The _Inflexible_ seemed as good as ever she was. Such is the way of naval warfare. Either it is to the bottom of the sea or to dry docks and repairs. There is nothing half way. So it is well to take care that you have “the range of them.” XXX ON THE FLEET FLAGSHIP The “grande dames” of the fleet--The boarding--Nelson’s heritage-- Guardians of the peace of the seas--Sir John Jellicoe--The China seas incident--The compliment returned at Manila Bay-- Friends in the service--That command of Joshua’s--Waiting and watching--England’s true genius--A complete blockade-- Intricate and concentrated mechanism--Personality of Sir John-- The spirit of service. Thus far we have skirted around the heart of things, which in a fleet is always the commander-in-chief’s flagship. Our handy, agile destroyer ran alongside a battleship with as much nonchalance as she would go alongside a pier. I should not have been surprised to have seen her pirouette over the hills or take to flight. There was a time when those majestic and pampered ladies, the battleships--particularly if a sea were running as there was in this harbour at the time--having in mind the pride of paint, begged all destroyers to keep off with the superciliousness of _grandes dames_ holding their skirts aloof from contact with nimble, audacious street gamins, who dodged in and out of the traffic of muddy streets. But destroyers have learned better manners, perhaps, and battleships have been democratised. It is the day of Russian dancers and when aeroplanes loop the loop, and we have grown used to all kinds of marvels. But the sea has refused to be trained. It is the same old sea that it was in Columbus’ time, without any loss of trickiness in bumping small craft against towering sides. The way that this destroyer slid up to the flagship without any fuss and the way her bluejackets held off from the paint as she rose on the crests and slipped back into the trough, did not tell the whole story. A part of it was how, at the right interval, they assisted the landlubber to step from gunwale to gangway, making him feel perfectly safe when he would have been perfectly helpless but for them. I had often watched our own bluejackets at the same thing. They did not grin--not when you were looking at them. Nor did the British. Bluejackets are noted for their official politeness. I should like to have heard their remarks--they have a gift for remarks--about those invaders of their uniformed world in Scotch caps and other kinds of caps and the different kind of clothes which tailors make for civilians. Without any intention of eavesdropping, I did overhear one asking another whence came these strange birds.