"I also made what effort I could to keep the minds of the men occupied. Every Sunday evening we met and sang hymns, and on these occasions I usually read from my Prayer Book and invited discussion on some text I had given out the previous Sunday. Here"—turning to his diary—"are some of the things we debated in our weekly desert 'forums' by the old Roman wells:—
"'More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.'—From 'The Passing of Arthur.'
"'Love took up the glass of time.'—From 'Locksley Hall.'
"'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.'
"'Does the end justify the means?'
"As you may well imagine, strange theses were developed, and I am afraid that many a sore head resulted from the preliminary discussions. It didn't take much to start them going in that last fortnight after the snails failed us; but the diversion was good for them, and, besides, poor chaps, they were far too weak to be able to hurt one another in the least. Their fights were like the tussles of a couple of puppies. When you see some of the boys on the steamer to-night, by the way, I can suggest no more promising line of inquiry for you to pursue than to ask them to tell you some of the things they used to fight about in the desert."
Wireless Operator Birkby and Stewards Barton and Fenton, who were among the Tara survivors, had, on their return to England, been put to work on the Tara's sister-ship, the Greenore, and it was behind the darkened windows of the smoking-room of this smart little packet, as she bore into the snoring sou'wester which swept St. George's Channel, that I contrived to gather the three of them together to talk of their adventures.
"All I want to know," I said, "is a few of the things you fellows used to punch each other's heads about in the desert. I've got all the rest of the story."
They rose to that cast with a rush. All three commenced talking at once, but the two stewards quickly fell silent out of deference to the superior rank of the wireless operator.
VI—THE WIRELESS OPERATOR'S TALE