The secret of getting ahead in the Navy, often thought to be obscure, is in truth well understood and reasonably straightforward, as the following tale illustrates.
It seems that a certain admiral, a grizzled sailor-man whose displeasure was feared by all, was inspecting one ship in his command. The entire crew stood at attention.
"I suppose," said the admiral to the ship's captain, "that you know the name of every man on board?"
"I think I do," was the captain's unexpected reply.
"Aha," smiled the admiral. "What's the name of the third man from the left there in the rear rank?"
"William Jones," said the captain.
The admiral addressed the seaman directly.
"What's your name, lad?" said he.
The seaman, whose name was Botts, replied without hesitation,
"William Jones, sir."