Trench was shaking his head, half-sadly and half-smilingly, at Carlin. He replaced Totten's letter on the pile on his desk. "One of the jokes of the mess is to accuse me of having so much money that I could publish my own books of foolish rhymes if I felt like it, but I haven't enough to pay for that bale of blankets for Pay Totten. Aboard ship Pay has just as much money as I have. But no matter--I'm one of those who believe that nobody beats the game in the long run. The eternal laws are against it. The people get everybody pretty near right in time. And fellows like Pay will get what's due them some time. And your congressional friend, too, I hope. But"--Trench stood up--"what d'y'say, Carl, if we get out into the ward-room country again? It's been a long watch since you and I clinked glasses together." And outside, in the mess-room, standing almost under the air-port which opened out to sea, Trench held his glass up to Carlin's, saying: "There was a boson's mate I knew one time, named Cahalan. I used to absorb most of my philosophy from him. I was on the bridge one night, and in one of the wings was Cahalan and another lad of the watch. They were evidently having an argument about something, and Cahalan was trying to convince him. I couldn't hear what his watch-mate said, but from out of the dark all at once I heard Cahalan. Said Cahalan: 'When a man does a good job and gets rated up for it, he's a lucky geezer; when he does a good job and don't get rated up for it, he mayn't be a lucky geezer, but what th' hell, he's done a good job just the same, hasn't he?' So, Carl, what d'y'say?--to Pay Totten, sailing lonesome through the Trades--a poor politician, but a damn good officer!" Breath o' Dawn It was an admiral of a great navy returning a call, and hundreds of bluejackets were peeking out from the superstructure. "Here he comes--spot me Lord Admiral, fellows!" "Three ruffles of the drum, three pipes o' the boson's whistle----" "--six boys an' thirteen guns----" "--and he swellin' out like an eight-inch sponson comin' over the side, as if it was himself and not his job the guns are for!" Young apprentice boys' voices those. There came an older voice: "You kids talk as if it was in admirals and at sea alone. And ashore any day are bank presidents, head floor-walkers, chairmen of reception committees--yes, and bishops of the church--any of them on their great days stepping high to the salutations, as if 'twas something they had done, and not the uniform or the robe or the job they held."