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“Liked it clear through—way down to the bottom. You know how I lost my arm?” he said, pointing to the empty sleeve.
Ralph nodded. He longed to know more of the particulars, but would not ask.
“That was a great day. You should have been there, and seen a real fight. Not that a fight on land ain't all right, but there's a dash and inspiration about a battle on board ship that I enjoy! You feel as if the boat were your castle—you can't get away from it, and you're bound no one else shall get into it. Then the waves rocking beneath your feet, the shells screaming and dancing over the water, and the thought that your boat is almost a living thing, lends you a desperation nothing else can equal.”
Ralph smiled faintly. To his way of thinking those sensations were common to all who went into battle, whether on land or water.
“You know when I went into the service I made my way to Washington at once. I didn't wait to be enlisted here, but I knew Uncle Dick, who lived there, could get me onto a war-ship, and he did.
