ly, "_Do
you speak English?_"

Under the stress of war we have improved. Fear for the loss of important
information has spurred us to keener appreciation. If you promise not to
flirt the flags backhanded (a most damnably annoying habit of superior,
_flic-flac_ Navy men) we can read you in at ten or twelve words a
minute. For single-ship work, that was good enough; if we had a press of
signalling to attend, we could make up for our busy time in leisurely
intervals. But convoy altered that. In the Naval Service a signalman
has nothing whatever to do in the wide world but attend to signals. It
is his only job: a highly trained speciality. With us the demands of
ship work on our bare minimum crews do not allow of a duty signaller; he
must bear a hand with the rest to straighten out the day's work. In
convoy, with signals flying around like crows at the harvest, we found
our way of it unworkable. It resolved itself to what used to be called a
'grand rally' in pantomime--all hands on the job, and the officer of the
watch neglecting a keen look-out to see that note of the message was
kept properly.

The naval authorities took counsel. The experiment had been a 'try on,'
in which they (with their large staff of special signalmen) had assessed
our ability as greater than their own! It was decided to train
signalmen--R.N.V.R.--for our service. Pending their formation and
development, we were given skilled assistance from the crews of our
ocean escorts. But for our gun ratings, and they mostly R.N.R., we had
no experience of the regular Navy man in our muster. He spun a bit,
trimming the grass, before he found rest and a level. With us only for a
voyage, we did not get to know him very well, but in all he was
competent enough.

One we had, from H.M.S. _Ber--Sharpset_, Private Henry Artful, R.M.L.I.
Drouthy, perhaps, but a good hand. At the end of sailing day, when the
flags were made up and stowed, he came on the bridge.

"Fine night, sir!" We assented, curiously; democratic and all as we are,
it is rather unusual for our men to be so--so sociable. "Larst capt'in I
wos with, sir, 'e allus gimme a drink after th' flag wos stowed."

We stared, incredulous. "What! Do you say the captain of _Sharpset_ gave
you a drink when your work was done?" He started in affright. "Not the
capt'in o' _Sharpset_, sir! Oh no, sir!--Gawd!--No! Th' capt'in o' th'
larst merchant ship wot I wos signallin' in!"

His horror, genuine and unconcealed,