The navy eternal, which is the navy-that-floats, the navy-that-flies and the navy-under-the-sea . boat almost before hereahsed he had left his ledge. A flask wascrammed between his chattering teeth ;someone wound fold upon fold of blanketround him. Any more of you, mate ? said a voiceanxiously; and then, Strike me bHnd if itaint old Bill! The survivor opened his eyes and saw theface of the bowman contemplating himabove his cork hfebelt. It was a vaguelyfamiliar face. They had been shipmates 236 THE SURVIVOR somewhere once. Barracks, Devonport,praps it was. He blinked the tears out ofhis eyes a
The navy eternal, which is the navy-that-floats, the navy-that-flies and the navy-under-the-sea . boat almost before hereahsed he had left his ledge. A flask wascrammed between his chattering teeth ;someone wound fold upon fold of blanketround him. Any more of you, mate ? said a voiceanxiously; and then, Strike me bHnd if itaint old Bill! The survivor opened his eyes and saw theface of the bowman contemplating himabove his cork hfebelt. It was a vaguelyfamiliar face. They had been shipmates 236 THE SURVIVOR somewhere once. Barracks, Devonport,praps it was. He blinked the tears out ofhis eyes and coughed as the raw spirit randown his throat. Any more of you, Bill, ole lad ? The survivor shook his head. Theres no one, he said, cept the only one whats lef outer two shipscompanies. Again the lost feeling of be-wildered pride crept back. You always was a one. Bill! said thebowman in the old familiar accent of hero-worship. The siirvivor nodded confirmation. Notarf I aint, he said appreciatively. Solesurvivor I am ! And held out his handagain for the flask. Christ! look at myands!. ^~^- CHAPTER XITHE Nth BATTLE SQUADRON No propaganda poster artist with an eye tolurid backgrounds could have secured suchan effect. Great buttresses of cloud, inkyblack with their burden of unshed snow, werebanked about the sunset. The snow thathad fallen during the past week rested likea shroud upon peak and headland, promon-tory and cliff-top, encirchng the sombrewaters of Ultima Thule with a dazzling whitegirdle. Against this background lay theGrand Fleet, an agglomeration of tripodmasts and superimposed structures, asfamiliara featuie of the scene as the surf that brokeendlessly about the chffs, or the unappeasedcalling of the gulls. A little to the westward,however, where the cloud-masonry was splitand reft by crimson shafts of light, an out-stretched wing of the vast battle fleet struckan oddly unfamiliar note. Instead of thetripod masts and hooded control-tops, slendertowers of la
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, booksubjectgreatbr, booksubjectworldwar19141918
