Patriotism, in the old sense, was absolutely lacking among the sailors, as it was among the workmen; but there was a more burning form of patriotism aboard the fleet in October than any inspired in the past by the thought of the Tsar or the greatness of all the Russias--patriotism for the Revolution. The sailor, partly because he is of a more adventurous and daring spirit, partly because he has more education and has drunk more deeply from the fountain of radical books, naturally took a more extreme position than the soldier. There was only fifteen per cent. illiteracy in the Russian navy, while seventy-five per cent. of the soldiers were unable to read or write. The committee governing the fleet was composed of six sub-committees. Food for officers and men was controlled by the supply committee, which decided the menus. The sailors gave themselves tea and bread and butter at eight o’clock; soup and meat at twelve; potatoes, rice, or _kasha_ at six; and tea again at eleven. On Sundays fruit compôte was added. The officers’ fare was much more varied and more extensive. A _komplectatsea_, or “make-up committee,” decided all problems relating to the crews. A “selection committee” studied the men to find promising material to make officers. The judiciary committee was the new disciplinarian. Disputes between officers and men were submitted to it, and when the offenses were serious civil lawyers were employed to defend the men. Discipline in the old days was entirely in the hands of the officers, from whom there was no appeal. If an officer was naturally an amiable fellow, fortunate were the men who served under him. If his good nature was dependent upon his luck at cards, the quality of his wine, or the momentary condition of his department of the interior, the lot of the sailor might not be a happy one. Fortunately for the sailors, the average of humanity is fairly decent, whether it be Russian or anything else, and there were men in the Russian navy who did not abuse their power. But there were enough of the other kind to stir a deep and intense bitterness in the breast of the Russian sailor, and this hatred found tragic utterance when the Revolution came. The Englishman who was with us had been aboard one of the ships during the March Revolution. “In the passion of the moment, they killed some of the good ones and left some of the bad ones,” he said. “Just one man was killed on our ship. He was a high-handed, hot-headed chap, and when they told him of the Revolution he scoffed at them--said there wasn’t any new régime in Petrograd, and never would be. His servant whipped out a gun. ‘We’ll show you whether there is a new régime,’ he said, and shot him.”