at duty of a war-ship is to be immediately
useful. She was there, and smaller war-ships with her, to see that the
troop-ships got protection on the run across.

[Illustration: She shoved out into the stream and kicked her way down
the harbor, and as she did so ... everybody seemed to know.]

Our troop-ship, other troop-ships, every one in turn, steamed up,
reported her presence, and tucked into a berth under the wings of the
big war-ship; and there they stayed until night, until the signal came
to get under way. When it did, one after the other they up-anchored and
kicked into line. They had been warned to make no fuss in going, and
they made none. From somewhere ashore a great search-light swept our top
structure, swept every top structure as we filed out. Some one on each
top structure must have given the proper sign, for that was all.

All that night, and next day, for days and days thereafter, with
shifting formations and varying speeds, we steamed. All were good,
seaworthy ships, but little things will happen. There was one that was
always lagging. The flag-ship, meaning the war-ship of most tonnage,
inquired why. The answer came, whereat the war-ship of most tonnage
showed right there that she was fit to do something more than furnish
long-reaching guns for the fleet's protection.

The next thing the fleet knew they were ordered to shut off steam. They
did so. It was a perfect, calm day, and the ships lay, still as paint
between a clear blue sky and a deep-blue sea while a boat-load of
bluejackets from the big fighting ship rowed across a swell so gentle
that it seemed to be only serving to put life into a picture. The
lagging steamer had been short a few oilers or firemen or water-tenders.
The big ship had them to spare. After that the slow one picked right up.
Soon it was standard speed with everybody in proper alignment again.

Not often do seagoing people get the chance to see a fleet of merchant
steamers cruising the wide ocean. A full-rigged sailing-ship, a
steam-collier, a tramp steamer, all came out of their way in one day to
view the strange sight. As they did so, one of our smaller and faster
war-ships would trot over to have a closer peek in turn at the curious
ones; to ask them questions; probably also to tell them to keep their
wireless mouths shut, if they had any.

One day one big freighter did not answer signals promptly. Perhaps she
could not read them. In these war times it is not too easy t