246 ALONGSHORE w 



days of gunnery. (He does not call himself what 

 he equally is, the man before the gun — somebody 

 else's gun.) Battleships are tracked from port to 

 port in newspapers as often as not a day stale; 

 but who cares about the battleships themselves? 



'The Bellariiffin [Bellerophon'] was due in to 

 Devonport this morning to pay off, so I see'd on 

 the paper. . . . When's your Ted comnig home 

 on leave? Passed for leading seaman, an't he? 

 When's 'er going to go through the gunnery 

 school?' That's what we want to know. 'Do 

 'ee mind thic time when us was pretty near bottled 

 up, the lot o' us, an' ol' Ted give'd thic Irish- 

 man a thick lip?' That is what we do mind. 

 Dreadnoughts. . . . 'Hell about Dreadnoughts! 

 They'm going to do away wl' pensions to pay 

 for they Dreadnoughts, hain't 'em — so they was 

 telling out to beach yesterday.' Here are old 

 men who served their time In sailing ships. They 

 have seen something of life, and they don't think 

 much of the modern ironclad, or its crew either. 

 'There!' they will say, making some pretty old 

 knot or Intricate sennit. 'There, my boy ! There 

 Isn't one man In a hundred In the Navy now that 

 can show you how to make that. In my time, I 

 tell you. . . .' Dreadnoughts are nice new toys 



