoyedinmylife。

Itcameaboutinthisway。Twoorthreedaysbefore，IhadbeeninvitedtolunchatanR。N。A。S。station，andwasmadetofeelverymuchathomebythenicestlotofquietlyinterestingyoungmenithadeverbeenmygoodfortunetomeet。ThenIwastakenintothesheds。Iwalkedrespectfullyroundandroundalotofmachinesofallkinds，andthemoreIlookedatthemthemoreIfeltsomehowthatforalltheeffecttheyproducedonmetheymighthavebeensomanyland-vehiclesofaneccentricdesign。SoIsaidtoCommanderO。，whoverykindlywasconductingme:“Thisisallveryfine，buttorealisewhatoneislookingat，onemusthavebeenup。”

Hesaidatonce:“I\'llgiveyouaflightto-morrowifyoulike。”

Ipostulatedthatitshouldbenoneofthose“tenminutesintheair“affairs。Iwantedarealbusinessflight。CommanderO。

assuredmethatIwouldget“awfullybored，“butIdeclaredthatI

waswillingtotakethatrisk。“Verywell，“hesaid。“Eleveno\'clockto-morrow。Don\'tbelate。”

IamsorrytosayIwasabouttwominuteslate，whichwasenough，however，forCommanderO。togreetmewithashoutfromagreatdistance:“Oh！Youarecoming，then！“

“OfcourseIamcoming，“Iyelledindignantly。

Hehurrieduptome。“Allright。There\'syourmachine，andhere\'syourpilot。Comealong。”

Alotofofficersclosedroundme，rushedmeintoahut:twoofthembegantobuttonmeintothecoat，twomorewererammingacaponmyhead，othersstoodaroundwithgoggles，withbinoculars……

Icouldn\'tunderstandthenecessityofsuchhaste。Weweren\'tgoingtochaseFritz。TherewasnosignofFritzanywhereintheblue。Thosedearboysdidnotseemtonoticemyage——fifty-eight，ifaday——normyinfirmities——agoutysubjectforyears。Thisdisregardwasveryflattering，andItriedtoliveuptoit，butthepaceseemedtometerrific。Theygallopedmeacrossavastexpanseofopengroundtothewater\'sedge。

Themachineonitscarriageseemedasbigasacottage，andmuchmoreimposing。Myyoungpilotwentuplikeabird。Therewasanidle，able-bodiedladderloafingagainstashedwithinfifteenfeetofme，butasnobodyseemedtonoticeit，IrecommendedmyselfmentallytoHeavenandstartedclimbingafterthepilot。Thecloseviewoftherealfragilityofthatrigidstructurestartledmeconsiderably，whileCommanderO。discomposedmestillmorebyshoutingrepeatedly:“Don\'tputyourfootthere！“Ididn\'tknowwheretoputmyfoot。Therewasaslightcrack；Iheardsomeswear-wordsbelowme，andthenwithasupremeeffortIrolledinanddroppedintoabasket-chair，absolutelywinded。Asmallcrowdofmechanicsandofficerswerelookingupatmefromtheground，andwhileIgaspedvisiblyIthoughttomyselfthattheywouldbesuretoputitdowntosheernervousness。ButIhadn\'tbreathenoughinmybodytostickmyheadoutandshoutdowntothem:

“Youknow，itisn\'tthatatall！“

GenerallyItrynottothinkofmyageandinfirmities。Theyarenotacheerfulsubject。ButIwasneversoangryanddisgustedwiththemasduringthatminuteorsobeforethemachinetookthewater。Astomyfeelingsintheair，thosewhowillreadtheselineswillknowtheirown，whicharesomuchnearerthemindandtheheartthananywritingsofanunprofessionalcanbe。Atfirstallmyfacultieswereabsorbedandasifneutralisedbythesheernoveltyofthesituation。ThefirsttoemergewasthesenseofsecuritysomuchmoreperfectthaninanysmallboatI\'veeverbeenin；the，asitwere，material，stillness，andimmobility(thoughitwasabumpyday)。Iverysoonceasedtoheartheroarofthewindandengines——unless，indeed，somecylindersmissed，whenIbecameacutelyawareofthat。Withintherigidspreadofthepowerfulplanes，sostrangelymotionlessIhadsometimestheillusionofsittingasifbyenchantmentinablockofsuspendedmarble。Evenwhilelookingoverattheaeroplane\'sshadowrunningprettilyoverlandandsea，Ihadtheimpressionofextremeslowness。Iimaginethathadshesuddenlynose-divedoutofcontrol，Iwouldhavegonetothefinalsmashwithoutasingleadditionalheartbeat。IamsureIwouldnothaveknown。Itisdoubtlessotherwisewiththemanincontrol。

Buttherewasnodive，andIreturnedtoearth(afteranhourandtwentyminutes)withouthavingfelt“bored“forasinglesecond。I

descended(bytheladder)thinkingthatIwouldnevergoflyingagain。No，neveranymore——lestitsmysteriousfascination，whoseinvisiblewinghadbrushedmyheartupthere，shouldchangetounavailingregretinamantoooldforitsglory。

SOMEREFLECTIONSONTHELOSSOFTHETITANIC——1912

ItiswithacertainbitternessthatonemustadmittooneselfthatthelateS。S。Titanichada“goodpress。”ItisperhapsbecauseI

havenogreatpracticeofdailynewspapers(Ihaveneverseensomanyofthemtogetherlyingaboutmyroom)thatthewhitespacesandthebigletteringoftheheadlineshaveanincongruouslyfestiveairtomyeyes，adisagreeableeffectofafeverishexploitationofasensationalGod-send。Andifeveralossatseafellunderthedefinition，inthetermsofabilloflading，ofActofGod，thisonedoes，initsmagnitude，suddennessandseverity；

andinthechasteninginfluenceitshouldhaveontheself-

confidenceofmankind。

Isaythiswithalltheseriousnesstheoccasiondemands，thoughI

haveneitherthecompetencenorthewishtotakeatheologicalviewofthisgreatmisfortune，sendingsomanysoulstotheirlastaccount。ItisbutanaturalREFLECTION。Anotheroneflowingalsofromthephraseologyofbillsoflading(abillofladingisashippingdocumentlimitingincertainofitsclausestheliabilityofthecarrier)isthatthe“King\'sEnemies“ofamoreorlessovertsortarenotaltogethersorrythatthisfatalmishapshouldstriketheprestigeofthegreatestMerchantServiceoftheworld。

Ibelievethatnotathousandmilesfromtheseshorescertainpublicprintshavebetrayedingothicletterstheirsatisfaction——

tospeakplainly——byratherill-naturedcomments。

InwhatlightoneistolookattheactionoftheAmericanSenateismoredifficulttosay。FromacertainpointofviewthesightoftheaugustsenatorsofagreatPowerrushingtoNewYorkandbeginningtobullyandbadgertheluckless“Yamsi“——ontheveryquay-sidesotospeak——seemstofurnishtheShakespeariantouchofthecomictotherealtragedyofthefatuousdrowningofallthesepeoplewhotothelastmomentputtheirtrustinmerebigness，intherecklessaffirmationsofcommercialmenandmeretechniciansandintheirresponsibleparagraphsofthenewspapersboomingtheseships！Yes，agrimtouchofcomedy。Oneasksoneselfwhatthesemenareafter，withthisveryprovincialdisplayofauthority。I

begmyfriendsintheUnitedStatespardonforcallingthesezealoussenatorsmen。Idon\'twishtobedisrespectful。Theymaybeofthestatureofdemi-godsforallIknow，butatthatgreatdistancefromtheshoresofeffeteEuropeandinthepresenceofsomanyguilelessdead，theirsizeseemsdiminishedfromthisside。

Whataretheyafter?Whatisthereforthemtofindout?Weknowwhathadhappened。Theshipscrapedhersideagainstapieceofice，andsankafterfloatingfortwohoursandahalf，takingalotofpeopledownwithher。Whatmorecantheyfindoutfromtheunfairbadgeringoftheunhappy“Yamsi，“ortheruffianlyabuseofthesame。

“Yamsi，“Ishouldexplain，isamerecodeaddress，andIuseitheresymbolically。Ihaveseencommerceprettyclose。Iknowwhatitisworth，andIhavenoparticularregardforcommercialmagnates，butonemustprotestagainsttheseBumble-likeproceedings。Isitindignationatthelossofsomanyliveswhichisatworkhere?Well，theAmericanrailroadskillverymanypeopleduringonesingleyear，Idaresay。Thenwhydon\'tthesedignitariescomedownonthepresidentsoftheirownrailroads，ofwhichonecan\'tsaywhethertheyaremeremeansoftransportationorasortofgamblinggamefortheuseofAmericanplutocrats。Isitonlyanardentand，uponthewhole，praiseworthydesireforinformation?Butthereportsoftheinquirytellusthattheaugustsenators，thoughraisingalotofquestionstestifyingtothecompleteinnocenceandevenblanknessoftheirminds，areunabletounderstandwhatthesecondofficerissayingtothem。Wearesoinformedbythepressfromtheotherside。Evensuchasimpleexpressionasthatoneofthelook-outmenwasstationedinthe“eyesoftheship“wastoomuchforthesenatorsofthelandofgraphicexpression。WhatitmusthavebeeninthemorereconditemattersIwon\'teventrytothink，becauseIhavenomindforsmilesjustnow。Theyweregreatlyexercisedaboutthesoundofexplosionsheardwhenhalftheshipwasunderwateralready。Wasthereone?Weretheretwo?Theyseemedtobesmellingaratthere！Hasnotsomecharitablesoultoldthem(whatevenschoolboyswhoreadseastoriesknow)thatwhenashipsinksfromaleaklikethis，adeckortwoisalwaysblownup；andthatwhenasteamshipgoesdownbythehead，theboilersmay，andoftendobreakadriftwithasoundwhichresemblesthesoundofanexplosion?Andtheymay，indeed，explode，forallIknow。IntheonlycaseIhaveseenofasteamshipsinkingtherewassuchasound，butIdidn\'tdivedownafterhertoinvestigate。Shewasnotof45，000tonsanddeclaredunsinkable，butthesightwasimpressiveenough。Ishallneverforgetthemuffled，mysteriousdetonation，thesuddenagitationofthesearoundtheslowlyraisedstern，andtothisdayIhaveinmyeyethepropeller，seenperfectlystillinitsframeagainstacleareveningsky。

Butperhapsthesecondofficerhasexplainedtothembythistimethisandafewotherlittlefacts。ThoughwhyanofficeroftheBritishmerchantserviceshouldanswerthequestionsofanyking，emperor，autocrat，orsenatorofanyforeignpower(astoaneventinwhichaBritishshipalonewasconcerned，andwhichdidnoteventakeplaceintheterritorialwatersofthatpower)passesmyunderstanding。TheonlyauthorityheisboundtoansweristheBoardofTrade。ButwithwhatfacetheBoardofTrade，which，havingmadetheregulationsfor10，000tonships，putitsdearoldbaldheadunderitswingfortenyears，tookitoutonlytoshelveanimportantreport，andwithadrearymurmur，“Unsinkable，“putitbackagain，inthehopeofnotbeingdisturbedforanothertenyears，withwhatfaceitwillbeputtingquestionstothatmanwhohasdonehisduty，astothefactsofthisdisasterandastohisprofessionalconductinit——well，Idon\'tknow！Ihavethegreatestrespectforourestablishedauthorities。Iamadisciplinedman，andIhaveanaturalindulgencefortheweaknessesofhumaninstitutions；butIwillownthatattimesIhaveregrettedtheir——howshallIsayit?——theirimponderability。A

BoardofTrade——whatisit?ABoardof……IbelievetheSpeakeroftheIrishParliamentisoneofthemembersofit。Aghost。

Lessthanthat；asyetamerememory。Anofficewithadequateandnodoubtcomfortablefurnitureandalotofperfectlyirresponsiblegentlemenwhoexistpackedinitsequableatmospheresoftly，asifinalotofcotton-wool，andwithnocareintheworld；fortherecanbenocarewithoutpersonalresponsibility——such，forinstance，astheseamenhave——thoseseamenfromwhosemouthsthisirresponsibleinstitutioncantakeawaythebread——asadisciplinarymeasure。Yes——it\'sallthat。Andwhatmore?Thenameofapolitician——apartyman！Lessthannothing；amerevoidwithoutasmuchasashadowofresponsibilitycastintoitfromthatlightinwhichmovethemassesofmenwhowork，whodealinthingsandfacetherealities——notthewords——ofthislife。

YearsagoIrememberoverhearingtwogenuineshellbacksoftheoldtypecommentingonaship\'sofficer，who，ifnotexactlyincompetent，didnotcommendhimselftotheirseverejudgmentofaccomplishedsailor-men。Saidone，resumingandconcludingthediscussioninafunnilyjudicialtone:

“TheBoardofTrademusthavebeendrunkwhentheygavehimhiscertificate。”