THE LAWS OF THE NAVY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2711, 4 March 1916, Page 12

THE LAWS OF THE NAVY

Sow these are the Laws of the Kavy, unwritten and varied they he; And. ho that is wiso will observe them, \ going down in his ship to the sea. 4s naught may qutruu the Destroyer, even 6o with law and its grip, / for the strength ol the tihip is the Service, and the strength of tile Service the Ship. Take; hoed what ye say of your rulers,_ be your words spoken softly-or plain, Lest a bird of the air tell tho matter, and so shall ye hear it again. If ye labour from morn until even, and nioet with reproof for your toil, It is well,—that tho gun may be humbled, the compressor must check tho recoil. On tho strength of one link in the cable dependeih tho might of the chain; Who knoweth when thou mayst -ho tested? So livo that thou- bearcst the strain! When tho Ship that is tired returnofh : with the signs of the sea showing plain, , Men place her 'in dock for a eoasqp and her speed she reiieweth again. So shalt ttiou„ lest perohanco thou grow ' weary ■inTthe uttermost parts'of tho Sea, . \ fray for leave—for the good of the Ser-vice--as much and us oft as may "be. Count not upon certain promotion, but rather to earn it aspire,; Though the sight line may end on tho target, there' cometh perohanco a miss-fire. Canst follow the track of the Dolphin or tell where the sea-swallows roam? 'Where Leviathan taketh his pastime? What ocean he callcth his home?. Even so with the words of thy Itulers and the orders those words shall convey; Every-law;.is ns'naught beside this one:— Thou shalt not criticise but .obey! Saith tho wi6o"How may I know their purpose?" then acte without wherelore or why; Stays the fool but ono moment to qucs- ' tion and th* chance of .his life pusseth by. If ye win through an African jungle, unluentioncd at home in the Presa, Heed it not; no man seeth the piston, but '' it driveth .the 6hip nono the less. Do' they growl? It as well; bo thou siiont, so that work- Ruoth forward. amain; Lo the gun throweth shot to a hair's breadth and shoutotli, yet none shall complain. Do they growl and the work be retarded? It is ill, bo whatever their rank; The halt-loaded gun also shouteth, but can she "pierce armour with blank? Doth the paint-work make war with the funnels? Do tho decks lo the cannon complain? Nay, they know that some soap or a " scraper unites them as '■ brothers agaii.i. So ye, being Heads of Departments, do your growl with a smile-on your lip, Lest yo strive and in anger be parted, and "lessen the might of your Ship. Dost deem that thy Ship neetleth gilding. and tho dockyard forbear to supply? Put thy hand in thy pocket and gild her; there bo those who have risen thereby. Dost Jhink, in a moment of anger, 'tis well with thy seniors to fight? Thev prosper who burn in the morning tho letters tiiey wrote overnight. For some there bo, nhclved and forgotten. with nothing to thank for their fate, But that on a mere sheet of foolscap, a fool "had the honour to state—" If the fairway be crowded with shippiiisr, beating homeward the harbour lo win, It is meet that, lest any should suffer, tho steamers pass cautiously in. So thou, when thou nearest promotion, i and the Milk that is gilded is nigh, Give heed to thy words and thine actions, lest others be .wearied thereby.

It is ill for the winners to worry; take thy- fate as it comes, with a smile; And when thou art safe in the harbour, they will envy but may not revile. Uncharted the rocks that surround thee, tako heed that tho channels thou learn, Lest thy name serve to buoy for another that shoal, the "Court-Martial Return." Though a Harveyised "belt may protectlior, the Ship bears the scar on her side; it is well if the Court should acquit thee; 'twere better hadst 'thou ne'er been tried. As the wave rises up to the hawse pipe, washes aft, and is lost in tho wake, So shall yo drop astern, all unheeded, sucli time as these Laws ye forsake.