CHAPTER IV
ACADEMY LIFE BEGINS
The next morning the returned football squad were all out on theathletic field, and everybody was busy with preliminary practice inpassing, kicking, tackling the dummy and running with the ball. Ateleven o'clock the entire fourth class were assembled on the field. Eachone of these three hundred young men was looked at and questioned as toprevious football experience, and about forty of them were advised tocome out for practice. Of these forty, ten appeared to be likelycandidates and were told to find football uniforms, and to practice forthe time being with the squad. The most promising of these ten wasBligh, and this promise did not suffer from excessive modesty on thepart of Mr. Bligh.
"Oh, yes, I can play football--a little," he said, with a smile thatintended to convey the idea that "the little" was in reality a greatdeal.
"Where have you played?" asked Stonewell.
"Oh, two years on the University of Minnesota's team, and before that atSt. Paul High School," drawled Mr. Bligh.
"What have you played?"
"Quarter, half and end. Look up the 'St. Paul Pioneer Press's' AllNorthwestern team for last year; I guess you'll find they know who I amout there, mister."
"We'll give you a chance to show what you can do, Mr. Henry Bligh. Nowtake a ball and punt for a while."
It wasn't long before Stonewell said: "That fellow knows football; he'sa find. We need a good quarter and will try him for it. You can see bythe way he handles the ball that he's an old hand at it. But I don'tlike his manners, though we'll forget that if he plays good football.He's a good deal of a brag."
"Good-morning, Mr. Drake," said a pleasant voice behind Robert. Thelatter turned around and then enthusiastically cried:
"Hello, Sexton, I'm glad to see you back. I hope you'll make it a gothis time. Why have you those togs on?"
"I'm going to try for the squad," replied Sexton.
"Look here, Sexton, take my advice and don't go into football; mathcomes hard to you, and football takes up a lot of time on one hand andtires you out; makes it hard to study, on the other. Now you don't wantto bilge again, and you don't want to take up anything that willinterfere with your studies." Sexton had failed in his studies and hadbeen dropped from the Academy in consequence the previous year.
"I want to play," replied Sexton, "and if I get low in my studies and itis known I play football the instructors will help me out; will give meeasy subjects and high marks."
"Not unless you're a star player. You'd better give it up, Sexton.Hello, Blunt," Robert continued to another young man who just came up,"so you're out for football, too, are you?"
"You bet, and I'm going to make quarter on the first team, too. Lastyear's quarter graduated in June, and I'm the boy to take his place."
"Do you see that plebe over there, kicking the ball?" interruptedStonewell, who, while watching different players, had half listened tothe talk going on about him.
"That fellow with a thick bunch of hair, that one who has just kicked?"
"Yes, watch him a bit. He knows the game; he has played quarter onMinnesota's team. You'll have to get up and dust to beat that fellow outof quarter-back."
"Do you think I'm going to let a plebe beat me?" cried out ThirdClassman Blunt, indignantly. "I'll stand him on his head. I'll----"
"Blunt, leave the football field immediately and turn in your clothes,"interposed Stonewell, sharply. "I'll be in my room at half-past sevento-night if you care to discuss with me your future conduct on thefootball field."
"Mr. Stonewell, I'm not going off the field. I didn't meananything--I--I----" stammered the dismayed Blunt.
"Is your delay in obeying my order due to ignorance or insubordination?"demanded Stonewell severely. Blunt had been somewhat insolent in hismanner to Stonewell, and was being disciplined on the spot.
Without another word Harry Blunt turned and slowly left the field.
"Stone, aren't you a little hard on him?" asked Robert.
"Purposely so, Bob; it's the only kind of treatment he understands. He'san irrepressible youngster, well meaning, but it's best in dealing withhim to temper justice with cruelty. He'll be around to-night in acontrite spirit with sincere promises to be good, and to-morrow he'll beon the field again and he'll play for all that's in him. He'll be wildto beat that plebe, and this lesson will be good for him."
Blunt did as Stonewell predicted he would, and was out on the field nextday. Two teams were formed and at the end of each day's practice thesewere lined up against each other and a fierce scrimmage occurred. RobertDrake was put at right end of the first team; opposing him was Farnum.Stonewell played left tackle; Bligh was quarter-back of the first team,Blunt quarter of the second. These positions were subject to constantchange, and many midshipmen were tried in different positions. A commonspirit animated them. First a winning team must be developed, and awinning team meant but one thing; it meant West Point's defeat. Afterthat each player was anxious either to hold his own place on the firstteam or by superior playing on the second team to earn a place on thefirst. Bligh sprang into immediate popularity because he played wellfrom the start. Harry Blunt did not have Bligh's previous experience,but gave promise of developing into a good quarter-back.
Robert Drake found Farnum a formidable opponent. The latter played withan impetuosity and spirit that took no heed of possible injury, andbefore October first he was regularly playing on the first team, much tohis satisfaction. The midshipmen of the football squad by October firsthad had much exercise and were pretty well hardened; most of them wereold players, and in the first real game, against Lehigh, the NavalAcademy team played with a dash and spirit that delighted the hearts ofhundreds of midshipmen on the bleachers as well as scores of officers.
By this time everybody, midshipmen and officers, had returned fromleave, and in a day Academy life had settled down to its regularroutine. One day was allowed the midshipmen to get ready for the year'swork, and the next day midshipmen were marching to recitations anddrills with monotonous regularity.
The first formation of the brigade was a thrilling moment to RobertDrake. The warning bugle blew and eight hundred midshipmen scampered totheir places in ranks, laughing and talking, some in desperate effortsto "beat the bugle." With the last blast of that unmusical instrumentcame complete quiet; then in front of each of the twelve companies intowhich the midshipmen were divided was to be seen a young man rapidlycalling his company roll; and as names were called vociferous "heres"were to be heard coming from all parts of the long line of midshipmen;when the midshipman in front of the first company on the extreme righthad finished calling his roll, he came to an about face, and saluted animpassive midshipman, his company commander, Cadet Lieutenant Drake.
"First company, three absent, sir," reported First Petty Officer Peters.
"Take your post, sir," ordered his captain, Cadet Lieutenant Drake.First Petty Officer Peters smartly stepped off to the right of thecompany, Cadet Lieutenant Drake at the same time going to the company'sleft. Down the line could be heard shouts of different company officers,aligning their companies. And then the midshipmen of the first companyheard a ringing order, not too loud, but in a tone that before the endof the year became entirely familiar to them and in which each manlearned to have entire trust.
"First company, left step, march. Company halt. Left dress. Back in thecentre, up on the right, carry it along, back extreme right. Steady.Front." Each of the twelve companies had been similarly aligned by itscadet lieutenant, and the brigade, stretching along the terrace for overfive hundred feet, was now as straight as a taut string.
In front of the brigade, facing it, all alone, stood a tall, erect,manly-looking midshipman, entirely self-possessed, apparently notcarried away by the distinguished position he occupied. Triumphantfeeling must have had a place in his heart, but of this there was noexternal evidence.
Such formations as these occur innumerable times in the midshipmen'scareer; they are held before every meal, before every drill, and o
n manyother occasions; and each time every midshipman at the Academy isaccounted for.
Six hundred and sixty-five permanent regulations, besides specialorders, control the lives and actions of each of the eight hundredmidshipmen at our national Naval School. There are many officers on dutythere for instruction purposes, and a few have special disciplinaryduties concerned with the inspection and regulation of the conduct ofthe midshipmen. But it is only by the effective cooeperation of the cadetofficers that discipline is maintained. The commandant inspects themidshipmen and their quarters Sunday morning; the lieutenant-commanderon duty for the day as "officer-in-charge" makes several inspectionsduring his twenty-four hours' time; but the cadet officers havemultifarious disciplinary duties over midshipmen in their control, andas stated, it is the efficient execution of these duties by the cadetofficers and the carrying out by them of the commandant's andofficer-in-charge's orders, that largely controls the actions andconduct of individual midshipmen.
Robert Drake realized all this; what midshipman does not who has been atthe Naval Academy for three years? And now came to him, as comes to allcadet officers, a determination to do his part with all the ability hepossessed. He was indeed happy to be cadet lieutenant, and was proud ofthe three stripes on each sleeve that indicated that rank. As cadetlieutenant he had many daily routine inspections and reports to make andwas assisted in these by two cadet officers, a cadet junior lieutenantand a cadet ensign, and by eight petty officers, a number of the latterbeing second classmen.
"Well, Stone," Robert remarked as they commenced their studies, "Icertainly have a busy eight months cut out for me. Just look at theseformidable lessons assigned us for to-morrow. Here are twenty pages inseamanship, and about the same amount in gunnery and in electricity.We've got an awful lot to do this year in steam engineering, and look atthose five hundred pages in navigation. Whew! I don't see how we'regoing to do it well. Then I'm sure to be constantly busy with my companyduties; this ought to be enough, but on top of this is an hour and ahalf's drill each day, and after that, football till it is too dark tosee. Jimmini! If we get more than a smattering out of those books I'llbe surprised. And you'll be busy too; you're editor of the 'LuckyBag'[1] and chairman of the hop committee!"
[Footnote 1: Each year the senior class publishes a book called "TheLucky Bag," which is illustrative of midshipman life.]
"Yes, we'll have no spare minutes," replied Stonewell. "Let's get towork."
The next morning, as the gunnery recitation commenced, the instructor,Lieutenant Clement, said: "Gentlemen, your theoretical book work hasbeen all planned, and by looking through your ordnance and gunnery booksyou can see just what it will be. For practical work during winter drillperiods we will take torpedo mechanisms apart and put them together, andwe'll go aboard the monitor 'Nevada' and study her turret and her guns.In the last of May a crew of first classmen from each company will goout into the bay and will fire at a regulation target with the'Nevada's' six-pounder guns under the regular target practiceconditions. Each company six-pounder crew may practice as much as it canfind time to with the six-pounder gun in the armory gun shed. The headof the department instructs me to tell you that you are encouraged tomake any devices or innovations so long as the gun is in no waydisabled, though any suggested change must be submitted to him beforefiring the gun. The record made in gun-firing is entirely competitive.The crew making the best record will do a good deal toward winning theflag for the company it belongs to; a poor record will certainly defeatany such chance. Now we will proceed to our day's lesson in ballistics.Mr. Drake, take the first problem."
The drill assigned to the first company that afternoon was infantry. Thedrill call sounded after the last study period was over, and by fouro'clock Robert was marching his company across lawns to the drillgrounds. He marched them in columns of squads, changing to companyfront, and felt very important indeed in his position as companycommander. Upon arrival at the drill grounds he ordered:
"Company--halt! Unfix bayonets. Stand at ease." Then, sheathing hissword he said: "Fellows, since I've been at the Academy the firstcompany has always been among the best companies of the brigade. I wantit to keep its reputation as such this year, and I'm sure you'll allhave the same desire. The company had the honor of carrying the brigadecolors a year ago, but it lost it last June by a narrow margin. You allknow the company that has the best record for the year wins the flag,and carries it for the next year. The record is made up of many things,excellence in the various drills, excellence in the different forms ofathletics, target practice, boat sailing, sharp-shooting, etc. Any manthat does well individually in anything adds to his company's multipleand helps just that much. I'm going to do the very best I can to helpwin the flag for the first company. I take it for granted every one ofyou is with me and each will do his best for the same purpose. And wemay be certain that each of the other eleven companies will do itsutmost to win the colors." Bob paused.
"Company attention! Shoulder arms! Rear rank, fourth file, last squad,step to the front."
A diminutive midshipman, seemingly hardly five feet tall, but fat, happyand careless looking, assisted by some vehement whispered advice of theleft guide, shambled awkwardly to the front of the company, with hisrifle on his right shoulder.
"That chap over there said you meant me, mister," said the smallmidshipman, in an engaging manner.
"Salute," ordered Cadet Lieutenant Drake, severely.
"Certainly, mister," replied the young man, eagerly taking off his capand bowing.
"Put on that cap. Don't you know the rifle salute? Have you had anydrill? What's your name?"
"Reginald Mumma. These chaps call me Mama's Darling, mister; I wishyou'd have it stopped."
"When did you enter the Academy?"
"A month ago, but I've been sick in the hospital; just got outyesterday."
"Third petty officer, fall out of line of file closers. Drill Mr. Mummaas a recruit every day this week, and whenever the company has infantry,till he can take his place in ranks. Squads right, full step, march."