ACADEMY LIFE BEGINS
The next morning the returned football squad were all out on the
athletic field, and everybody was busy with preliminary practice in
passing, kicking, tackling the dummy and running with the ball. At
eleven o'clock the entire fourth class were assembled on the field. Each
one of these three hundred young men was looked at and questioned as to
previous football experience, and about forty of them were advised to
come out for practice. Of these forty, ten appeared to be likely
candidates and were told to find football uniforms, and to practice for
the time being with the squad. The most promising of these ten was
Bligh, and this promise did not suffer from excessive modesty on the
part of Mr. Bligh.
"Oh, yes, I can play football--a little," he said, with a smile that
intended to convey the idea that "the little" was in reality a great
deal.
"Where have you played?" asked Stonewell.
"Oh, two years on the University of Minnesota's team, and before that at
St. Paul High School," drawled Mr. Bligh.
"What have you played?"
"Quarter, half and end. Look up the 'St. Paul Pioneer Press's' All
Northwestern team for last year; I guess you'll find they know who I am
out there, mister."
"We'll give you a chance to show what you can do, Mr. Henry Bligh. Now
take a ball and punt for a while."
It wasn't long before Stonewell said: "That fellow knows football; he's
a find. We need a good quarter and will try him for it. You can see by
the way he handles the ball that he's an old hand at it. But I don't
like 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. The
latter turned around and then enthusiastically cried:
"Hello, Sexton, I'm glad to see you back. I hope you'll make it a go
this 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; math
comes hard to you, and football takes up a lot of time on one hand and
tires you out; makes it hard to study, on the other. Now you don't want
to bilge again, and you don't want to take up anything that will
interfere with your studies." Sexton had failed in his studies and had
been dropped from the Academy in consequence the previous year.
"I want to play," replied Sexton, "and if I get low in my studies and it
is known I play football the instructors will help me out; will give me
easy 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. Last
year's quarter graduated in June, and I'm the boy to take his place."
"Do you see that plebe over there, kicking the ball?" interrupted
Stonewell, who, while watching different players, had half listened to
the 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 on
Minnesota's team. You'll have to get up and dust to beat that fellow out
of quarter-back."
"Do you think I'm going to let a plebe beat me?" cried out Third
Classman 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 seven
to-night if you care to discuss with me your future conduct on the
football field."
"Mr. Stonewell, I'm not going off the field. I didn't mean
anything--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 his
manner 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's
an irrepressible youngster, well meaning, but it's best in dealing with
him to temper justice with cruelty. He'll be around to-night in a
contrite spirit with sincere promises to be good, and to-morrow he'll be
on the field again and he'll play for all that's in him. He'll be wild
to beat that plebe, and this lesson will be good for him."
Blunt did as Stonewell predicted he would, and was out on the field next
day. Two teams were formed and at the end of each day's practice these
were lined up against each other and a fierce scrimmage occurred. Robert
Drake 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 constant
change, and many midshipmen were tried in different positions. A common
spirit animated them. First a winning team must be developed, and a
winning team meant but one thing; it meant West Point's defeat. After
that each player was anxious either to hold his own place on the first
team or by superior playing on the second team to earn a place on the
first. Bligh sprang into immediate popularity because he played well
from 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 with
an impetuosity and spirit that took no heed of possible injury, and
before October first he was regularly playing on the first team, much to
his satisfaction. The midshipmen of the football squad by October first
had had much exercise and were pretty well hardened; most of them were
old players, and in the first real game, against Lehigh, the Naval
Academy team played with a dash and spirit that delighted the hearts of
hundreds of midshipmen on the bleachers as well as scores of officers.
By this time everybody, midshipmen and officers, had returned from
leave, and in a day Academy life had settled down to its regular
routine. One day was allowed the midshipmen to get ready for the year's
work, and the next day midshipmen were marching to recitations and
drills with monotonous regularity.
The first formation of the brigade was a thrilling moment to Robert
Drake. The warning bugle blew and eight hundred midshipmen scampered to
their places in ranks, laughing and talking, some in desperate efforts
to "beat the bugle." With the last blast of that unmusical instrument
came complete quiet; then in front of each of the twelve companies into
which the midshipmen were divided was to be seen a young man rapidly
calling 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 right
had finished calling his roll, he came to an about face, and saluted an
impassive 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 the
company, Cadet Lieutenant Drake at the same time going to the company's
left. Down the line could be heard shouts of different company officers,
aligning their companies. And then the midshipmen of the first company
heard a ringing order, not too loud, but in a tone that before the end
of the year became entirely familiar to them and in which each man
learned to have entire trust.
"First company, left step, march. Company halt. Left dress. Back in the
centre, up on the right, carry it along, back extreme right. Steady.
Front." Each of the twelve companies had been similarly aligned by its
cadet lieutenant, and the brigade, stretching along the terrace for over
five 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 not
carried away by the distinguished position he occupied. Triumphant
feeling must have had a place in his heart, but of this there was no
external evidence.
Such formations as these occur innumerable times in the midshipmen's
career; they are held before every meal, before every drill, and on many
other occasions; and each time every midshipman at the Academy is
accounted for.
Six hundred and sixty-five permanent regulations, besides special
orders, control the lives and actions of each of the eight hundred
midshipmen at our national Naval School. There are many officers on duty
there for instruction purposes, and a few have special disciplinary
duties concerned with the inspection and regulation of the conduct of
the midshipmen. But it is only by the effective coƶperation of the cadet
officers that discipline is maintained. The commandant inspects the
midshipmen and their quarters Sunday morning; the lieutenant-commander
on duty for the day as "officer-in-charge" makes several inspections
during his twenty-four hours' time; but the cadet officers have
multifarious disciplinary duties over midshipmen in their control, and
as stated, it is the efficient execution of these duties by the cadet
officers and the carrying out by them of the commandant's and
officer-in-charge's orders, that largely controls the actions and
conduct of individual midshipmen.
Robert Drake realized all this; what midshipman does not who has been at
the Naval Academy for three years? And now came to him, as comes to all
cadet officers, a determination to do his part with all the ability he
possessed. He was indeed happy to be cadet lieutenant, and was proud of
the three stripes on each sleeve that indicated that rank. As cadet
lieutenant he had many daily routine inspections and reports to make and
was assisted in these by two cadet officers, a cadet junior lieutenant
and a cadet ensign, and by eight petty officers, a number of the latter
being second classmen.
"Well, Stone," Robert remarked as they commenced their studies, "I
certainly have a busy eight months cut out for me. Just look at these
formidable lessons assigned us for to-morrow. Here are twenty pages in
seamanship, 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 at
those five hundred pages in navigation. Whew! I don't see how we're
going to do it well. Then I'm sure to be constantly busy with my company
duties; this ought to be enough, but on top of this is an hour and a
half's drill each day, and after that, football till it is too dark to
see. Jimmini! If we get more than a smattering out of those books I'll
be surprised. And you'll be busy too; you're editor of the 'Lucky
Bag'[1] and chairman of the hop committee!"
[Footnote 1: Each year the senior class publishes a book called "The
Lucky Bag," which is illustrative of midshipman life.]
"Yes, we'll have no spare minutes," replied Stonewell. "Let's get to
work."
The next morning, as the gunnery recitation commenced, the instructor,
Lieutenant Clement, said: "Gentlemen, your theoretical book work has
been all planned, and by looking through your ordnance and gunnery books
you can see just what it will be. For practical work during winter drill
periods we will take torpedo mechanisms apart and put them together, and
we'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 go
out into the bay and will fire at a regulation target with the
'Nevada's' six-pounder guns under the regular target practice
conditions. Each company six-pounder crew may practice as much as it can
find time to with the six-pounder gun in the armory gun shed. The head
of the department instructs me to tell you that you are encouraged to
make any devices or innovations so long as the gun is in no way
disabled, though any suggested change must be submitted to him before
firing the gun. The record made in gun-firing is entirely competitive.
The crew making the best record will do a good deal toward winning the
flag for the company it belongs to; a poor record will certainly defeat
any 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. The
drill call sounded after the last study period was over, and by four
o'clock Robert was marching his company across lawns to the drill
grounds. He marched them in columns of squads, changing to company
front, and felt very important indeed in his position as company
commander. Upon arrival at the drill grounds he ordered:
"Company--halt! Unfix bayonets. Stand at ease." Then, sheathing his
sword he said: "Fellows, since I've been at the Academy the first
company has always been among the best companies of the brigade. I want
it to keep its reputation as such this year, and I'm sure you'll all
have the same desire. The company had the honor of carrying the brigade
colors a year ago, but it lost it last June by a narrow margin. You all
know 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 of
athletics, target practice, boat sailing, sharp-shooting, etc. Any man
that does well individually in anything adds to his company's multiple
and helps just that much. I'm going to do the very best I can to help
win the flag for the first company. I take it for granted every one of
you is with me and each will do his best for the same purpose. And we
may be certain that each of the other eleven companies will do its
utmost 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, happy
and careless looking, assisted by some vehement whispered advice of the
left guide, shambled awkwardly to the front of the company, with his
rifle on his right shoulder.
"That chap over there said you meant me, mister," said the small
midshipman, in an engaging manner.
"Salute," ordered Cadet Lieutenant Drake, severely.
"Certainly, mister," replied the young man, eagerly taking off his cap
and bowing.
"Put on that cap. Don't you know the rifle salute? Have you had any
drill? What's your name?"
"Reginald Mumma. These chaps call me Mama's Darling, mister; I wish
you'd have it stopped."
"When did you enter the Academy?"
"A month ago, but I've been sick in the hospital; just got out
yesterday."
"Third petty officer, fall out of line of file closers. Drill Mr. Mumma
as 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."