JACK TAR.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13996, 3 September 1909, Page 7

JACK TAR.

" <- ?■ f * - i r i A--' v AND BRITISH PCBLIC. -, r " (By -IfaraUf Owen.) v" ~Oa the .deck 'of Jack Tar, ■.•i'n iviiti Jiir cniests, this sunny ar- ' Be has never -.''/aecit.Jtbeni before —prohably Jie will «ee . them" again, short of t an Sjrfim f|jFndshipr-lbat them. as l though, they all "iffawl him r'* 1 " i* Jetter of- introf iT ilwy S.*cib relations. ■ilif n nf fhr v t (»- iiT MaViT Jack's acqnaintantie on hw *%mm,"ground.'.'-, ? jntbv » oa Jib «ea' r*sShuiM~, and- thisVafternoon thev are . I^l —of a rare," .indeed a t* by >■ general, and wide-ofcen v^Hg^fed 'ta. come t to ®re the maji -bHnnd tU;pw* and -lie comes, m Jbig. boat* Sdown -low in the sunnjp. shore. ># ipo waiting ;for jiSb aU Jiis relations; e^en J Vhittlemhip.aiidto'tb^in&i.^^rnw, I - Sn Qkfiokudk si^|p/J|ritis^^*«rrit<>ry ofi the" watch, whose . teti™ fjiiiiihi tlir'T*"r* Jitt! forward and iblbwjs - liartr WataWe - breath. ■■liike" f<» ■ ♦L. aipPV At. first they trail in faV'Tttbei* 'ahiniefaced queue - behind i : ti*ir/guiae,' bnt tlie ire is broken when tke«man v from the street saj* witlu a rtiMMwip /«iil' alp^fair,^" Kinel ß '"P, - t--Almost i proud " Bigger. - -■ Tiaitar, nttierly,: ngt I—l iliiur ~H.ar "VwYthii»g r bipger tb«rn f nought conkl he coiweived by £" »uaiwAf jwntemporary man, > feel* that WS calletd upon .to answer tradinagc ' -in tbe spirit of and that- tlijj tar's " bigger than the Dreadnought ' is,merely a friendly lead -to enconrage ; and pnt -him at his ease. So he rc''pratsT " Bigger than the Dreadnought. . Yia, I dbn't "think " ■ „ 'geisinzf hi* opportunity. the A.i*. L halts tteHßttle pilrty' ri«ht ui tlir middle of the main deck, and becomes ? r , : v . '■' You nre nnw," he aays, '' tre»dr ins on the deck of the latest thin„ * eltoet. 'There isn't'anyrthing jon, tlw l w7*r not jaaywhera » yoang as this ahip. aad.isothing to hw.tJier^| an younger than the Billy Ru.fian , and" we are; ygunger than the aii»r TBe Dreadnought-^wliy, it s ( sj Kramdfatlwr like 'compared t«» us; iAnd what he says is true, for the - rititar* ttead the deck of the gtierb,. the very ape* and summit ot ■ttt that nival science lias consummawl or conoeived. And her pennant has . ''not • ,been : Oioisted longer than sis "'"continues the guide, P«»"inc'his and-turning to .thc of the party " this is the baby 1 of. the Wcet." " And", the ladies, inimediateljrsiwponsivc, to a smile- whi«-Ii thev feel' » meant sjwcially. to : propitftte. tfiem, giggle amongst • ■theniStre» andtventufe oirwhispered witti 7 ctan'reillje meant for -the A.B sh ears. •Bati ts-pfSptends Jiave heardj. and beys to hear "what the little joke is.' 1 of the ladies, feehng tlijit S jnko is .mncb too good to 'bq lost, thcnv jier laughter to explain, the caaae qf it. My iister wy?,": » nliwliT \ A if. this is the •baby, of; th* -* be father .be, like.' ■mb .demanding his very best in the way ■- of'Tepartee'* does not qaite- feel surt- - of Hnmiclf>i;and hesitates, ind au' of-

ficer hard by considerately saves him by remarking " The father is in Whiteball, London," and strolls awav to enjoy the ladies' bewilderment from a distance.- ' * , . ... , Thereafter all is plain sailing lor Jack and .his guests. - In tlwn fire - minutes tbey have got on such general friendly terms with' everything that the man from the street is describing' the 12in. gun\ as " good old pea-shooter^,'' and his female relations leave their children to give the big guns a friendly, pat. By thai time tbey are .free of the ship and bejim to feel quite at home.- ; AN -ENTENTE COHDIALE".

Jack as host shines splendidly. Four hours 1 watched hun.taking little parities under his wing' front decik to deck, np. almost- inaccessible heighti. down into the difficult .depths, and I marvelled at his patience through it of.-jcon«e,-*thevwan* from the street i has an abysmal ignorance -of the interna l ccouoiu.v. of. a battle-, bliip.'. Some of tbe questions, lie asks 'must beVrather -.trying to a' sophistincated seaman - jAnner/ -with -,rtlie ;gun .stripes on his arm. -from the street,'has an awkward .notion,: toos:i that the best way in which he can i disguise his ignorance is --by,' indulging I in-facetiae, not always, apt; i OU'.the i technical details which . A.B.is r cs- ! plaining-to himso carefully, so«kindly, and - ,->But the A j. aeterely. his--way,, and,: even' - though lie speaks a language' tne very alphabet of which, is Greek 'to his - auditors;- 'hetrieswith almost. *<.patbe-, tic -reiteration. to make* clear > all- thafc ;mystci}' lof « 12-inch gyn ■ is>fired,. ■ and- what;"! all-i forest' and of.- tubes and nnre -i and levers 'mean* that'-make t|ie working-chamber of *" 12-inch. guu -. seem-to-a-. landsman the -deliberate -and malicious -'effort of • 'designing genius, to leave* hardly-. an unoccupied-'.niche tor-the, thni- to move jp.- ?Over and over -again, A.By .wyiit tliraiigb Ids tosk'of enl igliteinng'i tne ilirk ireceascw- of -the -landsman s - mind —landsmen whom ~ Jie . had never seen E before—r t rouh'lesomc. a nu ? rattier • stupid soine- ut ilicnf, '4, whom... lie -tonld.-Sirely"never wish' to "see again. -Tne explanation of,it all carried, bis credit cvem.higlier,. and illustrated as !niitliing' < erse , :ci>uld how much hisUicnrtis- r in his ji'ork. -,lt- came 'from J -scaman-gunuer, who had: spent a patipnt ;hour v with a---party ui .landsn.cn, taking them '.vlowji to every. accv&siOle rud-hs', ui ■ tuis: bewildering - ship andtalking/nntilliislips were dry; . hen the i-time". caraO tor- the H . laudsmen to leaver one oftbem deeply grateful to a guide/ intelligence they could appreciate"' nj tfirust out a^pjeOty '*of T , - twit tlie "houest tar said' simply<:■vf'■ So;'tlianks,' that .isn't what! I'vfc done it for. ' Every man "in' Ihe'Hoine: f]lect is glad to have the chance; sir,; of. showing - a, little of'-what we do. This is a sort of entente cordiafe, like Navy' and na: tioSi." - He warded off further, attacks by No. The money uouU ..We^on^my _ pocket' . . So-tbe visitore gaye eat-h a band to that splendid'tar, jnd I think some of (he -magical sentiment of race passed inHhe grip;"• ?"Perhaps that una why thenar was rathen; curt, and liecaine sod<tenl.v< reticent \with ja who ''askSl' verr intelligent questions in the gunv',tamfc with a foreign accent —a false 'alarm, for the foreign accent was Danish.' But -the -tar was British, soßritisli that hewould not- take British >gold for explaining tlu-s last-•w«ird"-io th 6 British -Kavy fel- 1 slow Briton: ■' There is no service regnlatiou which prevents it. But it is his* honesty dogged way. ' , TACTFUL .OFKICEKS. The „thc' officer is, of

course, what you would expect . from that of the seaman. It is- the exquisite and refined form of the same spirit, and needs no one's tribute. The finer shades of courtesy are, of course, a Commonplace to liim. but he .can rise sublimely to any' emergency. Here, • for instance, a Ion;; the main deck of the Superb comes a lady, making a rather pretty inouc over a torn dress. : She asks an officer who lias never seen her in his life until that moment, " Whatever am I to do with this? Have you any pins on you?" "Pins are useless, I'm afraid/' re- 1 plies the officer. ■' .Trumpeter, see if'you can find the sailmnker. He's the onlv ninn in the ship", v.hi> can repair that." Who but an English Naval i officer could have risen to the occasion—and cvsdetl.it—so completely? When.'a tfiiSliinc " ludv asks with a dciuiirencss that the very ardnnty of .tl>e quevti"ii shows must ho rouii- .+ , rfui?'-«l, ' "When do yon serve tea, please?" ; .'tlw officer answers, " Oil. :it •nine beljsi" And nine bells, of course, sound on board s'iii>. any more than Big Ben strikes 'thirteen.