The navy eternal, which is the navy-that-floats, the navy-that-flies and the navy-under-the-sea . to his own trade. III. The Left Flank The north-east wind carried the steadygrumble of gunfire across the sand-dunesand far out to sea. The foremost guns crew of a British de-stroyer stood huddled in the lee of the gun-shield with their duffle hoods pulled downover their foreheads. The sea was calm,and the stars overhead shone with frostybrilliance. A figure groped its way forwardwith a bowl of cocoa, and joined the groupround the breech of the gun. They drankin turn, grunting as the warmth penetr
The navy eternal, which is the navy-that-floats, the navy-that-flies and the navy-under-the-sea . to his own trade. III. The Left Flank The north-east wind carried the steadygrumble of gunfire across the sand-dunesand far out to sea. The foremost guns crew of a British de-stroyer stood huddled in the lee of the gun-shield with their duffle hoods pulled downover their foreheads. The sea was calm,and the stars overhead shone with frostybrilliance. A figure groped its way forwardwith a bowl of cocoa, and joined the groupround the breech of the gun. They drankin turn, grunting as the warmth penetratedinto their interiors. The distant gunfire swelled the horizon far ahead intermittentgleams marked the activity of searclilightand star-shell. Thems our guns, said one of the cocoa-drinkers. He wiped his mouth on the sleeve IN THE TWILIGHT 63 of his coat, and stared ahead. It neverseemed to occur to any of them that theymight equally well be German guns. Thats right, confirmed the sight-setter. Theres guns going like that for undredsan undreds of miles. Right away up from. the sea. Me brothers there— . For a moment they ruminatedover a mental picture of the sight-settersbrother, a mud-plastered stoical atom, some-where along those hundreds of miles of wireand bayonets that hedged civilisation andposterity from the Unnamable. Switzer- 64 IN THE TWILIGHT land to the sea, said the speaker. Hejerked the breech-lever absent-mindedly to-wards him, and closed it again with a littleclick. An then we takes on, said a loadingnumber. Us an these ere. He tappedthe smooth side of a lyddite shell lying inthe rack beside him. An this ere, said the man who hadbrought the cocoa. He thrust forward thecumbersome hilt of a cutlass at his hip. Thestarlight gleamed dully on the steel guard. You wont use that to-night, my son,said the gunlayer. We aint goin to aveno Broke an Swift song an dance stared out into the clear darkness. Wecouldnt never git near
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