Part 18 (1/2)
”He must have been the one who was the cause of our other trouble, Sam.”
”Of course he was, beginning with the pie he threw at us. But what are we going to do with the marks against us? We were no more to blame for the things we were disciplined for than we are for having our jackets ruined.”
”We shall have to take our medicine; that is all,” answered Dan ruefully.
Two days later, the boys were summoned to the office of the executive officer. They went rather apprehensively, wondering what could be the reason for the unusual summons.
Arriving at the executive office the lads stated their business to the sentry, and were admitted after a little delay, coming to a halt and saluting as they reached Lieutenant Commander Devall's desk.
The salute was quickly answered, after which the boys stood at attention, hats in hands.
”I presume you would like to join a s.h.i.+p, would you not?” he asked.
”Join a s.h.i.+p? Indeed we should,” answered Dan, his eyes glowing with pleasure.
”You boys, I believe, joined from the same place?”
”Yes, sir.”
”H-m-m-m!” mused the executive officer, consulting the enlistment record of the two apprentices. ”Piedmont?”
”Yes, sir.”
”You would like to be s.h.i.+pmates, would you not?”
”We should like it very much, indeed. If it were possible, I wish we might be placed on the same s.h.i.+p,” replied Dan.
”I will arrange it,” replied Lieutenant Commander Devall, consulting several papers from the ma.s.s with which his desk was littered. ”Several details are being sent out to various s.h.i.+ps to-day. I was under the impression that one s.h.i.+p on my list asked for two ordinary seamen. Ah, yes, here it is. Yes, that will be all right. I shall a.s.sign you, but, of course, I cannot promise that you will be retained indefinitely in that way. You may be rea.s.signed to some other part of the service at any time, but it is not likely that this will be done for some time, yet.”
”May I ask, sir, to what s.h.i.+p you will a.s.sign us?”
”Yes; the battles.h.i.+p 'Long Island.'”
”The 'Long Island,'” mused Dan.
”The 'Long Island,'” repeated Sam under his breath.
”That is the new battles.h.i.+p, is it not, sir?”
”The newest one in the Atlantic fleet. She has just had her trial trip, and has been accepted by the government. I am very glad to be able to give you this detail, for you are a pair of likely young men. Your record at the station has been a splendid one, and your promotion deserved.”
”Thank you, sir. You know we have some marks against us,” spoke up Dan.
”I was thinking of that. Let me see. There appears to be some doubt about those extra duty tours-I mean to say as to whether you men were wholly in the wrong. Have you any reason to suspect that others were trying to get you into trouble?”
”Yes, sir; we have had reason to suspect as much,” answered Dan after an instant's hesitation.
”Whom did you suspect?”
”There can be no harm now, sir, in saying that we suspected the fellow Flink.”
”Yet you made no report of it?”