CHAPTER V--TRYING OUT THEIR GRIT
Sam's billet was next to that of Louis Flink. The former was not awareof this until that night, when the lads turned in at the sound of thebugle. So close were their hammocks that either boy might have reachedout and touched the other. Sam had turned in after several disastrousattempts and much quiet grumbling. Dan caught the knack of it morequickly, and so did Flink.
"Say, freckles, you're a thickhead," jeered Flink.
"I'd rather be a thickhead than a Pennsylvania Dutchman, any day,"retorted the freckle-faced boy. "There's some hope for a thickhead, butthere isn't any for you."
"I'll settle with you some other time," sneered Flink. Both werespeaking in low tones, knowing that they would get at least a rebuke,were any of the officers to overhear them.
"Yes, that's your measure all right. I didn't give you away thismorning. Neither did my friend, but it wasn't because we loved you. No,Blinkers, it was because we wanted to wait for the proper moment to giveyou the worst thrashing you ever had in your life. Don't bother me now;I want to go to sleep."
The first night of their stay at the training station passeduneventfully. At the sound of the bugle, on the following morning, allhands started up suddenly. Sam Hickey muttered drowsily and turned over.
"Get up, thickhead!" jeered Flink, giving the lad a vicious dig with hisfist.
"Wha--wha----" demanded Sam sleepily.
"Turn out, old chap," called Dan. "Didn't you hear the bugle?"
Sam suddenly bethought himself of his duty, but he did not give thoughtto the fact that he was in a hammock. He thought he was in bed. Withoutopening his eyes he started to get out in the usual way.
The result was inevitable. Sam once more flattened himself upon the hardcement floor underneath his billet. He was awake without further urging.
"Say, Dan, how long did we enlist for?" he demanded.
"Four years."
"Oh, help!" moaned Sam, pulling himself together and starting for theshower bath with his clothes under his arm. At the door of the bathroomhe paused long enough to shake his fist at Flink.
"Blinkers, I remember now, something hit me this morning before I got myeyes open. Much obliged. That's another score you'll have to answer forwhen the day of reckoning comes around."
Flink grinned sarcastically, as he climbed down from his hammock andprepared to follow to the bathroom.
Breakfast that morning was more interesting. There were all of fiftyboys in the mess of barracks A, all of whom marched across the groundsto the mess hall, the newcomers bringing up the rear in a stragglingline.
"I guess we are not making much of a showing," grinned Dan. "Our firecompany at home could beat the alignment of this bunch. But see howthose boys up ahead are marching."
"Yes; nobody would think they were going to breakfast," replied Sam,with a hand slyly laid upon his stomach. "I have a goneness here thatnothing except a hot breakfast will satisfy."
Practically the first duty of the day was drill. The apprentices wereinstructed in the rudiments of company drill. Led by a drum and buglecorps, they marched back and forth across the field in the sunlight,with the sparkling waters of the bay almost at their feet. Dan Davis hadhad some experience in drilling, and he proved himself an apt pupil.
After the drill the boys were marched to the drill hall, where they weregiven guns and instructed in the manual of arms.
"This is something like," grinned Sam, who was thoroughly at home with agun in his hand. "I'd like to take this piece out and hunt woodchuckswith it. I'll bet it's a dandy for chucks."
"Wouldn't it be likely to blow them off the face of the earth?"questioned Dan, with a smile.
"It might that."
"Attention!" commanded the officer, who had caught the faint sound ofvoices. "No talking in the ranks."
The lads subsided instantly.
"We will now have a little physical drill, and after that a cock-fight,"announced the officer.
Dan and Sam glanced at each other in surprise.
"Going to have a rooster fight?" whispered Sam. "They're real sports uphere, after all."
"Sh-h-h," warned Dan. "I think it must be something else. They wouldn'thave rooster fights here."
The officer was explaining to them the various movements in the physicaldrill, calculated to give the boys a powerful physique as well as greatsuppleness. He described the movements as "full sweeps," "body circles"and "side stoop," which latter Sam characterized as the back porchmovement. These, after being executed, were followed by a hurdle race.
When the announcement was made that this would be next on the programthe boys could scarcely repress a cheer. But the hurdle race was not tobe the harum-scarum, go-as-you-please contest that they had been in thehabit of playing. Instead, it was an orderly, systematic race in whichthe line formation was supposed to be kept throughout.
However, the lads went at it with a will. The variety of the work keptthem constantly interested. There was not a dull or tiresome moment inall that morning's work, the instructor leading them from one thing toanother until the faces of the apprentices glowed and their eyessparkled with excitement and pleasure.
"Halt!"
The movements had come to an end for the day.
"Next will be a cock-fight. You young apprentices may not understand thegame, so we will let the older men go through a brief battle while youlook on."
The plan of the game was for the boys to form in two lines some tenpaces apart and at the command "hop," they were to hop forward on theleft or right foot as the case might be and attempt to bowl theiradversaries over.
"I've played that game," whispered Sam. "Let me get into it and I'llshow them a cock-fight that will make the fellows green with envy."
"Fall in, apprentices!" came the command.
The lads obeyed with alacrity.
"Do you see the Pennsylvania Dutchman over there on the other side?"whispered Sam.
"Yes."
"Well you watch Pennsy. I'm going to pluck that rooster's tail feathers,or my name isn't Sam Hickey."
"Be careful that you do not do anything that will bring a reproof. Youwill get a mark against you, if you do."
"Don't you worry. The marks will be on Blinkers, not on me."
"Attention!"
The boys straightened. There was a grin on the face of Sam Hickey, andhad one been an observer, he would have noticed another on the face ofLouis Flink.
"Right foot, hop!"
Fifty apprentices began hopping across the floor, some losing theirbalance and measuring their length upon the drill floor at the firstjump.
Sam did not appear to be noticing the adversary he had picked out.Neither did Flink seem to have Sam in mind. However, all at once bothboys made a sudden turn. They lunged toward each other like two humanprojectiles.
The impact of their bodies when they came together, was heard all overthe drill room and the lads bounded back, hopping in a circle, forseveral seconds, to catch their balance.
Once more they came together, followed by a rebound of greater forcethan before.
"Too much for you, eh?" laughed Dan, as he hopped by his companion.
"He's tougher than I thought, but I can stay on my feet as long as hecan, though my hopper weighs a ton at this minute."
The men were falling out rapidly now, here and there one toppling over,another touching the floor with his free foot or grasping a pillar forsupport. All such were ruled out of the game.
After five minutes the battle had narrowed down to Sam Hickey and LouisFlink.
"I've got you now, Blinkers," announced Sam, with a grin.
"No talking," commanded the officer. "Hands at sides and keep fightinguntil one of you is down."
"Look out, I'm coming," warned Flink in a low tone.
"Thank you; so am I," returned Sam.
Neither boy swerved, but, as they neared each other, they turned so thattheir shoulders met, sending them far apart again. By this time, theofficers and assembled appr
entices had become deeply interested. Theyrealized that this cock-fight was different from anything they ever hadseen. Two gladiators of the pit were before them, and, providing therewas no interference from the officers, there was excitement ahead.
The petty officers in charge so far lost themselves in the unusualbattle as to overlook the fact that the apprentices were not onlytalking, but urging on the contestants and giving them suggestions.
It was noticeable, however, that the sympathy of the crowd was with thered-headed, freckle-faced boy, Sam Hickey. Sam's face wore a broad grin.No matter how hard a rap he might get the grin remained. If he was theleast bit angry he kept the fact well hidden.
Flink, on the other hand, was getting more and more angry as the minutespassed. He had reckoned on making short work of his opponent, but foundthat the raw-boned country boy was as hard as nails, and not to bedowned except by superior strength, nor to be frightened by a bluff.
Back and forth the two boys hopped, smashing together, bounding apart,dancing about each other in circles, sparring for an opening as it were.Thus far each had proved himself too wary for the other.
Hickey, either through design or accident, had been crowding hisopponent toward the broad doorway on the west side of the drill room.But, if there was a motive in the action, no one appeared to understandit. Now, Sam was hopping about his adversary so rapidly that Flink wasforced to keep spinning until he was giving a very good imitation of atop. So ludicrous were his movements that the apprentices shouted withlaughter. At the same time Sam was darting in and out, but not landingon Flink at all. His sole purpose now appeared to be to confuse theother man.
Flink was growing weary. The onlookers noticed that his movements werebecoming slower and slower. Sam had observed this already, and his eyeslighted triumphantly.
The dark-faced apprentice had spun himself about until he was justopposite the open doorway, a few paces from it, when Hickey uttered aloud grunt and hurled himself upon his opponent.
At that moment, Flink's back chanced to be toward Hickey. Sam landed inthe small of the other's back with irresistible force.
Flink shot toward the door, the apprentices setting up a howl, followedby a cheer. But their merriment died on their lips. Lieutenant CommanderDevall, the executive officer of the station, attracted by the noise inthe drill hall, had hurried down the walk to ascertain the cause of thedisturbance. His trim, white-clad figure appeared in the doorway, justas Louis Flink was making his flight.
Flink hit the executive officer with great violence, the two landing onthe cement walk outside, with the apprentice on top.
Beyond the narrow walk was a steep bank leading down almost to thewater's edge. On over the bank rolled the apprentice and the lieutenantcommander, each making desperate efforts to save himself.
It was a most undignified position for a lieutenant commander to findhimself in, to say nothing of the unpleasantness of going over a bankwith a raw apprentice on top of one.
"They're over!" shouted a voice.
Dan sprang forward to the quartermaster, saluting.
"May I go over and help them, sir?"
"Yes. Make haste."
Dan sprang out through the doorway and down the bank.