training does he get to take the place of that now? He's a hand
nowadays, a helper, a lumper--not a sailor--on a great big hulk to which
disaster is almost impossible."

"But disasters do happen."

"They do, but what is the truth about them? Nine out of ten of them have
a disgraceful cause. But the public doesn't hear of that, because the
public doesn't go to sea--except as a saloon passenger. The public gets
its story from the steamship company's office--always, and you know what
kind of a story they put out--put out through newspapers that carry
their advertising. You know what that chief clerk or that second clerk
of yours would tell any inquiring outsider in case of a loss of life on
one of these ships. He'd lie and lie and lie and lie and think he was
serving a good cause at that, and the papers publishing the lie would
think they were serving a good cause, too--especially the constructive
organization papers, as they call themselves. Our big steamship officers
these days--outside of the navy--don't get the kind of work that keeps
men up to the mark, and not getting it they grow soft--their bodies and
their souls become flabby. Engineer officers nowadays have the work cut
out for them and they are doing good work, but the bridge officers are
no longer men of the sea--they're clerks, agents in floating hotels. And
the crew take their tone from the officers. When the commander's weak,
your whole outfit is apt to weaken, especially under a strain."

They resumed their pacing, Kieran with head high in the air, inhaling
deep breaths of the fresh salt air.

The passenger came out of a deep meditation. "Kieran, you can do a good
work for us. Is there any berth with this line you'd like to have? If