R. M Ballantyne

Battles with the Sea R. M Ballantyne

It ought to be known to all English boys that there is a terrible and costly war inwhich the British nation is at all times engaged. No intervals of peace mark thecourse of this war. Cessations of hostilities there are for brief periods, but notreaties of peace. "War to the knife" is its character. Quarter is neither given norsought. Our foe is unfeeling, unrelenting. He wastes no time in diplomaticpreliminaries; he scorns the courtesies of national life. No ambassadors arerecalled, no declarations of war made. Like the Red Savage he steals upon usunawares, and, with a roar of wrathful fury, settles down to his deadly work. How does this war progress? It is needful to put and reiterate this question fromtime to time, because new generations of boys are always growing up, who, so farfrom being familiar with the stirring episodes of this war, and the daring deeds ofvalour performed, scarcely realise the fact that such a war is being carried on at all, much less that it costs hundreds of lives and millions of money every year