The Tory: Perspectives And Poems: Dr Pratt Datta

"The Trade" By Rudyard Kipling   1914-18 (Sea Warfare)   They bear, in place of classic names,      Letters and numbers on their skin.  They play their grisly blindfold games      In little boxes made of tin.      Sometimes they stalk the Zeppelin,  Sometimes they learn where mines are laid,      Or where the Baltic ice is thin.  That is the custom of "The Trade."    Few prize-courts sit upon their claims.      They seldom tow their targets in.  They follow certain secret aims      Down under, far from strife or din.      When they are ready to begin  No flag is flown, no fuss is made      More than the shearing of a pin.  That is the custom of "The Trade."    The Scout's quadruple funnel flames      A mark from Sweden to the Swin,  The Cruiser's thund'rous screw proclaims      Her comings out and goings in:      But only whiffs of paraffin  Or creamy rings that fizz and fade      Show where the one-eyed Death has been.  That is the custom of "The Trade."    Their feats, their fortunes and their fa