Christian bravery, too, is as much in evidence on sea as on land. Take this little story as an evidence of that fact. It is full of the joy of glad surrender for another.
"A sailor who had just got converted at the Sheerness Hall, when he rose from his knees at the mercy-seat, with the joy of salvation in his face, said, 'I am glad to be saved. I was on the —— (one of the cruisers torpedoed) when she sank. I and another member of the crew, a Salvationist, had been swimming about in the water for two hours or more, and were almost exhausted, when just as we were about to give up we saw a spar, made for it, and took hold. But, alas! it was not big enough to keep us both afloat. We looked at each other. For a time, one took hold while the other swam, and then we changed over.
"'We kept this up for a bit, but it was evident we were getting weaker. Neither of us spoke for a while, and then presently the Salvationist said, "Mate, death means life to me; you are not converted, you hold on to the spar and save yourself; I'll let go. Good-bye!"
"'And he let go and went down!'"
When we have Christian men like that on our men-of-war, we need not fear for our country, nor for the Kingdom of Christ. And so not only now, but when the war is over let us pray:
"O! hear us when we cry to Thee
[170] For those in peril on the sea."
I close this chapter with one more quotation. It is from the Methodist Recorder. It may be a comfort to some who lost dear ones in the Hawke, or in some of the other ships which have met a similar fate.
"On the Sunday before the Hawke met her doom, one of our chaplains conducted Divine service on the cruiser. As soon as he went on board he was taken to the cabin of one of the warrant officers—a local preacher—who is one of the few survivors of the disaster. About thirty men gathered together. A few hymns were sung from the little blue books, which have quite captured the sailors' hearts. The chaplain read the latter part of Romans viii.—that great message of inseparable love and glowing assurance. He then spoke from the words, 'All things work together for good to them that love God.' The men listened most earnestly to the message. One of them asked that the hymn—which has such sad but heroic associations,—'Nearer, my God, to Thee' might be sung. The little service closed with prayer by the warrant officer. As the chaplain shook hands with each man, one and another said, 'Thank you, sir.' Arrangements were made to have another service when the Hawke next came into port. But that will never be. To those whose hearts ache for the brave dead of the Hawke, there is no sweeter message than that which was given to the men on their last Sunday morning, 'All things work together for good to them that love God.'"