’ 
. 
oe eee a ee eee we 
May 4, 1917. 
NORTH 
SHORE, BREEZE 
them. Along the deck rail were sus- 
pended many canvas bags. They 
were to learn that these were dun- 
nage bags of the sailors, and would 
be taken in within a few minutes. 
Forward stretched the long lines of 
the trim battleship with its uprising 
turrets and ominous, huge guns of 
tremendous length. 
It was the first time the boys had 
even seen such guns. Their only ac- 
quaintance with firearms had been 
the Winchester rifles and fowling 
pieces, which they used in hunting 
back home. The near view of these 
monstrous pieces of ordnance ex- 
ceeded even the ideas they had form- 
ed of them from the pictures in. the 
newspapers. But, they were to learn 
more of these later. The officer of 
the deck met them at the head of the 
plank. 
“Two men from the enrolling of- 
fice,” said the orderly, after saluting. 
“Give me your papers,” said the 
officer, and he examined briefly the 
active service orders, which the boys 
presented. 
The orderly was excused, and af- 
ter the officer had concluded with the 
papers, he called a messenger, and 
sent the two recruits down the com- 
panionway to the executive officer. 
They passed down .from the main 
deck into the well lighted gun deck 
below. This was where they were 
to live! 
The boys felt somewhat bashful, 
as they passed through the hundreds 
of other sailors below decks. It was 
the rest period before evening mess, 
and all the crew, excepting those in 
watch, were about the deck. They 
seemed legion. Their messenger took 
them to the executive officer, who also 
took their papers. They had to wait 
around for some little time, but there 
was so much to look at that neither 
spoke a word. Finally, another ord- 
erly caine up, and they were taken to 
the ship’s writer. Here they were 
each given a card with several num- 
bers written thereon. The orderly 
explained, as they looked at the pieces 
of paper, that it was their billet, al- 
though the boys did not know what 
this meant. ° 
The billet contained the number of 
their mess, and their station, the place 
where they were to swing their ham- 
mocks, and the number of their 
watch. 
It was at this juncture that Sam 
and Bill had their first setback. An 
orderly, called upon, took Sam in tow’ 
and he was told he would be shown 
his mess, while Bill was sent with an- 
other orderly to the master at arms. 
This officer took Bill to the ships’ 
small stores, and he drew his outfit, 
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and then, they went to the sail locker, 
where he received a hammock, bag, 
matress, two mattress covers, etc., all 
of which were stencilled with the 
number of his billet. They then went 
up to the office of the master at arms 
who showed him how to clew and lash 
the hammock and fold the blankets. 
Another orderly took Bill up to where 
he was to sling -his hammock,, and 
place it in the netting. He was then 
“delivered” to the man at the head 
of his division. In his case, it was a 
boatswain’s mate. He had drawn a 
billet in the third division. 
The: boatswain’s mate seemed. a 
very important being to Bilks -He 
seemed to know everything about the 
ship. Bill wondered if he would ever 
be able to learn the phrases and 
places, which the mate reeled off so 
readily. It was the mate who show- 
ed him how to sling his hammock, 
and where to keep his bag. This 
done, he was told where he would 
mess, and shown the place. He, was 
then told to get into his uniform, 
which had been provided at the stores. 
All this time Bill was wondering 
what had become of Sam. He ask- 
ed the mate, and explained the cir- 
cumstances of their enlisting. The 
mate said he would find Sam_ for- 
ward, and pointed to where he would 
be likely to be found in a group of 
other young men also without uni- 
forms. Bill went over and_ soon 
found his friend. _Sam—it seems— 
had been merely assigned a mess and 
a hammock for the night. 
“T have got to go to Newport,” 
said Sam, and the two boys, for the 
first time felt the sorrow which inevi- 
tably arises, when two associated for 
so long, must separate, 
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“But, where did you get that uni- 
form?” questioned Sam. 
“Tt was given me. I am going to 
stay aboard here,” said Dill. 
At this juncture, a bugle tooted the 
call to mess, and, amid a scurrying of 
uniformed men, and with promises to 
meet just as soon as the meal was 
over, the boys separated. Neither 
Bill or Sam will ever forget that first 
meal aboard battleship. 
(The next installment will relate how 
Bill participated in the capture of the 
Sparrowhawk—a motor boat, which was 
believed to have been put into readiness 
to cut cables. Sam goes to Newport to 
train for the battleships.) 
