The navy eternal, which is the navy-that-floats, the navy-that-flies and the navy-under-the-sea . icer, returning from thetask white and silent. A few months later the officers of theflotilla to which the boat had belonged wereasked to elect a sponsor for the little son 212 THE NAVY-UNDER-THE-SEA of their dead comrade. Now since the lifeof any one of them was no very certainpledge, they chose three : of whom one wasthe best boxer, another the best footballer,and the third owned the lowest golf handicapin their community. In due course theboy was destined to become a submarineofficer also, and
The navy eternal, which is the navy-that-floats, the navy-that-flies and the navy-under-the-sea . icer, returning from thetask white and silent. A few months later the officers of theflotilla to which the boat had belonged wereasked to elect a sponsor for the little son 212 THE NAVY-UNDER-THE-SEA of their dead comrade. Now since the lifeof any one of them was no very certainpledge, they chose three : of whom one wasthe best boxer, another the best footballer,and the third owned the lowest golf handicapin their community. In due course theboy was destined to become a submarineofficer also, and it behoved the SubmarineService to see that he was brought up insuch a way as to be best fitted for thatservice, sure of hand and heart and eye. Thus in life and death the spirit of theNavy-under-the-Sea endures they leave to others, content tofollow their unseen ways in silence andhonour. Whoever goes among them for awhile learns many lessons ; but chiefly per-haps they make it clear that the best of Lifeis its humour, and of Death the worst is buta brief forgetting. . .. CHAPTER IX THE PORT LOOK-OUT There is a tendency among some peopleto regard war as a morally uplifting a man fights in the cause of rightand freedom, it is believed by quite a largesection of those who dont fight that he 213 214 THE PORT LOOK-OUT goes about the business in a completelyregenerate spirit, unhampered by any ofthe human failings that were apt to besethim in pre-war days. Be that as it may,Able Seaman Pettigrew, wearer of no goodconduct badges and incorrigible leave-breakerin peace-time, remained in war merely AbleSeaman Pettigrew, leave-breaker, and stiUminus good conduct badges. He stood at the door of a London public-house, contemplating the night distaste-fully. The wind howled down the muddystreet, and the few lamps casting smearsof yellow light at intervals along the tho-roughfare only served to illuminate thedriving rain. His leave expired at 7 fol
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