The scraping of the chairs against the floor is heard as they are hastily pushed back and the occupants rise, looking for their caps. No need to tell them what that signal means. ‘Action stations’ will be sounded in a few minutes. A few whose duties are not so urgent remain behind, making hasty efforts at finishing their tea. They guess it will be a long time before they get the chance of another meal. ‘I’m a conscientious objector,’ says an engineer officer. ‘I want to go home to mummy!’ ‘And I’m a pacifist,’ remarks a lieutenant, ‘but that’s no reason why I should drink filth as well as think it. Waiter! bring me a cup of freshly-made tea, and don’t let the dog get this or you’ll poison him.’ ‘One little cruiser from the Spiritual Home Met the British battle boats— And then there were none!’ sang in unmelodious, raucous tones a paymaster. ‘Oh, shut up!’ said another. ‘There it goes.’ The bugle-call for ‘Action stations’ was heard gradually getting louder as the bugle-boy ran along the passage outside. ‘That puts the hat on it! No tea, no nuffink! Now for a drop of frightfulness. Wonder whether Fritz has any new gas shells.’ ‘Put your respirator on first and sniff afterwards,’ said a doctor, as they crushed through the doorway together. ‘If you really want to sell that Gieve you were blowing about yesterday, I’ll give you an I.O.U. for a bob for it.’ ‘No good!’ replied the lieutenant. ‘I’ve sold it to a snotty for a quid. His people sent him two pounds ten to buy one, and we went a burst on the thirty bob.’ ‘Well, so long!’ said the doctor, as they parted at the bottom of a ladder. ‘If you fall into my hands you will be more cut up than I shall be.’ ‘Go to the devil, you blood-thirsty abomination,’ shouted the lieutenant, and, seizing the rungs, ran rapidly up the horizontal ladder. As he reached the upper deck and ran along towards the bridge ladders, he cast a glance round the horizon. ‘Visibility so-so!’ he thought; ‘but if it gets no worse than at present it will do. Can see 18,000 easily. Clouds a bit low though—not much more than a thousand up.’ He ran up the bridge ladders and finally reached the upper bridge, where the captain and navigating officer, officer of the watch, and signalmen were busy getting ready to go down to the armoured conning-tower. Above him towered the foremast, a central thick steel tube supported by two smaller steel tubes running down and outwards to the deck. On the after side of the central tube, dropped steel rungs were let into the mast; and, seizing hold of these, he climbed rapidly upwards until he reached the trap-door communicating with the top. Pushing up the door, he pulled himself bodily upwards and at last stood on the platform, a hundred and twenty feet above the level of the sea.