when a signal was
whipped out from the signal hill. It was for his ship and it read: "West
Channel mined last night by U-boats. Proceed to sea and come in by East
Channel."

Chiz did not proceed to sea. All the harbor men who were watching saw
him come straight on through the gap in the barrage, and safely on to
his mooring. Also all the harbor knew that next morning he had to report
to the admiralty and explain.

The story of his explanation was not told by himself. But an officer
friend, a great admirer--call him Mac--had gone with him to the
admiralty. Here the next day Mac told the story in the smoke-room of the
King's Hotel:

"Well, Chiz went and--you know his courtly style--he has his cape over
his shoulders--and he salaams and says, 'Good morning, sir.'

"The old man looks up and says like ice: 'You got my signal yesterday
afternoon?'

"'I did, sir.'

"'Then why did you not turn back and come in by the other channel?'

"'Sir,' says Chiz, 'may I be allowed a few words?'

"'Very few. What have you to say?'

"'Sir,' says Chiz, 'I have been trained to believe that the one word a
naval officer should not know is fear. In our navy, sir, we reverence
the tradition of your own Admiral Nelson, who at the siege of Copenhagen
put his glass to his blind eye and said: "I see no signal to withdraw!"
and continued the fighting to a victory.'

"'Have you a blind eye, too?'

"'My sight is good, thanking you, sir, for inquiring, but in my own navy
we also have the tradition of Admiral Farragut, who at Mobile Bay said:
"Damn the torpedoes--go on!" and his fleet went on to victory. And there
was Admiral Dewey, who said: "Damn the mines!" at Manilla, and went on
to victory.'

"'What are you coming at?' roars the old man. 'Did you get my signal?'

"'I did, sir. And my first instinct--the instinct of all our naval
officers--is to obey all orders of our superiors, sir. But I was well
into that channel when I got the signal, sir. And as I have said, sir,
my first instinct was to obey orders. But also I stop and reflect, for I
have also been trained to believe that hasty judgments work many evils,
sir, and I consider and find myself saying to my deck officer: "This
ship, Mac, is 300 feet long, and under her stern there are two big
propellers. If ever we turn this 300-foot ship in this channel with
those two propellers churning and there's any loose German mines around,
there won't be a blamed one of 'em she'll miss. But i