these leaders.
Sir John moved from one to another in his quick way, asking a
question, listening, giving a direction, his face smiling and expressive
with a sort of infectious confidence.

"He is the man!" said an admiral. I mean, several admirals and
captains said so. They seemed to like to say it. Whenever he
approached one noted an eagerness, a tightening of nerves. Natural
leadership expresses itself in many ways; Sir John gave it a sailor's
attractiveness. But I learned that there was steel under his happy
smile; and they liked him for that, too. Watch out when he is not
smiling, and sometimes when he is smiling, they say.

For failure is never excused in the fleet, as more than one
commander knows. It is a luxury of consideration which the British
nation cannot afford by sea in time of war. The scene which one
witnessed in the cabin of the Dreadnought flagship could not have
been unlike that of Nelson and his young captains on the Victory, in
the animation of youth governed with one thought under the one rule
that you must make good.

Splendid as the sight of the power which Sir John directed from his
quarter-deck while the ships lay still in their plotted moorings, it paled
beside that when the anchor chains began to rumble and, column by
column, they took on life slowly and, majestically gaining speed, one
after another turned toward the harbour's entrance.

XXXI
Simply Hard Work

Besides the simple word spirit, there is the simple word work. Take
the two together, mixing with them the proper quantity of intelligence,
and you have something finer than Dreadnoughts; for it builds
Dreadnoughts, or tunnels mountains, or wins victories.

In no organization would it be so easy as in the navy to become
slack. If the public sees a naval review it knows that its ships can
steam and keep their formations; if it goes on board it knows that the
ships are clean--at least, the limited part of them which it sees; and it
knows that there are turrets and guns.

But how does it know that the armour of the turrets is good, or that
the guns will fire accurately? Indeed, all that it sees is the shell. The
rest must be taken on trust. A navy may look all right and be quite
bad. The nation gives a certain amount of money to build ships which
are taken in charge by officers and men who, shut off from public
observation, may do about as they please. The result rests with their
industry and responsibility. If they ar