'Wonderful, wonderful!' said Captain Bill,'I have to say that bit about being on the High Sea really made me feel like I...was....on......the High Sea.....anyway perhaps we should hear it again...just to be sure?'
'But we've already listened to it twice!' replied Admiral Cholmondley Waldegrave St Clair,'I mean it's alright if you like that sort of thing...preferred the Penguin myself but there you go, can't be helped!'
'Perhaps a different poem?' suggested Captain Bill.
'But why?' asked the Admiral with a puzzled look on his face.
'Oh,' replied Captain Bill,'I don't think you can underestimate the role of poetry in a modern navy. I've lost count of the number of times we've been in a tricky situation and if it hadn't been for a good emergency poem and of course it's a great comfort to the crew if they've sunk....which of course has never happened...well not recently.'
The Admiral drew a long deep breath.'Well perhaps one more,' he conceded.
'And you'll be able to put in a good word? asked Horace.
'Word?' replied the Admiral.
'With the publishers!' said Horace.
And Captain Bill smiled at the Admiral...in a nervous sort of way.
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