OUR FIRST LINE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 78, 28 April 1909, Page 4

OUR FIRST LINE.

AS INTERESTIXG PEEP IXSIOt THE 'BRITISH NAVY. ■ If you want a breath of salt waves and splashy seas, a. peep into smuggling and slave-chasing, two minutes in the canteen, and just a taste of the "eat," vou had better get Mr. Lionel Ycxlcy's "Inner Life of the Navy" (Sir Isaac l'itman and Sous). It is well named, too, for it tells you—well, just what does #0 oh inside the Navy, with noac or Hie officialdom of Government Blue Books or Admiralty .edicts. The author lets us into many intimate details of the sailor's lifi-—as, ,or mauviicc, me ttiemony of i . scranbajf: LOST PROPERTY TH'UL DAY. In a- ahlp's company of st-\..-rai hundred men, it is needless to say that all kind* and conditions will be . mni, and though the careful training of boys in nutters of tidiness and cleanliness is not all thrown away, many of them will occasionally leave articles of clothing about, and, when found .by the ship's police, whose duty it is to sec to these thing*, the offending article is seized, and held in chancery till the following Thursday, when the magic word would suddenly go round, some time after tlie dinner hour, that the scran-bag's open" —i.e., the ship's lost property ollice. It is then that those who have lost articles ot clothing Hock round, and a lively scene ensues. Boots by the dozen, trousers, towels, and all and each of the various articles that compose Jack's wardrobe may be found mixed up in wild confusion. Here is a man who has I lost a pair of boots, but has managed to find one from ajuong the medley, and is venting his inability to find the" other in the choicest Saxon. There is a fellow who has lost a serge suit; he has found the trousers, and the strength of his language proclaims his inability to find the jumper. Over it all presides one of the ship's police, who levies toll to the'extent of one inch "of soap, or one penny, for every article claimed; and at the espiratioa of one hour, the unclaimed articles are again taken below, and the soap and coppers arc placed at the disposal of the commander for cleaning paint-work and providing cleaning materials. Should an article of clothing remain in tie scran-bag for three weeks unclaimed, it 19 then torn up, and used either a* cleaning rags 'for bright-work or as paintwork cloths. MISBIXC.-OXE MONTH'S MONEY: - The naval seaman's code of ethics, Mr. Yexley tells us, is somewhat peculiar. A man may offend against every clause of the King's regulations; no one will think a scrap the less of him, providing he bo a good seaman, and ready to do his work when not suffering punishment. But let him be guilty of a mean action towards a shipmate, or violate a code of lower-deck honor, aad no mercy is his: One day one of the men complained that his month's money had been.stolen out of his mess-shelf, where he had placed it tho day .before; 'Who, was the thief? ' It was 6.30 a.m., breakfast-time, that the loss was discovered, and during the day the hoy of the mess stated that he had- looked out of his hammock during the night and seen a certain ordinary seaman from another mess just leaving the mess-shelf from which the money had disappeared. . Things went on quietly till the evening, and all work was done; then gradually all hands began to find their way on. to the mess-deck. Presently the •suspect came down, and in blunt sailor fashion ho was at once accused 01 the theft. Naturally, he denied the theft pointblank, and witli some show of bluster; but those round him were little disposed to put up with that. His ditty-box —a small box in which a seaman.keeps his trifles, letters, etc.—was brought forward, and he was told to turn it out; but a search of the contents failed . to find. any. money beyond that which he had drawn himself. 'Ne»t came his locker, and this was turned out piece by piece, till suddenly one of those present shouted out, "That's mine!" as a flannel was taken out; and, sure enough, on the tail was the claimant's name stamped in black paint, in accordance with the Service custom.

I can see that scene in my mind's eye to-day. The suffocating heat had iudufced the.majority to strip to the waist. tome'had simply a. black neckerchief

l " ticd-round their middle, while the t - bexjies of all glistened -with perspirafe - tioa, that trickled continuously down, i Two more articles were found hclongs■■ ing to other men, the owners having IjT gives them uj> for lost long since, and jy. in the bottom, of the locker was the KS money!

5- . ..without mercy. %■ The faces of the West Country sailors fc grew hard, nod set as they realised the jp. •■ enormity or the crime, till a gunner's j4 mate, who,, by virtue of his position, ;>'«' took the lead, said; "Well, lads, he dof ecnes four dozen—one dozen for each £ apiece, and one for the money." There £ wa» no noise, no outward sign of ex- % citement,not even a word of comment i at the suggestion of the gunner's mate. it A couple of hands slipped quietly on jt deck, and presently re-appeared with &, two hammocks, others* commenced clearSi. ing away the mess-tables, so as to" give r* a good, clear spa«e in the middle of the |l mess-deck; then two chests were placed fj amidships, one on top of the other, and pi securely lashed on the stannchions on ||'_ either side, and to these chests the two y t ' hammocks were lashed, one up and X_, down, the other crosswise. g The victim sat tyoking at these prepa rations with, blanched face till, when j? thev were completed, ho was seized and &■ lashed spread-eagle across the fiam- >%, mocks; thea a hammock-clew was handle ed the man. who had lost the money, t » and he was told to "carry on with the f first dozen." tjf It was a terrible punishment, carried out without mercy. But tie man had £V violated every canon of honor known to g/ the lower deck, and deserved to suffer K, at .the hands of those he had wronged. f WHY THEY WEAR WIDE jf, TEQUSERS.. jjf Turning to lighter subjects, the autftor has some interesting information to fe give with respect to. naval dress. He W r telL, us, for instance, why bluejackets R- wear wide trousers: Si- lien constantly dabbling about wet f&~ decks 'round it necessary to have their W' trousers of such a. shape that they EjC could easily bo rolled up to the knee, or abo»e, if necessary; hence the wide Bt > Christmas Day on board a man-of-Rf ( war is «&ter.t»m'Kigly described: SL t The real relationsliip between the Bsl forepart and aftcrpart of a man-of-war IfLsatt always be gauged on Christmas Day. HpT Jfc is the custom right through the SorEg'Jvicc on this day to decorate (he mes*Bj decks with ever-grcens and nmlti-color- &*•> ed paper. The mess-tables are set out H& -Bitl) all the good things the men have B* provided for themselves, and, just beB' fore noon, the captain, followed by nil E£. : 'the officers, and headed by the band HW playing the ''Boast Beef of old Kngm'r land," makes a tour of the moss-deck*,. R- 1 accepting nieces of pudding, cakes, and RK various other things offered by ; tho W~ cooks of the messes, f! Should there be any little grievance* fe_, affecting the' men generally, suggestive |*S mottoes are hir.ijr up where the eaptam Eg: cannot fail to ace them; and 'these, in B|£ snips where the captain takes an interns! 1 ' est in the men. generally have tire deK rired result- Should the mess-deck lend Br, itself to the purpose, the captain will HI? make a brief speech, and end Jiy wishing PP the men a happy Christmas on behalf B T j)f himself and officers; or a boatswains mate will intimate to the ship's comHfc paw, immediately after dfrnierhas been Sg&prped, "D'ye hear there? The captain Sg&and officers wish the ship's company a Unhappy and pleasant Christmas!" jspf! In ships where a good feeling does Bpfenob exist, the mess-decks are loft bare, Kpso that Christmas Dip rather aceentuKuiitM than diminishes the ill-feeling, as K'.tiw bare mess-deck is an open declaraftlMaon of resentment by the men at Epitheir general treatment. Itappily, this fcgjt'te exceedingly rare.