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 BUCK JONES at ANNAPOLIS
 
 "And lashed the Stars and Stripes to the fore lift." 
 
 [Page 266]
 
 BUCK JONES 
 
 at 
 
 ANNAPOLIS 
 
 RICHMOND PEARSON HOBSON 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 "THE SINKING OF THE MEEBIMAC" 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
 NEW YORK MCMVII
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1907, BY 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
 
 Published September, 1907
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 I. BUCK DECIDES ON ANNAPOLIS 1 
 
 II. BUCK'S BOYHOOD TRIALS 4 
 
 III. BUCK STARTS ON HIS JOURNEY TO ANNAPOLIS ... 10 
 
 IV. BUCK CONTINUES HIS JOURNEY AND ARRIVES AT ANNAP- 
 OLIS 22 
 
 V. BUCK MAKES FRIENDS AND SOME EXAMINATIONS . .31 
 
 VI. BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNS MORE . . 45 
 
 VII. BUCK FINDS HIS BERTH ON THE Santee .... 73 
 
 VIII. BUCK MAKES A NEW FRIEND AND ENCOUNTERS AN OLD 
 
 ENEMY 84 
 
 IX. BUCK LEARNS SEAMANSHIP AND SOME OTHER THINGS . . 103 
 
 X. BUCK GETS HIS FIRST TASTE OF THE SEA. . . . 127 
 
 XI. BUCK MASTERS THE SEA AND A PORPOISE . . . 146 
 
 XII. BUCK PROVES THE STRENGTH OF HIS FRIENDSHIP FOR 
 
 CASEY 159 
 
 XIII. BUCK FINDS HIMSELF A HERO 179 
 
 XIV. BUCK SHOWS HIS PROFICIENCY IN UNEXPECTED WAYS . 187 
 
 XV. BUCK DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF IN SOME THINGS AND 
 
 FAILS IN OTHERS 197 
 
 XVI. BUCK EATS HIS CAKE AND PAYS THE PRICE . . . 216 
 
 v 
 
 21 r?
 
 Vi CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XVII. BUCK AGAIN ENTERS THE RING 234 
 
 XVIII. BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA . . . 250 
 XIX. BUCK AND PREBLE HAVE SOME STRANGE ADVENTURES . 277 
 
 XX. BUCK HAS HIS FIRST COMMISSION AND MAKES HIS FIRST 
 
 SPEECH 292 
 
 XXI. BUCK RETURNS TO ANNAPOLIS TO NEW DUTIES . . 310 
 
 XXII. BUCK is " Pur IN COVENTRY " AND WINS OUT . . 325 
 
 XXIII. BUCK BECOMES NOTED AS A GHOST CATCHER . . 339 
 
 XXIV. BUCK FIGHTS UNDER WATER AND FIRE . . . 353 
 
 XXV. BUCK DODGES GLORY BUT is CAUGHT . 361
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 FACING 
 PAGE 
 
 "And lashed the Stars and Stripes to the fore lift" Frontispiece 
 
 " Boy, dog, horse were drenched in blood " 8 
 
 "Buck struck him a powerful blow under the chin" ... 90 
 "Buck . . . like a flash, rolled him overboard" .... 328 
 
 Vll
 
 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 CHAPTEE I 
 
 BUCK DECIDES ON ANNAPOLIS 
 
 MAJOK KOBIN JONES and Colonel Picket, his 
 neighbor, were sitting in the gallery of the old 
 Jones homestead in Sumter, Ala. " Wildwood " 
 was one of the few Southern homes that had escaped the 
 ravages of the Civil War. The old mansion, with its 
 white columns, stood majestic in a vast grove of magnolia 
 trees, and, from its elevation, dominated the surrounding 
 country. The soft sunlight of the late afternoon filtered 
 through the trees, and the June air was heavy with the 
 perfume of Cherokee roses. The stillness of the closing 
 day brought up the spirit of the past. The two ex-soldiers 
 had been talking of antebellum events, and had quite 
 naturally drifted into the days when they fought together 
 under Jackson and Lee. As boys they had seen the troops 
 returning from the war with Mexico. Love of country 
 burned deep in their souls, only the deeper because a 
 chivalric sense of duty had compelled them to take up 
 arms for their native State. 
 
 " I am bringing up my boys," said Major Jones, " to 
 love their country above all else, and I can see patriotism 
 budding in Hugh and even in little Buck." 
 
 At that moment a boy of nine years appeared down 
 at the big gate pulling along a reluctant goat. 
 
 1
 
 2 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " It is incredible," laughed Major Jones ; " Buck has 
 caught the goat at last." 
 
 At the big gate the goat made a final desperate stand, 
 but the boy, wrapping the rope around his body, got hold 
 of a sapling and slowly wound the rope up, dragging the 
 goat in bodily. Once inside the gate, the goat gave up 
 the struggle. 
 
 " Bring your goat here, Buck, and let us see him," 
 called out his father. 
 
 The boy came up with a smile of triumph. 
 
 " It has taken me seven weeks to catch him, and I 
 have had to drag him every foot of the way home." 
 
 With beaming countenance the boy took his captive 
 out to the lot 
 
 " He has a right to be proud," said his father. " He 
 asked for the goat last spring. I told him he could have 
 it, but that there would be no way of catching it till the 
 flock was rounded up in the fall. I wondered how any- 
 body on earth could hope to catch the goat running wild 
 in five thousand acres of timber land. My wife asked 
 me to put a stop to such a fruitless waste of time, but I 
 would not interfere. I knew that in some way he would 
 catch the goat in the end." 
 
 Colonel Picket laughed, and the two men then re- 
 sumed their conversation about the war as Buck came 
 back from the lot with his oldest brother Hugh, the boys 
 sitting down on the steps. 
 
 " Yes," said Major Jones, " it was most unfortunate 
 for the South to secede. My father was bitterly opposed 
 to secession." 
 
 " So was my father," said the colonel. 
 
 " Yet, when the State seceded," resumed the major, 
 " we all went with it. At that time we naturally felt it a 
 sacred duty to put the State first, but I am proud to con-
 
 BUCK DECIDES ON ANNAPOLIS 3 
 
 fess that to-day I would regard it a sacred duty to put 
 the country first. But there can never again be a question 
 of secession. The supreme benefit of that terrific strug- 
 gle was that it put this idea forever at rest. Every day 
 I thank Heaven that the war ended as it did, and that I 
 can bring up my children under the old flag, that stands 
 for everything that is highest and best in the world. There 
 will always be a strain of sadness through my life, how- 
 ever, that I once had to fight against that flag. I hope 
 one of my sons may go to West Point and one of them to 
 Annapolis, and give their whole time to its service." 
 
 " I will go to West Point," broke in Hugh quickly. 
 " General Lee went there and Jackson and Grant, and 
 Washington founded it." 
 
 Buck was all attention and seemed troubled when 
 Hugh said this, but he said nothing himself, and ere long 
 the group broke up. 
 
 After going to bed that night Buck wrestled with him- 
 self. Should he contest with Hugh for West Point ? He 
 longed to go where Lee and Washington had been. But 
 Hugh was the older. It was right for him to have the 
 choice, and he had chosen West Point. " Then it is my 
 duty to go to Annapolis," he said aloud. " I will go." 
 His mind was made up and he fell asleep content, re- 
 membering Admiral Buchanan, for whom he was named, 
 and John Paul, who had taken the name of one of his 
 own Jones ancestors. After all, he concluded, a man can 
 be great and render his country noble service in the navy 
 as well as in the army.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 BUCK'S BOYHOOD TRIALS 
 
 SUMTER is a typical old Southern town of about 
 three thousand inhabitants, very much the same as 
 it was before the war, a college town, of unusual 
 culture, located on the edge of the " Canebreak," a stretch 
 of rich black land wonderfully fertile for cotton. The 
 wealthy planters with plantations in the Canebreak make 
 their homes in Sumter, and the people of the town are 
 like one big family. Many had left Sumter to go to other 
 cities with a wider business horizon, particularly the 
 young men, but no one had ever thought of starting a 
 cotton mill or other industry in Sumter itself. The old 
 families that had produced great statesmen, jurists, gen- 
 erals, were rearing a new brood amid less wealth but under 
 the same old traditions. 
 
 The young Joneses, in time, came to be noted in all 
 the country around. They stood at the head of their 
 classes in school and in Sunday school, they were the 
 heroes in athletic sports, were the greatest in hunting and 
 fishing and swimming. Some even said they ran wild. 
 Buck, in particular, was developing so steadily that in 
 many ways he was rapidly catching up with his older 
 brother, and while he would lead the boys near his own 
 age, he soon came to contend with those of his brother's 
 age. For three years he had contended in wrestling, with 
 the " Indian hug," to throw his brother, himself the best 
 
 4
 
 BUCK'S BOYHOOD TRIALS 5 
 
 wrestler of his age in town. His fourteenth birthday 
 came, but his brother could still down him. 
 
 Not many months after the opening of this story Buck 
 passed through an ordeal that made a lasting impression 
 on his character. He was out hunting on horseback, ex- 
 pecting to go as far as the river swamp. He had the gun 
 his father had given him for a birthday present, prized 
 above all his possessions, and he took his setter dog Hugo, 
 a beautiful animal just grown, a cross between a Gordon 
 and a Llewelyn. Buck had chosen the pup from a litter 
 while their eyes were still closed. He had brought the 
 pup up on a bottle, had watched its growth with the con- 
 cern and pride that a mother has in her offspring. He 
 hopped with delight when the pup first " pointed " at an 
 insect. He watched it with eagerness as it " set " the 
 little chicks in the back yard. He was joyous when it 
 set a sparrow and a field lark, and his joy knew no bounds 
 when, only half grown, it set a " single bird " after a 
 covey of quail had been scattered. Buck boasted of this 
 performance for weeks afterwards. 
 
 The dog and boy were inseparable. They were to- 
 gether the last thing at night, and as soon as the doors 
 were opened in the morning, Hugo would run up to Buck's 
 room and jump on the bed for joy. A wonderful under- 
 standing existed between the two. If Buck were going to 
 the depot, where Hugo might be in danger, he would simply 
 say, " Go back. You can't come this time." And Hugo 
 would stop and never murmur. Hugo always went as far 
 as the big gate with Buck, and would run out to meet him 
 when he came back. It was beautiful and touching to 
 see the affection between the two. This affection was the 
 greatest thing that had yet entered the boy's heart. Hugo 
 was fast becoming the best bird dog in the country. 
 
 By noon, on this hunt, Buck had already bagged fif-
 
 6 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 teen quail, five snipe, and two woodcock. The horse flushed 
 a covey of quail that flew into the thicket. Buck got down 
 and threw the reins over the horse's head and set out for 
 the thicket, calling Hugo, whom he had seen a moment 
 before ranging in the other direction. The broom sage 
 was nearly waist high as Buck advanced. A rabbit jumped 
 up and darted into a pile of brush. Buck never fired at 
 rabbits in front of Hugo, as this is bad for bird dogs. But 
 he said to himself, " As this fellow comes out of the brush 
 I will get him before Hugo comes up." The broom sage 
 rustled on the other side of the brush. " There he goes," 
 Buck said to himself as he fired. The dog leaped into 
 the air. " O Hugo ! " Buck cried, and his heart stopped 
 beating. A terrible fear seized him. He stood riveted, 
 paralyzed. The dog dragged slowly up, with a gaping 
 wound in its shoulder, but never uttered a cry. Its liquid 
 brown eyes looked up at Buck, standing motionless, with- 
 out any reproach, only with affection, as much as to say: 
 " Don't be sad ; I know you did not mean to do it." 
 
 As Buck's senses gradually returned, he knew the 
 wound was terrible. He stooped down to look at it. The 
 blood was pouring out. He tried to stop the flow. In 
 vain. He took off his coat, cut the lining into bandages, 
 and tied the wound. In vain. He then cut his shirt up 
 and applied the bands. In vain. The blood still flowed. 
 He reached out. The gun was in the way. His primitive 
 passions rose. He threw the beautiful gun crashing 
 through the thicket. Then he took Hugo up tenderly in 
 his arms and mounted his horse, and started toward the 
 road at a gallop. 
 
 " Hugo, my Hugo ! Does it hurt you ? " And he 
 lifted the bleeding dog across his breast, and stroked its 
 head. " Go, Prince ! " he said as they struck the road, and 
 he gave the horse full rein.
 
 BUCK'S BOYHOOD TRIALS 7 
 
 The thoroughbred went like lightning. Buck had 
 dropped the reins on the horse's neck, as he used both hands 
 to protect the dog from jar. As a child he had been taught 
 to pray to Heaven for what he longed for. He had prayed 
 continually to Heaven to help him catch his goat, and he 
 had caught it. Before that he had prayed that his pigeons 
 might come out from under the house without being eaten 
 up by the cat, and they came out safe. Not long since 
 he had prayed for success in the great sophomore oratorical 
 contest, and he had won. " Oh, if God will only spare me 
 Hugo ! " he now cried. 
 
 They went at a dead run. As they passed the forks 
 of the road the people in the country store looked out. 
 Buck was bareheaded and in his undershirt. Boy, dog, 
 horse were drenched in blood. The horse was foaming 
 and laboring, but Buck urged him on at every leap. Buck 
 thought it was hours, but in fact four miles were covered 
 in less than fifteen minutes. Prince could not maintain 
 such a gait. In spite of his royal spirit his pace began to 
 slacken. Hugo was rapidly sinking. Buck sobbed, and 
 dug his spurs into the horse's sides. Prince bounded for- 
 ward only to slacken again. One mile more. Again the 
 spurs. Another bound, a quicker relaxation. The animal 
 began to stumble. They passed the outer houses. People 
 rushed out. Buck did not see them. A hundred yards 
 from the doctor's house the horse stumbled and fell. Buck 
 went down, but held Hugo up to break the shock, and in 
 an instant dashed afoot down the road into the doctor's 
 house carrying a trail of blood. The doctor shook his 
 head. 
 
 " Buck," said he, " nothing can be done." 
 
 The boy held the dog on his breast as the last life drops 
 ebbed away. When the dog was dead, the world seemed 
 black, the universe empty. Buck for the first time doubted
 
 8 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 if there were a God in Heaven. He brought the body 
 home and buried it in the garden under the big apple tree 
 at the head of his watermelon patch. 
 
 Everybody sympathized with Buck in his grief. They 
 knew he had loved his many pets in turn, but they knew 
 he had never loved anything as he loved Hugo. Aunt 
 Becky, the cook, prepared Buck's favorite dessert and had 
 a tempting waiter in his room. All the members of the 
 family did what they could. Buck appreciated every- 
 thing, but no comfort came. He went to bed with the 
 same stony look on his face. Everything became quiet. 
 Buck felt alone in the cold universe. His door opened 
 gently. His mother came in and sat on the side of the 
 bed and kissed him. She had come in this way when he 
 couldn't sleep from a blistered back, the result of staying 
 out on the bank at Cove's Pond undressed in the sun. She 
 had come in this way when he couldn't sleep from threat- 
 ened croup. 
 
 ' Up to this point Buck had kept absolute self-control, 
 but when his mother kissed him the depths opened up with 
 a flood of tears, and he poured his heart out to his mother. 
 
 " It is not so much about poor Hugo," he sobbed, " but 
 I have come to doubt God. One of the seniors has been 
 telling me lately that there is no God, that religion is only 
 superstition, that it is all nature and natural law. When 
 I called out to God, there was no answer. If Hugo were 
 back it would do no good." 
 
 He sobbed as though his heart would break. The boy 
 had been suddenly thrown against the infinite, against the 
 mystery of creation, the mystery of life, the mystery of 
 death. 
 
 His mother kissed him again and lifted his head upon 
 her shoulder and stroked his hair. " There is a God I 
 know, and He is good and merciful, and if we do our part
 
 'Boy, dog, horse were drenched in blood."
 
 BUCK'S BOYHOOD TRIALS 9 
 
 well, He will take care of us and all will be well in the 
 end." 
 
 They remained in silence as Buck cried himself out. 
 
 " I can't tell, mamma, about God, but I am going to 
 do my part." 
 
 This was the last struggle in which anyone was to help 
 Buck. His boyhood closed here. The next day the papers 
 of the sixth congressional district of Alabama announced 
 that on April 15th a competitive examination would be 
 held at Tuscarora for the appointment to Annapolis. Buck 
 tried and won.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 BUCK STAETS ON HIS JOUKNEY TO ANNAPOLIS 
 
 BUCK had no great difficulty in winning the com- 
 petitive examination, though there were compet- 
 itors from all parts of the district, and he was 
 the youngest of all. It came out that several of the boys 
 had learned from private sources of the coming examina- 
 tion many months in advance, while Buck's first knowledge 
 came from the newspapers, and he had but six weeks for 
 preparation. When he saw the notice he said nothing, 
 but began in his characteristic way to get ready. He 
 wrote to the Superintendent of Education at Tuscarora, 
 who was to be in charge, to get particulars about the exam- 
 ination, and to the Superintendent of the Naval Academy 
 for a catalogue and particulars about the requirements of 
 the entrance examination. He stopped college, gave up 
 athletic sports, put aside everything, mapped the day out 
 to get in a maximum of time, stopping only long enough 
 for a trot of two miles about twilight to keep in trim. 
 Buck's method and system more than made up for the 
 shortness of the time. 
 
 No one knew except Major Jones that Buck's decision 
 had been made fully, irrevocably, five years before. Major 
 Jones had made his remarks on that day to Colonel Picket, 
 but they were meant for the boys, and he had noticed the 
 look on Buck's face. Hugh, who spoke out so quickly, 
 had forgotten that he ever thought of West Point, and 
 
 10
 
 BUCK'S JOURNEY TO ANNAPOLIS 11 
 
 the major's hope about a son going to the army was to be 
 fulfilled by Houston, a younger son; but Buck, who said 
 nothing, had quietly thought the matter out, decided for 
 Annapolis, and had kept his decision always in mind. 
 
 Two things struck Mrs. Jones during Buck's prepara- 
 tion. One was his rigid punctuality at Sunday school and 
 church. Pressed as he was for time, utilizing every avail- 
 able minute, he never opened a text book on Sunday, and 
 every night read a chapter in the Bible, and said his 
 prayers more carefully than formerly. His mother sus- 
 pected that he was still troubled and was trying to do 
 " his part." 
 
 The other thing was Buck's challenge to Hugh to 
 wrestle every morning before breakfast. Mrs. Jones did 
 not know that years before Buck had resolved to throw 
 Hugh some day. The week before leaving, Buck threw 
 him. The wrestling ceased. Buck was just like other 
 boys in most respects, but in two things he was different. 
 He had to be first and he had to carry out his resolves. 
 
 When the Congressman gave Buck the preliminary ap- 
 pointment following the result of the examination, he 
 directed him to report to the Navy Department and receive 
 the formal appointment, and then to report to the Super- 
 intendent of the Naval Academy before May 12th, when 
 entrance examinations were to begin. This allowed but 
 very little time for preparation, and Buck continued the 
 same rigid routine of study for the entrance examinations. 
 One night at supper Buck remarked that the earth is very 
 much more of a water world than he had hitherto appreci- 
 ated. He had been poring over a globe and over physical 
 geography. Everything that pertained to the sea came to 
 have a new interest for Buck. A few days later he re- 
 marked that the United States has the sea all around it 
 except on one side.
 
 12 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 "That is very true," added Major Jones. "The United 
 States is essentially the ocean's country. You will find, 
 my boy, that naval operations have played a far more 
 important part in the life and history of America than 
 people realize. You see," he continued, " at the close of 
 wars the disbanding soldiers go to all parts of the land, 
 telling everybody about the work of the armies and the 
 deeds of the soldiers, but no one goes out to tell of the 
 work of the navy and the deeds of the sailors." 
 
 This impressed Buck very much. 
 
 " You see, my boy," his father continued, " man is by 
 nature a land animal. He naturally forgets the sea. Not 
 only have historians neglected to appreciate the maritime 
 affairs of the world, but writers have ignored the won- 
 derful achievements of men on the sea. I could tell you 
 about deeds along our rivers and coast and abroad on the 
 high seas during the Civil War that eclipse for gallantry 
 and daring all the deeds of the armies. The attempts 
 at submarine navigation were beyond question the most 
 gallant deeds of all the ages. America's whole naval his- 
 tory is like a romance." 
 
 Buck was electrified. He had felt sad at first at giving 
 up West Point. He was now all delight and elation. A 
 whole new world full of wonderful possibilities lay ahead. 
 He was all eagerness to go forward. 
 
 " I did my part, my duty, in accepting Annapolis," he 
 mused, " and now I wouldn't change it for anything in the 
 world. Mother is right. If we do our part it will all 
 turn out for the best in the end." 
 
 Buck left Sumter on the first day of May so as to have 
 about a week of final preparation after reaching Annapo- 
 lis. He had to change cars at Selma, at Montgomery, at 
 Atlanta, at Danville, besides stopping at Washington to 
 report to the Secretary of the Navy. He had never been
 
 BUCK'S JOURNEY TO ANNAPOLIS 13 
 
 more than forty miles from Sumter. Tuscarora, of five 
 thousand inhabitants, was the largest city he had ever 
 seen. 
 
 " It is a formidable trip for the boy to make alone," 
 said Colonel Picket to Major Jones, as they went down 
 together to the depot. 
 
 " Yes, when we remember that traveling is a new thing 
 for him, but I have no uneasiness. Buck will take care 
 of himself. He is always courteous and considerate to 
 others, and anybody he meets will be glad to direct him." 
 
 Buck's mother and father, his three sisters and three 
 brothers were at the depot, and the neighbors and boys 
 from the college. Buck's fraternity was there to a man. 
 
 " We don't know what it is like up there, Buck," said 
 one of them, " but we know you will show them a few 
 things before you are done." 
 
 By common consent everybody was bright and cheery 
 in saying good-by. They knew what a tender, affectionate 
 heart Buck had in his breast. Mrs. Jones, though the 
 chords of her mother's heart were drawn tight, preserved 
 a cheerful smile. Buck turned away quickly. He felt 
 strange twinges about his own heart and a contraction in 
 his throat. 
 
 A moment later he stood on the rear platform waving 
 gayly to them all, and they waved their handkerchiefs 
 gayly to him, till the train passed round the curve into the 
 cut. Then they needed their handkerchiefs for other pur- 
 poses. Mrs. Jones was the only one in the group whose 
 eyes were not wet. 
 
 " God will take care of my boy," she said, and her 
 heart found rest and strength. 
 
 A passenger on the West Point route going from Mont- 
 gomery to Atlanta next day became much interested in the
 
 14 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 bright boy in the seat in front, who was looking at every- 
 thing that passed the window. 
 
 " You seem to enjoy crossing trestles," he remarked. 
 
 " Yes, sir. I am very much interested in trestles. I 
 saw a wonderful trestle yesterday coming out of Selma, 
 across the Alabama River." 
 
 Just then the train rattled across a trestle. 
 
 " This is the fifty-ninth," he remarked. 
 
 The stranger looked around. 
 
 " Are you counting the trestles ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir. I always count trestles. There are eleven 
 between Sumter and Tuscarora. You ought to see Tus- 
 carora if you have never been there. But I have crossed 
 more trestles since yesterday than I ever crossed in my 
 life put together." 
 
 " Where are you going ? " 
 
 " To Washington." 
 
 " Do you expect to count all the trestles to Washing- 
 ton?" 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 The stranger was delighted with the boy's frankness, 
 and went on. 
 
 " But how did you count trestles last night when you 
 were asleep ? " 
 
 " I didn't go to sleep on the train. I didn't want to 
 miss anything." 
 
 " Where did you go to sleep ? " 
 
 " In Montgomery." 
 
 " At the Exchange Hotel ? " 
 
 " Oh, no, I have never been in a hotel. I waited in 
 the depot." 
 
 " And could you sleep in the depot ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, sir. I used my carpetbag for a pillow." 
 
 It was now about one o'clock, and the boy took down
 
 BUCK'S JOURNEY TO ANNAPOLIS 15 
 
 a large bag from the rack. It was made of carpet stuff 
 carefully sewed together, with handles and a strap after 
 the fashion of the bags used by the adventurers that came 
 to the South in reconstruction days to be elected to office 
 by the newly emancipated negroes. 
 
 " My father wanted me to bring a valise," said the 
 boy as he began to open the bag, "but I preferred my 
 carpetbag because my mother made it for me a long time 
 ago and I am used to it, as I take it when I go fishing and 
 hunting." 
 
 The boy took out several pasteboard boxes with pro- 
 visions carefully done up in tissue paper. 
 
 " My mother and sisters prepared these for me, and 
 won't you join me for lunch ? " 
 
 The stranger noticed the contents of the bag, and see- 
 ing a Bible, knew that the frank, generous, confiding coun- 
 try boy was clad with armor against the assaults of the 
 world. 
 
 It was beyond midnight when the train passed Spar- 
 tanburg. Buck had become terribly sleepy, and from time 
 to time would drop off dozing until they crossed a trestle. 
 One time he feared he had missed a large one. Finally 
 he made a bargain with the brakeman, who agreed to count 
 the trestles till daybreak for twenty-five cents. The same 
 arrangement was made the next night, and when Buck 
 reached Washington the following morning he had the 
 number of trestles from Sumter, Ala. : two hundred and 
 seventy-seven, as he wrote to Hugh in his first letter. 
 
 What Buck enjoyed most on his trip was passing places 
 he had read about in history. At Charlotte he thought of 
 the Declaration of Mecklenburg. One of his ancestors had 
 taken part in this declaration. A passenger sent a thrill 
 through the boy when he casually pointed out King's 
 Mountain and Guilford Court House. Buck had ancestors
 
 16 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 in both of those battles. A monument stands on the field 
 of Guilford Court House to a heroine, an ancestress, of 
 whom his mother had often spoken. His heart beat fast 
 at Danville when he heard the train caller call out " All 
 aboard for Richmond." He had six cousins and uncles 
 who surrendered at Appomattox, the remainder of fifteen 
 that had gone into the war. Again he was elated when 
 the brakeman called out Manassas ; but there was a tinge 
 of sadness. His mother's favorite brother had been killed 
 there. It was hard for him to contain himself when they 
 passed Alexandria. 
 
 " Can you see the church that Washington used to at- 
 tend ? " he asked his car neighbor. 
 
 " No, it is a little distance on the other side of 
 town." 
 
 " Is this the Potomac we are crossing ? " he almost 
 shouted. 
 
 " Yes," answered his neighbor. 
 
 As they drew into Washington Buck's eye was riveted 
 on the wonderful shaft that pierced the blue. 
 
 " What is that ? " he asked. 
 
 " It is Washington's Monument." 
 
 " I am so glad," he said softly. " It is so tall and 
 majestic and straight. It is just like him." 
 
 The stranger must have seen that the boy was full of 
 ideals, for he said, " Do you see that house with the col- 
 umns beyond the river, high up on the bank ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Buck, " it looks like my home." 
 
 " That is Arlington. It was the home of General 
 Lee." 
 
 Buck's heart almost stopped beating. His two ideals 
 stood before him, looking at each other across the Potomac. 
 
 The baggage man at the Union Depot smiled when a 
 boy came up, politely said " Good morning," and asked
 
 BUCK'S JOURNEY TO ANNAPOLIS 17 
 
 for a check for his bag and inquired how to reach the Navy 
 Department. 
 
 " Go up to the corner there and turn to your left, and 
 take the Pennsylvania Avenue street car for about a mile. 
 Anyone will then show you the State, War, and Navy 
 Building." 
 
 Buck bowed, and thanked the man and set out. As 
 he turned the corner a well-dressed man was coming down 
 Pennsylvania Avenue. " Good morning," said Buck, with 
 an open, hearty smile. The man looked surprised, but 
 finally returned a half-hearted " Good morning ! " 
 
 " He is not very polite," thought Buck. " Everywhere 
 around Sumter everybody says ' Good morning.' ' 
 
 Buck had always said " Good morning " to everybody, 
 whether acquainted or not. The stranger stopped a little 
 farther on to look back at the boy and watch him as he 
 passed a man walking rapidly. 
 
 " Good morning," the boy promptly said. 
 
 The man looked up, surprised, then passed on without 
 any sign of acknowledgment. It was evident that Buck 
 felt affronted. He drew himself up. To the next man 
 he was not so forward in his salutation. He caught the 
 man's eye, and was about to speak, but the man made no 
 movement of recognition. 
 
 Buck threw his head back. " They don't wish to speak 
 to me," he said to himself. 
 
 Buck decided to walk instead of taking the car. " I 
 will follow the car track," thought he. " The sun is out. 
 The avenue runs a little to the west of north. I can find 
 it again from its leading to the Capitol and can retrace my 
 steps without trouble," and he began to note objects to 
 guide him back, as though he were in the river swamp. 
 
 He was sorry he had to go away from instead of toward 
 the Capitol. He would stop and turn around to look at
 
 18 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 it every now and then. That great structure fascinated 
 him from the start, like the great monument. 
 
 " That," he pondered, " is the seat of government of 
 this great country. It looks like it." At one point in the 
 avenue he was delighted to find that he could see the Cap- 
 itol and the monument at the same time. He passed the 
 Treasury Building and admired it, but did not know what 
 building it was. And then he passed the White House. 
 
 " That's a nice place," he thought. " I like it, but it 
 hasn't got a gallery like ' Wildwood,' and the columns 
 are not as big, and the yard is so small. There is no place 
 for a tournament. You couldn't let the horses and cows 
 in to graze, and I doubt whether you could keep pigs and 
 goats at all. It is a pity they haven't got some of our big 
 red oaks and magnolias." Buck didn't think he could ever 
 be satisfied in a place that didn't have these. " And I 
 don't see a single chestnut tree and not even a hickory nor 
 a scalybark." 
 
 Buck was about to pass on, concluding that, everything 
 considered, the place was unsatisfactory, when through a 
 vista he saw the monument. 
 
 " Oh, they can see the monument from there." 
 
 All objections were wiped away in an instant. 
 
 " I would like to live there," he said, " in one of the 
 back rooms where I could see the monument all the time : 
 see it in the early sunlight and in the setting sun and in 
 the moonlight. I wish I knew who lived there." 
 
 He wanted to ask some one very much, but after being 
 affronted he had made up his mind not to speak to a soul ; 
 but across the street he saw a negro. It brought up home 
 feelings. He crossed and said : . 
 
 " Uncle, will you tell me who lives there ? " 
 
 " I ain't no uncle of yours. When I want to claim, kin 
 wid you I'll let you know."
 
 BUCK'S JOURNEY TO ANNAPOLIS 19 
 
 This was beyond Buck's very imagination. 
 
 " You impudent rascal, you, do you know whom you 
 are talking to ? " 
 
 Buck had always gotten on well with negroes. He 
 loved them and they loved him. 
 
 " Scuse me, boss, I didn't mean nothin'. I thought you 
 was tryin' to guy me. Why, the President lives there, 
 sah. Dat's de White House." 
 
 " One of my ancestors must have lived there, then," 
 said Buck to himself as he took a closer look at the place. 
 " The President of the United States lives here," he 
 mused. " He must be a great and good man." 
 
 " Uncle," said Buck, with kindness and sympathy in 
 his voice, " I hope boys don't guy you up here. Could you 
 show me the way to the Navy Department ? " 
 
 " It's jes 'cross de street, sah, in dat big buildin', on dis 
 side of de buildin'." 
 
 Sure enough, there were two big anchors, one on each 
 side of the entrance. Buck went in and was lost in de- 
 light at seeing models of ships from the old Constitution 
 down to those of the present. 
 
 " Are these like the real ships ? " he asked the at- 
 tendant. 
 
 " Exactly alike to the last bolt and the last rope." 
 
 " How wonderful," Buck thought. He could hardly 
 tear himself away to find the office of the Secretary on the 
 second floor. 
 
 " This way," said the doorkeeper, as he ushered Buck 
 into the large reception room. 
 
 Buck thought this was the Secretary's office, and looked 
 around to see which of the occupants was the Secretary. 
 He was undecided. Probably that big man over there at 
 the desk with such a fierce, serious look. As he stood in 
 doubt the usher asked him to be seated, and he sat down
 
 20 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 alongside of a number who were evidently waiting to see 
 the Secretary. Next to him was a middle-aged lady, who 
 reminded him of his mother. She seemed to be in trouble. 
 
 Messengers were coming and going. Men with pa- 
 pers and documents passed in and out. Buck watched 
 everything with keen interest. 
 
 " The Navy Department must be very complicated," he 
 thought. 
 
 After a while a man came quietly out of the side door 
 and began to speak in turn to each of those who were wait- 
 ing. When he reached the lady next to him Buck heard 
 her tell what a fine boy her son was, how bright, how am- 
 bitious, how it was her dream and had been the dream of 
 her dead husband to have their only son go into the navy. 
 
 " I am in full sympathy with you, Mrs. Preble. We 
 want the name in the navy ; but you know how rigidly the 
 rules have to be observed to preserve high standards. The 
 Secretary of the Navy must sustain the Academic Board 
 or chaos would reign. If you can prevail upon the Aca- 
 demic Board to recommend that your son be turned back 
 to the class now entering instead of being dropped, I will 
 approve their action." 
 
 " I will go to Annapolis to-day," she said, and left hur- 
 riedly. 
 
 Buck's turn came next. 
 
 " Good morning," the gentleman said, and extended his 
 hand in a most kindly manner. 
 
 " Good morning, sir," said Buck. " I have instructions 
 to report to the Secretary of the Navy and hand him this, 
 to be exchanged for a formal appointment." And he 
 handed the document he had brought in his inside coat 
 pocket. 
 
 The gentleman called to the big man over at the desk 
 and said, " Get the document ready."
 
 BUCK'S JOURNEY TO ANNAPOLIS 21 
 
 " Why," said Buck to himself, " this is the Secretary of 
 the Navy himself, and the big, fierce-looking man is only 
 a clerk." 
 
 " You have come a long way. Did you come alone ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, sir." 
 
 " Aren't you late in going pn ? Most of the candidates 
 have gone long ago to get coaching at the preparatory 
 schools." 
 
 " Yes, sir, I know I am late. My father suggested that 
 I go on to one of the schools that had written, but I really 
 thought it best to continue studying at home as I had been 
 doing for the competitive examination. I had the cata- 
 logue and requirements. Of course it was impossible in so 
 short a time to prepare thoroughly in everything, but I 
 felt that I could cover the chief parts in time." 
 
 " Do you expect to pass ? " 
 
 " I hope so, sir." 
 
 " I wish you success," and the Secretary went back to 
 his office. " Such a contrast in bringing up boys," he 
 thought. " How self-reliant this fellow is, while young 
 Preble can't do a thing without his mother." 
 
 Soon the clerk brought the appointment, and Buck went 
 out thinking what a fine man the Secretary was. 
 
 " That is just the way a great man would do. How 
 silly of me to think he would be big and fierce. The Sec- 
 retary is the finest man I ever saw," Buck said to himself, 
 " except my father and my uncles." 
 
 Buck retraced his steps to the station, got his bag, and 
 caught the afternoon train for Annapolis.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 BUCK CONTINUES HIS JOURNEY AND AEEIVES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 AS his train pulled out from Washington, Buck 
 watched the Capitol dome as long as it could be 
 seen. The Washington Monument was cut off 
 from view from the start. Soon he became absorbed in 
 watching the country out of the window and in again count- 
 ing the trestles. He was in a kind of reverie when the 
 brakeman called, " Change for Annapolis." He was so 
 startled that he came near forgetting his bag as he left 
 the train. A number of passengers got off at the same time. 
 Just behind him he noticed Mrs. Preble. 
 
 " May I help you ? " he asked, as he touched his hat 
 and gallantly offered his hand. 
 
 Mrs. Preble accepted his assistance, though she thought 
 to herself, " I wonder where the boy's mother is. He seems 
 all alone." 
 
 Several ladies followed and Buck lent them all his 
 hand. He noticed that the young ladies smiled as they 
 thanked him, and a stout Irish woman said, " Faith and 
 you are a koind and polite little man." Buck's heart 
 warmed up at their signs of appreciation for he was heart 
 hungry. Since leaving home his heart had been on short 
 rations, and since the cold treatment in Washington he had 
 begun to feel very lonely, and the world began to look 
 empty again as it had after Hugo's death. The malady 
 of homesickness had taken up its abode in his heart. 
 
 22
 
 BUCK ARRIVES AT ANNAPOLIS 23 
 
 Feeling left out as the passengers talked in groups, 
 Buck wandered off beyond the platform and examined the 
 surrounding country. His eye, being that of a young 
 woodsman, discovered the indication of a creek off at a 
 distance. When the porter told him the Annapolis train 
 was at least thirty minutes late, he put his bag on a truck 
 and went out for discovery. It was not long, however, be- 
 fore he was once more seated in the train, covering the last 
 miles of his journey to Annapolis. 
 
 Buck watched out of the windows on both sides, his 
 interest growing keener and keener the nearer they drew 
 to their destination. The rolling country was much like 
 the country north of Sumter, but Buck noted several new 
 kinds of trees and two or three new kinds of birds, and he 
 realized that he was far away from home. Nevertheless, 
 when he saw the oaks and the pines he felt that there were 
 friends in this new country. 
 
 At many stops at crossroad stations Buck saw old 
 homes of colonial architecture run down, out of repairs, 
 reminding him of places at home. 
 
 Buck had been seated on the right side of the train in 
 the rear seat. He crossed over to the left side, for he heard 
 Mrs. Preble tell the young lady in the seat with her that 
 the Naval Academy grounds could be seen off at a distance 
 on that side. 
 
 " There is the clock tower over the New Quarters, and 
 you can see the flag flying from the flagpole beyond." 
 
 Buck saw them distinctly. He drew a deep breath. 
 " That is the flag I am going to serve under," and the 
 springs of a deep ingrained patriotism welled up. 
 
 " What is that great white cross on the mound pedestal 
 that you can see through the trees ? " asked the girl. 
 
 " That is in the government cemetery. It is the monu- 
 ment to those lost on the Jeanette Arctic Expedition.
 
 24 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 There are many other interesting tombs and monuments 
 there." 
 
 Buck saw the cross as it disappeared behind the trees. 
 Instantly it had a gloomy fascination for him. " I will go 
 out there soon/' he said to himself as the train stopped. 
 
 There was a crowd outside. Buck saw several young 
 men in uniforms. " They must be cadets," he said, as 
 he rose, took his bag in hand, and brought up the rear as 
 the passengers filed out. Somebody met each of the others 
 in turn. Buck felt lonely as he stepped off in the midst 
 of the gay throng, and no one met him. Mrs. Preble em- 
 braced her son with joy, and said she was sure she could 
 get the Academic Board to recommend turning back in- 
 stead of dropping. 
 
 " You have been such a good boy," she said. " They 
 will be glad to do it now that they know that the Secretary 
 is willing." 
 
 " Mother, you can do anything, but," the boy added, 
 " I am afraid it has been very hard for you." 
 
 Buck heard the conversation and took a liking to young 
 Preble from the start. He could not keep his eyes off 
 the cadets, straight, dignified, immaculate in their full- 
 dress uniforms. He eyed each one carefully. They were 
 absorbed with the young ladies they had come to meet. 
 
 " When did you leave New York ? " he heard one of 
 them ask. 
 
 " This morning at ten," answered the young lady. 
 
 " Such a pity you could not get here yesterday to rest 
 up, and then we had a great game of baseball this after- 
 noon. We beat Johns Hopkins. But I am so glad you 
 came. It is the last Saturday-night hop of the year." 
 
 Buck could not help hearing these things. " Young 
 ladies come all the way from New York to the dances," he 
 thought. " They must have a crack baseball nine. I won-
 
 BUCK ARRIVES AT ANNAPOLIS 25 
 
 der if they have any catchers who catch under the bat ? " 
 Buck and Hugh were catchers at college, the only two who 
 ever dared catch under the bat. At that time masks and 
 plastrons and padded gloves had not reached Sumter. 
 Buck had visions of showing the nine what advantage it 
 was to catch under the bat. 
 
 One by one the couples left. The rear cadet, who saw 
 Buck looking, caught his eye, and lowered his brows with 
 a terrible frown and a look that was calculated to strike 
 terror in a plebe or a candidate. Buck never winced. The 
 cadet passed on. 
 
 " Why doesn't he take the lady's cloak and umbrella ? " 
 murmured Buck. " He isn't thoughtful with ladies. I 
 hate him." 
 
 The passengers all took hacks and drove away. Buck 
 was left by himself, when a full-grown mulatto came up 
 and asked if he was a candidate and wished a boarding 
 house. 
 
 " Yes," said Buck. 
 
 " I am Patrick Henry," said the darky, " and I look 
 out for Mrs. Council's boarding house. I will look out for 
 your trunk and black your shoes every morning." 
 
 Buck helped him find the trunk. 
 
 " Do you know the name of the last cadet that left ? " 
 
 " That was Mr. Kerr. They call him ' Jo-Jo.' He's 
 the terror of the plebes and candidates, the worst hazer in 
 the Academy." 
 
 " Do you know the name of the first cadet that left ? " 
 
 " That was Dwight Tyler, the four-striper, the saviest 
 man that has been in the Academy for twenty years. I 
 waited on Mr. Tyler when he was a candidate," said Pat- 
 rick Henry with pride and with insinuating assurance. 
 " I have waited on nearly all the four-stripers and savey 
 men."
 
 26 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Patrick Henry wished to put Buck in a hack. 
 
 " No, I prefer to walk," said Buck, as he gazed at the 
 curious old hacks. Buck noticed the resemblance between 
 these hacks and the old one in the back of the livery stable 
 at Sumter that had been used before the war, and which 
 was preserved because of its association, four governors and 
 two generals having ridden in it. Patrick Henry, as he 
 directed Buck how to find Mrs. Connell's, argued to him- 
 self that it was time for new hacks when gentlemen were 
 actually afraid to ride in the old ones. 
 
 Buck walked down the street paved with cobblestones. 
 He looked at everything. 
 
 " Many of the houses resemble the hacks," he thought, 
 " but I like them." When he reached St. Anne's Circle 
 he was delighted. The old church all covered with ivy, 
 surrounded by a circle with trees and grass and a few tombs 
 on one side, especially appealed to him. A little farther 
 on he turned to the left and found Mrs. ConnelFs, and was 
 soon located in a room upstairs looking out over the old 
 church. 
 
 When the door closed he felt very lonely. He had 
 never stayed in a strange room before. Homesickness be- 
 gan to come over him again, but work was Buck's great 
 recourse when his mind was troubled. 
 
 " I will begin studying to-night," he said. 
 
 Just before supper formation in the Academy a group 
 of third classmen were gathered on the seats flanked by 
 old brass cannon in front of New Quarters. Jo-Jo Kerr 
 was talking. 
 
 " I have never seen such a crop of gaily candidates in 
 my life. The worst one of all came in to-day. He tried to 
 stare me out of countenance at the station. Such brazen 
 gall!" 
 
 " He must have had gall," remarked Whaley. Whaley
 
 BUCK ARRIVES AT ANNAPOLIS 27 
 
 was himself a great hazer and had a terrible look, but he 
 knew he could not equal Jo-Jo. 
 
 Across the walk in the other gun-flanked seats some first 
 classmen were seated. Kerr called out: 
 
 " Tyler, did you see that gaily candidate at the sta- 
 tion?" 
 
 Kerr thought he gained importance by speaking to 
 Tyler, who was in the first class. He was himself in the 
 third. 
 
 " Which one do you mean ? " 
 
 " The one with the carpetbag." 
 
 " I saw the boy with the carpetbag. He is very young 
 and is probably green." 
 
 " I will take the gall out of him, the carpetbagger," 
 said Jo-Jo, " and I will put the plebes on to him as soon 
 as they become third classmen, and they will get a good 
 chance at him on the cruise." 
 
 " I will look out for him, too," said Whaley. " He 
 probably thinks he is the biggest man in the world." 
 
 Whaley honestly believed that hazing was the best-known 
 process for inculcating discipline, and felt especially called 
 on to " look out " for the gaily plebes. The belief was 
 so ingrained in him that he could not break it even after 
 he reached the dignity of a second classman. To be more 
 efficient, he took special lessons in boxing, and had become 
 the best boxer in the Academy so he could accommodate a 
 plebe that wanted to fight. But Jo-Jo Kerr was innately 
 vicious, and exhausted the domain of hazing for the grati- 
 fication of his bullying instinct. He thought it gave him 
 prestige as it did with a certain clique. 
 
 When the group of third classmen broke up as the bugle 
 blew, they had laid their schemes for the gaily carpetbag- 
 ger. As Tyler stepped out to take command of the battalion 
 he thought to himself : " Jo- Jo is a bully and a coward.
 
 28 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 He wants to fight that green country boy, thirty pounds his 
 inferior, who probably knows nothing about boxing." 
 
 By the time the Connells' supper bell rang Buck had 
 unpacked his books and was ready to begin studying. When 
 he entered the dining room Mrs. Connell introduced him 
 to her boarders, six or seven of whom were candidates. 
 Several had their fathers with them, two had their mothers. 
 Buck was seated next to Preble, whose mother had already 
 told him of the little boy with the carpetbag. Preble 
 liked Buck as Buck liked Preble from the beginning. As 
 they warmed up, Buck asked Preble what was the mean- 
 ing of the word savey. People all around the table sup- 
 pressed a smile. 
 
 " Savey comes from the French verb savoir, to know, 
 and means smart and talented. For instance, Tyler, the 
 four-striper, who stands first in everything and has stood 
 first in everything for four years, is a savey man. The 
 opposite of savey is wooden. For instance, I have been 
 standing last in almost everything. I am wooden." 
 
 Buck flushed up to the roots of his hair. 
 
 " Pardon me," he said earnestly, " I did not know. I 
 am so sorry." 
 
 " Don't worry, Mr. Jones. Here at Annapolis when a 
 man is wooden he knows it and everybody else knows it. 
 Before I came here I thought I knew something and had 
 some ability. Now I realize that I was very much mis- 
 taken." 
 
 " You are not just to yourself, Mr. Preble," said a can- 
 didate sitting opposite. " Your resignation has not yet 
 been accepted. You cannot be called a ' bilger.' ' 
 
 Buck wondered what a " bilger " was, but he would not 
 risk making another break by asking. The candidate that 
 spoke was named Catell. He had come to like Preble. 
 Everybody liked Preble.
 
 BUCK ARRIVES AT ANNAPOLIS 29 
 
 Later in the meal when Buck's assurance returned, he 
 asked Preble if he knew a cadet named Jo-Jo. The table 
 again smiled. What plebe or candidate didn't know Jo-Jo, 
 at least by reputation ! 
 
 " He is the meanest man that ever lived," said Mrs. 
 Preble. " He has been like a nightmare to my boy all 
 the year." 
 
 " Mother, please don't call me ' boy,' " pleaded Preble. 
 " A cadet is supposed to be a man. The servants are 
 called < boys.' " 
 
 " Is Jo-Jo cross-eyed ? " asked Buck innocently. 
 
 The table roared. 
 
 " No," said Preble, " he is not really cross-eyed or he 
 couldn't have passed the physical examination; but when 
 he looks at a plebe and frowns he certainly does look cross- 
 eyed. I have never seen such a look on a human being. 
 This is what gives him the name of ' Jo-Jo.' ' 
 
 " Now to change the subject, and reverting to the deri- 
 vation of the word f savey,' " said Pikeman, a candidate 
 at the other side of the table, " I would take issue with 
 you, Mr. Preble. The word must surely be derived from 
 the Latin. I am convinced of this, having graduated in 
 Latin at the Classical College of Pennsylvania." 
 
 Buck had read Ca?sar and Virgil and was in Cicero, 
 though nearly four years younger than Pikeman, but he 
 refrained from referring to his Latin. However, he could 
 not help saying a word on Preble's side, for he saw that 
 Pikeman's remarks were intended to discredit Preble. 
 
 " Without any pretensions in Latin, it seems to me a 
 question of common sense. They do not teach Latin at the 
 Academy and never have taught it; but they do teach 
 French and have always taught it. The word originated 
 there, and the only reasonable inference is that it must 
 have come from the French."
 
 30 
 
 Buck was naturally reticent, but Major Jones had 
 brought his boys up to discuss all kinds of important and 
 learned questions at the table. 
 
 The other candidates looked over to Pikeman, who 
 was coming to be regarded as a leader. Having no re- 
 joinder about " savey," he took another tack. 
 
 " There can at least be no question about the word 
 ' bilge.' It comes from bilge water, the water that slowly 
 accumulates in the bottom or bilge of a ship. It is foul 
 water and bad for the ship, so they pump it out. By anal- 
 ogy a cadet is pumped out or bilged and becomes a 
 < bilger.' " 
 
 The guests saw the flush on Preble's cheek. Pikeman 
 knew he had triumphed over Preble, but he caught the de- 
 fiant look in Buck's eye and realized the inherent antag- 
 onism of their two natures. 
 
 Alboard, a candidate steeped in the classics, who had 
 claims of being a poet and a philosopher, spoke up and 
 said : " It is greatly to be regretted that we do not go more 
 to the Greek and the Sanskrit for our modern words." 
 
 Buck had studied Greek and read Xenophon and saw 
 nothing alluring in that dead language. " Perhaps there is 
 something in the Sanskrit," he concluded, as no one took 
 Alboard up on his statement. 
 
 When supper was over Buck went up and made a little 
 visit to Preble and his mother. 
 
 " I certainly trust you will succeed in your efforts," he 
 said to Mrs. Preble as he left. To himself he muttered, 
 as he took up his algebra, " Pikeman is mean. He had 
 no consideration for Mrs. Preble, either. He is cruel and 
 mean." 
 
 At 9.30 Buck heard a peal. " That must be a can- 
 non," he thought, listening as it roared and echoed. Buck 
 had never heard a cannon before. It stirred his blood.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 BUCK MAKES FRIENDS AND SOME EXAMINATIONS 
 
 THE next day Mrs. Connell noticed that Buck went 
 over to St. Anne's to church while the other can- 
 didates studied for examinations. In the after- 
 noon Alboard came in for a visit. 
 
 " What are you boning now ? That's the biggest text- 
 book I ever saw. A religious book! Who ever heard of 
 anybody except a narrow-minded preacher studying a book 
 like that? I don't bother my head about such things. You 
 are a slave when you take up creeds and religions. For 
 my part, I believe in nature and beauty and liberty." 
 
 At this juncture there was a rap on the door. Buck 
 opened, and Preble stepped in with a cadet in full dress, 
 tall, imposing. It was Moble, who was standing at the 
 head of the plebe class. 
 
 " This is Mr. Jones, of whom I was telling you." 
 
 Buck, who was still standing, bowed and said : 
 
 " Won't you take seats, gentlemen ? And that is Mr. 
 Alboard." 
 
 Moble and Preble had roomed together, and were good 
 friends. Preble was telling him about Buck, and Moble 
 asked to see his friend, " the carpetbagger." Preble 
 brought him over with the understanding that Moble 
 would not " run " him. Buck noticed that Alboard 
 jumped to his feet and stood attention with the palm of 
 his hands to the front. 
 
 " Fins out, Mr. Jones," Moble commanded. 
 
 31
 
 32 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " I don't understand you, sir." 
 
 " Like Mr. Alboard." 
 
 Buck did not understand, but came to attention. Preble 
 had told him to do everything cadets told him to do. It was 
 the custom, and the only way to get on smoothly, and then 
 they wouldn't haze him much, only " run " him. 
 
 " Mr. Alboard, I understand you are a poet. Recite 
 1 Locksley Hall ' for us." 
 
 Alboard began. 
 
 " Stop," said Moble ; " put more expression in it. A 
 poet ought to enter into the very spirit of the poem he 
 recites." 
 
 And Alboard tried again. When he had finished, 
 Moble asked: 
 
 " Where is your Latin scholar ? " 
 
 " Mr. Pikeman, do you mean? " 
 
 " Yes, bring him in." 
 
 Alboard went off and soon returned with Pikeman. 
 
 " Fins out," and Pikeman stood at attention. 
 
 " I understand you are a finished Latin scholar, Mr. 
 Pikeman." 
 
 " I think I am, sir. I graduated at the Classical Col- 
 lege of Pennsylvania." 
 
 " Decline hie for us." 
 
 " Hie, haec, hoc, hujus, hujus, hujus" Pikeman went 
 on well till he reached the Accusative and Vocative. 
 
 " What is that ? A finished Latin scholar stumbling 
 like that ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes. I have it now hank. It's hank" 
 
 " Now repeat that word so you won't forget it." 
 
 " Hank, hank, hank" 
 
 Buck began to smile. 
 
 " Wipe off that smile, Mr. " 
 
 Buck wiped it off.
 
 BUCK MAKES FRIENDS 33 
 
 " Go on, Mr. Pikeman." 
 
 " Hank, hank, hank, hank." 
 
 It was too much for Buck. He had to smile. 
 
 " Wipe it off, I tell you. Now put it in your pocket 
 and look solemn, for we are hearing the pure Latin from 
 a finished Latin scholar." 
 
 " Hank, hank, hank" 
 
 From that day Pikeman was called " Hank." 
 
 Moble noticed the big book on Buck's table. 
 
 " A new text-book, eh ! A religious book for one so 
 young! Tell me the origin of the Nicene Creed." 
 
 Moble told the others to march out and leave the the- 
 ologian to his meditations, and he went out himself. 
 
 It was a bad day for Buck. The day without the ab- 
 sorption of study had brought on an aggravation of his 
 homesickness. Everybody at the supper table thought he 
 looked very serious. Mrs. Connell saw him slip out and 
 go to St. Anne's for evening service. 
 
 Before going to bed he wrote to his mother. She was 
 not surprised to read : " I went to St. Anne's, a very old 
 church, for service this morning and to-night. The Bishop 
 of Maryland is coming next Sunday. I intend to join the 
 church." Mrs. Jones read between the lines that he was 
 troubled, though he never made any mention of it. 
 
 " Yes, he is nobly doing his part" she reflected. " God 
 will take care of him," and she went on in peace, though 
 she felt her bosom heaving. 
 
 Buck was up early and had put in an hour's work on 
 geography by the time the other candidates assembled for 
 breakfast. As they sat down Catell asked Buck if he had 
 been well coached. 
 
 " No," replied Buck, " I haven't been coached at all." 
 
 " Then you had better come with us to the preparatory 
 school this week."
 
 34 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Buck went with them to Professor Tompkins. 
 
 " Turkey Tompkins will give you a lot of useful 
 points," they assured him. 
 
 Buck remained during the morning's instructions, 
 which were a review and summing up of the rules for 
 spelling. 
 
 At the dinner table Slinginbury remarked that Turkey 
 Tompkins was great. 
 
 " I know nearly all his rules now, and they cover the 
 whole language. Mr. Jones, if you just remember those 
 rules, you are sure to pass." 
 
 " The only thing I remember," said Buck, " is that 
 words beginning with pro, ex, and sue have eed, and all 
 others ede, and I would probably spell one of these words 
 without thinking about the rule. It is too late now for 
 me to learn rules." 
 
 Buck felt that 1 his morning had been wasted, and he 
 determined not to go back to Turkey Tompkins any more, 
 though he had enrolled for the week. 
 
 Slinginbury confided to Catell that he feared Jones 
 would fail on spelling. " And he is a nice fellow. I like 
 him. It would be too bad. I wish I could help him get 
 the rules, but I fear nothing can be done for him, poor 
 fellow. Such a pity he didn't come three or four months 
 ago. By this time he would know all of Turkey Tomp- 
 kins's rules." 
 
 " He hasn't failed yet," replied Catell laconically. 
 
 After dinner Buck went over to Preble's room. Mrs. 
 Preble told him that she had seen five heads of depart- 
 ments thus far, and that all were willing to recommend 
 that her son be turned back instead of bilged. " It looks 
 very favorable. I shall see the remaining members of the 
 Academic Board this afternoon. I fear some trouble from 
 the Superintendent. He is a great disciplinarian and
 
 BUCK MAKES FRIENDS 35 
 
 scrupulously conscientious, and fears he might be influ- 
 enced by his great admiration and love for my son's grand- 
 father, with whom he sailed as a midshipman." 
 
 " By the way, Preble," said Buck, " don't I have to 
 report to the Superintendent? " 
 
 " You certainly do, and you had better hurry up." 
 
 " I will go at once. Which is the way ? " 
 
 " Wait a minute, and we will all go together." 
 
 They started out Buck, Preble, and Mrs. Preble. 
 They went down to King Edward Street, along St. John's 
 College campus. 
 
 " This is one of the oldest colleges in America, and 
 has a high standard. A fine lot of students they are, too, 
 but they can never touch the cadets in football or in base- 
 ball. They have a good deal of feeling, and cheer for 
 whatever team comes to play against us." 
 
 " That seems strange," said Buck, " to cheer against 
 the home team." 
 
 " It is even stranger," continued Preble, " all the town 
 people cheer against us, and even the mess-hall boys and 
 yard employees." 
 
 " I can't understand it," said Buck. 
 
 They turned down Prince George Street. 
 
 " What quaint old names for the streets ! Prince 
 George, King George, and this morning on the way to 
 Turkey Tompkins's we went down Duke of Gloucester 
 Street. It sounds like colonial days." 
 
 They turned to the left into Maryland Avenue, and 
 there ahead, square across the street, was the great gate 
 in the high wall, the entrance to the Naval Academy. 
 Buck examined every detail as they approached and passed 
 through the smaller side gate. 
 
 Buck turned around to look at the sentry again, a mem- 
 ber of the Marine Corps, the corps that had such a won-
 
 36 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 derf ul record for efficiency and gallantry, and clothed him 
 in his mind with a halo of glory. 
 
 As they arrived clear of the house on the left Buck 
 stopped outright, recognizing the New Quarters. 
 
 At that moment the bugle sounded the call for section 
 formation for the first afternoon period. 
 
 Cadets began to pour out and form on the walk in 
 front. 
 
 " Jones, you had better not linger. They are all look- 
 ing at you, and the plebes and even some of the third 
 classmen are already laying for you. They call you the 
 ' carpetbagger.' It all comes from Jo-Jo Kerr. They con- 
 sider it gaily to watch them at a formation or drill. Jo- Jo 
 has already spread it that you are ' gaily.' ' 
 
 " I never said anything to Jo-Jo in my life." 
 
 " He says you were gaily to him at the depot." 
 
 " I looked at him. That was all." 
 
 They turned to the right along Blake Row, but Buck 
 could not help looking over his shoulder at the formation. 
 It was a new and strange world to him where he was for- 
 bidden even to look at people. 
 
 " I will leave you here," said Mrs. Preble, as she 
 turned and went up the steps of the handsome house on 
 the right. 
 
 " Mother has gone in to see Billy Kendrick," Preble 
 remarked. " He is the head of the Department of Mathe- 
 matics. He lives there. Billy is a good man. He is 
 awfully nice to the savey men, and frequently takes the 
 first section himself; but he is hard on the wooden men. 
 Things are so clear to him, he can't understand why they 
 are not clear to others." 
 
 Buck began to look at the buildings with renewed in- 
 terest. 
 
 " What a beautiful church! " he .exclaimed.
 
 BUCK MAKES FRIENDS 37 
 
 " That is the chapel. They hold service there every 
 Sunday morning, and everybody must go except a few who 
 go out in town to other churches." 
 
 " That's a good thing," said Buck, " to have every- 
 body go to church every Sunday. They don't even do that 
 in Sumter, where the college is a church college. Naval 
 officers must be unusually religious men," he added. 
 
 " They really are," said Preble. " My mother says so, 
 though they are not so considered generally. After church 
 there is Sunday school for the children in the yard, with 
 a Bible class for cadets, and in the afternoon there is a 
 meeting of the Y. M. C. A." 
 
 " This building ahead is the library and Superintend- 
 ent's office. Go up the steps, and you will see the orderly 
 outside. He will announce you. I will walk up and down 
 Buchanan Kow here till you come out" 
 
 " Buchanan Row, did you say ? " 
 
 " Yes. It is named for Captain Buchanan, who was 
 the first superintendent of the Naval Academy, and later 
 joined the Confederate Navy and commanded the Mer- 
 rimac" 
 
 " I am named for him. My name is Buchanan. They 
 call me Buck in Sumter." 
 
 From that time Preble called him Buck, and people 
 began to call him Buck generally ; and everybody came to 
 know him as " Buck Jones." 
 
 He went up the steps with some trepidation. There 
 was the orderly. 
 
 " Oh, he is a marine," exclaimed Buck to himself, and 
 aloud : " I am Buchanan Polk Jones, a candidate, and 
 have come to report to the Superintendent." 
 
 The orderly saluted, and passed in a door on the right. 
 
 " The Superintendent says to come in, sir," and the 
 orderly held the door wide open.
 
 38 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Buck stepped in. His heart was pounding hard, 
 though there was no visible sign of emotion when Captain 
 Rumsey looked up, with his clear, calm gray eyes. Cap- 
 tain Rumsey with his gray mustache and gray hair and 
 calm, dignified manner was his very ideal. 
 
 " I have come to report, sir," said Buck, handing out 
 his letter of instruction from the Navy Department. 
 
 The Captain took the document, examined it briefly, 
 and said quietly but very distinctly : 
 
 " Orderly, take this to the Secretary." And to Buck: 
 " Mr. Jones, please go with the orderly. The Secretary 
 will give you further instructions." 
 
 Buck went out feeling that his naval life had begun. 
 He had been saluted by a marine, and had been spoken 
 to as " Mr. Jones " by the Superintendent himself. When 
 he stepped out on the high veranda, after getting his in- 
 structions about reporting for physical and mental exam- 
 inations, Buck paused a moment and looked out to the 
 right, across the harbor, across the bay. A big steamer 
 for Baltimore was passing, far out, leaving a long trail of 
 smoke. A full-rigged ship with all sails set was standing 
 down for the Capes. Fishing smack were riding at anchor 
 close in. Buck had never seen a vessel of any kind before, 
 had never seen a sheet of water larger than Cove's Mill 
 Pond. It was like a vision. " How wonderful it all is," 
 he thought, and then he looked to the left across the Naval 
 Academy grounds, the shade trees, the green lawn, the 
 picturesque buildings, the monuments, and high up over 
 all he saw the flag flying in the breeze. 
 
 " How glorious, how glorious it will be to serve under 
 the flag all my life ! " he exclaimed. " The thing to do 
 now is to pass the examination ! " He rejoined Preble 
 and returned to his boarding house, resolved not to lose 
 a minute from his books.
 
 BUCK MAKES FRIENDS 39 
 
 About ten o'clock that night Preble came into Buck's 
 room. " Still studying, Buck ? Didn't you hear the gun 
 fire half an hour ago ? Gun fire ends the day's work. It 
 is certainly long enough, and only a half-hour's recreation 
 remains before taps at ten." 
 
 " I have mapped out the remaining days up to eleven," 
 said Buck. " I am so glad, Preble, that you are not to be 
 bilged," he added. 
 
 " Buck, we must room together." 
 
 " That will be fine, but the thing to do now is for me 
 to pass the examinations and get in." 
 
 " You stick at it better than I could, Buck. I am 
 glad I don't have to pass the entrance examinations again." 
 
 Preble left, and Buck studied till eleven ; then he read 
 his chapter in the Bible, said his prayers, went to bed, and 
 slept like a log till he was called at morning gun fire at six. 
 Mrs. Connell let him have an early breakfast, and at seven 
 he had begun the next day's work. 
 
 " I'd like to stay a little longer on algebra," he thought, 
 " but I have carefully mapped out the time. To-day is for 
 history." 
 
 He put the algebra aside and took up history, and 
 allotted the time to various parts so as to complete the 
 review by eleven o'clock that night, and he went through 
 the day on schedule time. 
 
 Wednesday morning the physical examinations began. 
 The matter was brought up at the breakfast table. 
 
 " How fast do they go, Preble ? " asked Catell. 
 
 " About eight or ten a day." 
 
 " Then I am liable to come on late this afternoon, 
 and," he added, " Jones will probably come on to-morrow 
 afternoon. I will drop by his room and let him know." 
 
 They saw little of Buck during these days, but a strong 
 liking was growing up between him and Catell. Catell
 
 40 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 was three years his senior, and had come to realize that 
 Buck's unusual powers of concentration were liable to cause 
 him to overlook things not before him at the time. 
 
 " I am very much obliged for your coming to tell me, 
 Catell. I will go down about three to-morrow," and he 
 wrote this down on his schedule. 
 
 " Perhaps it might be well for you to let up on study- 
 ing a little, especially for the sake of your eyes." 
 
 " I don't see how I can do it. Every minute of the 
 time is now laid out, and the whole of to-morrow is for 
 grammar." 
 
 When Buck appeared at " Sick Quarters " at three 
 o'clock next day he had his grammar with him. The two 
 candidates whose names preceded his alphabetically, Jenks 
 and John, were still waiting. Buck sat down in the wait- 
 ing room and soon became absorbed in his grammar. 
 
 " I don't see how Jones can study," said Jenks, " while 
 a man is being examined in the next room." 
 
 But Buck's concentration was such that he was un- 
 conscious of what was going on until at last the attendant 
 spoke to him. 
 
 " They are ready for you, sir." 
 
 Buck stripped in the dressing room, and stepped in 
 before the two surgeons and recorder. One of the surgeons 
 began to examine, and the recorder began to enter the 
 record : 
 
 Name, Buchanan Polk Jones. 
 Age, 14 years, 7 months, 17 days. 
 Height, 5 feet, 6^ inches. 
 Weight, 137^ pounds. 
 Hair, light, medium. 
 Eyes, gray. 
 Chest, 33 inches. 
 Waist, 29 inches.
 
 BUCK MAKES FRIENDS 41 
 
 " Now draw a deep, full breath," directed the surgeon. 
 Chest expansion, 2| inches. 
 
 " I can do better than that," said Buck. " I am sure." 
 
 " It is not necessary to try again." 
 
 The second surgeon then began to thump on his chest 
 and below and back of his shoulders. 
 
 " I wonder what those sounds mean," Buck said to 
 himself with some apprehension. He had never seen or 
 heard anything like that before. 
 
 The surgeon put his ear against the surface. 
 
 " Draw deep breaths." 
 
 Buck's apprehension increased. 
 
 " I wonder what he has found." 
 
 Then the surgeon applied the stethoscope over his heart 
 and listened. Buck had never realized that he had any 
 organs. He had never been sick since he had the measles 
 as a very young child, and he remembered nothing un- 
 pleasant about them. He suddenly realized that he was 
 full of " insides." 
 
 " Come and listen to this," said the surgeon, as he 
 beckoned to the other one. The second one listened, and 
 nodded his head. 
 
 " I'm lost," thought Buck. 
 
 " Stand at this mark," the first surgeon said, as he 
 went over and uncovered lines of varying sizes of letters. 
 " Can you read the letters in this line ? " he asked, as he 
 pointed to the third to the lowest. 
 
 " Yes, sir." Buck read them off. 
 
 " Can you read any in this line ? " and he pointed one 
 line higher. 
 
 " Yes, sir," and Buck read them off also. 
 
 " Can you make out any in this line ? " and he pointed 
 still another higher. 
 4
 
 42 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " Yes, sir. H B I can't quite tell whether the next 
 is C or G." 
 
 " That will do." 
 
 " I wonder if I failed there, too," murmured Buck. 
 
 " Pick out the blues among these bunches of worsted." 
 
 Buck began to pick them out. 
 
 " What do you call this shade ? " 
 
 " I don't know, sir. Bird's-egg blue ? I have seen 
 birds' eggs like it." 
 
 " Would you call this a blue ? " 
 
 " I think not, sir. That is more a violet, though I 
 don't know the name." 
 
 " Pick out the greens." 
 
 Buck began picking them out. 
 
 " Pick out the yellows pick out the reds. Do you 
 call this a red ? " 
 
 " No, sir. I would call that a pink." 
 
 " Do you know the name ? " 
 
 " I have heard that shade called ashes of roses, and 
 I have seen it in the sky at sunset." 
 
 " That will do." 
 
 " I'm afraid I was very poor on that, too. How stupid 
 I have been to go along all the time and not learn the 
 names of colors that I continually see." 
 
 Then they blindfolded him. 
 
 " I wonder what this means ! " 
 
 " Do you hear a watch ticking ? " 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " Do you hear it now ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Let me know when you cease to hear it. You still 
 hear it?" 
 
 " Yes, sir. It has stopped now." 
 
 They took the bandage off.
 
 BUCK MAKES FRIENDS 43 
 
 " That is all." 
 
 " Wait a moment," said the second surgeon, and he 
 tested Buck's eyes for vision at short distances. Then he 
 tested for lateral range. " You may go now. Only a 
 microscopic test remains." 
 
 It was six o'clock when Buck reached his boarding 
 house, but he got in forty-five minutes on his grammar 
 before the supper bell rang. 
 
 " How did you come out on the physical ? " asked 
 Catell. 
 
 " I think they found something wrong with my in- 
 sides." 
 
 " You can never tell," said Preble, " until it is posted 
 day after to-morrow." 
 
 Saturday morning, while Buck was absorbed in his 
 review of arithmetic, Preble rushed into his room, pant- 
 ing: 
 
 " You passed, Buck." 
 
 "Passed what?" 
 
 " The physical." 
 
 " Oh, yes. Did Catell pass, too ? " 
 
 " I didn't notice." 
 
 In fact, Preble had not noticed for anyone but Buck. 
 He had-i>een waiting at the Old Recitation Hall ever since 
 eight o'clock for the results to be posted. When the list 
 of those that had failed was finally put in the bulletin 
 board, Preble ran over the list for the names beginning 
 with J. Buck's was not there. He went over it again to 
 make sure. Then he started for the boarding house, and 
 didn't stop till he reached Buck's room. 
 
 " I am much obliged to you, Preble, for bringing me 
 word," and Buck turned to his work, and was forthwith 
 absorbed again. Later he learned that Preble had run the 
 whole way.
 
 44 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " What a fine fellow he is," Buck thought to himself. 
 Shortly after Preble left, to go back to the academy to 
 read the list over at leisure, Catell came in. 
 
 " Jones, you passed all right." 
 
 " Did you pass, too, Catell ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " I am so glad." 
 
 " Did Hank Pikeman pass? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 Buck said nothing. 
 
 " Little Harry Billerson failed. Deficient in height. 
 He is only 4 feet 11 inches, but he says the 'Secretary of 
 the Navy promised his sister to waive the deficiency pro- 
 vided he would make it up during the first year." 
 
 " Ten failed out of fifty-one." Catell was always ex- 
 act. " It was a stiff exam. You must be sound all the 
 way through to have passed." 
 
 " I suppose so," said Buck, " but the surgeons both 
 listened with the instrument over my heart and nodded to 
 each other," and Buck turned to his work again. 
 
 The fact is, the surgeons were astonished at the 
 strength of Buck's heart. When Buck left the examining 
 room the first surgeon said : " Have you ever come across 
 a pulse as low ? "
 
 CHAPTEE VI 
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE, AND LEABNS MORE 
 
 THE boarders were all assembled at the Sunday din- 
 ner table except Buck, who was a little late. 
 
 " Mr. Jones was in the confirmation class this 
 morning," Mrs. Connell remarked. 
 
 " Indeed ! " said several voices. " Are you sure ? " 
 
 " Yes, I saw him confirmed myself." 
 
 " I am not surprised," said Catell. 
 
 " Nor am I," said Preble. 
 
 " What a queer, simple fellow he is," remarked Al- 
 board. 
 
 " I am inclined to think with Mr. Moble that there 
 is a great deal of show and hypocrisy under the cloak of 
 religion," said Pikeman. He noticed there was very little 
 sympathy in the looks of the guests, even of the candidates 
 who had come to look upon everything he said as gospel 
 truth. Mrs. Connell frowned distinctly. Nothing further 
 was said on the subject, for Buck came in at that time, and 
 ate his dinner quietly. 
 
 " Would you like to take a walk this afternoon, 
 Catell?" he asked. 
 
 " I should love to go, but I must study up on algebra. 
 It comes to-morrow, you know." 
 
 " I suppose you know everything in the algebra, the 
 way you have been slaving, Mr. Jones," put in Pikeman. 
 
 45
 
 46 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " No ; I didn't get to take up any original problems, 
 and I feel weak on that account." 
 
 " Why don't you stay at home and study them up 
 then, instead of going to walk," advised Preble. 
 
 " I have never studied on Sunday heretofore, and have 
 decided to keep on the same way," answered Buck. 
 
 Pikeman smiled sneeringly to the other candidates. 
 
 Buck took a walk in the afternoon, and that night went 
 to evening service. Then wrote to his mother : 
 
 " I have decided to write home every Sunday night, 
 but I hope the family will write me two or three letters 
 to my one. Your sweet letter that came Friday morning 
 was a great treat. We don't have much affection up here, 
 though there are two fellow boarders I am becoming very 
 fond of, named Preble and Catell. I knew you would 
 approve my decision to join the church. The Bishop is 
 here, and I was confirmed with the others this morning. 
 I wasn't quite sure that it was right for me to do so on 
 account of the unsettled state of my faith, but I felt that 
 I ought to do my part." 
 
 Buck took out his mother's letter and read it over 
 again, and tears gathered in his eyes, in spite of his efforts 
 to keep them back. He was strong and brave, but he 
 missed the affection of home. The rigid routine he fol- 
 lowed kept him absorbed during the week, but it left his 
 heart hungry, and on Sunday the reaction came. He was 
 very young for his boyhood to be cut off, and he craved 
 the touch of his mother's hand. Since a tiny lad he had 
 been accustomed to sit beside her and at her feet, and lay 
 his head on her lap, and she would stroke his forehead 
 and pass her fingers through his hair while the conversa- 
 tion went on. 
 
 The next morning at eight o'clock the forty-seven can- 
 didates were at their allotted desks in the armory, when
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE 47 
 
 the algebra examination papers were distributed. Preble 
 came down with Buck, though he did not have to take the 
 examination himself. As they arrived a few minutes be- 
 fore eight, Preble said to Buck : " See that officer with the 
 black mustache and black hair ? That's Dodgeson. He's 
 a math fiend ; his eyes are like coals of fire." 
 
 When Lieutenant Dodgeson passed the examination 
 papers around, the candidates quailed when his eyes caught 
 theirs. Buck muttered to himself: " He must be a fiend." 
 
 " The dignified officer with the side whiskers," con- 
 tinued Preble, " is Billy Kendricks, head of the depart- 
 ment. I think you will like him." 
 
 " I think I shall like him," said Buck to himself, as 
 he saw Billy's genial smile. 
 
 " The space behind these partitions is for fencing," 
 added Preble. 
 
 Buck was eager to see and begin fencing. He was 
 fascinated with the armory, the long racks along the sides 
 with the bright rifles glowing in the light, over the field 
 pieces of artillery, rolled down to the other end, their 
 muzzles looking straight at the candidates, the swords and 
 cutlasses and bayonets against the partition arranged like 
 stars and wheels. It was a sight to fascinate an eager, 
 high-strung country boy with warm military blood driven 
 with pressure through his veins. 
 
 But when the bell struck, Buck dropped the armory 
 from mind, and concentrated his whole thought upon the 
 examination paper. There were twelve separate " ques- 
 tions." Buck did not stop to read them over, but attacked 
 the first question forthwith. In a few minutes it was 
 done. Buck knew it was all right. The second question 
 was likewise quickly dispatched the third the fourth 
 the fifth. " It is a very easy examination," he was saying 
 to himself; the clock showed ten minutes past nine. He
 
 48 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 had finished five questions in one hour and ten minutes. 
 At that rate he would finish by eleven, and have one hour 
 to spare. He wondered why Preble had cautioned him 
 particularly to husband his time and not linger. He began 
 to read the sixth question. He read it through, then read 
 it over again carefully. He had never seen anything like 
 that. 
 
 As he looked up from the second reading he saw Billy 
 Kendricks smile. Billy had been watching him. It was 
 the same smile of satisfaction he was destined to see many 
 times in the section room. Original problems were Billy's 
 cherished domain. He usually took the first section for 
 himself, because he felt warranted in throwing original 
 problems at the first-section men. He had had many 
 years of experience, and maintained that the original 
 problem is the true test of the pupil. Almost every exam- 
 ination in Billy's department had the original problem, 
 but it was usually put at the end, and was extra. He had 
 put this one in the middle, before enough questions had 
 been completed to pass, in order to test the courage of the 
 candidates, and then he sat watching the candidates as they 
 reached the sixth question. He saw the first one glance 
 at it, then skip it and pass on ; the same with the next ; he 
 noticed that Catell read it through carefully, but then 
 dropped it and went on ; when he saw Buck read it through 
 the second time, and then begin to figure on a piece of 
 scribbling paper, deep in thought, he smiled radiantly. All 
 the others in turn dropped it and went on. From this time 
 Billy had eyes only for Buck. He saw him work for 
 twenty minutes, then sit up and look at the result, and 
 look at the clock, and think awhile, and take up another 
 scribbling sheet and start again. For thirty-five minutes 
 he worked without raising his head ; then he stopped and 
 thought for twelve minutes without working a figure, his
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE 49 
 
 brow contracted in great concentration. He looked at the 
 cl ^k with a glance of apprehension, and took another 
 scribbling sheet and began work, only to stop again, and 
 start another sheet and then another. The clock struck 
 eleven. The uneasy look on his face became tragic. Billy 
 smiled through his whole being. No bliss of paradise could 
 surpass this. Not that Billy was malicious; on the con- 
 trary, he was as kind and tender at heart as a woman, and 
 that tragic look on the boy's face under any other circum- 
 stances would have brought out great fatherly sympathy. 
 But in the struggle of a determined young mind to con- 
 quer a new foe in an unknown realm of mathematics, Billy 
 saw the whole epitome of human life as it has gradually 
 conquered nature. In such a struggle Billy saw the high- 
 est majesty of mind. 
 
 About 11.20 Buck sat up again. Billy never for- 
 got the look on his face. It was even more than phe- 
 nomenon of mind. It was the spirit grappling with the 
 despair of the mind, wherein the soul proves its kinship to 
 divinity. The boy's teeth were clinched; his actions were 
 slow, deliberate ; there was not a tremor ; spirit held abso- 
 lute dominion. He deliberately gathered up the trial 
 sheets, examined them carefully, one by one, here and 
 there copying their results on a fresh sheet- He jotted 
 down what must have been a plan, then deliberately started 
 again. Now and then he paused, but never raised his eyes 
 once, not even when Dodgeson called out, " Fifteen min- 
 utes more, get your papers ready." Even Billy's heart 
 began to melt with pity. He walked down the aisle and 
 stood near Buck, and saw the last figures go down in a 
 long chain of processes. As Buck stopped, Billy saw that 
 he had the answer. Buck drew a double line under the 
 answer, but never looked up as he took up the examination 
 paper again. In seven minutes he had finished the seventh
 
 50 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 question. Five minutes remained. Steadily and delio- 
 erately he went ahead on the eighth question. The clock 
 struck twelve. 
 
 " Turn in your papers," called out Dodgeson. 
 
 Buck looked up and asked : 
 
 " May I have fifteen minutes more, sir ? " 
 
 "No, sir, not a minute. Turn your papers in in- 
 stantly," shouted Dodgeson, as he stamped his foot for 
 emphasis. 
 
 " It is very different from the examination at the Sum- 
 ter College," reflected Buck, as he turned in his papers, 
 knowing that in three minutes more he could have com- 
 pleted the eighth question, and in fifteen minutes could 
 have been sure of passing. 
 
 " Let me have your scribbling sheet, Mr. Jones," di- 
 rected Billy. Buck was very reluctant to turn in the evi- 
 dences of his wild digressions, but he obeyed. 
 
 " Mr. Dodgeson, I will take and examine Mr. Jones's 
 papers myself," and Billy gathered them all up and bore 
 them away in triumph. As he left, he couldn't help 
 confiding to Dodgeson, " I watched Mr. Jones put in 
 exactly two hours and thirty-seven minutes on the sixth 
 question." 
 
 " He must be close kin to a fool," remarked Dodgeson. 
 But this retort did not disturb Billy's supreme satisfaction. 
 
 At the dinner table the candidates were exchanging 
 notes on the examination. Everyone noticed how silent 
 Buck remained. 
 
 "Did you pass, Jones?" asked Pikeman, with a ma- 
 licious smile around the corners of his lips. He, too, had 
 watched Buck during the examination, and guessed what 
 was the matter. 
 
 " No, I failed," replied Buck. 
 
 Pikeman gloated.
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE 51 
 
 " Did you try the sixth question ? " asked Catell with 
 sympathy. 
 
 " Yes," said Buck, " I began it at a little after nine 
 and left it at twelve minutes of twelve." 
 
 " Of course he has failed," concluded Pikeman, and 
 he laughed out loud. 
 
 " Did you try it, Hank ? " asked Catell. 
 
 " No, I wasn't such a fool." 
 
 Buck didn't resent the imputation, but rather relished 
 finding some one else of his own opinion. 
 
 At the examination in arithmetic the next day Buck 
 found no difficulty in completing all the questions by 
 11.15. He sat around awhile, then turned in his papers. 
 Catell, Gust, Pikeman, and a few others remained till 
 the end. 
 
 " Jones, why did you leave so early ? " asked Catell at 
 dinner. 
 
 " I had finished." 
 
 " So had I finished, but I went back and checked up 
 my work, and copied part of it over again. Everything 
 counts. That's what the other fellows were doing." 
 
 This brought out Buck's weakness, if it was a weak- 
 ness. His mind turned its power upon the main ques- 
 tions, and gave scant consideration to accessories. He 
 would work out the last essential detail for his plan, but 
 he would not pause a moment for appearances. 
 
 " I realized that I might make my papers look better, 
 and there was ample time. Maybe I was too lazy to go 
 over them again. Anyhow, I decided to come away and 
 take up to-morrow's examination." 
 
 The next day the examination was grammar. Catell 
 went over to Preble's room before breakfast, with a look of 
 anxiety on his face. 
 
 " You know Jones better than the rest of us. Won't
 
 52 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 you warn him to be careful about the form of his 
 work, and the neatness and looks of his examination 
 papers ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied Preble. " It is very important, par- 
 ticularly with the present regime in the English Depart- 
 ment." 
 
 " I need a little fresh air, and will walk down with 
 you this morning, Buck." 
 
 " That will be nice, Preble/' and the two left the 
 boarding house together. 
 
 Preble took Buck by the arm as they walked along. 
 
 " You probably find the exams here different from 
 those in Alabama." 
 
 " Very different, indeed." 
 
 " In the English Department, where you begin to-day, 
 they are the worst sticklers for form and appearances I 
 ever saw. It is all nonsense, of course, but they will cut 
 your mark down mercilessly for the most trivial things. 
 I have known them to bilge many bright cadets for nothing 
 more than to neglect in form and neatness. 
 
 Buck drank it all in, and resolved to be particularly 
 careful in everything. 
 
 Preble stopped Buck at the entrance of the armory. 
 
 " I see Billy Fray is in charge. He's the worst on 
 earth ! He's the professor in cits. The officer in uniform 
 is Schyler, head of the department. You had better be 
 on your guard." Preble turned back. 
 
 Buck went in with grave misgiving and found his desk. 
 There was everything: a clean, new pad of large, heavy 
 paper, prepared especially for the English Department ; a 
 bottle of ink, a fresh blotter, a new penholder and two 
 new fine-pointed pens, all neatly arranged on the desk. 
 Buck shrank back at the sight of the fine-pointed pens. If
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE 53 
 
 there was anything in inanimate nature he hated, it was a 
 fine-pointed pen. 
 
 When the candidates were all seated, Billy Fray struck 
 the bell on the table and proceeded to give instructions. 
 Billy held his face pointed upward at about the angle at 
 which a mortar fires. " Write your name in full on the 
 upper left-hand line of each sheet; use both sides, and 
 number the pages consecutively in the upper right-hand 
 corner, half an inch from each edge; leave a margin on 
 the left-hand side of a half inch and on the right side of a 
 quarter of an inch; allow an inch on the new line for a 
 new paragraph, and skip a line for each new question. 
 Copy each question, and allow a line before beginning the 
 answer. When through, skip a line, and submit your pa- 
 pers according to the form prescribed by the U. S. Navy 
 regulations for an official communication to a command- 
 ing officer. In this case, ' To Commander John Schyler, 
 U. S. Navy, Head of Department of English Studies, His- 
 tory, and Law.' You may now begin." 
 
 The look of consternation on the faces of the candi- 
 dates was something to make the angels weep. 
 
 " How much margin on the left ? " asked little Harry 
 Billerson. 
 
 " I said half an inch," answered Billy, showing his 
 teeth with an unutterable scorn that made little Harry 
 shrink still smaller. " Come up in person if you wish to 
 ask me any questions." 
 
 A number went up. Each one received the look of 
 scorn. When all had finished, Buck went up, calm, de- 
 liberate, but the picture of distress. 
 
 " Please, sir, may I have a stub pen ? " 
 
 "No, sir; stub pens are for savages." 
 
 Buck went back to his desk and went ahead with the 
 fine-pointed pen, though it was like agony. As he was
 
 54 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 about to turn over the first page, he made a big blot with 
 his new pen. Buck only completed the last question as 
 Billy struck the bell. 
 
 " Stop work and arrange your papers. Verify that 
 the pages are numbered consecutively. Don't forget to sub- 
 mit the papers as directed." 
 
 Buck submitted his paper : 
 
 " Respectfully submitted, 
 
 " BUCHANAN POLK JONES. 
 " To Commander John Schyler." 
 
 He was not certain about this being correct, so he sum- 
 moned up courage and went up to Billy again. 
 
 " Is this the way you mean, sir ? " 
 
 Billy took the page and looked at it, and his vials of 
 wrath overflowed. To Buck the black of Billy's eyes 
 seemed to cover the white. 
 
 " Commander John Schyler," he repeated, " Com- 
 mander in the English Navy ? Commander in the German 
 Navy ? Commander in the Japanese Navy ? Or is he Com- 
 mander in the Revenue, Marine, or Merchant service ? " 
 
 Buck had no defense to make. 
 
 " Put ' U. S. Navy ' after this, and add, ' Head of the 
 Department of English Studies, History, and Law.' ' 
 
 Commander Schyler, with tightly closed lips and al- 
 most ferocious eyes, stood behind Billy, the incarnation of 
 pitiless power and authority. 
 
 Everybody loved Billy Fray, except candidates and 
 plebes. He really had a most lovable nature. When he 
 made his reports on the examinations, he took Buck's pa- 
 pers over with him. 
 
 " Here is an interesting case, Captain," he said to 
 Schyler. " Young Jones, B. P., has shown a remarkable
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE 55 
 
 grasp of the subjects, particularly in history where it 
 touched on the navy, but I have never seen such lack of at- 
 tention to form and appearances. Look at this page, for in- 
 stance. There are no less than four blots on the one page, 
 and the margin is as crooked as a rail fence, and look how 
 the lines run uphill." 
 
 By Friday night the examinations were over. The 
 names of those who had failed were to be posted Saturday 
 morning, with notice of the time for reexamination the 
 second examination to be final. 
 
 The boarders at Mrs. Connell's were figuring and com- 
 paring notes. 
 
 " Jones, you think you made it all right, except in 
 algebra ? " said Preble. 
 
 " Yes, I think so." 
 
 " It will be easy to make that on the reexam." 
 
 " Give me exactly what you did," said Catell, as he 
 began to figure. " The first seven questions, and part of 
 the eighth; seven questions out of twelve would give you 
 two-thirty-three. Seven-and-a-half questions would give 
 you an even two-five." 
 
 " I got a little beyond the middle of the eighth," said 
 Buck. 
 
 " Then if you were perfect in it all, you would have 
 about two-fifty-one." 
 
 " Perfect in it all ! " Buck smiled at the absurdity. 
 They all knew there was no hope when he had only a mar- 
 gin of one hundredth to show. 
 
 Dodgeson went around to Billy Kendrick's office Fri- 
 day night to report the list of those deficient in the De- 
 partment of Mathematics. 
 
 " Here's the list for arithmetic complete. For algebra, 
 the list lacks the name of your ' Spoon.' I suppose he 
 made about one-eight."
 
 56 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " Your list must be complete," said Billy, with that 
 matchless smile and twinkle of the eye, " for Mr. Buchanan 
 Polk Jones made two-fifty-one, though he invaded the 
 realms of calculus, analytical geometry and trigonometry, 
 to do it." Billy spoke with that pride and joy that go only 
 with a personal triumph. 
 
 The candidates gathered at the bulletin boards in the 
 Old Recitation Hall the next morning, eager to know the 
 worst. The lists sent pangs of disappointment and chagrin 
 to many youthful hearts. Twenty-four out of fifty-one had 
 failed. 
 
 The following Saturday was more tragic still. Four- 
 teen out of the twenty-four failed on the reexaminations, 
 and went back to their homes crestfallen, where their 
 mothers received them with outstretched arms, and took 
 away the edge of disappointment by repeating, what was 
 really true, that they were glad. 
 
 The most surprised of all the candidates was Buck, the 
 happiest was Preble, and the most disappointed was Pike- 
 man, when the list showed that Buck had passed. Catell 
 rushed over to him. 
 
 " My congratulations. You worked the sixth question. 
 There wasn't another man there who could have done it; 
 there wasn't another who dared to try it. It is a greater 
 victory than to have stood first." 
 
 As it turned out, with all the examinations included, 
 Gust stood first, Catell second, Pikeman third, while Buck 
 stood only eleven. It was a new experience for Buck. He 
 had always stood first in everything. Preble was sur- 
 prised that Buck didn't seem glad at passing on the first 
 examination. On the contrary, he was unusually grave 
 and quiet. Soon he guessed the source of his unhap- 
 piness. 
 
 " The entrance exams don't mean anything. I stood
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE 57 
 
 high on the entrance exams last year, but I practically 
 bilged on the first semi-ann." 
 
 This was not much comfort to Buck, nor was Catell's 
 thoughtful compliment. There could be no comfort for 
 him. He was constituted for leadership, and happiness 
 was impossible so long as he was not first. 
 
 At the dinner table the exams made the topic of con- 
 versation. Slinginbury was very downcast. " How did 
 you come out, Slinginbury? " asked Pikeman, who knew 
 very well he had failed. 
 
 " I failed." 
 
 " What on ? " came the cruel question. 
 
 " On spelling." 
 
 " I thought you had all of Turkey Tompkins's rules at 
 your finger tips." 
 
 " I thought so, too, but I must have been rattled and 
 applied them the wrong way. I remember now that I 
 applied even the rule of pro, ex, and sue the wrong way." 
 
 Everybody else at the table was touched with sympathy 
 at Slinginbury's abject humiliation; but a cruel smile 
 played on Pikeman's lips. 
 
 The candidates who had passed were directed to report 
 on the Santee Monday morning with their effects. All day 
 Sunday they were busy getting their things together and 
 checking them up according to the list required, and most 
 of them had everything packed and ready Sunday night. 
 Catell had his things ready before supper, but Buck never 
 touched a thing. He went to church in the morning and 
 at night, and read theology in the afternoon till four o'clock, 
 then went on a long walk with Preble across the Spa Creek 
 Bridge, then back along the water front. He loved to get 
 where he could look out over the water. From the first 
 he found in the water a companionship which men failed 
 to supply. 
 5
 
 58 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " You had better hurry up with your packing, Buck, 
 if you wish to get to the Santee in time for dinner 
 formation." 
 
 The others had gone some time before. Buck was the 
 last. 
 
 " Packing is a great nuisance," said Buck. 
 
 Mrs. Jones had always done the packing for Buck. She 
 had packed his trunk with great care when he left home 
 and the trunk seemed to hold everything easily ; but when 
 Buck now crushed in all that he could, it required his car- 
 petbag bulged out to hold the overflow. Patrick Henry 
 took charge of the trunk and Buck carried the bag and 
 joined Preble, who was waiting for him below. Buck no- 
 ticed that Preble cast curious looks at the bag, but without 
 saying anything. 
 
 " I think we had better hurry, Buck," said Preble, with 
 evident anxiety. 
 
 They had reached the grounds and were just turning 
 out into the walk leading toward the Old Quarters, when 
 Preble said: 
 
 " There they are." 
 
 "Who, Preble?" 
 
 " Don't you see them there, coming out of the Old 
 Eecitation Hall ? " 
 
 There they were, the cadets, swarming out of the hall 
 and forming in sections. As each section formed it started 
 for the New Quarters independently of the rest, under the 
 command of its own leader, who marched abreast of the 
 section. 
 
 " I feared this, Buck. It is too bad. We shall have 
 to pass them all." 
 
 " Can't we turn down this gravel path toward the 
 monument and avoid them ? " 
 
 " Not on our lives ! That is Lovers' Lane. A plebe
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE 59 
 
 is supposed to know nothing about love. We can't go 
 there till we are third classmen." 
 
 " They have strange customs up here," thought 
 Buck. 
 
 He saw that Preble was very much disturbed as the 
 sections drew nearer. 
 
 " Don't say anything at all, Buck," warned Preble. 
 
 Buck began to feel queer in spite of himself. 
 
 " The section coming first are plebes, my classmates," 
 whispered Preble. 
 
 Buck saw they were all looking at him. The blood rose 
 to his cheeks. They were laughing. 
 
 " Who's your friend, Preble ? " called one. 
 
 " That's Jo-Jo's carpetbagger," said another. 
 
 " What's that you are carrying, mister ? " 
 
 The amusement was tremendous. 
 
 " Keep your heads to the front," ordered the section 
 leader, as some were actually looking back over their 
 shoulders at the strange sight. 
 
 The next section was also of plebes. They were even 
 worse than the first one. They saw the fun farther ahead 
 and were better loaded. 
 
 " Where did you get it, mister ? " 
 
 " What have you got inside ? " 
 
 "What do you call it?" 
 
 " Preble, where did you find him ? " 
 
 Buck's blood was boiling. Preble seemed worried to 
 death. 
 
 " Buck," he whispered, " that section ahead is third 
 classmen. Jo-Jo is the leader. He is edging over this 
 way, and there is Whaley urging him on. Let's cross over 
 to pass on the other side," and Preble crossed over. 
 
 " I am going to stay on this side where I have been," 
 replied Buck.
 
 60 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " Then you had better step out on the grass. Jo-Jo 
 is coming straight for you." 
 
 " I will get out to the edge of the walk, but no farther," 
 said Buck, between his teeth. 
 
 Jo-Jo's section saw the move, so did the section behind, 
 made up of second classmen. They began to conjecture. 
 
 " I'll bet on Jo-Jo." 
 
 " So will I." 
 
 " No candidate or plebe ever stood up in front of 
 Jo-Jo." 
 
 " I'll bet on the little carpetbagger," said Fonste, and 
 the others laughed, but they stopped laughing suddenly for 
 they saw the little carpetbagger plant his right foot on the 
 edge of the walk, put down his bag and stand rigid. Jo-Jo 
 was out on the edge marching straight down upon him. 
 They saw the carpetbagger spread his feet to brace him- 
 self; he clenched his fists. All held their breath. Jo- Jo 
 advanced his shoulder to take the impact, when he caught 
 Buck's eyes. The look struck through his soul. It was 
 such a look as cowers the wild beasts. Conscious that all 
 eyes were on him, that his hazer's pride and reputation 
 were at stake, conscious of the guying he would receive 
 and driven by a dislike already burning deep, conscious of 
 the backing of Whaley and of the others, and that he was 
 six inches taller and much heavier, he yet was powerless 
 to control his actions. He was conquered by an indomi- 
 table will. He suddenly stepped aside and passed close. 
 
 " Good for the carpetbagger ! It took nerve." 
 
 " Fonste, you win," said the second classmen. 
 
 Buck picked up his bag and started ahead. 
 
 " I dare you to try him, Orman," said one of the sec- 
 ond classmen to the section leader. 
 
 " Not much. I'm going to give him half the walk ; he 
 has fairly won it."
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE 61 
 
 When Jo-Jo's section broke ranks in front of the New 
 Quarters, Whaley came up and said: 
 
 " Jo-Jo, you are an infernal coward." 
 
 " You don't understand, Whaley. It was out in the 
 open. Officers could see it. It could be seen from the 
 officer-in-charge's office, and you know they are laying for 
 us. If they can only half prove a case, they will dismiss us 
 for hazing." 
 
 " Then why did you challenge ? " 
 
 " I thought, of course, he would give way. They have 
 always done it. Didn't you see how Preble scooted ? " 
 
 Jo-Jo's mind had been actively at work upon explana- 
 tions ; but these couldn't save him, especially from the sec- 
 ond classmen. 
 
 " How is your carpetbagger ? " they would ask with a 
 smile. 
 
 " I notice that Jo-Jo has suddenly stopped talking 
 about his carpetbagger," remarked Fonste a few days later. 
 
 Jo-Jo had stopped talking, but he hadn't stopped think- 
 ing and hating. 
 
 Buck joined Preble when the sections had passed. He 
 stood looking at the Midshipmen's Monument, erected to 
 the midshipmen who died heroically at Vera Cruz. Preble 
 pointed out the Naval Institute Building. 
 
 " They have the trophy flags in there that we captured, 
 running as far back as the days of John Paul Jones," he 
 said. 
 
 " John Paul took the name of Jones from one of my 
 ancestors. Can't we go in ? " asked Buck. 
 
 " Not now. It is too late. We barely have time to get 
 to the Santee for dinner formation. This building is the 
 old mess hall. We shall eat here in September when the 
 September plebes come in and all the other classes are away 
 on leave."
 
 62 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " What is this ? " inquired Buck, as he stopped with a 
 look half of mirth, half of awe, in front of a huge figure 
 of an Indian chief. 
 
 " That is the figure head of the old frigate Delaware. 
 It is doubtless meant to represent the great chieftain Dela- 
 ware, for whom the State and river are named. Cadets 
 have come to call this the God of Two-five." 
 
 " Do you remember about the Delaware ? " 
 
 " No ; but I think Tim Casey could tell you about her. 
 She was still in commission in his day." 
 
 " These are the Old Quarters where the first division is 
 quartered, from the Old Recitation Hall here to the build- 
 ing down there where you see the ship's bell. Beyond there 
 the rest of Stribling Row is bachelor officers' quarters." 
 
 " What a grand baseball and football field from here 
 over to those buildings. What are they ? " 
 
 " They are marine barracks. After you have been 
 here a year you will think of this more as a field for drill- 
 ing. They will trot your legs off, in double quick in in- 
 fantry, and you will wish you were dead when you are 
 on the end of the drag rope with the howitzers, in artillery, 
 going across at a dead run." 
 
 " It must be great sport." 
 
 " You will think it is sport up to the day of the first drill 
 no longer. That lone oak has come down with the ages. 
 It frequently breaks the middle of the line in drills, and 
 sometimes it receives a home-run ball in center field, but 
 everybody loves it. It is all bound up with iron bands and 
 tie rods. The man would be mobbed who dared suggest 
 cutting it down." Preble paused. " Hello, Buck," he sud- 
 denly cried, " there comes the Superintendent's orderly 
 bearing down on us." Sure enough, coming across the 
 lawn from the Superintendent's house, Buck saw the same 
 marine he had seen when he went to report.
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE 63 
 
 The orderly came up straight to Buck and saluted, and 
 Buck lifted his hat. 
 
 " The Superintendent's compliments. He desires to 
 know the name of the gentleman carrying the bag." 
 
 " Buchanan Polk Jones." 
 
 " Buchanan Polk Jones," the orderly repeated as he 
 saluted, faced about and was off. Buck raised his hat 
 again. 
 
 " Preble, what's up ? Is it against regulations to carry 
 a bag in the yard ? " 
 
 " No, not when you are moving in. I think Rumsey 
 caught on to you and Jo-Jo. He was probably on his way 
 to lunch, or had just come in. You see his house is straight 
 down the walk. He must have seen Jo-Jo's move and your 
 stand. I think he is watching Jo-Jo and Whaley and that 
 gang, anyhow. By the way, Buck," continued Preble, apol- 
 ogetically, " you don't have to raise your hat to an orderly. 
 He is only a marine. You know they are enlisted men, 
 while you have the status of an officer. Of course, it is 
 all right to return his salute, or the salute of any inferior 
 in rank." 
 
 " You wouldn't think a plebe was very much from the 
 way the other classes treat him." 
 
 " No, and he is on the lowest rung in the whole line of 
 officers, and at times he is liable to forget this fact. That 
 is the basis for the very strict treatment and for the ' run- 
 ning ' of the plebes by the upper classes to teach them sub- 
 ordination. The idea even runs in their treatment by 
 officers and professors." 
 
 " Like Billy Fray," suggested Buck. 
 
 " Exactly. Of course, there are many cadets who abuse 
 this and go to extreme lengths in hazing. Some are even 
 vicious and brutal. Against these the law is rigid. Haz- 
 ers, if detected, are court-martialed and, if found guilty,
 
 64 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 are dismissed. Bear in mind that within reasonable limits 
 it is a universal custom, and intended as discipline for 
 subordination. It is best to take it without murmuring." 
 
 " I won't mind their running," said Buck, " and I am 
 prepared to do anything they say, but I don't believe I can 
 stand Jo-Jo. I think he wants to bully me. He's mean." 
 
 " You are right about Jo- Jo ; but I advise you to avoid 
 him all you can. He won't get a chance at us until next 
 winter and then he will be a second classman, and second 
 classmen with their growing dignity are supposed to taper 
 off on ' running ' plebes." 
 
 " What is that round stone building ahead ? " 
 
 " That's the l gym.' It is old Fort Severn, just as it 
 stood in the past. Upstairs is the gymnasium and it is 
 used for the hops, except the June ball, which is held in 
 the armory. We turn here," and they swung sharp to the 
 left. Suddenly Buck stopped. 
 
 " Oh, what a curious-looking thing ! What is that ? " 
 he cried. 
 
 " That is the old submarine, captured from the South- 
 erners during the war." 
 
 " Are you sure it was captured ? It was probably sur- 
 rendered at the end of the war. My father told me about 
 those submarines. The men who went in them were the 
 bravest men that ever lived. All volunteers, they weren't 
 the least afraid to die. I don't think anybody could cap- 
 ture their boat. They would have gone down with it, as 
 they did many times." 
 
 " I don't know the history of the boat. Maybe Tim 
 Casey does. But I know it belonged to the Confederates. 
 Nobody else has ever built anything like them." 
 
 " Preble, you came from Maine and I came from Ala- 
 bama, but we are all right about the war, aren't we ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed."
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE 65 
 
 Buck longed for a chance to show the world how Ala- 
 bamians feel toward the flag. 
 
 " There's where you must go this afternoon to be meas- 
 ured for your uniform, and the Paymaster's office is up- 
 stairs where you will make the deposit to cover the part of 
 the outfit that you now lack." 
 
 " Oh, there are the ships ! " exclaimed Buck with de- 
 light as he looked ahead. 
 
 " The first is the Dale, the next is the Wyoming, the 
 low one out in the river is the monitor Passaic, and the 
 one at the end of the wharf, roofed over like a barn, is 
 the old Santee," said Preble. 
 
 They had reached the boat shed at the head of 
 the wharf. Buck was just formulating questions about 
 the history of the ships when they heard the bugle 
 below. 
 
 " That's dinner formation for the Santee 's squad." 
 
 Both began to run. Buck's bag was a serious impedi- 
 ment. After trying one method after another, he finally 
 put it on his shoulder and tore down the wharf behind 
 Preble. Everybody saw them coming. 
 
 Was he going to be late at the very first formation? 
 With the thought Buck fairly flew. The squad was 
 formed, only waiting for the bugle blast to face to the left 
 The officer of the day was at the far end. 
 
 Preble ran up, saluted and reported and slipped in the 
 ranks just as the officer of the day ordered, " Left, face ! " 
 The squad faced as Buck tore by with his bag, half stum- 
 bling as he took it down from his shoulder. 
 
 Buck's face was flushed with the running and the ex- 
 citement, as he shifted the bag over to his left hand and 
 tried to salute with his right hand as he had seen the 
 orderly do. 
 
 " You are late, sir. I will report you. Fall in on the
 
 66 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 left." Buck started down in front of the squad, bag in 
 hand. 
 
 " Come back, sir, and go around the rear." 
 
 Buck's face was crimson as he turned and for the third 
 time passed along in front with his bag. He passed around 
 the rear and took his place on the left, the bag still in his 
 left hand. 
 
 " Mr. Gust, step to the front. Take this list and mus- 
 ter the squad." 
 
 Gust proceeded to muster. Buck was painfully aware 
 of the fact that he couldn't possibly march with his bag 
 in his hand. What was he to do ? 
 
 Gust completed the muster and reported. A silence 
 followed. Buck knew that the officer of the day was look- 
 ing at him. The cold sweat stood out on his brow. 
 
 " Mr. Jones," began the officer of the day slowly, with 
 tones of authority that struck terror to Buck's very soul, 
 " how do you expect to march with that object in your 
 hand?" 
 
 Another silence followed, heavy in its oppressiveness. 
 Buck felt the weight as of a leaden load on his shoulder. 
 
 " Take two steps to the rear, sir, and drop it step to 
 the front again." 
 
 Buck stepped back in position. 
 
 " Master-at-anns ! " called out the officer of the day 
 toward the Santee. 
 
 " Sir ? " came the answer. The master-at-arms had been 
 watching the painful performance, biting his lips to keep 
 from laughing. 
 
 " Take this object on the wharf and put it in the lucky 
 ," 
 
 * 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," answered the master-at-arms. 
 
 "Squad, left, face!" 
 
 Buck had never seen a military drill in his life, but
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE 67 
 
 he managed to face with the rest. This left him at the 
 head of the column. What next, he wondered. 
 
 " Forward, march ! " 
 
 Buck stepped out, but with the wrong foot. The man 
 behind stumbled on his heels. This caused confusion for 
 some distance along the column. 
 
 " Mr. Jones, keep step there." Left, left, left! They 
 drew near to the turn in the wharf. Buck wondered how 
 they would change. " Column, left ! " Buck turned. 
 " March ! Mr. Jones, wait till the order ' March ! ' Left, 
 left, left ! " They reached the turn in front of the gym- 
 nasium. " Column, right, march ! " "I got it that time," 
 thought Buck with satisfaction. " Left, left, left ! " 
 
 " Mr. Gust, give the squad the step all the way," and 
 Gust began : " Left, left, left ! " As they reached the Mid- 
 shipmen's Monument, " Column, left, march ! " Buck 
 was actually proud of his performance this time, and was 
 eager for the next trial at the band stand. " Column, 
 right, march ! Left, left, left ! " 
 
 They approached Main Street that prolongs Maryland 
 Avenue. Buck began to feel queer. There were cadets, 
 a big crowd of them, sitting on the cannon-backed seats 
 directly ahead, watching the squad. There was always a 
 peculiar interest in the first appearance of the new plebes, 
 dressed in their varying civilian suits and hats, reflecting 
 the styles all over the land, from the ranch in Texas to 
 Fifth Avenue in New York. 
 
 " Left, left, left ! " Straight into the jaws of the upper 
 classmen they went. Buck recognized Jo-Jo in the crowd, 
 and heard him pass the word, " The carpetbagger is at the 
 head of the column." 
 
 Down the steps, across the street. " Column, left, 
 march ! " Buck turned as though he were a veteran. 
 " Column, right, march ! " They swung between the
 
 68 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 seats of cadets square down the walk. " Fins out ! Fins 
 out ! Fins out ! Fins out, there, mister ! " came from the 
 upper classmen. 
 
 "Squad, halt!" 
 
 The bugle blew. The upper classmen passed. 
 
 " Where is the carpetbagger ? " 
 
 " Is this the carpetbagger ? " 
 
 " Show me the gaily carpetbagger." 
 
 What a relief to Buck when they were all by, and the 
 bugle sounded. 
 
 " Squad, left, face ! 
 
 " Mr. Gust, take charge of the squad, and when the 
 battalion executes ( Fours right/ go ' Right face,' and 
 march to the mess hall, taking the first table on the right." 
 
 With these instructions the officer of the day left. 
 
 The battalion was " dressed " to the right. The first 
 sergeants marched to the front and center and reported. 
 The adjutant read the orders. 
 
 " Battalion, fours right, march ! " 
 
 Buck recognized Tyler, the four-striper. How grand to 
 stand out there and command the battalion ! 
 
 " Must I be four-striper myself our first class year? " 
 
 Buck considered the matter carefully. He noticed that 
 Tyler sat at the oflficer-in-charge's table. He must have a 
 good chance to ask about things at large. 
 
 He looked at Tyler more closely at supper formation. 
 By the time he went to sleep that night he had made up 
 his mind to be four-striper. Doubtless other plebes made 
 the same resolve that first day ; but a resolve to them was 
 not like a resolve to Buck. 
 
 When all had entered the mess hall and the new plebes 
 had been placed, with Gust at one end of their table and 
 Catell at the other, Tyler gave the order, "-Seats ! " Such 
 a roar and rattle of chairs Buck had never heard. Most of
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE 69 
 
 the new plebes kept their eyes on their plates during the 
 meal ; but Buck was very much interested in the trophies 
 about the walls trophies of victorious baseball nines, boat 
 crews, football teams. Preble, who sat opposite, seemed 
 uneasy. 
 
 " Buck, they will think you are gaily looking around 
 like that." 
 
 But Buck couldn't see any objection. Soon he became 
 aware that many upper classmen were looking at him, 
 and across the room was Jo-Jo with his scowl. It became 
 clear that those who recognized him were pointing him out 
 to the others. He even detected the officer-in-charge as he 
 asked the officer of the day from the old quarters, the one 
 who had the duty of marching the Santee squad, to point 
 him out. The officer of the day told how the carpetbagger 
 had come to formation, and they had a good laugh. 
 
 " I like him," said Tyler. 
 
 Buck couldn't understand it all, and he felt very un- 
 comfortable. The truth is, the incident of Jo-Jo and the 
 plebe carpetbagger had gone all over the academy, the 
 Superintendent himself having started it among the 
 officers. 
 
 Buck was still eating when Tyler, upon the nod from 
 the officer-in-charge, struck a bell and ordered, " Rise, 
 march out ! " The new plebes were the last to leave, and 
 as they passed out the upper classmen were lingering in the 
 corridor, in the hall, on the steps, and were even out on 
 the walk where the plebes formed. No circus parade could 
 have been looked at more eagerly than the new plebes at 
 their first meal. 
 
 As the plebes passed out of the mess-hall door, the con- 
 gestion gave upper classmen a good chance. 
 
 " Mister, are you going to try to go through on your 
 muck ? " asked one of them as he edged up close to Buck.
 
 70 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " I don't know what that is." 
 
 " Put on ' sir ' when you speak to a superior in rank." 
 
 " He must be a very important cadet, probably next 
 to Tyler, though he looks very small and young," thought 
 Buck. 
 
 It was little Stratford, still a plebe, and the smallest 
 and youngest plebe, as Buck learned later, who had that 
 proud and important air. 
 
 " Look the other way, you gaily plebe ! " 
 
 " Take your greasy eyes off me ! " 
 
 " Fins out there, fins out ! " 
 
 Such were the remarks hurled at the trembling plebes 
 as they passed through the upper classmen. All came in 
 for a share, but Buck was evidently the " favorite." 
 
 Jo-Jo and Whaley and some other third classmen were 
 standing on the stoop by the old gun at the entrance. 
 
 " Did you ever see anything so gaily as he was at din- 
 ner ? " Buck heard Jo-Jo say to Whaley. He couldn't hear 
 Whaley's reply. 
 
 It was all new to Buck. On the march down to the 
 Santee he was pondering over the situation. It was a good 
 deal like an affront, he thought. He was still undecided 
 whether he would submit or not when they reached the 
 Santee s wharf and broke ranks. Buck joined Preble at 
 once. He needed some light. 
 
 " Preble, what does ' Fins out ' mean ? " 
 
 " It means to place your little fingers at the seams of 
 your trousers, with the palms forward. The position helps 
 to give a military bearing." 
 
 " Oh, that's all right. What is it ' to go through on 
 your muck ' ? " 
 
 " That's to fight your way through. Several have tried 
 it, but only one man has gone through on his muck since 
 the academy began, and they say he was mean and was
 
 BUCK USES HIS KNOWLEDGE 71 
 
 later dismissed from the service. Did anyone ask you 
 that?" 
 
 " Yes, several did." 
 
 " What did you answer ? " 
 
 " I told them I didn't know what they meant." 
 
 " Buck, you are getting into a bad position not that 
 you mean anything. I advise you to be more careful. It 
 is part of the regime to be humble and subordinate to the 
 last degree during the plebe year. It has always been that 
 way. I advise you to be careful to put on ' sir/ and to do 
 anything and everything they tell you, and do it in a 
 good-natured, willing, obedient spirit. It won't do you 
 any harm and it will be much easier for you. Everybody 
 does that way." 
 
 " Did Tyler clo that way, and did the officers we see 
 do that way when they were cadets ? " 
 
 " Of course they did." 
 
 Buck couldn't reason it all out, but he concluded Preble 
 was right. 
 
 " Preble, do you know what a ' lucky bag ' is ? " 
 
 " I should think so, as many times I have had things 
 get in the lucky bag." 
 
 Preble said this considerately. He knew that Buck was 
 thinking about his bag. But Buck was most concerned as 
 to the offense he might have committed. 
 
 " Aboard ship, when anything private is left about the 
 decks, instead of being stored away in the proper place, 
 it is put in the lucky bag and confiscated." 
 
 He saw Buck's eyes open wider. 
 
 " This is to teach the necessity for order, and has been 
 found the best way to cure carelessness, which can't be 
 tolerated aboard ship, where everything is so crowded any- 
 how. In the case of cadets, instead of confiscating the ob- 
 ject, they return it and give demerits."
 
 72 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " How many, Preble ? " 
 
 " Three for each offense." 
 
 " How many for being late at a formation ? " 
 
 " Three also." 
 
 " Six demerits," meditated Buck. " This is a strange 
 place." 
 
 Buck had never had six demerits in his whole life 
 before. 
 
 " I will have to explain it at home," he thought, as he 
 and Preble went over the gangway of the Santee with the 
 rest of the squad. 
 
 Before breaking ranks the officer of the day directed 
 that those who had not been to the tailor shop and the Pay- 
 master's office should go without delay and should procure 
 hammock mattresses, and all the articles of outfit specified 
 in the catalogue; that the hammock numbers and locker 
 numbers would be found on the bulletin board posted on 
 the gun deck.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 BUCK FINDS HIS BERTH ON THE SAXTEM 
 
 IT was a busy afternoon for the new plebes. Buck 
 hadn't more than time to glance over the spar deck 
 and then the gun deck with their broadsides of big 
 muzzle-loading guns, and feel the thrill that the guns in- 
 spired. He hastened down on the berth deck and was soon 
 employed in unpacking his trunk and getting his things 
 into his locker. He had to stoop considerably to clear the 
 deck beams overhead. Faint cylinders of light came 
 through the air ports and were aided by three fixed oil 
 lamps, one forward against the washroom bulkhead, one 
 against the mainmast, and one aft against the brig bulk- 
 head. Each plebe had a portable candle in addition. 
 
 There were thirty-seven of them in all, but as Buck 
 looked over the deck, with the trunks and valises strewn 
 about, it seemed that there were a hundred, nearly all of 
 them new faces, though here and there he saw one of Mrs. 
 Connell's boarders. 
 
 Buck's locker was number seventeen, up near the wash- 
 room. Preble's was on the other side of the deck. Pike- 
 man's was down near the brig. Catell's was only a few 
 lockers away. Harry Billerson's was the next locker for- 
 ward. 
 
 " My name is Jones. What is your name ? " Buck 
 promptly asked the one next to him aft. 
 6 73
 
 74 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " Henderson." 
 
 " I am glad to meet you, Mr. Henderson. Introduce 
 me to the gentleman beyond you ? " 
 
 It wasn't long before Buck had met nearly all those in 
 his vicinity, and they knew at once that he was from the 
 South. 
 
 " What State are you from, Mr. Henderson ? " 
 
 " From Kentucky." 
 
 " That must be a fine State. The best horse we have at 
 home is from Kentucky." 
 
 " What State are you from, Mr. Jones ? " 
 
 " I'm from Alabama. Mr. Thompson, what is your 
 State?" 
 
 " Tennessee." 
 
 " That's a fine State, next to Alabama. Some of my 
 people came from there. Of course, I make no reflection 
 on Kentucky," he nodded to Henderson. 
 
 These three were to become good friends. 
 
 By three o'clock all trunks and valises were off the deck 
 on the way to the storage room. Buck's trunk was among 
 the last. Preble and Catell were helping him toward the 
 end. They saw he was in trouble, and warning word had 
 been passed by the master-at-arms. Buck was becoming 
 desperate and began jamming his things into the small 
 locker. He had been accustomed to having a wardrobe full 
 of drawers and a closet, and his mother had always super- 
 intended the servants to keep his things in order. 
 
 " That will never do, Buck." Catell had come to call 
 him Buck. " The lockers will be inspected to-morrow 
 morning, Preble says," and he began helping Buck get 
 some order out of the confusion. 
 
 Buck had been looking at a marine at the other end 
 of the deck standing on guard. When Preble came up 
 he asked what he was doing.
 
 BUCK FINDS HIS BERTH ON THE SANTEE 75 
 
 " He is keeping watch over some third classmen who 
 are in solitary confinement." 
 
 " What are they in confinement for ? " 
 
 " For frenching. They are in Jo-Jo's gang. The 
 whole gang came near being caught, but the others got 
 away from the watchman, who came up as they were climb- 
 ing back over the wall behind the Sick Quarters." 
 
 " How many are there confined ? " 
 
 " Two." 
 
 " For how long ? " 
 
 " One of them for seven days, the other till further 
 orders, which means that his case is still under considera- 
 tion. He may be dismisp^d." 
 
 " Why, was he worse than the others ? " 
 
 " They found a flask of whisky under his blouse, and 
 it is rumored that he made a false statement about it." 
 
 " It looks like a prison back there," continued Buck. 
 
 " It is a prison in effect. They have enlarged and 
 fitted up the old brig of the ship and use it to confine 
 cadets." 
 
 "What is the brig?" 
 
 " It's the prison cell, where the men are confined." 
 
 This made Buck very thoughtful. He had never con- 
 sidered this phase. The inside, practical part of naval life 
 was coming upon him fast, with the inevitable effect of 
 disenchantment. But the mood could not last in the face 
 of Buck's idealism and innate optimism. 
 
 " I suppose they have to have punishments, but it's a 
 glorious thing, after all, to have a chance to devote your 
 whole life to the service of the flag. And even if they have 
 had to put some men in the brig, the navy has made a won- 
 derful record." 
 
 These meditations didn't help Buck's unpacking, and 
 it required the aid of Catell and Preble to get him through
 
 76 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 in time. Then the three went off together to the tailor and 
 storekeeper. Preble didn't have to get any new things 
 for himself, hut he wanted to he with Buck ; not only he- 
 cause he liked Buck, hut also because he wanted to give 
 him points. While Buck was in with the Paymaster, 
 Preble began talking about him. 
 
 " I'll never forget the way he squared himself and 
 faced Jo-Jo, if I live to be a hundred. At the same time 
 I never saw a chap so green about practical little things. 
 He is bound to get lots of demerits." 
 
 The Paymaster at this moment was adjusting with 
 Buck the amount to be allowed for his traveling expenses. 
 When asked how much they were, Buck figured a little. 
 
 " Thirty-one dollars and sixty-five cents," he said. 
 
 " What are the items ? " 
 
 " Ticket to Selma ; ticket to Atlanta ; ticket to Wash- 
 ington; ticket to Annapolis; total, thirty-one dollars and 
 sixty-five cents." 
 
 " What did you spend on the sleeper ? " 
 
 " Nothing ; I didn't know there was a sleeper." 
 
 " What on your meals ? " 
 
 " Nothing ; I brought my meals with me." 
 
 " How long was the trip ? " 
 
 " Three days and a half." 
 
 " How were you able to carry enough for three days 
 and a half?" 
 
 The Paymaster genuinely enjoyed talking to the frank, 
 naive little man. 
 
 " Oh," said Buck, with pride, " I had some left over 
 when I reached Mrs. Connell's. The carpetbag my mother 
 made will hold a lot. On a camp hunt I have carried 
 enough to last nearly a week." 
 
 The Paymaster smiled. He had heard of that carpet- 
 bag alreadv. 
 
 w /
 
 BUCK FINDS HIS BERTH ON THE SANTEE 77 
 
 * 
 
 " But the meals must have cost something and the Gov- 
 ernment provides for same. What do you think would 
 cover the amount ? Do you think that an average of fifty 
 cents a meal would cover it ? " 
 
 " Oh, I don't think it could have been as much as that, 
 sir. We raised the chickens and the eggs, and the pickles 
 were homemade and the ham came from the plantation, 
 and I think they hardly missed the other things at all." 
 
 " The Paymaster is a fine man," said Buck as he came 
 out, which was his way of saying he liked a man. 
 
 " Yes, indeed he is," replied Preble. " Everybody 
 likes Paymaster Sambis. Of course, he has to keep strict 
 accounts, but he always likes to accommodate you. It 
 does him a lot of good for a cadet to have plenty of money 
 on the books when he comes to go on leave." 
 
 " Let's go around the gymnasium on our way back," 
 Buck suggested, and the three friends circled the old fort. 
 Buck stopped when all the old cannon came in view 
 mounted in a surrounding semicircle. 
 
 " Where did these come from ? " 
 
 " I don't know," replied Preble. " From some of our 
 old ships, I think." 
 
 And Buck's imagination began immediately picturing 
 deadly battles where the guns had won glorious victories 
 for the flag. 
 
 " What gun is that, mounted out over the sea wall ? " 
 
 " That's the gun they fire." 
 
 " We shall get the full benefit on the Santee" thought 
 Buck. He gazed from the Santee out over the bay. 
 " Preble, what is that tall thing out on the point ? " 
 
 " That's Greenbury Point Lighthouse, and the object 
 on legs farther out to the right is the Spider Lighthouse, 
 on the shoals off the entrance of the bay. Lord, how many 
 questions you can ask ! "
 
 78 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 But Buck was fascinated. They had to threaten him 
 with being late for supper formation to get him away. 
 As they passed the Dale, Preble said : 
 
 " Buck, you see that tall, gaunt-looking old salt on 
 the forecastle there ? That's Tim Casey." 
 
 Buck gazed at him closely and began to imagine the 
 wonderful things that Tim had seen in his day. 
 
 " Preble, what do they call that flat ? " asked Buck, 
 as he pointed up the mast when they passed the Wyoming. 
 
 " That's the maintop." 
 
 " Is there anybody on board the Wyoming ? " 
 
 " No, they take care of her from the Santee. The 
 Saturday-morning cruises are over. They won't use her 
 again till the seamanship drill for the Board of Visitors 
 in graduation week." 
 
 Buck was in ample time for supper formation and fell 
 in at his regular place according to height the highest 
 on the right. He began to take note of things and noticed 
 that he came a little above the middle. Rix, a robust six- 
 footer from Michigan, was at the head, in the front rank, 
 with Ninman, a slim New Jerseyite, behind him. Then 
 came Parsons from South Carolina, and Dillon from Cali- 
 fornia. Buck listened attentively to all the names as Gust 
 called them off. Some were strange names to Buck, of 
 Swedish, Polish, German, and other foreign origin. Buck 
 was interested to know what kind of men they were that 
 had the curious names, so he spent some time after the 
 return from supper going about among them, as they 
 wrote letters on the tables on the gun deck or arranged 
 their lockers, getting acquainted. 
 
 " They are just like everybody else," he concluded. 
 
 When everything was still he slipped off and went out 
 on the wharf and sat down on a spar to look out over the 
 water by night. The wind was still; the lighthouse
 
 BUCK FINDS HIS BERTH ON THE SANTEE 79 
 
 gleamed afar, the light sending out intermittent shafts; 
 the lamps along the sea walls made paths of light across 
 the shifting water ; the stars sparkled in their reflections ; 
 the water licked the piles. 
 
 " It is so still and yet so restless," murmured Buck, 
 and a feeling of mystery and loneliness came over him. 
 After a while he went back on board and looked up Preble. 
 
 " What time is it, Preble 3 " he asked. 
 
 " Nearly three bells. Let's go up and see the gun 
 fire." 
 
 They went up. Ding, ding ding! A flash and a 
 crash ! Buck jumped, but regained his control instantly, 
 flushing with enthusiasm. 
 
 Preble was accustomed to the gun fire and was not 
 very romantic or enthusiastic. 
 
 " It's all right as long as it fires a blank charge," he 
 said, noticing Buck's interest. 
 
 Buck was a little ashamed of the way he had jumped. 
 Every night he went up until the flash and crash failed 
 to cause a muscle to twitch. 
 
 Pikeman, like a politician, had begun to lay the wires 
 to be elected class president. He had noticed with uneasi- 
 ness how the others began to like Buck as soon as they 
 met him, and he viewed with suspicion Buck's action as 
 he spoke heartily to everyone. As the time approached 
 now for taps, Buck looked about the deck to see if the 
 others were going to say their prayers. He thought every- 
 one said his prayers before going to bed. He always said 
 his and had always done so since before he could remem- 
 ber. The time was getting short. No one made a move, 
 but, getting ready to turn in, the others continued laugh- 
 ing and joking. Some had begun to climb into their 
 hammocks. 
 
 " Shall I say my prayers in my hammock ? That is
 
 80 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 what the rest are probably going to do," said Buck to 
 himself. 
 
 The time limit was up. 
 
 He had always knelt down to say his prayers. It 
 went against his grain not to do so now, yet he hesitated. 
 Then with sharp self-scorn he suddenly knelt down, with 
 his elbows on his camp stool on the open deck, and said his 
 prayers. 
 
 Pikeman turned to Ninman and Kix and the rest of 
 the group around him, and pointed over to Buck. 
 
 " Did you know we had a parson on board ? " he said, 
 with a sneer. 
 
 At the morning gun fire Buck was out of his hammock 
 with a bound. 
 
 " It's great, sleeping in a hammock," he said to Preble 
 as they met in the washroom and lined up to take turns 
 at the limited number of basins. " I didn't turn over 
 once." 
 
 It was a beautiful spring morning. The bay was a 
 field of leaping diamonds. The sparkling lawn seemed to 
 speak to the trees and the green leaves answered back. 
 As the squad marched through the beautiful grounds 
 Buck's heart sang the same hymn that came from the 
 heart of all nature, that it was glorious to be part of cre- 
 ation. The spell remained on him even into the breakfast 
 formation. Suddenly he came down to the earth with a 
 thud. The adjutant was reading his own name on the 
 conduct report. 
 
 " Jones, B. P., late at dinner formation." 
 
 There was no mistake. The words rang in Buck's ears. 
 
 " Same, carpetbag in the lucky bag." 
 
 An audible titter passed over the battalion. 
 
 " Put Mr. Kerr on the report for smiling in ranks,"
 
 BUCK FINDS HIS BERTH ON THE SANTEE 81 
 
 said the officer-in-charge, as lie came slowly along the 
 opened ranks in his inspection. 
 
 Buck began to feel nervous as his turn drew near. 
 The officer stopped in front of him, and looked him over 
 from head to foot. 
 
 " What is your name ? " 
 
 " Jones, sir." 
 
 Buck felt guilty. 
 
 " Put Mr. Jones on the report for clothes not brushed." 
 
 The officer of the day wrote down the memorandum. 
 
 As they marched into the mess hall, Buck was medi- 
 tating, " Nature is very beautiful, but naval life is a stern 
 reality." 
 
 When Tyler struck the bell the battalion rose, but 
 no order to " March out ! " followed. Chaplain Dawson 
 entered from the door on the left, raised his hands and all 
 heads were bowed. Buck felt a peculiar inspiration as the 
 clear, impressive, manly voice of the Chaplain offered up 
 thanks and besought God's blessings upon our great coun- 
 try and upon the institution given to its service. 
 
 " I am so glad that I am an American," pondered 
 Buck, and the spell was not broken even when Whaley 
 came close and demanded: 
 
 " Mister, did I see you drinking milk ? " 
 
 "'Yes, sir." 
 
 " What do you mean by it ? Knock it off." 
 
 When they broke ranks at the Santee, Buck asked 
 Preble what Whaley meant. 
 
 " Oh, plebes are not allowed to drink milk, except on 
 the cruise." 
 
 In a half hour the squad marched to the armory, Gust 
 in charge for " Setting up " exercises and marching drill. 
 Corbezier, the old sword master, was in charge, giving his 
 orders with a sharp, foreign accent and rolling his " R's."
 
 82 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Buck took a great fancy to Corbezier and asked Preble all 
 about him. Preble said there was much mystery con- 
 nected with his past, the tradition being that he had once 
 been in the French army, was a famous duelist, and on 
 account of a duel in which he killed his opponent had been 
 compelled to flee the country. 
 
 " Such a fencer ! " went on Preble. " There has never 
 been his like in America. He is getting along in years, 
 but is as limber and quick as a cat. Most of the routine 
 teaching of fencing falls on the assistant sword masters, 
 Keintz and Betz, but Corbezier soon takes the best ones 
 himself." 
 
 " I am going to get with Corbezier," resolved Buck. 
 " When do we begin to take fencing ? " 
 
 " Not till next year." 
 
 Buck was greatly disappointed. 
 
 From the armory the squad went to the natatorium to 
 learn swimming. About half could swim and about a 
 third could swim well enough not to return. Buck was 
 the first that Storm, the master of physical training, told 
 he need not come again. 
 
 " You have a good stroke, Mr. Jones and your breath- 
 ing is all right." 
 
 " May I come back, anyhow ? " 
 
 " Certainly. Whenever you wish. I will give you a 
 few points that will help you in a sea way." 
 
 Buck went every day. 
 
 At dinner formation Buck was startled when the adju- 
 tant, after reading the detail for the next day, ordered : 
 
 " Jones, B. P., will report to the Commandant immedi- 
 ately after dinner." 
 
 Buck's messmates were all excited and Buck was in 
 great anxiety himself during the meal; but they won- 
 dered how undisturbed he seemed.
 
 BUCK FINDS HIS BERTH ON THE SANTEE 83 
 
 " Report to the officer-in-charge first," whispered 
 Preble as they came out. 
 
 " The Commandant will see you at once," said the 
 officer-in-charge when Buck reported. 
 
 Buck crossed the entrance and entered the Comman- 
 dant's office. Commander Carrington sat behind a large, 
 heavy table with the conduct report spread out before him. 
 " Spuds " Carrington was one of the most feared Com- 
 mandants that ever held the office. 
 
 " Mr. Jones," he began, in measured, suggesting tones, 
 more like a question than a statement, " I notice that you 
 have sent in no excuse or explanation for being late at 
 dinner formation yesterday. What was the matter? 
 Were you delayed on the way? " 
 
 " Not for any length of time." 
 
 " How did your bag get adrift ? " 
 
 " The officer of the day ordered me to drop it on the 
 wharf." 
 
 " That will do, sir." 
 
 Buck left. When the conduct report was posted Buck 
 found : " For being late, no excuse. Demerits, 3. For bag 
 in lucky bag, excuse accepted." 
 
 " Preble," said Buck, " the Commandant is just. It 
 was my fault for being late, but it was not my fault about 
 the lucky bag." 
 
 " ' Spuds ' is a terror for discipline, but I think you 
 will find that he is always just," answered Preble. 
 
 When Buck had told about the interview Preble ob- 
 served : 
 
 " He was after Jo-Jo when he asked if you had been 
 delayed." 
 
 In the afternoon the squad had " boats under oars " 
 and " gymnasium." Buck was delighted with both.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 BUCK MAKES A NEW FRIEND AND ENCOUNTERS AN OLD 
 
 ENEMY 
 
 ON board the Santee, about half an hour before sup- 
 per formation, the plebes dropped in sheer ex- 
 haustion, some on camp stools, some on the deck. 
 Buck slipped off without being noticed and went aboard 
 the Wyoming. He had made up his mind to climb up to 
 the maintop. He reached the rigging and began to climb. 
 It was a new experience. It was like climbing rope 
 ladders. 
 
 He held tightly to the shrouds and took each step care- 
 fully. He reached the futtocks under the top and care- 
 fully passed between them. Finally he reached the lub- 
 ber's hole, drew himself up through on his elbows, then 
 stood up and looked out at the ship below, at the other 
 ships, at the academy grounds, at the river, at the bay. 
 In his enthusiasm, and almost ecstasy of delight, he 
 couldn't help saying out loud : 
 
 " This is great ! " 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied a voice from behind the mast. 
 
 Buck stood petrified. Was it a spirit ? The weird 
 sensation was quickly dispelled. A gaunt-looking sailor, 
 with deep-set eyes and gray hair and mustache, looked 
 around the mast from his seat on the maintop chest. Each 
 wondered what the other was doing up there. Buck went 
 around the mast. 
 
 84
 
 BUCK MAKES A NEW FRIEND 85 
 
 " You are Tim Casey, the boatswain's mate ? " 
 
 " That's my name." 
 
 " I am Buck Jones, one of the new plebes." 
 
 Tim was surprised that Buck should know him, but 
 pleasure was evident on his weather-beaten face. Buck's 
 outspoken frankness went straight to the old salt's heart. 
 
 " My friend, Preble, has told me about you. I hope 
 you are going on the cruise with us." 
 
 " Indeed I am. The crew on the Dale are going to be 
 transferred to the Constellation to-morrow. The Constel- 
 lation ought to be here now from Norfolk." 
 
 " Did you come up here to sight her ? " 
 
 Tim's face beamed at the naive question. 
 
 " Not exactly, though she's a fine old ship ; one of the 
 few left now." 
 
 Buck saw that he loved the old ships and the old days. 
 
 " I came over here to see what I could pick up for my 
 starboard watch. Here's a marline spike or two, some 
 ratlin stuff, a few thimbles and a ball of rope yarn. This 
 jigger will come in handy. Some day when all hands are 
 called to reef topsails and the weather sheet won't go 
 down, the first lieutenant will call out, ' Clap on a jigger ! ' 
 and before the captain of the maintop comes with his 
 gear, I'll have this jigger on and be piping away." 
 
 Buck was delighted. 
 
 " But I haven't found much. In these new days of 
 regulations and checking up everything, foraging don't 
 do you much good. Even a quartermaster can't find any- 
 thing of account." 
 
 Buck guessed, as he learned later, that the boatswain's 
 mate and quartermaster, and even captain of the tops, 
 used to go around the navy yards picking up things for 
 their parts of the ship. Some were noted for their apti- 
 tude in this line. Many a time in an emergency the execu-
 
 86 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 tive officer would see things appear that he didn't know 
 were on board. 
 
 Buck thought it was time for him to say something. 
 
 " This is a fine ship, the Wyoming." 
 
 " Nothing but an old tub, sir." 
 
 Buck was shocked by this sweeping condemnation. 
 
 " But it has steam and sails both." 
 
 " A mongrel. Nothing good ever came out of a 
 mongrel." 
 
 " Didn't Farragut use them ? " Buck was sure he had 
 won the argument by citing this authority. 
 
 " Yes, sir, Farragut used them because the other fel- 
 lows used them and because he had to go up rivers. But 
 he never liked them. One day on the Hartford he came 
 up from the engine and boiler rooms, when the brasses had 
 gotten hot and the boiler tubes were leaking, and I said 
 to him : ' Capt'n ' you know I never called him ' Ad- 
 miral,' not I, when I had called him i Capt'n ' ever since I 
 sailed with him when he was a lieutenant says I, ' Capt'n, 
 how do you like steam ? ' and he turned to me and says, 
 says he : ' Tim, those infernal engines worry me to death. 
 I don't mind the enemy, but what can a man do when his 
 boiler tubes are leaking ? ' I felt sorry for him, and I 
 hated the engine and I hate one still. They are the in- 
 vention of the devil to spoil the life on the high seas. And 
 these men they enlist for coal heavers, and oilers and what 
 not; they are blasted land lubbers the last mother's son 
 of them." 
 
 Supreme scorn stood out in every feature of the old 
 sailor's face. 
 
 " I am afraid, sir," he continued with great earnest- 
 ness, as he shook his head, " I am afraid the service is 
 going to the dogs." 
 
 There was something pathetic in the way Tim clung
 
 BUCK MAKES A NEW FRIEND 87 
 
 to the past. Buck saw there was no use to argue the ques- 
 tion. Besides, he knew it was time to wash up and brush 
 his clothes for supper formation. 
 
 "I am glad to know you, Tim, and I hope I shall be 
 in your watch on the cruise," said Buck as he started 
 down. 
 
 He was passing through the lubber's hole when Tim 
 said: 
 
 " There she comes ! " 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " The Constellation." 
 
 Buck jumped up again and looked the way Tim 
 pointed. Far out, beyond the point at Bay Ridge, over 
 the tree tops, Buck could just make out the upper part 
 of the masts, the rest of the ship being hidden. 
 
 " You think it is the Constellation ? " 
 
 " Yes ; she is under tow. They will heave in sight 
 soon." Then he added : " I think I ought to recognize 
 that ship. She and I have been friends for over fifty 
 years." 
 
 When Buck was gone, old Casey said, half aloud, " A 
 sprightly lad, for these times. He looks a little like Far- 
 ragut did when I first saw him, and he's outspoken the 
 same way." He pondered a moment, calling up the im- 
 ages of the past. " I have it now. He makes me think 
 of young Dewey in the steerage. Farragut liked him. He 
 was afraid of nothing." 
 
 As Buck passed the gun deck and forward on the berth 
 deck to the washroom, he called out: 
 
 " Fellows, the Constellation is coming in." 
 
 They ran over and looked out of the ports. 
 
 " You are fooling us." 
 
 When they were forming, still nothing was visible. 
 
 Pikeman remarked:
 
 88 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " That's one of Jones's schemes to make himself con- 
 spicuous." 
 
 When they got back from supper, the Constellation 
 was halfway up the channel in tow of the Standish and 
 the Phlox, the academy tug and side-wheeler, and the new 
 plebes remained out on the wharf as the ship with her lofty 
 masts came in and was made fast to the buoy in the 
 middle of the stream below the old monitor Passaic. 
 
 " We shall probably go on board about the end of 
 next week, or early in the following week," remarked 
 Preble to the group that gathered around him, " and im- 
 mediately after the first class graduates, the new first 
 class and third class will come on board and then we 
 will sail." 
 
 Day after day as the plebes came back from the drills 
 and exercises that seemed to get harder and harder, they 
 longed for the time when they would embark. 
 
 Thursday evening after supper on his way to his room 
 when the bugle was sounding for study hour, Whaley 
 passed by Jo-Jo's room. 
 
 " I saw our friend the carpetbagger a little while 
 ago. He was meek as a lamb. Not a bit gaily." 
 
 " Where did you see him ? " asked Jo-Jo. 
 
 " Behind the gas house. He says he likes to sit there 
 alone and look out over the bay. He is inclined to be ro- 
 mantic. This grind here will take the romance out of him 
 in a little while." 
 
 " / will take it out of him," muttered Jo- Jo to himself. 
 
 Late the next afternoon, before supper formation, 
 Buck was enjoying the harbor and bay under the setting 
 sun from his favorite position behind the old gas house, 
 where he was practically free from intrusion. He was 
 absorbed in the aimless flight of some sea gulls when his
 
 BUCK MAKES A NEW FRIEND 89 
 
 thoughts were rudely broken into. He saw a cadet coming 
 along the sea wall. 
 
 " It is Jo-Jo," he murmured. " He is coming up the 
 road this way. Whaley must have put him on." 
 
 " Stand up there, mister ! " said Jo-Jo savagely. 
 
 Buck stood up, though he felt his chest begin to heave. 
 
 " I'll do as Preble advised, if I can," he resolved. 
 
 " What is your name ? " 
 
 " Jones." 
 
 " Jones what ? " 
 
 " Jones, sir." 
 
 " Let me hear you spell it." 
 
 " J-o- 
 
 "Stop! Jwhat?" 
 
 " J, sir, o, sir, n, sir, e, sir, s, sir ; Jones, sir." 
 
 " Where are you from ? " , 
 
 " Alabama, sir." 
 
 " Was your father a rebel ? " 
 
 " He fought in the Civil War." 
 
 " Put on ' sir ' when you answer me." 
 
 Jo-Jo saw the blood mount to Buck's face, and he 
 knew he had struck the right trail. 
 
 " / say he was a rebel, with Lee and Jackson and all 
 the rest of them. They fought against their country. 
 They were not only rebels, but they were infernal 
 traitors." 
 
 Buck never knew before that moment what destroying 
 passions lie dormant in the human breast. 
 
 " You're a liar," he cried, rushing at him, but was 
 stopped by a staggering blow between the eyes. Buck 
 saw stars, but he charged again. Another blow on the 
 cheek. Jo-Jo felt he had it all his own way. The green- 
 horn didn't even know how to take his guard. 
 
 " I'll pound him to jelly," he said to himself. 
 7
 
 90 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Buck advanced again, and again received a crushing 
 blow in the left eye; then he paused as he saw the scien- 
 tific boxer all prepared for the next charge. He had be- 
 gun to get his " head " again. Jo-Jo then advanced cau- 
 tiously and struck Buck again, this time in the right eye. 
 Buck's awkward effort to parry amounted to nothing. 
 The blow almost knocked him down, and when his blink- 
 ing eyes could see again, Jo-Jo was advancing to deliver 
 another blow. 
 
 " I'll stretch, him out this time," resolved Jo-Jo, as he 
 struck out with all his might. 
 
 " I must get close to him," Buck concluded, and he 
 lowered his head. Jo-Jo's blow struck the top of his 
 forehead and glanced, and Buck passed under his guard. 
 As Jo-Jo drew back, Buck struck him a powerful blow 
 under the chin. Jo-Jo staggered. Buck followed it up 
 with another blow in the mouth, and then grappled with 
 his old Indian hug, giving him the " hip heiss." 
 
 Jo-Jo came down with a thud, Buck on top. Buck 
 flattened out to hold him down. Jo-Jo struggled, to no 
 avail. Buck was in his own province here. Jo-Jo struck 
 him on the back of the head. 
 
 " If you strike me that way again, I'll mash your face 
 in," and Buck put his fist in his face. Jo-Jo's lips were 
 bleeding. " I ought to do it, anyhow." But he restrained 
 the impulse. Jo-Jo, finding he could do nothing, began 
 to quiet down. Finally he said : 
 
 " This is a strange way to fight." 
 
 Buck saw that one of Jo- Jo's lower teeth was gone. 
 
 " Your way was a strange way to me." 
 
 " What are you going to do ? " 
 
 " I am going to hold you here till you give up and 
 take back your insult in calling my father and General 
 Lee traitors."
 
 'Buck struck him a powerful blow under the chin."
 
 BUCK MAKES A NEW FRIEND 91 
 
 Buck's blood began to boil again at the thought. After 
 a pause Jo- Jo began : 
 
 " It is nearly time for supper formation." 
 
 " I don't care." 
 
 Jo-Jo began to have a fear lest some one should come 
 up and find them. The fear began to haunt him. He 
 saw two cadets walking up the sea wall from the marine 
 barracks. 
 
 " How about the future ? " It was evident that Jo-Jo 
 was making overtures for capitulation. 
 
 " I am going to take nothing else from you. You will 
 have to give up for good." Buck would have nothing but 
 unconditional surrender. 
 
 A heavy silence followed. 
 
 " I'll give up," said Jo-Jo. 
 
 " Do you take it all back ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 They got up. A new dread seized Jo-Jo. Buck might 
 report him. He knew the authorities were only waiting 
 for such a thing to dismiss him. 
 
 " Will you shake hands ? " he asked. 
 
 Buck said, " Yes." They shook hands. 
 
 " It is all over now ? " asked Jo-Jo. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 Jo-Jo turned and went around the gymnasium. Buck 
 went by the gas house. 
 
 Jo-Jo went back of the Old Quarters, then down by the 
 steam building and physical laboratory and entered the 
 New Quarters by the rear door. He hurried up to his 
 room. On the stairs Whaley called out : 
 
 " What's the matter, Jo-Jo ? " 
 
 " I fell down coming up the steps." Jo- Jo felt that 
 his lips were beginning to swell, and stopped long enough 
 to get some ice from the cooler.
 
 92 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " I wonder if the tooth shows ? " He hurried to his 
 room and to the looking-glass. " It looks bad. When I 
 talk it shows. I wonder what became of that tooth. I 
 must have swallowed it. Confound that little carpetbag- 
 ger ! I'll get even with him yet." 
 
 He noticed that a sort of whisking sound came from 
 the vacant place when he talked. He crushed some ice 
 and kept it on his lips. " It's no use," he said, as the 
 bugle blew for supper formation. 
 
 When Buck reached the Santee he went forward on 
 the spar deck to avoid the others, then down the forward 
 hatch to the washroom and plunged his head in a basin 
 of water. 
 
 " What are you doing, Buck ? " asked Preble, as he 
 came in to wash up. 
 
 " Cooling my head off." 
 
 When the bugle blew Buck wiped, and went to brush 
 his hair. 
 
 " What a fright ! " he exclaimed, as he saw himself 
 in the glass. A lump had begun to grow on his forehead ; 
 dark-blue bands of puffed flesh were forming around both 
 eyes; a large black bruise was on the cheek. 
 
 " Buck, my dear fellow, you had better go to the hos- 
 pital," suggested Preble with much anxiety. 
 
 " Much obliged to you, Preble ; it's all right." 
 
 At supper everybody looked at Buck, then at Jo-Jo. 
 By study hour everybody had guessed that the first fight 
 with the new plebes had been fought. Indignation against 
 Jo-Jo was running high. Whaley, his chum, came up 
 and said: 
 
 " Jo-Jo, you're a bully and a coward to fight that little 
 fellow. I am not going to have anything more to do 
 with you." 
 
 " Upon my word, Whaley, he struck me first. I was
 
 BUCK MAKES A NEW FRIEND 93 
 
 only running him. He came at me without any warning. 
 That's how he hit me in the mouth. I only kept him off 
 in self-defense, until he found he could do nothing; then 
 he stopped and ran away." 
 
 " Jo-Jo, you know you are lying," Whaley said, and 
 turned on his heel. He didn't speak to Jo-Jo till after 
 breakfast next day, when, as the plebes were coming out, 
 Whaley edged up close to Buck, who could hardly see 
 through the swelling about his eyes. 
 
 " Did you strike him first ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 Then Whaley began to speak to Jo-Jo again, though he 
 kept a lurking contempt for him. 
 
 At dinner formation the adjutant read an order for 
 Jones, B. P., to report to the Commandant immediately 
 after dinner. The battalion knew what that meant. 
 
 " Jo- Jo is a goner." 
 
 " The little chap ought to have reported it, anyhow." 
 
 " I'd like to hear everything he tells the Commandant." 
 
 " Jo-Jo has always tormented the little fellow." 
 
 " He never has picked trouble with anybody his own 
 size." 
 
 " A good riddance it will be." 
 
 Such were the remarks during the meal. 
 
 When Buck saluted before the Commandant's table, 
 Captain Carrington began : 
 
 " Mr. Jones, it is clear that you and Mr. Kerr have 
 had a fight. Please report what led up to it" 
 
 " With your permission I'd rather not, sir." 
 
 " You realize that it was the part of a bully. Mr. Kerr 
 has a bad influence. Your testimony with the visible facts 
 will suffice. You will be rendering a service to the corps." 
 
 " I struck him first, sir. I'd rather not make any 
 further statement." Buck was respectful, but firm. Car-
 
 94 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 rington respected the way Buck felt, and again gave up 
 the hope of catching Kerr. 
 
 When Buck left the office the hall and steps were 
 lined with cadets. Jo-Jo stood opposite, looking pale and 
 anxious. He raised his eyebrows as Buck came out. 
 Buck shook his head. 
 
 " It's all right," said Jo-Jo, with a relieved look as he 
 went to his room. 
 
 On Sunday Preble suggested that Buck get on the ex- 
 cused list so that he would not have to go to church look- 
 ing as he did ; but Buck decided to go. 
 
 When he entered the chapel he was deeply impressed 
 by the tablets and memorial windows. It seemed to him 
 that the spirits were gathered there of those who had nobly 
 given their lives for others; some in shipwreck, some in 
 accidents, some in battle, some in the ice of the Arctic, 
 some in the fevers of the tropics. He had never been so 
 impressed by any church service. The climax came while 
 the cadet choir sang with wonderful expression the hymn 
 
 Hear us when we call to Thee, 
 For those in peril on the sea. 
 
 The Chaplain invited the members of the new class to 
 remain after church service and join his Bible class; also 
 issued an invitation to them to join the Y. M. C. A. at 
 the afternoon meeting. 
 
 Buck hesitated. " I look like a scarecrow ! " he 
 thought. But he stayed. 
 
 All the next week the drills and exercises continued, 
 getting worse and worse all the time, as the new plebes 
 thought. Buck continued going with the swimming 
 squad and imbibed some good points from Storm. He
 
 BUCK MAKES A NEW FRIEND 95 
 
 began to develop a good stroke at the boat drills, and 
 " Chaw " Bartell made him stroke oar of his cutter. 
 
 Saturday came and there was no move for embarking. 
 
 " It can't be much longer," said Preble to those who 
 complained of the severity of the exercises. " Next week 
 is graduation week, and we must get on board before Sat- 
 urday, when the first and third classes embark." 
 
 Monday and Tuesday they continued, conscious that 
 the other classes were rejoicing in the closing week. Fi- 
 nally, Wednesday morning the order was read out for the 
 Santee squad to prepare their effects and be ready to em- 
 bark on the Constellation at 2.30. They shifted into 
 working clothes and, with clothesbags and pillowcases, 
 emptied their lockers, and at 2.30 sharp were embarked in 
 steam launches and transferred. They found their locker 
 numbers and hammock hooks, and by eight bells, four 
 o'clock, were all located on the Constellation. They had 
 consecutive numbers for their lockers forward on the berth 
 deck, odd numbers on the starboard side and even num- 
 bers on the port side ; but the hammock hooks were located 
 according to the part of the ship. 
 
 The watch quarter and station bill was already posted 
 on the bulletin board aft on the gun deck, and all crowded 
 around to learn their assignments and duties. Buck 
 found that he was in the starboard watch, maintop num- 
 ber 371, stationed on the main royal yard; that he was 
 number 17, the " powder monkey " at gun number 10. 
 He began copying down his duties, when he decided he'd 
 find Tim Casey to let him know that he was in the star- 
 board watch. 
 
 A sailor told him that he would probably find Tim up 
 on the forecastle with his pigeons at that time. Buck 
 went forward on the gun deck, looking closely at every- 
 thing as he passed, and was just going up the forehatch
 
 96 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 when he heard a terrible outburst on the forecastle oath 
 after oath, he had never heard anything like it. He rec- 
 ognized Casey's voice. A landsman rushed by. Casey 
 was after him. 
 
 " You son of a sea cook! I'll jump 
 
 down your throat and tear your heart out! " 
 
 Buck never dreamed a human being could get in such 
 a rage. He drew back down to the gun deck. It was a 
 hard shock. He had begun to idealize Tim Casey, and to 
 himself began to make explanations : " Perhaps Tim was 
 terribly provoked. After all, men are much the same. He 
 is probably no worse than I was when Jo-Jo called my 
 father and General Lee traitors." But he couldn't get ade- 
 quate excuses for such language. " Maybe it all depends 
 on a man's training." He walked up and down, not wish- 
 ing to go on the forecastle at once. He asked a sailor com- 
 ing down the hatch what was the matter. 
 
 " Oh, one of the new men who didn't know any better 
 kicked Tim Casey's pigeons." 
 
 " What would Tim have done to him if he had caught 
 him?" 
 
 " He would probably have shaken the life out of him 
 and chucked him overboard." 
 
 After a while, when everything had been quiet for 
 several minutes, Buck went up on the forecastle and found 
 Tim sitting on his " ditty " box leaning over stroking two 
 pigeons he held close with his left arm. No father, or 
 even mother, ever fondled an offspring with more tender- 
 ness. Tim had never had a wife or any children upon 
 whom to bestow affection, and it was for these two pigeons 
 to call out that elemental instinct of tenderness that prob- 
 ably lies the deepest in all living nature, which sixty 
 years of hard, wandering experience had not dimmed in 
 this rough man of the sea.
 
 BUCK MAKES A NEW FRIEND 97 
 
 " How do you do, Casey ? " 
 
 " How do you do, Mr. Jones ? " 
 
 " I have come to tell you that I am in your watch ; the 
 starboard watch; starboard maintop, it is." 
 
 " I am glad." 
 
 " I am glad, too." Buck stooped down and stroked 
 the pigeons gently. This went to Tim's heart. Tim had 
 always liked Buck. Now, and henceforward, he would 
 have given his life for him. 
 
 " Boatswain's mate ! " called the officer of the deck from 
 the quarter-deck. 
 
 " Sir ? " answered Casey. 
 
 " Pipe mess gear ! " 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," and Casey put the pigeons carefully 
 back in their little coop and closed the door, and then 
 went up and down the deck piping mess gear. The boat- 
 swain's mate on the gun deck took it up. Buck liked the 
 piping of the boatswain's mate on the Santee, but he 
 thought it couldn't compare with Casey's. Indeed, there 
 was never a boatswain's mate who could equal Tim Casey. 
 His piping had the " atmosphere," the " spirit " of the 
 briny deep. Under the spell of the piping Buck recovered 
 from his shock of a few minutes before and went down 
 again on the gun, and as he passed aft he was astonished 
 at the quick transformation. The mess cooks were getting 
 down their tables and benches from between the beams 
 overhead, hooking one end at the side between the guns 
 and hinging down the metal legs at the inboard end. Some 
 were already bringing the pots of potatoes, buckets of 
 coffee, loaves of bread from the galley. 
 
 " It is wonderful," murmured Buck. " A few minutes 
 ago this was the gun deck of a fighting machine ; now it 
 is a big mess hall." 
 
 He found the same preparations going on on the berth
 
 98 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 deck, but here two long tables stretched fore and aft, one 
 on each side, with camp stools for the cadets, and mess-hall 
 boys served instead of enlisted men. 
 
 " Bugler, sound the supper call ! " he heard the officer 
 of the deck order, and all hands went to supper. Buck re- 
 mained at supper only a very short time. He was eager to 
 see everything that went on on the gun deck and spar deck. 
 
 When he went up he found the smoking lamp lighted 
 and the jackies sitting around smoking their pipes and 
 telling yarns. 
 
 " Messenger, tell the boatswain's mate to ' turn to ' and 
 pipe ' sweepers,' " directed the officer of the deck, and in a 
 few minutes there was no sign of mess gear of any kind. 
 
 " Preble, it is wonderful to me how they manage 
 everything," remarked Buck, as the two sat on the main 
 topsail halyard rack talking over the events of the day. 
 " First I saw the guns only, then the gun deck seemed like 
 a mess hall, and then it turned back to guns again." 
 
 " After sunset you will see it turn into a big bed- 
 room," added Preble. 
 
 " It is all systematized," added Preble, " and there is 
 a routine for each day, and every man on board has his 
 particular part to play. You noticed in the watch quar- 
 ter station bill how the duties are specified. So many of 
 the crew are in the forecastle, so many in the foretop, 
 so many in the maintop, so many in the mizzentop, and 
 so many in the afterguard. Each man has a certain part 
 in getting up anchor, in making sail, in furling sail, in 
 reefing topsails, in working ship, at abandon ship, at gun 
 quarters and target practice, at boat drill and at every- 
 thing else, and if each man does his part well the whole 
 thing will go like clockwork." 
 
 " I am going to copy down all of my duties and learn 
 them at once, and do my part," resolved Buck.
 
 BUCK MAKES A NEW FRIEND 99 
 
 " Hello, let's go forward, Buck; I see the men are 
 going in swimming." 
 
 They went forward and climbed a few ratlins lip the 
 port fore rigging to have a good vantage ground. The port 
 topping lift was let out till the end of the boom touched 
 the water, and the sailors in swimming trunks were walk- 
 ing down and diving off. Some would dive from the bul- 
 warks ; some were swimming back and forth to the boom ; 
 others were striking far out into the stream. 
 
 " Watch this man going out on the flying jib boom. 
 That's John Anderson, captain of the maintop; the best 
 swimmer on the ship except Tim Casey." 
 
 The jib boom must have been forty feet from the 
 water. Buck had seen what he thought was high diving 
 in Alabama, but nothing like this. He was uneasy as 
 Anderson went off, but drew a breath of relief when his 
 outstretched arms made the entry for his head as he struck 
 and scooted under the water, rose and shook the water from 
 his hair, and struck out overhand for a two-hundred-yard 
 jaunt and back. 
 
 " Look at that stroke ! " cried Buck in admiration, as 
 Anderson came back with the speed of a steam launch. 
 
 " He swims like a dolphin," admitted Preble, " but 
 he can't touch Casey. Casey usually goes off the fore- 
 yard." 
 
 Buck looked up with wild-eyed amazement at the fore- 
 yard far above. 
 
 " See that man out there making the long side stroke ? 
 That's Ol Olsen, the Swede. Casey says Olsen could buck 
 a seaway longer than any of them." 
 
 Anderson went out on .the jib boom for another dive. 
 
 " I wish the fellows in Sumter could see this," said 
 Buck to himself. " Preble, won't they let us go in ? Let's 
 ask the officer of the deck."
 
 
 100 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " It is too late. To-morrow they will probably lower 
 the starboard boom for the cadets." 
 
 " Tim, why don't you go in ? " suddenly called out 
 Preble, as he saw Tim pass below them. 
 
 " Fresh water swimming," said Tim in disgust as he 
 passed on. 
 
 " I think Tim's bones are getting a little stiff. He is 
 really getting old," said Preble. 
 
 After a while the swimmers were called in. 
 
 " Man the lower boom topping lift ! " ordered the officer 
 of the deck. " Hoist away ! " 
 
 Buck and the cadets about joined with the sailors. It 
 was the first time Buck pulled on a piece of gear. Casey 
 piped, " Hook on the dinghy ! " The dinghy had been 
 manned and lay off a little distance during the swimming. 
 
 " Lay aft to the boat's falls ! Set taut ! Hoist away ! " 
 
 Buck put his whole weight in the boat's falls as he 
 lowered his head and bent over with the sailors, and all 
 marched down the gangway stamping to keep time. It 
 seemed to be up. 
 
 " Once more, once again," and Casey piped to haul 
 hard. 
 
 " Belay, belay ! Come up with the falls ! " 
 
 Buck turned to Preble. " It's great." 
 
 Preble smiled. " You'll get enough hauling on gear 
 before the cruise is over." But he could not check Buck's 
 enthusiasm. He wished they might make sail that minute 
 and start. Health and strength, physical, mental, and 
 moral, made Buck a natural optimist and enthusiast, and 
 the new environment was an inspiration. 
 
 The two cadets went forward and sat down with Casey 
 on his chest, and were talking over the prospects, wonder- 
 ing when they would start on the cruise. 
 
 Buck heard the officer of the deck order, " Bugler,
 
 BUCK MAKES A NEW FRIEND 101 
 
 sound the call ! " At the first blast Casey and Preble 
 jumped up and faced aft, and so did all the men about the 
 deck. Buck quickly followed the example. The colors 
 started down. Slowly they came. At the last note of the 
 bugle all saluted. 
 
 Buck's heart leaped high. He realized through every 
 tingling fiber of his being that he was " serving under the 
 
 Soon, at the order from the officer of the deck, all the 
 boatswain's mates piped together, and called out, " Stand 
 by your hammocks ! " All the enlisted men and cadets 
 ranged themselves along the gangway outboard, next to 
 the hammock netting, the cadets abaft. 
 
 When Buck finally turned in at 9.30 he went to sleep 
 quickly, but not until he had thought over the day and 
 realized that he was at last on a warship in commission, 
 and he had undefined feelings of gratitude and resolved 
 to do his part well. 
 
 The next morning Buck jumped up at gun fire, and 
 was the first of the cadets to get his hammock lashed and 
 on deck. Preble was next. 
 
 " To-day is graduation," remarked Preble. " By 
 twelve o'clock we shall be real plebes." 
 
 As soon as breakfast was over Buck began investigat- 
 ing the nature of his duties as specified on the watch quar- 
 ter station bill. 
 
 " Preble, where is the main royal yard ? " 
 
 " See away up there, the highest yard on the main- 
 mast." 
 
 " Would the officer of the deck let us go up there ? " 
 
 " I think so. To-morrow before sunset colors, when the 
 other classes get on board, you'll have to go up for send- 
 ing down light yards, and possibly they will send us over 
 the masthead to-day."
 
 102 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 The permission was granted. 
 
 Buck climbed the main rigging and reached the main- 
 top as he had done on the Wyoming, then he entered on 
 the new venture of climbing the topmast rigging, and fi- 
 nally stood on the crosstrees holding tight to the top- 
 gallant shrouds. 
 
 " It is very high," he murmured, and his head seemed 
 to get dizzy as he looked down. Soon he mastered his 
 feelings, and slowly started up the Jacob's ladder. 
 
 " It's very loose. I wonder if it is going to give way." 
 He paused and his heart seemed to come up in his throat. 
 " Of course it' must be strong." But a tremor passed 
 over his frame as he glanced over his shoulder at the dizzy 
 height. He turned his eyes upward, held his teeth tight 
 together and slowly climbed on, till at last he stood on 
 the jack, with his left arm around the mast, his right 
 hand holding the backstay. He felt tumult within. There 
 was nature's strong impulse to get down and escape, and 
 there was the resolve to conquer nature. Buck seemed to 
 take a savage pleasure in almost torturing himself. 
 
 " I'll stand here till there is no sign of a tremor left ;" 
 and he stood. 
 
 Casey was looking at him from down on the forecastle. 
 
 " Come here, Olsen," he said to the sailor standing 
 on the other side of the deck. " You see that cadet up 
 there on the main jack ? He is stationed in the main royal 
 with you. He's a new one and a friend of mine. I want 
 you to look out for him. He is inclined to be venture- 
 some. Keep your eye on him until he gets used to 
 handling the sail."
 
 CHAPTEE IX 
 
 BUCK LEARNS SEAMANSHIP AND SOME OTHER THINGS 
 
 AT one o'clock Carrington and the Chaplain came on 
 board; the boats were hoisted, the lower booms 
 rigged in, the chain cable unshackled from the 
 buoy, the ship being held, as she rode to the flood tide, by 
 a slip rope through the buoy ring. 
 
 At 2.30 the Standish and the Phlox came alongside, 
 and by 4.30 the Constellation dropped anchor in seven 
 fathoms of water beyond the bar well out in the bay, Cap- 
 tain Carrington deciding to remain at anchor over night 
 as the wind was a head one. 
 
 A feeling of exultation came over Buck. " All 
 hands " were allowed to go in swimming, and when Buck 
 struck the water and began to swim against the wind and 
 tide, he felt that he was really making the acquaintance 
 of the sea. It seemed to challenge him, and whenever 
 a wave larger than the others came along he took delight 
 in riding it, swimming on his face in the trough, then ris- 
 ing on his side and taking the crest with the back of his 
 head. The first big wave he struck was followed by a sec- 
 ond one before he was prepared and it ducked him and 
 partly strangled him. 
 
 " The big fellows come in pairs. They won't catch me 
 again ! " and Buck swam well forward of the ship against 
 the waves and came back with them, his face fairly beam- 
 
 103
 
 104 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 ing. He thought he would go up and take a farewell dive 
 from the bulwarks. He walked up the boom, and was 
 nearly at the ship's side when Rutlidge started out. 
 
 " Wait till I get in," called out Buck. 
 
 " It is too late," answered Rutlidge. 
 
 " Then turn around and go back." 
 
 " I can't turn around." 
 
 " Then come on." 
 
 Buck knew that Rutlidge was an indifferent swimmer, 
 and that he knew nothing about diving, so he decided to 
 make way and, as Rutlidge drew near, he leaned out to 
 let him pass. Rutlidge was rattled, and being about to 
 lose his balance, leaned out the same way. The life line 
 running above the boom slackened more than Buck ex- 
 pected. His foot slipped. 
 
 " If I hold to the line, it will throw Rutlidge off." 
 Buck let go. 
 
 It was about a twenty-foot fall. Buck tried to kick 
 up his heels and take the water with his hands and head. 
 Too late ! He shut his mouth tight as he struck the water 
 square on the back of his neck and his spine. Everything 
 turned black. His powerful heart action probably stood 
 him in good stead. 
 
 With the dawning of semiconsciousness, he felt some 
 one beneath him, pushing him upward. He began to real- 
 ize that he was under the water and began to kick. Fierce 
 pains darted through his head and back. He started to 
 gasp. The brine poured into his mouth. The man be- 
 neath him worked frantically. Full consciousness came 
 as he reached the surface, completely strangled. He 
 spat the water out and began to strike out against the 
 waves. 
 
 " You'd better come this way and go in over the 
 Jacob's ladder astern." It was Casey beside him. He
 
 BUCK LEARNS SEAMANSHIP 105 
 
 saw that they had drifted abaft the gangway. Things 
 were still blurred before Buck's eyes, and he was racked 
 by strange pains. 
 
 " I am going in from the boom," was his determined 
 answer, and he began to get his long side stroke and to 
 take the waves with the back of his head. 
 
 When they reached the boom and Buck got hold, Casey 
 said: 
 
 " I'll go around the other side and nobody will notice 
 it." He struck out around the bow with his powerful stroke 
 and came in over the port boom, reaching the deck almost 
 as soon as Buck did, all the other swimmers being in and 
 the topping lift being already manned. 
 
 " Been in swimming, Tim ? " said Mike Kelly, the 
 wag, captain of the forecastle. " I thought you didn't want 
 any more swimming in these waters." 
 
 " I thought I'd get a taste of the brine." 
 
 " Where's your swimming trunks ? " 
 
 " I thought I'd wash out my clothes." 
 
 " You must be looking up. Since when did you begin 
 going in on the starboard side ? " 
 
 " I only went in over the bow and came around to the 
 port side." 
 
 Tim had taken off his dripping clothes to the waist and 
 was rubbing down. 
 
 " Where's your pipe and your hat, Tim ? " 
 
 This was too much. Tim had gone overboard many a 
 time in an emergency, and had seen other seamen go over 
 likewise, but he had never heard of a seaman going over 
 so quick that he didn't take time to put his pipe in his 
 hat and leave them behind. 
 
 During the swimming Tim had been sitting up on the 
 topgallant forecastle smoking and watching Buck. It re- 
 newed his youth as he saw Buck take the waves for the 
 8
 
 106 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 first time. He was watching when Buck came up the 
 boom, and the instant he saw how Buck struck, he was 
 overboard. 
 
 " Look here, Mike, you blasted Irishman ! " 
 
 " What are you yourself ? " 
 
 Tim made as though to take a belaying pin from the 
 fife rail. 
 
 " Maybe Mr. Jones don't want to talk about this, and 
 if you don't keep your Irish tongue from wagging, I'll 
 crack your skull and feed you to the sharks the first dark 
 night outside the Capes ! " 
 
 Buck had to steady himself as he went down to the 
 berth deck and up to the washroom to rub down and 
 dress. He turned in as soon as hammocks were piped, but 
 could not go to sleep on account of the dull pain in his 
 head and back. Shortly after both watches had been 
 piped down and the anchor watch had been mustered and 
 everything was still, a man straightened up from beneath 
 his hammock. 
 
 " How do you feel, Mr. Jones ? " he asked in a low 
 voice. Buck recognized Casey. 
 
 " I have a pain in my back and head, but I think it 
 will be all right to-morrow. You are very good to come 
 to see me, Tim." 
 
 " I have some turpentine I got from the ship's 
 painter," began Tim. 
 
 " Turpentine is good, I know. My mother uses it on 
 us boys," Buck said. 
 
 " Turn over, and let me rub your back." 
 
 Buck obeyed, and the old sailor rubbed his back for 
 nearly an hour, until the heavy breathing showed that 
 Buck was asleep ; then he gently slipped away. 
 
 The next day Buck was much better, but he still felt 
 somewhat dazed. He managed to get through gun quar-
 
 BUCK LEARNS SEAMANSHIP 107 
 
 ters and a short drill, as well as to do his part in getting 
 up anchor and making sail. No one but Tim noticed 
 anything. 
 
 The wind held from the southeast and they continued 
 beating down the bay, tacking every hour or two. Late 
 in the afternoon Tim called Olsen up. 
 
 " They are probably going to shorten sail and anchor 
 soon. Keep a good lookout on Mr. Jones when you go 
 up to furl the main royal. He's not very well to-day, and 
 ought to be on the sick list. Keep him in near the bunt, 
 and don't get out of reach of him. Never mind about the 
 outer gaskets. I will square you with the first lieutenant 
 if he sees them." 
 
 As Tim foresaw, about sunset, " all hands " were 
 called to shorten sail and bring ship to anchor. 
 
 " Stand by to lay aloft, light yardmen ! " 
 
 Buck was in the rigging with the rest. " Lay aloft ! " 
 and Buck was off, leaving all the cadets except a third 
 classman on the topgallant yard. He reached the royal 
 yard but a little behind Olsen. 
 
 " Lay out and furl away ! " 
 
 " I'll not wait, but will go out on the yardarm myself 
 this time. You stay in at the bunt," and Olsen laid out 
 and stopped half way. 
 
 " We'll get it well up inboard first," he said ; and he 
 and Buck leaned over the yard and grabbed up fast to beat 
 the fore royal. 
 
 " Be careful, Mr. 'Jones. The foot rope is short, even 
 in here. Don't pull up so hard. You might miss and 
 go over backwards." 
 
 The words were scarcely out of his mouth when Buck 
 made a heavy grab, as the sail bellied out, and missed. 
 The impetus carried him backward. He grabbed at the 
 yard ; too late ! His finger tips only touched. He bent
 
 108 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 his knees to try to catch the stirrup; too late! It was 
 out of reach. 
 
 Thoughts began to flash through his mind like light- 
 ning. It was a hundred and fifty feet to the deck. 
 
 Olsen's arm was about him at the small of the back 
 and hurled him back against the yard. Buck drew a deep 
 breath. It was all over in the twinkling of an eye. 
 
 " That was a good turn, Olsen ! " he said, as he took 
 up the furling again, more cautiously this time. 
 
 The Constellation made only about twenty-five miles 
 that first day. It was a good day for practice work and 
 seamanship with the constant tacking, but the wind died 
 down toward sunset and the distance covered was a dis- 
 appointment. So the Captain in his night orders di- 
 rected the officer of the deck that if the wind should 
 spring up in the night, " all hands " should be called at 
 daybreak. 
 
 Buck felt as though he had only begun to sleep when 
 he heard the mate of the berth deck calling : 
 
 " Turn out ! Turn out ! All hands on deck ! Don't 
 stop to lash your hammocks ! " 
 
 He dressed by the dim light and hurried on deck to 
 find it still dark, though day was breaking. He shivered 
 a little as he waited for the others to get on deck and the 
 work to begin, but he caught the spirit of the scene about 
 him. The stars were shining overhead and a brilliant 
 morning planet swung over the east. Thorn's Point light 
 with its flashes was just visible above the horizon to the 
 north, and the white light of Sharp's Island shone steady 
 across the bay. A six-masted schooner was passing near 
 with its green headlight, the dark hull and the tall sails 
 outlined against the sky, earlier than the Constellation in 
 taking advantage of the favorable land breeze. 
 
 " Buck, have you had any coffee ? " asked Preble as
 
 BUCK LEARXS SEAMANSHIP 109 
 
 be came up the hatch biting a piece of hard-tack, and 
 found Buck looking out over the bay. 
 
 Buck hurried down. The men were assembled in 
 groups on the gun deck, with tin cups drinking black 
 coffee, served from big tin buckets, and the cadets were 
 sitting about the tables on the berth deck. Buck sipped 
 the black steaming coffee, and felt it scalding in his mouth 
 and throat. 
 
 The boatswain's mate piped, " Turn to ! " and then, 
 " All hands up anchor ! " " Clear the berth deck ! Clear 
 the berth deck ! " cried the mate of the deck, a first class- 
 man. " On deck, there, Mr. Jones ! " 
 
 Buck took a last swallow and grabbed up a piece of 
 hard-tack and ran up the fore hatch. 
 
 " Lay down on the gun deck, port watch, and bring to 
 the chains ! " 
 
 " All ready for heaving around ! " cried Chaw Bartell 
 from the forecastle. 
 
 " Heave round ! " ordered the officer of the deck, and 
 the port watch put their weight on the capstan bars. Buck 
 looked down the hatch. The clank of the palls and the 
 heavy rattle of the chains stirred his blood. The capstan 
 began to turn faster. The men on the outer ends of the 
 bars were almost in a trot. Buck couldn't stand -it any 
 longer. He slipped down the hatch, jumped in on the 
 first bar and pushed with all his might. 
 
 " Hello, Jones, what are you doing down here ? I 
 thought you were in the starboard watch," said Ninman 
 from the bar behind. 
 
 " So I am, but there is nothing doing up there yet. 
 This is fine sport." No trace of the pain of the previous 
 day was left, except a lingering twitch when he turned 
 his neck too far, and Buck took relish in putting his whole 
 strength out.
 
 110 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " Forecastle, there, how is the chain ? " 
 
 " Ten fathoms at the hawse pipe, sir." 
 
 " Clear away the head sails ! " 
 
 Buck ducked under the bars and went up the hatch 
 like a shot. 
 
 " The lad is stationed on the main royal, but I bet he 
 has gone out to help loose the jib," said one of the sailors. 
 And so Buck had. 
 
 " I don't do more than I have to," remarked Pike- 
 man, " and anybody that does is a bootlick." 
 
 " Put your weight on the bar, Mr. Pikeman, or I'll 
 report you for shirking," sharply called out the first class- 
 man in charge forward. 
 
 " The chain is up and down, sir." 
 
 " Man the jib halyards ! " 
 
 " Anchor's away, sir." 
 
 " Clear away the down haul, hoist away ! " 
 
 Buck grabbed the jib halyards along with the fore- 
 castlemen and tore down the deck, pulling with all his 
 might as they ran. 
 
 "Haul aft the starboard jib sheet!" and as the jib 
 began to draw, the bow began to pay off, and the ship be- 
 gan to turn to the eastward, from where she had been 
 riding to the ebb tide. 
 
 " Anchor's in sight, sir, clear anchor ! " 
 
 "Hook the cat!" 
 
 Steadily the ship's head swung around and passed to 
 the southward. 
 
 " Shift over the jib sheet ! " 
 
 " Lay up and clear away the spanker ! " 
 
 "Man the spanker outhaul! " and Buck was off to 
 join the afterguardsmen. 
 
 " Clear away the brails, haul out ! " and the spanker 
 took the wind and the ship continued to swing.
 
 BUCK LEARNS SEAMANSHIP 111 
 
 "Manthecatfall!" 
 
 Buck ran forward again. 
 
 " Set taut ! Hoist away ! " 
 
 " Stand by to lay aloft, light yardmen! " 
 
 Buck was the first man in the rigging. 
 
 " Keep down in the main rigging," warned the officer 
 of the deck, as Buck was slipping up to get a better start. 
 
 "Lay aloft!" 
 
 Up they went on the fore, main, and mizzen; Buck 
 was in the lead. He missed two or three ratlins and 
 chafed his shins, and two men passed ahead of him 
 through the lubber's hole. 
 
 " Stand by to lay aloft, topmen ! Lay aloft ! " 
 
 In the topmast rigging Buck caught up and reached 
 the crosstrees ahead and beat Olsen up to the yard, and 
 was out loosening the gaskets. 
 
 " Main royal yard, there ! " yelled the officer of the 
 deck through his trumpet. " Lay in till the order." 
 
 " Lay out and loose," and on all the yards in the ship 
 they laid out together. 
 
 11 Lay in and lay down from aloft ! " 
 
 Buck saw so many below him in the way that he 
 jumped on the topgallant backstay and slid down. 
 
 " Man the topsail halyards ! Set taut, hoist away ! " 
 
 When he was through hauling on the main topsail hal- 
 yards, Buck jumped forward and helped in the last haul- 
 ing on the fore-topsail halyards. Thus Buck kept on the 
 jump from one rope to the next till all sail was set. 
 
 " Pipe down, remain on deck, starboard watch ! " 
 
 The sun was just up and the ship went bowling along 
 about eight knots an hour, with the wind abeam. An ideal 
 start; and Buck was full of enthusiasm. When the star- 
 board watch went below at eight bells the ship was off the 
 mouth of the Patuxent Kiver.
 
 112 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 The Captain wished to make up time, so he kept the ship 
 on its course without undertaking any seamanship man- 
 euvers, but made up by a long drill at gun quarters from 
 nine-thirty till eleven. Some of Buck's crew smiled at the 
 way he jumped back and forth with the long powder 
 pouch. 
 
 " We'll have to change the name from ' powder mon- 
 key ' to ' powder rabbit/ " whispered one. 
 
 " Then it would truly be a case of a ( Buck rabbit,' ' 
 whispered the other. 
 
 " Knock off your laughing, there, and attend to your 
 duties." 
 
 The gun captain was severe, but a smile passed over 
 the whole crew as the joke was quietly passed along. 
 
 " Away, riflemen ! " The gong sounded. Buck 
 started, but remembered that he was a boarder. 
 
 " Away, boarders, board from the starboard bow ! " 
 
 The rattle sounded. Buck dropped his pouch, drew 
 his cutlass, rushed up the hatch, flew for the bow and 
 arrived even before the boarders from the forward guns. 
 He brandished his cutlass over the bulwarks, and pic- 
 tured to himself that he was boarding the Serapis from 
 the bow of the Bonhomme Richard. 
 
 " Shift breeching, sponge, load, and shift left truck ! 
 Train three points forward of the beam! Range two 
 thousand yards! Aim! Fire! Sponge! Load! " and 
 so the drill went on for a solid hour and a half. 
 
 After securing, the retreat sounded; the plebes gath- 
 ered on the spar deck around the mainmast, and along the 
 sailing launch, and most of them stretched out on the deck 
 apparently exhausted. 
 
 " It's great, isn't it ? " remarked Buck with enthu- 
 siasm. 
 
 " I don't see anything great in going over and over
 
 BUCK LEARNS SEAMANSHIP 113 
 
 again the same thing. Carrington and Dott never know 
 when to quit," said Pikeman. 
 
 Lieutenant Commander Dott had just been ordered to 
 the Academy as senior assistant to the Commandant, and 
 was the executive officer of the ship. 
 
 " Dott is an old stinker, anyhow. He would drive you 
 till you fell dead. Say, Preble, do they work you as hard 
 as this all through the cruise ? " 
 
 " Pretty much, in one way or another." 
 
 " Then it will be as bad as it was on the Santee" 
 
 Buck saw there was no use to argue the matter, so 
 he went up forward where he saw Casey and Kelly 
 talking. 
 
 " Where are we, Casey ? " 
 
 " Off the mouth of the Potomac. This land breeze 
 is holding on longer than usual. It's going down now and 
 there won't be much of it left by the dogwatch. But it 
 will stiffen about sunset, and if it's in a hurry the Captain 
 is, and he holds on all night, we can anchor off Hampton 
 Roads for breakfast." 
 
 " Mr. Jones, do you see that point over there ? " put 
 in Kelly, as he pointed over to the northward of the mouth 
 of the river. 
 
 " No, I can't see it." 
 
 " What do you suppose its name is ? " 
 
 Buck looked carefully. 
 
 " I tell you that's no point." 
 
 " Right you are, Mr. Jones," said Kelly with ill-con- 
 cealed merriment. 
 
 " You know, Mr. Jones, with seafaring men, every- 
 thing is a' point, but that point is No Point." 
 
 Buck looked at Casey for an explanation. There was 
 a twinkle in Casey's eye. 
 
 " Mike Kelly must have his Irish fun. But Mike's
 
 114 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 a good fellow with all that. You see, Mr. Jones, that 
 point is so low that you can't see it any distance away, 
 and the sailors these hundred years have called it Point 
 To Point; and that's its name." 
 
 Buck laughed loud and long. 
 
 " That's a good one, Mike. I'm going to try it on 
 Mr. Preble." 
 
 " You'd better try it on one of the new ones, and get 
 Mr. Preble to stand by you." 
 
 The bugle sounded the dinner call for the starboard 
 watch. Buck went below to find Preble, and Casey went 
 by to look out for his pigeons. 
 
 At dinner Buck set the whole table roaring, including 
 the upper classmen, as he caught three or four of the 
 plebes in turn before they caught on. Casey and Kelly 
 heard with great satisfaction what a success he had made 
 with the joke. 
 
 " The lad has as much humor as if his name were 
 Pat," remarked Casey. 
 
 " Or Tim," put in Kelly. 
 
 " Or Mike," retorted Casey. 
 
 " We must put him on to some more things." 
 
 Casey nodded. 
 
 In the afternoon watch it came Buck's turn at the 
 lead. He had been watching the process of heaving, and 
 felt that he could heave it all right, for he had used a 
 sling at Sumter with great success, but the first time he 
 tried, the lead came near falling on his head. 
 
 " Put more muck in it, Mr. Jones," said the " gen- 
 tleman of the watch," the first classman on duty. 
 
 The next time the lead went around, but made so little 
 distance ahead, that though the ship's speed had dimin- 
 ished to about four knots, Buck failed to get a sounding. 
 He grit his teeth. " I'll put it far enough this time,"
 
 BUCK LEARNS SEAMANSHIP 115 
 
 and the lead went well out, but fell over the muzzle of the 
 second broadside gun, and he had trouble pulling it back. 
 
 " Use your head, Mr. Jones." 
 
 Buck realized that he had to aim the lead. 
 
 " In the chains, there ! " called the officer of the deck 
 sharply. 
 
 " Sir ? " answered Buck, as consternation seized him. 
 
 " What is your sounding ? " 
 
 " I must get it this time. I'll aim well out," resolved 
 Buck as he steadied himself. 
 
 If the officer of the deck thought he would rattle the 
 amateur, he was mistaken. The lead went well forward 
 and some distance out from the ship's side, farther out 
 than a seaman would have put it, but it got bottom, with 
 the red mark just showing at the water's edge. 
 
 " By the mark, seven," Buck called out with a note of 
 victory in every word. 
 
 The officer of the deck looked at the gentleman of the 
 watch and both smiled. 
 
 Buck began to get bottom nearly every time. 
 
 " By the mark, seven," he called out several times. 
 
 " It's not quite so deep this time. I wonder what I 
 ought to call it. I'll try it carefully again." The same 
 thing: the red rag mark was well above the water. Buck 
 pulled it up to see the mark below, the white mark for 
 five fathoms. 
 
 " It's about half way between the seven and the five 
 by the mark, six," he called out. 
 
 " What is that, sir ? " demanded the officer of the 
 deck. 
 
 Buck repeated, " By the mark, six." 
 
 " There is no such mark, sir." 
 
 Buck felt the blood rushing to his cheeks. 
 
 " Gentleman of the watch," continued the officer of the
 
 116 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 deck in a severe tone, " teach that land lubber in the 
 chains something about the lead line." 
 
 " Mr. Jones, when there is no mark and you estimate 
 it an even fathom, call it ' by the deep.' If it is a 
 fraction of a fathom, call it by the quarter, more or 
 less." 
 
 That was all that was needed. 
 
 " By the deep, six," he called out next, and soon took 
 pride in estimating to the half fathom and the quarter 
 fathom. 
 
 " And a half, six quarter less seven," and before the 
 two hours were up he felt sure of himself. 
 
 Buck went forward when relieved, holding his head 
 high. He got Casey talking about the lead. Casey went 
 on to tell him about the different size leads, the limits of 
 the hand lead, the deep-sea lead, and about the record 
 soundings he had helped Commodore Maury and Captain 
 Sigsbee to make, and about the queer specimens they had 
 brought up from great depths. 
 
 Buck's enthusiasm was stirred. 
 
 " Do you think we shall use the patent deep-sea lead 
 this cruise ? " he asked. 
 
 " Yes, indeed ; the first time we come in from sea and 
 approach the land." 
 
 Mike Kelly came up at this point with a twinkle in 
 his eye. 
 
 " Speaking of heaving the lead, I have a conundrum 
 to ask you, Mr. Jones," and Kelly cast his eye over at 
 Casey. " Why is it impossible for a leadsman on the 
 Constellation to come up to a certain great humorist ? " 
 
 Casey himself looked puzzled. " That's a new one on 
 me." They thought awhile and finally both gave it up. 
 
 " Because the ship would run aground before he could 
 reach Mark Twain."
 
 BUCK LEARNS SEAMANSHIP 117 
 
 " That's a good one," and Buck was off down the gang- 
 way to catch Preble. 
 
 " No, I'll wait and catch him and the others at 
 supper." 
 
 He could hardly contain himself till the supper call, 
 and at table it seemed there would never be an opening. 
 It was a hard school in self-restraint. Finally Harry 
 Billerson, who had had such a hard time at the lead the 
 day before, remarked : 
 
 " Jones, I noticed you had a turn at the lead this af- 
 ternoon, and I understand the gunner's mate was very un- 
 easy, afraid he'd lose the tompion in the muzzle of number 
 five and number seven guns." 
 
 " Yes," said Buck carelessly, " it was rather humil- 
 iating." He paused, and then continued : 
 
 " The truth is a leadsman on this deep-draft ship 
 doesn't have a fair chance." 
 
 Everybody was looking at Buck and listening by this 
 time, even the upper classmen. 
 
 " To illustrate, I will ask you a conundrum. Why is 
 it impossible for a leadsman on the Constellation to come 
 up to a certain great humorist? " 
 
 Preble looked up reproachfully. His eyes told Buck 
 plainly : " I think you might have let me on." And 
 Buck's eyes confessed: "I know it was mean, but I 
 couldn't help it." The question passed up and down the 
 deck, to both tables; the mess boys had taken it to the 
 pantry, and had given it to the steward, and from him it 
 reached the ship's cook, and spread over the gun deck. In 
 a little while it had gotten into the wardroom and then 
 actually penetrated the cabin. 
 
 " It's really so simple and easy, I'm ashamed to tell 
 you now." 
 
 Buck was nonchalant and was getting up to go.
 
 118 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " Let us have it ; let us have it. We must have it 
 before you go." 
 
 Buck gave the answer and darted up the hatch to tell 
 Casey and Kelly, but found them already in gales of 
 laughter among the men. 
 
 " You certainly worked it fine, Mr. Jones." They 
 hadn't enjoyed themselves so much in months. 
 
 As Casey predicted, the wind fell almost to a calm as 
 the afternoon advanced, but about sunset it began to pick 
 up again. There was no sign of coming to anchor; on 
 the contrary, at sunset the officer called out : 
 
 " Rig out the running lights, station the deck look- 
 outs ! " 
 
 Buck was stationed at the starboard gangway lookout, 
 the second half of the dogwatch from six to eight. He 
 had just taken his post when he called out: " Light ho! " 
 
 " Where away ? " called the officer of the deck in reply. 
 
 " Four points forward of the starboard stern." 
 
 " Can you make it out ? " 
 
 " Flash light, sir; red and white." 
 
 Buck had caught the light of Smith Point, below the 
 mouth of the Potomac, the instant it flashed down the 
 bay. He was so intent watching that he missed the mer- 
 riment that passed along the deck. The gentleman of 
 the watch came along and told him that he should have 
 reported it off the starboard quarter. It was Fonste, who 
 had taken a fancy to Buck. 
 
 " You caught the light all right. That was the main 
 thing," he said to comfort him. " Now keep a sharp look- 
 out forward." 
 
 Not ten minutes passed before Buck sang out again: 
 "Light ho!" 
 
 "Where away?" 
 
 " Broad off the starboard bow."
 
 BUCK LEARNS SEAMANSHIP 119 
 
 "Make it out?" 
 
 " Fixed white light" 
 
 " Orderly," Buck heard the officer of the deck call 
 out, " report to the Captain and the navigator that we have 
 picked up the light off the great Wicomico River, bearing 
 broad off the starboard bow." 
 
 " A J, a J> sir -" 
 
 The orderly was off and soon returned. 
 
 " The Captain says very well, sir. Remain on your 
 course. The navigator requests to be notified when the 
 light bears abeam." 
 
 A few minutes later Buck sang out again : 
 
 "Light ho!" 
 
 "Where away?" 
 
 " Three points off the port bow." 
 
 "Make it out?" 
 
 " Fixed white light, sir." 
 
 " Orderly, report to the Captain and the navigator that 
 we have picked up Tangier Island light, three points off 
 the port bow." 
 
 Then the officer of the deck called through his trumpet : 
 
 " Keep a bright lookout ahead ! " 
 
 The lookouts promptly responded in turn. 
 
 " Starboard cathead, bright light. Port cathead, 
 bright light. Starboard gangway. Port gangway. Star- 
 board quarter. Port quarter." 
 
 " Gentleman of the watch, find out why the other look- 
 outs failed to report the lights just picked up." 
 
 Fonste went off and returned. 
 
 " The lookouts seem to be all right, sir. They say the 
 starboard gangway lookout took the words out of their 
 mouths." 
 
 " Who has the starboard gangway ? " 
 
 " Jones, B. P."
 
 120 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 The starboard watch turned in promptly after being 
 relieved at eight bells, knowing that they would be called 
 at midnight. Buck was asleep the minute he was in his 
 hammock. It seemed an untimely awakening when he 
 suddenly heard the mate of the deck fairly yelling: 
 
 " Turn out! Turn out! On deck, starboard watch! " 
 
 Buck was dressed and off. 
 
 " You'd better take your overcoat. You have time to 
 get it," advised Preble, and Buck followed his advice, get- 
 ting up on deck before the bell struck, and in ample time 
 to answer his name at the muster as the gentleman of the 
 watch with masked lantern went about mustering the 
 " parts of the ship." 
 
 " Lay aft the life boat's crew of the watch to muster ! " 
 piped Casey. 
 
 Buck began to get a little cold, so he put on his over- 
 coat. It was a brilliant, starlit night, and the lights from 
 several lighthouses were in view. The scene was one to 
 inspire an imagination like Buck's, but he rubbed his 
 eyes. They felt heavy. 
 
 " Casey, do you know what lights those are ? " 
 
 " We are off Mob jack Bay, it seems to me. Yes, those 
 lights ahead are the York River lights. That red one is 
 York Spit light. The French fleet anchored up there. I 
 knew an old sailor who had been on board the flagship 
 at the time. He told me how Washington threw a heav- 
 ing line out to the French Admiral, and between them 
 they got a timber hitch around the British army and 
 hauled them in." 
 
 "Oh, I know/' said Buck. "It was the battle of 
 Yorktown, where Cornwallis surrendered." The thought 
 stirred him up, but in vain. He soon began to nod. 
 
 " Mr. Jones, I think you had better go to sleep. You 
 have no lookout, and the sails probably won't be touched
 
 BUCK LEARNS SEAMANSHIP 121 
 
 during the watch. Suppose you lie down on the deck, 
 under the hose rack, at the bulwarks." 
 
 Casey laid out the coil of clewline for a pillow and 
 stretched a tarpaulin over Buck as he lay down. 
 
 " Now, call me, if anything is doing." 
 
 " I'll call you." 
 
 " You promise me ? " 
 
 " I promise." 
 
 Buck was very sleepy, but he wouldn't take any 
 chances of missing anything. 
 
 Suddenly he was roused by somebody shaking him. 
 
 " Fire quarters ! Fire in the forehold ! " It was 
 Casey. The bell began to strike violently, ding, ding, 
 ding, ding in swift succession, then, ding, ding, slowly 
 then ding, ding, ding, ding ding ding. 
 
 " My duty is with this hose." 
 
 Buck remembered with a flash. He had the hose down 
 in an instant, the coupling end clear, and the nozzle end 
 laid out, when Anderson, captain of the maintop, arrived. 
 
 " You couple up, Anderson, and I'll manage the noz- 
 zle and get it in place before you can start the pump," 
 and Buck was off forward dragging the hose down 
 the fore hatch into the forehold. There was a light 
 " That's the fire." As he arrived Buck turned the nozzle 
 toward the fixed lamplight. " I won't turn it on the 
 lamp just yet. It seems all right." 
 
 " Rig the pump and we'll get our stream first. The 
 hose and nozzle are gone forward already," directed An- 
 derson on deck as his men arrived. 
 
 " Perhaps it is smoldering in there," thought Buck 
 in the hold as the water came and he turned the hose 
 among the barrels. " I'd better try it over there," and 
 he turned it over to the shelves. Out jumped the Jack o' 
 the Dust, dripping. 
 9
 
 122 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " What is it ? What is it ? " he asked in wild amaze- 
 ment. 
 
 " Fire in the forehold," answered Buck. " I don't 
 know exactly where, but I'll get it," and he turned the 
 hose to the other side. " It may be smoldering among 
 those goods," and he turned it into the storeroom. " They 
 say a fire aboard ship is a terrible thing. But I won't let 
 it get a start," and Buck drenched every nook with the 
 stream. 
 
 The Jack o' the Dust was frantic and rushed off to 
 the first lieutenant. He had long since formed the habit 
 of laying all his woes before the first lieutenant. He 
 came up dripping and panting. 
 
 " A cadet is flooding the forehold, sir. He's covered 
 the gear and spoiled the dry provisions. I saw the tops 
 fly off of the newly opened barrels of flour. Half the 
 hard-tack must be ruined by now." 
 
 " Go and tell him to turn the hose out of a berth deck 
 air port." 
 
 When the Jack o' the Dust brought the order, Buck 
 said to himself: 
 
 " Yes, I think that the forehold is now safe," and he 
 began taking the hose up the hatch and out to the side of 
 the berth deck, and in doing so, flooded a half dozen ham- 
 mocks, chiefly of first classmen and third classmen, many 
 of whom had not been awakened by the alarm. The first 
 one jumped up when the cold water struck him an,d wip- 
 ing his terrified face asked if the ship were sinking. 
 
 " No, sir ; only a fire in the forehold. I think the 
 danger is over now," answered Buck as he flooded a half 
 dozen lockers of third classmen in getting the nozzle out 
 of the air port. 
 
 " Secure, secure," was piped, and the water stopped, 
 and Buck drew in the nozzle and started up the hatch.
 
 BUCK LEARNS SEAMANSHIP 123 
 
 Just in time ! The flooded upper classmen began to real- 
 ize what had happened. Buck had never heard such lan- 
 guage from " gentlemen." Some of them swore who had 
 never sworn before. Buck dragged the hose aft, feeling 
 that pride and zest of having accomplished something 
 unaided. 
 
 " We got the first stream, Mr. Jones," said Ander- 
 son with pride as Buck came up. 
 
 " Yes," answered Buck ; " ours was the only stream 
 there. I hated to wet so many things, but the safety of 
 the ship had to be considered first." Buck shook his head 
 in the self-complacent thought that he had spared nothing 
 in the great cause. 
 
 Anderson dropped his work of unrigging the pump 
 and stood up in amazement. All the other maintopmen 
 did the same. 
 
 " What ! Mr. Jones, do you mean to say that all that 
 water went into the forehold ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed," said Buck, " and in the storerooms 
 alongside. That's where the fire was reported." 
 
 He noticed the amazement on all faces, and added 
 with a tone of half defiance, " Casey himself told me so." 
 
 " May the Lord have mercy on us when the first lieu- 
 tenant finds it out, as he must," and Anderson gasped 
 at the thought. 
 
 " He already knows about it," answered Buck. " That 
 crazy man down there jumped up and ran like a March 
 hare and told him about it." 
 
 " The Jack o' the Dust," said a dozen voices. 
 
 The solemnity and tragedy of the situation gave way 
 to peals of laughter. Even Anderson broke out laughing. 
 
 " I'd have given a month's pay to see him. I'm going 
 down to see him now." 
 
 Buck slipped off forward to confer with Casey. As he
 
 124 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 passed the fore hatch he heard a tumult of voices an in- 
 dignation meeting. 
 
 " Every stitch I've got is drenched." 
 
 " My mattress is soaked." 
 
 " I'll not have a collar or a cuff to go ashore in." 
 
 " The young idiot might have known it was Friday 
 night, the night for fire quarters." 
 
 " Such nerve ! Not the slightest concern when his 
 stream struck me full in the face and filled my hammock." 
 
 " He's getting entirely too fresh. He's picked up a 
 few things on the forecastle, and he rushes ahead as though 
 he knew it all. I'll bring him to his senses." 
 
 Buck recognized the last voice as that of Stratford. 
 
 As he went on to the forecastle, he stopped, for in the 
 starlight he recognized Kelly convulsed with laughter. 
 First he'd stand up and begin to tell Casey about it ; then 
 he'd become overpowered and bend over double, and then 
 rise and try again. 
 
 " I've just been down there, Casey, and such a sight I 
 It's worth my thirty years at sea. I saw hard-tack floating 
 around and flour barrels and salthorse and small stores." 
 Kelly broke down again and held both his sides to keep 
 them from bursting. " The Jack o' the Dust is dancing 
 a jig," he continued, as soon as he could get his breath. 
 " The ship's yeoman is there, paralyzed, and the Paymas- 
 ter's yeoman. They are all waiting in suspense for the 
 first lieutenant to come." 
 
 " I bet he doesn't come," put in Casey. " I know 
 Dott ; have known him since he was a cadet ; went with him 
 on his first cruise. He's conscientious about government 
 property, but he's got enough sense to understand." 
 
 At that point the officer of the deck called out : " Boat- 
 swain's mate, call one hand from each part of the ship 
 to man the bilge pump ! "
 
 BUCK LEARNS SEAMANSHIP 125 
 
 As Casey piped the call, Buck slipped away and de- 
 cided to spend the balance of the watch back at the after- 
 guard, as far away from the scene as possible, to think it 
 all out. 
 
 Casey was right about the first lieutenant. At that 
 moment Dott was in the wardroom among the officers, all 
 convulsed with laughter. The Jack o' the Dust had just 
 left after reporting the extent of the damage. As he went 
 on in a tragic voice and wild manner, one officer after an- 
 other had turned out and they all stood around in their 
 pyjamas enjoying the scene. 
 
 Dott went up to report the matter to the Captain. 
 
 " I regret to report, sir, that two or three thousand 
 dollars' worth of damage has been done to government 
 stores during fire drill. At five bells I sounded the alarm 
 for fire in the forehold. One of the new cadets thinking 
 it was a real fire carried a hose down and flooded every- 
 thing before anyone knew about it. It is most regrettable, 
 but was unavoidable, and was due to the young man's 
 quickness and efficiency. They say he was down with the 
 hose before the alarm had ceased. A real fire would have 
 been extinguished before it could have spread to the hatch 
 or approached the forward magazine. It is the forehold 
 that I am really afraid of in case of fire. If you approve, 
 sir, I will call a board of survey in the morning, and con- 
 demn the articles as injured in unavoidable accident." 
 
 " I agree with you, Mr. Dott. But what is the cadet's 
 name ? " the Captain asked as Dott was leaving. 
 
 " It was Jones, B. P." 
 
 Carrington smiled a long smile when Dott was gone. 
 
 " Buck Jones again," he said to himself. " He'll make 
 a great officer, if he doesn't get his neck broken before- 
 hand." 
 
 Buck was sitting near the taffrail, doubled up in the
 
 126 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 coil of the spanker sheet, leaning on his elbow, trying to 
 think it all out. 
 
 " How could I tell it wasn't a real fire at this time of 
 the night ? I didn't think about its being Friday." 
 
 He heard the bilge pump working and the gurgle of 
 the water as it went overboard with each stroke. 
 
 Harry Billerson pretended to be passing by. 
 
 " Hello, Jones ! I thought you usually held out on the 
 forecastle. You are back here now, I suppose, listening 
 to the music of the bilge water. I hear you have a per- 
 sonal interest in that water going over the side." 
 
 Buck made no reply. 
 
 " Billerson scores this time, sure, but I'll get my 
 inning." 
 
 Buck went all over the facts again, and definitely con- 
 cluded : " It's not my fault. I tried to do my part. It's 
 bad, but I'll not worry any more." He got up and began 
 to take an interest in the lights. The lookouts had re- 
 cently reported the Thimble Shoal light and the lights 
 of the Capes. Buck turned and in the dim light recog- 
 nized Dott, evidently looking for some one. 
 
 " He's after me." Buck braced himself and resolved 
 to stand his ground and say nothing, come what may. 
 
 " Mr. Jones, I've come to compliment you upon your 
 alertness and efficiency in the fire drill. You deserve 
 great credit. The Captain agrees with me." 
 
 " You are very kind, sir, and thoughtful." 
 
 As Dott left, Buck meditated. 
 
 " He thought I'd be worrying. He didn't wait till 
 morning. They call Dott a ' stinker'," he continued, 
 " but I know he's a fine man. I'll keep on thinking so ; 
 I don't care how many demerits he gives me."
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 BUCK GETS HIS FIRST TASTE OF THE SEA 
 
 WHEX his watch was relieved, Buck went down 
 the after hatch to his hammock and fell asleep 
 instantly. He had not heard the noise when 
 the anchor was let go in the morning watch, nor had he 
 heard the noise of hoisting the damaged things out of the 
 forehold. When he reached the deck with his hammock 
 he saw they had reached Fortress Monroe. There was the 
 fort, the first he had ever seen, bristling with guns. In 
 imagination he pictured the ship engaging it. They would 
 certainly have the advantage, he thought. 
 
 He saw Casey busy with boat gear. 
 
 " You think we shall go to sea soon ? " he asked the 
 old man. 
 
 " Probably before noon, if the captain wishes to get 
 out on this land breeze." 
 
 " Won't they let us go ashore ? " 
 
 Casey saw the look of disappointment, and said : 
 
 " You'll probably have plenty of time to see the fort 
 when we come back in August." 
 
 " That's the old Hygeia Hotel," Casey went on, " and 
 that's the Rip Raps. And over across there is where the 
 English settlers first landed when they settled at James- 
 town." 
 
 Buck was thrilled, but he had to hurry down to wash 
 up in time for breakfast. He was among the last in the 
 
 127
 
 128 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 washroom and he noticed Stratford still there, evidently 
 waiting for something. Buck had finished brushing his 
 teeth and was starting to leave. 
 
 " Mr. Jones," said Stratford sternly, " I wish to see 
 you in the washroom after breakfast." 
 
 " Very well, sir, I'll be here." 
 
 As he went on to breakfast he wondered what Strat- 
 ford wanted. 
 
 " He's too small for me to fight," he repeated to him- 
 self. 
 
 At the breakfast table the talk was all about going 
 ashore in the afternoon. Buck said nothing. One of the 
 first classmen came down from the deck late and reported 
 that the Phlox had been sighted coming down the bay. 
 All was excitement. 
 
 " She has mail," a number exclaimed. 
 
 " She has fresh provisions and ice," another said. 
 
 " She has laundry. Now I can get fresh clothes to go 
 ashore in," said a third classman, as he frowned signifi- 
 cantly at Buck. 
 
 They began to cut their meal short and hurry on deck 
 to get a sight of the side-wheeler, the glad messenger from 
 the Academy. 
 
 Buck looked longingly at the others as they went up 
 the hatch, and he went into the washroom. Stratford came 
 in in a moment. 
 
 " Mr. Jones, it seems to me that you have become con- 
 foundedly gaily of late." 
 
 Buck made no reply. 
 
 " You rush ahead as though you owned the ship, and 
 knew it all." 
 
 Buck still remained silent. 
 
 " I'll test him," said Stratford to himself. 
 
 " What is the color of this beam, Mr. Jones 2 "
 
 BUCK GETS HIS FIRST TASTE OF THE SEA 129 
 
 " It is white, sir." 
 
 " / say it is black. Now what color is it ? " 
 
 " White, sir." 
 
 Stratford stamped his foot in rage. 
 
 " Don't you know that when an upper classman says a 
 thing is so, it makes it so for a plebe. I tell you that beam 
 is black. Now what color is it ? " 
 
 Buck did not wish to be gaily, but Stratford had struck 
 the wrong test for him. He spoke respectfully, but firmly. 
 
 " It is still white, sir." 
 
 " Do you want to fight to make it black ? " 
 
 " No, Mr. Stratford, I don't care to fight ; besides, 
 after the fight, it would still be white." 
 
 Stratford was furious, but Buck was unperturbed. 
 
 " Stand on your head there." 
 
 Buck was good at standing on his head. He had known 
 how to do it since very young when the circus had once 
 passed through Sumter. He obeyed willingly, putting his 
 watch cap under his head to cushion the hard deck. In 
 a little while Stratford said : 
 
 " That will do," and Buck stood up again. " Now 
 what color is the beam ? " 
 
 " It is still white, sir." 
 
 " On your head again." 
 
 Buck obeyed. He remained what seemed a long time. 
 He had begun to question whether it was right to obey 
 any longer, as he felt the blood coming to his head. For- 
 tunately at that juncture Stratford said : 
 
 " That will do." 
 
 Buck stood up red in the face. 
 
 " Now what is the color ? " 
 
 " It is still white, sir." 
 
 Buck spoke with more emphasis this time. Stratford's 
 exasperation rose.
 
 130 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " Take a bite of this soap." 
 
 Buck wondered whether he ought to obey. He looked 
 at the soap. People use various cleansing preparations 
 on their teeth. Maybe it's all right. He took a bite but 
 spit it out with a grimace, and rushed to the scuttlebutt to 
 rinse his mouth. 
 
 " What is the color now ? " 
 
 " It is still white." 
 
 " Take another bite." 
 
 " I will not, sir. The stuff must be poisonous." 
 
 Stratford did not insist. He was a very decent fel- 
 low at heart, but his wrath about the color of the beam 
 only rose higher. 
 
 " Look in locker 15, and bring that hammock lashing." 
 
 Buck obeyed. As he got out the lashing he found it 
 wet, and everything else in the locker was wet. He felt 
 very guilty. When he got back to the washroom Stratford 
 ordered : 
 
 " Take one end and put a timber hitch and half turn 
 around that stanchion." 
 
 Buck obeyed. 
 
 " How did you learn to pass a timber hitch and half 
 turn? I'll swear you'll think more than ever that you 
 know everything." 
 
 " Casey showed me, sir." 
 
 " Now take the other end and haul away." 
 
 Buck began to haul. 
 
 " Put your whole weight on it." 
 
 Buck straightened his back and hauled with all his 
 might. 
 
 " Keep at it." 
 
 The rope didn't budge. 
 
 " What is the color now ? " 
 
 " It is still white, sir."
 
 BUCK GETS HIS FIRST TASTE OF THE SEA 131 
 
 " Pull away. Don't you shirk there." 
 
 At this juncture they heard the Phlox whistle to salute 
 the Constellation. Everybody was on deck. Buck looked 
 at Stratford. 
 
 " You needn't look at me. You'll haul there till you 
 learn what the color is." 
 
 They heard exchanges of question and answer between 
 the ship and the Phlox. Stratford couldn't stand it any 
 longer. 
 
 " I'm going on deck, but I order you to remain and 
 haul till I return. Mind you, don't you shirk while I am 
 gone." 
 
 It was a hard test. Buck heard the shouts of those on 
 deck. Later he heard the mail being distributed, and 
 heard his own name called out twice. He saw through 
 the lattice the happy cadets going off to corners to 
 read their letters by themselves. He felt his hands get- 
 ting sore. The strands of the manila rope were pressing 
 into the flesh. He compressed his jaws and pulled 
 away. 
 
 In his exuberance at getting his laundry and mail 
 Stratford had forgotten about Buck. Suddenly he remem- 
 bered. His conscience hurt him. 
 
 " I wonder if he has been fool enough to remain there 
 all this time." He hurried to the washroom to find Buck 
 still pulling away. 
 
 " What is the color now, Mr. Jones ? " 
 
 " It is still white, sir," answered Buck between his 
 teeth. 
 
 The happiness from the arrival of the Phlox and the 
 reading of letters from home must have softened Strat- 
 ford, or must have brought him back to his normal state, 
 for he said: 
 
 " That will do, Mr. Jones. Unbend the lashing."
 
 132 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Buck was loosing the half turn when Stratford said, 
 speaking slowly, with visible effort : 
 
 " I have come to the conclusion, Mr. Jones, that you 
 were right after all about the color of the beam. In fact, 
 I think I have been pretty mean." 
 
 " Not at all, sir. I realize how you felt," answered 
 Buck, and then he added slowly : " Mr. Stratford, I am 
 very sorry that I wet your things." 
 
 " I understand perfectly how it came about. It's only 
 a trifle. After quarters I'll send them up on the fore- 
 castle to dry." 
 
 They left the washroom together, the best of 
 friends. 
 
 Buck was delightedly absorbed in his letters. There 
 were two from his mother, one from his father, one from 
 Hugh, and several from his friends. He was just read- 
 ing his mother's letters over a second time when the mate 
 of the deck called out at the top of his lungs : " Hear, 
 there ! The mail will go ashore in thirty minutes." Con- 
 sternation spread over the deck. 
 
 " That means we are going to sea at once," said a 
 dozen cadets, as they hurried to get writing materials, 
 crestfallen at the idea of not getting ashore. 
 
 " It's a shame," grumbled Pikeman. 
 
 Buck dashed off a letter to his mother : 
 
 " Word has suddenly been passed that the mail closes in 
 a few minutes. We put to sea at once. The letters were 
 great. You can't imagine what it means to get letters 
 after you have been out on a ship. Please write more 
 yourself and tell everybody to write. My friend Casey 
 thinks we shall put in around Martha's Vineyard for tar- 
 get practice, and then go to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 
 but the safest thing is to direct letters to the Academy and 
 they will be forwarded. Tell papa it is great. They work
 
 BUCK GETS HIS FIRST TASTE OF THE SEA 133 
 
 us hard, but they are square. The officers are all right, 
 and the upper classmen are all right." 
 
 Buck brought his letter to a close and handed it to 
 the mail orderly just as he was going over the side. 
 
 " All hands, up anchor ! " 
 
 In thirty minutes the Phlox had shoved off, the anchor 
 was up, and the ship was standing out with the breeze on 
 the quarter. She passed the Capes about noon on schedule 
 time, and was well outside when the land breeze died out 
 about three o'clock. 
 
 Everything was activity on the Constellation as she 
 stood out, getting ready for sea. Buck had just come on 
 deck after helping his crew secure their gun for sea. 
 The bay was calm as he gazed out at the Capes on the 
 starboard bow, when apparently without cause the ship 
 began to roll, a long slow roll to port, then a long slow 
 roll to starboard. 
 
 " What's the matter with the ship, Casey ? " he asked 
 in astonishment. " She hasn't done this way before." 
 
 " It's nothing but the sea swell, that's come ahead 
 through the Capes to say ' Howdy do ' and welcome us in 
 advance." 
 
 Buck looked over the side and saw long wave forms 
 come up and pass under the ship from the direction of the 
 Capes, though the breeze was blowing in almost the oppo- 
 site direction. The ship had scorned the waves raised in 
 the bay, though to Buck they seemed boisterous enough at 
 times. 
 
 " But she bows when she's approaching the great sea," 
 Buck murmured as the ship rolled again. 
 
 " The swell seems a little long," remarked Casey. 
 " Maybe something is going on out around the Gulf 
 Stream."
 
 134 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Upon inquiry from Buck, he explained how a heavy 
 swell sometimes goes far ahead of a storm. 
 
 " No one can tell just why, but I have seen it a hun- 
 dred times. Maybe the air presses down harder." 
 
 " How wonderful ! " thought Buck, as he turned from 
 looking at the tall lighthouse and white sands of Cape 
 Henry, and gazed with a far-away look upon the limitless, 
 mysterious ocean horizon beyond. He looked closely at 
 the lightship, as Casey explained its advantage and use 
 where a lighthouse would be impossible. But Buck's 
 thoughts continually turned to the sea. It seemed to cast 
 a hypnotic spell over him. He had thought about it and 
 dreamed about it, and had resolved to cast his lot upon it. 
 There it was. In imagination he pictured the vast stretch 
 of the Atlantic to the eastward with Europe and Africa 
 beyond, and to the southward where it circles the conti- 
 nents and joins with the other oceans to wrap up all the 
 land surface of the earth. In vague outline he saw the 
 nations meeting, and he pictured the heroic role that he 
 felt America is to play. He was still dreaming when eight 
 bells struck. His watch went below, but he remained on 
 deck. The wind had fallen almost to a calm, and me sails 
 were flapping idly back and forth as the ship rolled with 
 the ground swell. Buck looked puzzled and rather dis- 
 appointed. 
 
 " Casey, it doesn't look blue to me. It's green." 
 
 " Don't worry, Mr. Jones ; the sea won't show its real 
 color to the land. We are still on soundings. Wait till 
 we get out where the depth runs to thousands of fathoms ; 
 you'll find it blue, all right." 
 
 Buck was much relieved and was impatient to push on. 
 
 " Do you think it will be calm very long ? " he asked 
 anxiously. 
 
 Casey suppressed a smile.
 
 BUCK GETS HIS FIRST TASTE OF THE SEA 135 
 
 " I'm thinking the wind will come soon enough for 
 most of the new cadets." He looked out toward the north- 
 east and then toward the west. " That land breeze held 
 too long. See those clouds shredded out up there ? " 
 Casey pointed. " That comes from wind, and I can see 
 already we're going to have a windy sunset. I'll go and 
 take a look at the glass." 
 
 " May I go with you ? " Buck asked eagerly, and 
 they went aft together and down on the gun deck to the 
 barometer. Casey looked at it closely and showed Buck 
 how to read it. 
 
 " Twenty-nine eighty-four now. It was twenty-nine 
 ninety at eight bells this morning. It is falling, Mr. Jones. 
 A nor'easter is running far out at sea. The outskirts may 
 reach us at any time. I think the Captain will stand out 
 on the port tack to gain sea room. As we get out we'll 
 get more of the gale." 
 
 Buck was all excitement. " Do you mean a storm ? 
 Are we going to have a storm ? " 
 
 Casey nodded. 
 
 A few minutes before Buck's watch was piped to 
 supper, Casey pointed out toward the horizon to the north- 
 east: 
 
 " There it comes, Mr. Jones." 
 
 Buck saw the glassy surface darkened with ripples. 
 A gentle breeze came up. The sails filled and the ship 
 stood straight out to sea on the port tack. 
 
 Buck hurried through his supper and came on deck, 
 to be disappointed in finding still only a gentle breeze. 
 But the sunset was weird and unnatural. 
 
 Hammocks were piped as the sun disappeared. All 
 hands uncovered and the Chaplain offered up thanks. 
 Buck had never felt so close to nature and to nature's 
 God. The sky had a strange, brassy brightness, and frag-
 
 136 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 mentary low clouds began to scud overhead, while the high 
 clouds still moved in the opposite direction. The land had 
 disappeared and the horizon drew its circle complete. The 
 ship seemed to sigh in a monotone as it rolled to the long 
 sea swell. All heads were bowed in silence. The only 
 sound made by man was the Chaplain's voice, as he be- 
 sought the guidance and protection of the Almighty dur- 
 ing the perils of the night. 
 
 " The sea is Thine," he went on. " Thou hast given 
 it its bounds. And we are Thine, and we seek to do Thy 
 will, and fulfill well our part of Thy great purposes upon 
 the earth." 
 
 Strange depths were stirred in Buck's heart, a con- 
 ception of things primordial. 
 
 When he came on deck for the evening watch he found 
 Casey and Kelly spinning yarns on the forecastle. Kelly 
 was just telling how in the previous cruise he had played 
 a joke on a green landsman from the West who had just 
 enlisted : 
 
 " A gale was coming up, like it is now, only faster, and 
 the landsman seemed much perturbed. I asked him in a 
 friendly way if he had found his sea legs. He announced 
 eagerly, ' No, tell me where they are stored.' I liked the 
 lad, but for my life I couldn't resist the temptation, and 
 I had him looking all over the ship. Finally I sent him 
 to the master-at-arms, and they had a fight over his sea 
 legs." 
 
 Buck thought it a great joke. Then an inspiration 
 came over him. " Billerson is my man. I'll get even 
 with him for last night." Buck racked his brains work- 
 ing out the details. 
 
 He lounged around the afterguard, Billerson's part 
 of the ship, and began telling him what Casey had said 
 about a gale approaching. Billerson was very eager and
 
 BUCK GETS HIS FIRST TASTE OF THE SEA 137 
 
 showed signs of uneasiness. Buck went on to tell about 
 the land breeze, the windy sunset, the falling barometer. 
 At this juncture the light sails were taken in. When 
 Buck got down from furling the main royal he went back 
 and began to work on Billerson's feelings again. 
 
 " The ship is stanch, I think, and we have good offi- 
 cers, but there is one thing that worries me. I haven't got 
 my sea legs yet." 
 
 Buck spoke solemnly and never cracked a smile. 
 
 " Nor have I," said Billerson as his uneasiness grew. 
 
 At that juncture a pair of unusually large waves 
 passed, and the ship rolled so that Buck and Billerson 
 had to seize the afterguard skylight on which they were 
 sitting. 
 
 " I wonder where the sea legs are stored ? " asked Biller- 
 son with determination. 
 
 " I doubt whether they have been distributed yet. 
 You might look for yours in the afterguard chest." 
 
 Billerson went across the deck to the chest and pulled 
 out everything. 
 
 " They are not here." 
 
 " Suppose you look in the mizzentop chest." 
 
 Billerson climbed up to the mizzentop, only to be 
 disappointed. 
 
 " They are not there, either." 
 
 " This is bad," said Buck thoughtfully. " They prob- 
 ably are still below. Let's go down and find them. But 
 I'm liable to be put on lookout at four bells. I'd better 
 not go. Suppose you go on. Look through the forehold 
 and ask the Jack o' the Dust." 
 
 Billerson was off. 
 
 " O Billerson ! " called Buck, " you'd better get per- 
 mission from the officer of the deck." 
 
 Billerson heeded. He went up and saluted the officer 
 10
 
 138 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 of the deck. " May I have permission to go below for 
 a few minutes ? " 
 
 " Is the matter important ? " 
 
 " Very important, sir." 
 
 " Very well." 
 
 Billerson went down, got a candle on the berth deck, 
 went down into the forehold and looked high and low. 
 He worked away, turning the gear over, but saw nothing 
 that looked as though they might be sea legs. The Jack 
 o' the Dust became very uneasy as he watched Billerson 
 in his search. Since Buck's appearance with the hose the 
 sight of a cadet in the forehold filled him with terror. 
 Finally he could restrain himself no longer. 
 
 " What are you looking for, sir ? " he asked. 
 
 " I'm looking for the sea legs. Are they stored down 
 here?" 
 
 " No, sir. They are not stored down here, and I hope 
 you won't mix up any more of the gear." 
 
 Billerson left, discussing to himself whether he would 
 report the Jack o' the Dust for insolence. The Jack o' 
 the Dust, as he looked over the gear all mixed up, finally 
 decided to report the matter to the first lieutenant. 
 
 " He's probably turned in, but I'll report it all the 
 same. These cadets will be the death o' me." 
 
 He went up and knocked on the stateroom door. Dott 
 was asleep, but finally roused up. 
 
 " What is it ? " he demanded savagely. 
 
 The Jack o' the Dust began to tremble and regret 
 that he hadn't waited till next day. 
 
 " One of the midshipmen has been in the forehold 
 mixing up all the gear." 
 
 " What was he after ? " 
 
 " Looking for sea legs, sir." 
 
 Dott was furious.
 
 BUCK GETS HIS FIRST TASTE OF THE SEA 139 
 
 " What do you mean by waking me up at this time of 
 the might ? Go back and don't you ever come to me again 
 for such nonsense." 
 
 After leaving the forehold Billerson was much dis- 
 couraged and went back to the afterguard to confer with 
 Buck. 
 
 " I can't find them anywhere." 
 
 " I don't know what we can do," said Buck, as he put 
 his hand on his forehead as in deep meditation. Finally 
 he raised his head. 
 
 " I'll tell you," he said, as if an inspiration had come. 
 " The master-at-arms may know where they are. I think 
 he swings up forward on the gun deck. It's a great 
 nuisance, but the sea is evidently rising all the time. Per- 
 haps you had better go down and ask him about them. 
 Don't let him put you off. You know they call him 
 Jimmy Legs. He looks out for sea legs." 
 
 Billerson asked for permission to go below. 
 
 " You've just been below, sir," said the officer of the 
 deck, in refusal. 
 
 Billerson persisted. 
 
 " It's very important, sir." 
 
 The pleading in his voice won. Permission was 
 granted. He went forward and asked Kelly if he knew 
 which was the hammock of the master-at-arms. 
 
 " Down there on the port side, outboard." And Biller- 
 son went down. 
 
 Kelly hurried over and nudged Casey. 
 
 " Come up to the forecastle hatch. I think we'll have 
 some fun." They stood at the hatch and listened. 
 
 " Is this the master-at-arms ? " they heard. 
 
 " No, this is not the master-at-arms." 
 
 A moment later the same question : 
 
 " Is this the master-at-arms ? "
 
 140 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " No, I'm not Jimmy Legs." 
 
 A little later the same thing. 
 
 " No, I am not, and who in thunder are you, waking 
 me up this way ? " 
 
 Finally, after rousing a half dozen others, Billerson 
 found the master-at-arms. 
 
 " Yes, I'm the master-at-arms. What do you want ? " 
 
 " I want to get my sea legs." 
 
 Kelly nudged Casey. 
 
 " It's our friend, Mr. Jones's doing, I'll bet this pipe." 
 
 The master-at-arms lost his temper at once. 
 
 " Your sea legs! I have nothing to do with sea legs." 
 
 " You needn't try to put me off like that. Your very 
 name is Jimmy Legs." 
 
 Kelly slipped down the hatch to be at hand to rescue 
 Billerson if necessary, and the men that had been roused 
 rose in their hammocks. 
 
 The master-at-arms was really a good man and usually 
 exercised self-control, but the term of reproach " Jimmy 
 Legs " was the one thing that he could not stand. He 
 jumped out of his hammock in a rage, and would have 
 struck Billerson, but recognized that he was a cadet. 
 
 " I'll report you to the first lieutenant." 
 
 " And I'll report you," said Billerson. 
 
 The two stood glaring at each other in defiance. The 
 master-at-arms went off without taking time to dress and 
 knocked on the door of the first lieutenant's cabin. 
 
 " What is it ? " asked Dott sharply. 
 
 " I wish to report Mr. Billerson." 
 
 "What for?" 
 
 " For calling me ' Jimmy Legs.' ' This seemed an 
 inadequate reason, and he added : " He's been up forward 
 and turned me out to look for his sea legs." 
 
 The master-at-arms was always close to the first lieu-
 
 BUCK GETS HIS FIRST TASTE OF THE SEA 141 
 
 tenant. It was his compensation for being hated by the 
 men for his office of executing the orders for punishment. 
 But Dott's patience was sorely tried. 
 
 " I'm surprised at you, Phillips. The idea of your 
 coming to me in the middle of the night with such a com- 
 plaint ! " 
 
 Phillips went forward, utterly Humiliated. Kelly had 
 slipped back up the ladder when the crisis was over, and 
 as Billerson came up he asked : 
 
 " Mr. Billerson, did you find him ? " 
 
 " Yes, but to no effect." And Billerson went aft to 
 report another fruitless effort to Buck. 
 
 " People are very crabbed when you wake them up," 
 he remarked. 
 
 Buck never smiled once. 
 
 " It's a shame. I know the sea has risen since you left. 
 Did you notice the flock of sea gulls stop following in our 
 wake before sundown ? They realized that a storm was 
 raging at sea." 
 
 Silence followed. 
 
 " Billerson, I know how we could find out about the 
 sea legs. The first lieutenant has to know where every- 
 thing on the ship is stored. He could tell us." 
 
 Another silence. 
 
 " If I only weren't liable to be put on the lookout ! " 
 
 Another pause. 
 
 " I'll go," said Billerson, with the resolution of a hero 
 sounding in his voice. 
 
 As Billerson started down the hatch Kelly came up. 
 
 " I understand you and Mr. Billerson are trying to 
 find your sea legs." 
 
 " He's gone down to see the first lieutenant. Come 
 over to the hatch and listen." 
 
 " I'll go and get Casey."
 
 142 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 The three listened as Billerson rapped hesitatingly on 
 the door. Finally they heard Dott ask impatiently : 
 
 "Who is it?" 
 
 " Cadet Billerson." 
 
 " What do you want, Mr. Billerson ? " 
 
 " Please, sir, will you tell me where to find my sea 
 legs ? " 
 
 They heard Dott jump up and open the door. He was 
 a terrible-looking man to cadets even when dressed con- 
 ventionally. Terror struck to Billerson's soul as Dott ap- 
 peared in his pyjamas, hair disheveled. 
 
 " Mr. Billerson, what do you mean, sir ? " 
 
 Billerson wished that he might sink through the deck. 
 
 " Nothing, sir." 
 
 " What on earth possesses you to come to me at this 
 time of the night on such an errand ? This is the third 
 time I have been disturbed in the last half hour about 
 * sea legs.' ' 
 
 " I didn't mean any harm, sir," Billerson began inno- 
 cently, " only the storm is coming up, and I am very anx- 
 ious to find my sea legs in time." 
 
 " Who sent you to look for your sea legs ? " 
 
 " Mr. Jones. He wants his also, and I will take them 
 to him, as he is liable to be put on lookout and can't come 
 down himself." 
 
 Dott could barely control his laughter, but he said 
 solemnly : 
 
 " Mr. Billerson, there are no such things as sea legs. 
 Your own legs are your sea legs." 
 
 Billerson was dumfounded. The blood began to rush 
 to his cheeks. 
 
 " Do you think Mr. Jones knows about it ? " 
 
 " I have no doubt, and I have these directions : You 
 thrash Mr. Jones once for me, once for the master-at-arms,
 
 BUCK GETS HIS FIRST TASTE OF THE SEA 143 
 
 once for the Jack o' the Dust, and as many times as you 
 wish for yourself." 
 
 " I'll do it, sir." 
 
 Billerson clenched his fists and started for the ladder 
 as Buck and Kelly and Casey slipped forward splitting 
 their sides with laughter. When Billerson went aft Buck 
 was not on the afterguard chest. There was no further 
 doubt. He began peering into people's faces in the dark. 
 
 The three culprits saw him as he came up the gangway, 
 looking. 
 
 " Mr. Jones, it will never do for him to find you now," 
 said Kelly with uneasiness. " Slip under the topgallant 
 forecastle." 
 
 Buck obeyed. Billerson came up. 
 
 " Casey, have you seen Mr. Jones around here ? " 
 
 His voice quivered with rage in spite of his effort at 
 concealment. 
 
 " He was up here some time ago." 
 
 " I saw him aft a few minutes ago," put in Kelly, as 
 Billerson passed on in his search. 
 
 Buck saw Billerson first at the breakfast table next 
 morning. Without cracking a smile, he said solemnly: 
 
 " Billerson, have you found your sea legs yet ? " 
 
 Billerson's anger began to rise again. 
 
 Buck continued: 
 
 " I rather think that your sea legs were pumped over- 
 board with my water night before last." 
 
 A smile began to play around Billerson's mouth. 
 
 " Yes, I think they were." 
 
 The two cadets became better friends than ever. 
 Whenever Billerson would tell how Buck Jones put out 
 the fire in the forehold, Buck would tell how Harry Biller- 
 son found his sea legs. 
 
 When Buck went on deck after general inspection,
 
 144 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 the ship still carried all plain sail and seemed to plow 
 through the water. Both sea and wind continued rising. 
 The pitching became heavier though the rolling was 
 not as heavy as might be expected, so much sail kept her 
 heeled to starboard, but it steadied her. Now and then 
 the bow would break the top of a wave and send the spray 
 flying on the forecastle. 
 
 " Lay down on the gun deck, port watch of the after- 
 guard, and rig church ! " piped the boatswain's mate. The 
 little altar was secured to a ring bolt amidship, just for- 
 ward of the cabin bulkhead. The little organ was wheeled 
 out and lashed securely to the stanchion abaft the ward- 
 room hatch. The mess benches were taken down and 
 rigged athwartship for the men, chairs were brought out 
 on the starboard side for the officers, and camp stools on 
 the port side for the cadets. Prayer books and hymnals 
 were distributed and a big Bible placed on the altar. The 
 bell began to strike slowly. 
 
 " What does that mean, Anderson ? " Buck inquired 
 of the captain of the maintop. 
 
 " That's the call to divine service." 
 
 Buck saw the chief quartermaster hoisting to the 
 weather mizzen yardarm the church pennant, and as it 
 broke loose at the yardarm and streamed out in the wind 
 he saw a flag with a large blue cross on a white back- 
 ground. 
 
 " It is very beautiful," he thought, as he watched the 
 quartermaster bend on the ensign. The Nation's flag be- 
 gan to go up slowly, very slowly. Buck held his breath, 
 as he saw it stop reverently just beneath the church 
 pennant, the glorious flag flying there proudly, but look- 
 ing up in humility to the flag of the blue cross above. 
 
 Casey had been watching Buck. In fact, he always 
 watched Buck.
 
 BUCK GETS HIS FIRST TASTE OF THE SEA 145 
 
 As Buck went forward and started down the hatch, 
 he asked: 
 
 " Are you coming down to church, Casey ? " 
 
 " Not to-day, Mr. Jones." 
 
 Casey hadn't been to church for twenty years, but his 
 heart followed Buck, and he couldn't wait so long with- 
 out getting a sight of him, so he went down on the gun 
 deck and sat on the chain bitt where he could see Buck. 
 From there he watched him all through the service. 
 
 " I like the lad's religion," he said to himself. 
 " Whatever it may be, it's not cowardly. He holds his 
 head up and looks straight out. Even when bowed in 
 prayer his eyes are still open." 
 
 To Buck it was a wonderful service, hymns, prayers, 
 sermon. At times the ship would heel so much that the 
 cadets had to hold their camp stools to keep from sliding 
 to starboard. Out of the gun ports they saw the sea sweep- 
 ing by, and heard the swish and churning sound of the 
 speeding water against the hull. Several times in heeling, 
 the wave crest came up to the lee gun ports. It seemed 
 to Buck that the Infinite was all about them and God 
 seemed present and very close.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 BUCK MASTERS THE SEA AND A POKPOISE 
 
 WHEN Buck came on deck for the next morn- 
 ing's watch, the wind and sea were higher 
 than they had been at midnight, though the 
 ship still carried close-reefed topsails and stood full and 
 by on the starboard tack. It seemed to Buck that the ter- 
 rific force of the wind would tear the sails or carry away 
 the masts, and the fierce waves struck the bow like a bat- 
 tering ram and kept the forecastle covered with water. 
 The fore hatch was already battened down. 
 
 " Casey, it's rougher, don't you think so ? " 
 
 " Yes, Mr. Jones, and I'm thinking you'll see some 
 more seamanship before the watch is over." 
 
 Day broke about an hour later than usual, on account 
 of the heavy clouds that swept overhead, so low that they 
 seemed almost to touch the masts. About six bells the 
 hatches were battened down aft, and Buck did see some 
 good seamanship when the fore and mizzen topsails were 
 furled and the ship hove to, under fore storm staysail, 
 close-reefed main topsail, and mizzen storm sail. Casey 
 watched Buck closely to see if he would give way and 
 become seasick. 
 
 All the other cadets were lying around the railing, on 
 the gratings. Some of them seemed deathly ill. But 
 Buck put on his rubber boots and rain clothes and sou'- 
 
 146
 
 BUCK MASTERS THE SEA AND A PORPOISE 147 
 
 wester, and went up and down examining the masts. This 
 was the first part of the programme he laid out to gain 
 " mastery." 
 
 Deep joy went through Casey's heart as he saw Buck 
 come up on the topgallant forecastle to examine the head 
 booms, in spite of the heavy pitching and the seas that 
 dashed over. When the heavy waves struck, Buck would 
 spread his legs, hold on to the guy and turn full face to 
 the spray. Casey was a little uneasy. He saw two mon- 
 arch waves descending and quickly got to leeward of Buck 
 to grab him if he lost his hold, but as the solid water came 
 over the bow, Buck lowered his head and bucked it as 
 he used to buck the center of the football line. When he 
 came down to ask about the securing of the masts and 
 head booms, he remarked: 
 
 " Casey, it seems to me that the sea tries to bully a 
 man," and he shook his head with defiance. The old 
 sailor smiled and said nothing. 
 
 " I see you are investigating masts and head booms, 
 Mr. Jones. I thought they didn't come in the lessons till 
 the end of the cruise." 
 
 " We have running rigging this week, it is true, but I 
 want to get hold of the other end of it." 
 
 Casey laughed outright, this tickled him so, for he had 
 several times told Carrington that the new cadets should 
 begin at that end. Casey was the only enlisted man in 
 the service that took such liberties of expressing his opin- 
 ions to his superiors. As a matter of fact, Buck had 
 mapped out a logical programme by which he purposed to 
 reach " mastery." He would have begun with the main 
 features of the construction of the ship itself, but the con- 
 ditions and facilities for investigating this field were 
 limited. 
 
 When he went below for breakfast at eight bells, he
 
 148 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 found the berth deck very close and stuffy and nausea 
 began to set in. In all probability, if he hadn't hurriedly 
 returned on deck, even his indomitable will power would 
 have gone down before the overpowering force of sea- 
 sickness. 
 
 The ship was hove to all day. It seemed to Buck that 
 the sea had determined to wear the ship out. The rain 
 came down in torrents, heavier than Buck had ever seen 
 before. 
 
 " I see, Mr. Jones, that the glass has begun to go up 
 a little and this rain will beat the sea down. I'm think- 
 ing you have won out." 
 
 Casey smiled, and Buck smiled back, as he realized 
 that the old sailor had been watching the struggle. 
 
 " The sea was only trying your metal, sir, because it 
 likes you. It'll be like an old friend to you hereafter." 
 
 " I think I'll cultivate the friendship," replied Buck ; 
 and from that moment he began to look upon the sea as a 
 friend, and took delight in its thousand varying phases. 
 
 During the midwatch the rain still fell. Buck saw 
 but little change in the wind, but the sea had gone down 
 perceptibly. During the forenoon watch there was no 
 question. The wind was falling steadily, and the sea was 
 going down rapidly. In the first dogwatch they set the 
 fore and mizzen topsails close reefed, and hoisted the jib 
 and stood away at a lively speed, still on the starboard 
 tack, and Buck thoroughly enjoyed the evening watch. 
 When he came up for the morning watch the next day, 
 and had a cup of steaming coffee and a piece of hard-tack, 
 and helped to shake the reefs out of the topsails, he felt 
 a great exhilaration as the ship bounded along, heading 
 about north, northwest, on her course for New England. 
 The seasick cadets began to take notice, and most of them 
 appeared at breakfast with good appetites.
 
 BUCK MASTERS THE SEA AND A PORPOISE 149 
 
 Along toward eight bells Buck ran forward, calling : 
 
 " Casey, Casey ! What are these ? " pointing to what 
 seemed like a drove of big hogs leaping out of the 
 water. 
 
 " They are porpoises, Mr. Jones. The sea is full of 
 them." 
 
 Buck watched them with fascination as they crossed 
 the bow and gradually disappeared to windward. 
 
 " They have the speed of a horse." 
 
 " You couldn't catch them on a hook, could you, 
 Casey?" 
 
 " No, but sometimes, if you get down on the dolphin 
 striker, you might harpoon one." 
 
 Buck's eyes gleamed. Casey got up the harpoon and 
 Buck practiced, and two days later, while the ship was 
 becalmed and the port watch was on deck, Casey let him 
 down on the dolphin striker in a bowline, and for three 
 hours Buck waited, enjoying the rise and fall of the bow 
 in the sea swell which sometimes licked his feet. Twice 
 he hurled at a dolphin, and missed. At last he spied a 
 school of porpoises. They bore down upon the ship and 
 began to circle around. Buck shivered with excitement. 
 One appeared out ahead. Buck hurled, but missed. " I'll 
 allow more for his speed next time." Another crossed 
 deep down. Buck hurled and just grazed the tail. 
 " There he comes." It was the big bull porpoise, heading 
 straight for the dolphin striker. Buck could hardly 
 restrain himself. 
 
 " I'll hurl now. No, wait, he may come out," and he 
 balanced the raised harpoon with a patience and steadi- 
 ness of arms that made old Casey dance around with joy. 
 The reward came. The porpoise came to the top and al- 
 most struck Buck's feet, and as he came out of the water, 
 Buck hurled the harpoon with all his might at close range.
 
 150 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 It struck deep in the blunt snout of the great fish, which 
 shook its bottle head and went down snorting like a bull. 
 
 " I've got him, Casey, I've got him." 
 
 The line was snatched through Buck's hands with so 
 much force that it burned a blister. 
 
 " Let go your end, Mr. Jones." 
 
 " All right, Casey. Hold him at your end till I get 
 on deck." 
 
 For nearly an hour they played the fish. They would 
 bring him to the surface, then he'd dive again. One time 
 he dived and came up on the other side of the ship. 
 
 " Why don't you shoot him ? You may lose him if you 
 keep on this way," advised Kelly. 
 
 " No," replied Buck emphatically. " We're going to 
 land him fair and square." 
 
 A throng had gathered on the forecastle to watch the 
 sport. Finally they got a noose with slip knot over his 
 head, and bent on the foretop bowline and hoisted the 
 struggling fish on board. It weighed seven hundred and 
 sixty pounds. Buck's heart leaped. He had never had 
 any sport at big game. The biggest thing he had ever 
 bagged was a wild turkey weighing twenty-five pounds. 
 He had caught a trout weighing eight pounds, with pole, 
 and a mud cat weighing twenty-one pounds on a troutline. 
 
 " Look how the harpoon went in," said Casey proudly. 
 " An old whaler could not have waited his time and put 
 it in better." 
 
 They served porpoise steaks on board for three days. 
 Casey himself took two choice steaks back to the Captain 
 and to the wardroom, " With the compliments of Mr. 
 Jones." 
 
 " Old Casey is living his youth over again in young 
 Mr. Jones," remarked Dott as Casey deposited the steak 
 and left, holding his head high with pride.
 
 BUCK MASTERS THE SEA AND A PORPOISE 151 
 
 For the next few days the weather was ideal, the wind 
 varying from almost a calm to a fresh breeze from the 
 east. The ship kept on her course about north. The 
 moon, that had been growing behind the clouds during 
 the gale, began to preside by night. Buck thought the sea 
 very beautiful by moonlight, with the silvery cylinder 
 glinting on the dancing water, and with a wandering cloud 
 at times throwing a mysterious shadow down. The whole 
 sky took on a new beauty by day and by night. In the 
 morning watches, Buck delighted in the dawn, when the 
 stars and the great morning planet withdrew before the 
 approach of the sun, and he delighted in the twilight when 
 the moon and stars came on deck again to relieve the sun. 
 
 "They keep watch and watch," he would say to himself. 
 He came to hold companionship with the constellations 
 during the night watches, when Casey would tell him their 
 names and point out the many forms they took on and 
 have taken on in the imagination of men since the days 
 when the Chaldean shepherds, the forerunners of the 
 astronomers, watched their flocks by night and cultivated 
 the friendship of the stars. 
 
 Buck was especially fascinated by the milky way. 
 
 " They tell me," remarked Casey, as Buck was point- 
 ing out the great sweep of the arch, " that it is arching 
 over China at the same time, that it is like a big wheel 
 in space." 
 
 " Then the earth is at the hub ! " exclaimed Buck with 
 keen interest. 
 
 " Somewhere around there," confirmed Casey. 
 
 Buck remained silent in deep meditation. 
 
 " The hub is an important part of a wheel. Maybe 
 the earth is worth God's thought. Man is certainly the 
 highest thing on earth. If the soul is really immortal, 
 it must be very precious in God's sight."
 
 152 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 As Buck meditated on the vault of the studded heaven 
 overhead, sweeping down to meet the horizon of the sea, 
 the mystery and wonder of the universe came upon him, 
 but he did not shudder, for God seemed to be through it 
 all, and the chill and loneliness disappeared. The healthy 
 contact with life and nature was bringing Buck relief 
 from the doubts that had threatened his faith. 
 
 One night Buck spent most of a whole watch can- 
 vassing the various stars. Finally he came up to Casey: 
 
 " The North Star is mine." 
 
 " Very well, Mr. Jones, the North Star is the oldest 
 friend I've got living, but you can have it. I let Farra- 
 gut have it while he was alive." After a pause he asked: 
 " What made you pick out the North Star, there are hun- 
 dreds of other stars that are brighter." 
 
 " Yes," said Buck, "but the North Star doesn't change. 
 It's steadfast and true. It doesn't vaunt itself like those 
 planets, but it's always there, and you know it's there 
 even when it's out of your sight." 
 
 " That's just what Farragut said. I remember one 
 night in '61 he was walking the quarter-deck. 
 
 " ' Capt'n,' says I, ' you look mighty sad.' 
 
 " c Yes, Tim,' says he, ' I am sad. They've sent for 
 me to go South. I love the South, Tim. I was born there. 
 But I can't go, Tim, that's my star,' and he pointed to 
 the pole. 
 
 " ' She's been mine, Capt'n, but I'll let you have her/ 
 says I." 
 
 Buck was silent for a while. 
 
 " My father told me," he began, " how sad it made 
 General Lee when they came to him and asked him to 
 take command of the Union armies. ' I love the Union,' 
 he said, ' but from childhood I have felt that in our land 
 a man's first duty is to his State.' '
 
 BUCK MASTERS THE SEA AND A PORPOISE 153 
 
 There was silence. Buck felt that Casey did not ap- 
 prove of this doctrine, and he added, " Things are dif- 
 ferent now, of course. I suppose everybody believes that 
 we owe our first duty to the flag." They sat awhile with- 
 out speaking. 
 
 " Casey, it seems to me that everybody was sad in 
 those days on both sides. My father was sad, my grand- 
 fathers were sad. They say Lincoln was sad, and Grant 
 was sad. I'm coming to think that things and sides may 
 vary, but that great and good men are all the same." 
 
 Casey nodded. 
 
 The routine exercises went ahead. It didn't take 
 Buck long to work up the practical lessons assigned the 
 plebes, for he had gone ahead and was already familiar 
 with the standing rigging and the masts, and had begun 
 to take up sails and the mechanics of propulsion by sail 
 power, though this would not be taught for three years 
 yet. He watched critically every maneuver and evolution, 
 and plied Casey with questions. On watch and off watch 
 he worked away methodically according to plans and pro- 
 grammes mapped out by himself to reach " mastery." 
 
 When the marks were posted at the end of the week, 
 however, Rix was first, Catell second, and Buck was only 
 third. The sketching was something new, and he disliked 
 to spend so much time drawing in the bands, eyebolts, and 
 every little detail, and keeping the sketches clean and neat. 
 It seemed to be wasting time, and he simply couldn't do it 
 well. Even when Fonste gave him a notebook to rule off 
 for his first class record of the log, he returned it with 
 blots and erasures, though he wanted to do the best for 
 Fonste, and he heard the other first classmen, whose books 
 had been ruled beautifully, guying him about his. 
 
 Catell and Rix had beautiful sketches, with shading 
 and lettering as regular and exact as if printed or en- 
 11
 
 154 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 graved. There were a dozen of his class whose sketches 
 were better than his. It was only Buck's unrivaled grasp 
 and description of the things themselves, and their uses, 
 that put him up near the head. 
 
 " I'll have to stand first," he resolved again and again, 
 as he applied himself to improving the sketching, but week 
 by week Bix and Catell came out ahead. 
 
 On the Fourth of July all drills and exercises were 
 omitted, and from the morning watch till sunset the ship 
 was given over to celebration. At breakfast the cadets 
 had flapjacks. The fresh provisions were running very 
 low, but Pinckney managed to get up a creditable Fourth 
 of July dinner, ending with plum pudding and nuts and 
 raisins. 
 
 The men, also, had a special dinner, with " plum 
 duff " for dessert, and after dinner began their sports, with 
 the first lieutenant as umpire. The wardroom officers 
 contributed to get up the prizes, which ranged from a 
 twenty-dollar gold piece for the race over the masthead 
 down to five pounds of tobacco for the " spud " race. In 
 the race over the masthead, Buck never believed men 
 could go up and down the rigging as some of the men did. 
 They seemed to fly, never stopping for the lubber's hole, 
 but going over the futtocks into the topmost rigging. 
 Mike Kelly won with but a short lead over John An- 
 derson. 
 
 " If Casey had entered neither of us would have stood 
 a show, old as he is getting," said Kelly to Anderson. 
 
 Buck was keenly interested in the boxing contests and 
 the fencing bouts, and was greatly amused at the three- 
 legged race, but what he enjoyed most was the national 
 salute, twenty-one guns, fired at noon as a big national 
 flag flew out from the masthead. He was fairly thrilled 
 with delight.
 
 BUCK MASTERS THE SEA AND A PORPOISE 155 
 
 When they reefed topsails at sunset to get snug for 
 the night, Casey remarked to Buck that he felt the New 
 England coast was not far off. 
 
 " Yes," said Buck, " we must be getting in toward 
 land, the water is beginning to look green. I never saw 
 anything so blue as it was while I was harpooning the 
 porpoise." 
 
 Casey smiled. 
 
 In the morning watch they hove the deep-sea lead. 
 Buck thought it would never reach bottom, finally it 
 stopped at two hundred and forty-seven fathoms. 
 
 " It's over a quarter of a mile deep," remarked Buck 
 with astonishment. 
 
 " Where you harpooned the porpoise it was over two 
 miles deep, Mr. Jones," replied Casey. 
 
 Buck marveled at such a thing. He began to examine 
 the gray ground rock and sand brought up by the tallow 
 in the bottom of the long heavy lead. " There must be 
 strange things down there," he remarked. 
 
 " When I was sounding with my friend Commodore 
 Maury in about three thousand fathoms, we brought 
 up a small fish that had no eyes. It began to swell up, 
 and finally popped open." As Casey finished these 
 words, he exclaimed : " Look ! look ! there ! Mr. Jones," 
 pointing a short distance over the stern. Buck saw the 
 water churning, a waterspout rose, and like a flash a mon- 
 ster whale leaped high out of the water, with a big sword- 
 fish hanging to his body. The swordfish dropped loose, 
 and as the whale fell back he struck the water with his tail 
 a terrific blow that sent the spray over the stem of 
 the ship. 
 
 "If he hit him, it's all over, but I think he missed," 
 remarked Casey as the whale disappeared. 
 
 Soon the water began to churn again, the monster
 
 156 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 came up to the surface, bellowing like an infuriated bull, 
 and lashed the water to foam. 
 
 " The swordfish has stabbed him again," said Casey, 
 " and his sword is sawing its bloody way out." 
 
 The foam was becoming tinted with blood. Every- 
 body on deck had come aft, and many from below had 
 come up. The whale " sounded " again, and this time 
 reached a considerable depth. Buck thought he was gone 
 for good, but again he came up spouting, and leaped into 
 the air with the swordfish hanging, and lashed the water 
 with blow after blow of his mighty tail. 
 
 " How will it end ? " asked Buck, all excitement. 
 
 " You can't tell." 
 
 " Do you think the Captain would let the ship stop, 
 so we could see it out ? " 
 
 " I'll see," and Casey went down to see Dott. 
 
 " What are you so interested in the fight for, Casey ? 
 You have seen a hundred such fights." 
 
 Casey admitted that it was for " Mr. Jones." Dott 
 had observed the deep friendship and attachment. 
 
 11 I'd like to do it for you, Casey. But we are trying 
 to make port on schedule time, and I don't think the Cap- 
 tain would be willing to stop." 
 
 Casey came on deck disappointed. 
 
 " I'm sorry we can't stop, Mr. Jones. It seems we are 
 due in port to-morrow, and the Captain wishes to get there 
 by twelve o'clock, and it will take a good run to do it." 
 
 " I'm sorry. They've been at it furiously since you 
 went below. Three times more they have come into the 
 air, and for some time they have been wallowing as you 
 see them now." 
 
 Casey got the telescope and leveled it on the rail for 
 Buck to follow the fight as the ship drew away. 
 
 " It'll now be to the death. The whale is a peaceable
 
 BUCK MASTERS THE SEA AND A PORPOISE 157 
 
 brute, and sometimes when lie first finds a difficulty com- 
 ing on, he'll sound to a great depth where his adversary 
 cannot follow. But when he has been badly wounded his 
 rage becomes terrible. If he kills the swordfish, then 
 he'll go down to nurse his wounds. If not, he'll stay on 
 the surface to the end." 
 
 Buck watched intently through the glass. 
 
 " They are still on the surface fighting. Look, Casey ! 
 It's terrible." 
 
 Casey looked. " I think the swordfish has reached a 
 vital spot. The whale is in convulsions." 
 
 Buck took the glass again. 
 
 " I think it is quieting down. There's the whale, but 
 he's stopped fighting." 
 
 " He's dead, Mr. Jones." 
 
 A revulsion of feeling came over Buck. He had been 
 all eagerness during the fight. The great animal was 
 dead ! The ocean was full of tragedy like the land ! 
 
 In the dogwatch Buck called out from his topsail 
 yard lookout : 
 
 "Land, ho!" 
 
 "Where away?" 
 
 " Two points oif the port bow." 
 
 Everybody smiled, including the officer of the deck, 
 and the navigator. 
 
 " He's dreaming," the former said. 
 
 The latter remarked that the land must be thirty miles 
 off at least, " unless we were all out in our time sights." 
 He went on the forecastle and looked up at Buck in the 
 yard with his hands over his eyes looking forward. 
 
 " Topsail yard, there, are you sure you see land ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 The navigator climbed up to the yard and leveled his 
 binoculars.
 
 158 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " You are right, Mr. Jones. I detect the top of the 
 lighthouse. That's Montauk Point." 
 
 As they drew nearer, Buck lived over in imagination 
 the feelings of Columbus when he first sighted land after 
 his long and anxious voyage.
 
 CHAPTEE XII 
 
 BUCK PROVES THE STRENGTH OF HIS FRIENDSHIP 
 FOR CASEY 
 
 AC 11.30 next morning they anchored in Martha's 
 Vineyard on schedule time. The wind was fa- 
 vorable as they navigated in and out of the 
 islands, though they had to tack several times. Buck 
 thought several times that they must go aground, they 
 came so close to land, but the water carried deep right up 
 to the rocks. 
 
 Buck was delighted with the rugged coast, and loved 
 to see and hear the swell strike full body against the cliffs. 
 
 As soon as the ship anchored, the mail orderly went 
 ashore and brought up sacks of mail. All the cadets gath- 
 ered around the mate of the berth deck as he called out the 
 names. 
 
 Buck felt a strong thrill as he heard his name called 
 out time and again. He must have had ten or twelve. He 
 climbed up in the maintop to be alone. He arranged the 
 letters in the order of the dates as stamped. He would 
 read awhile, then look up and think, then read again. 
 Thus he went through them all. Then he read his 
 mother's letters again. He wished she were there. The 
 tears came up, he knew not why; tears of love, tears of 
 loneliness. His life seemed full, but his heart was hungry, 
 hungry for his mother and the dear ones at home. He 
 was manly, but he was human, and he was very young. 
 
 The ship remained at anchor two days. Fresh laun- 
 159
 
 160 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 dry had come up from Annapolis. The steward laid in 
 fresh provisions. How the cadets did relish fresh things 
 again! At supper, plebes began drinking milk who had 
 never cared for milk before. 
 
 The cadets were allowed to go ashore, and Buck and 
 Preble went together, and had a good time. They went 
 in swimming, and looked at the interesting shells and 
 curios, and ate ice cream and cake. Buck wanted to buy 
 some presents for his mother and sisters with the fifteen 
 dollars left over from his entrance money, but Preble ad- 
 vised him to wait until they reached Portsmouth. 
 
 " Preble, don't they let the men go ashore ? I wanted 
 Casey to come ashore so I could have his photograph taken. 
 My mother wants it. I have been writing her about him." 
 
 Preble smiled, then added : " I don't think Casey will 
 go ashore. At least, I hope he won't. Unfortunately 
 Casey gets drunk." Preble saw the shock that this gave 
 Buck. " He is probably the best sailor the service has 
 ever produced, and one of the truest men, but he grew 
 up in the old days when grog was served in the navy as 
 it is still served in foreign navies. He is a strong man, 
 but about once a cruise the thirst comes over him and 
 overpowers him." 
 
 Buck said nothing, but Preble saw the sadness in his 
 face. 
 
 " Several times Casey has been offered a warrant, and 
 he would doubtless have received a commission, but each 
 time he declined. ' I'll stay before the mast,' he would 
 say ; ' that's all I'm fit for,' and they knew what he meant. 
 Kelly has told me in confidence, Buck, that Casey has 
 decided not to go on liberty this cruise. ' I'd die before 
 I'd let Mr. Jones see me drunk,' he told Kelly." 
 
 Buck talked but little during the remaining time on 
 shore. Preble noticed that he was downcast at supper.
 
 BUCK PROVES HIS FRIENDSHIP FOR CASEY 161 
 
 " The pity, the pity of it ! " he kept saying to him- 
 self. 
 
 They sailed that day and cruised off the New Eng- 
 land coast as far up as the Banks of Newfoundland, and 
 finally put in at Portsmouth, N. H., on the 20th of July. 
 
 The morning they approached port they found the big 
 tug from the Kittery Navy Yard out near the Isle of 
 Shoals, come out to meet them, and they furled sail and 
 went up to the navy yard in tow, the tug alongside. 
 
 As they came up toward the Navy Yard, Buck began to 
 ply Casey with questions. 
 
 " What old ship is that, built over like the Santee ? " 
 
 " That's the Constitution, Old Ironsides" replied 
 Casey proudly. " She looks desolate enough now, but 
 there was a day when the sight of her sent terror through 
 the enemy." 
 
 " Did you ever sail on her ? " 
 
 " On three cruises, Mr. Jones, and a better sailer never 
 rode the waves." 
 
 Buck knew well of the unparalleled record of this ship, 
 that had carried the stars and stripes to victory in so many 
 waters. 
 
 " And what vessel is that one that looks like the 
 Wyoming ? " 
 
 " That's the Kearsarge. She was put out of com- 
 mission a few weeks ago." 
 
 " The one that sank the Alabama ? " 
 
 " The same." 
 
 The Constellation was moored at the dock near the 
 tall shear legs used in hoisting masts, and within an hour 
 Buck had climbed to the top of them. 
 
 " Look at your friend up there, Casey. He's nothing 
 but a boy," remarked Kelly. 
 
 " Yes ; but you put him on duty, and he's every inch
 
 162 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 an officer." Kelly admitted this, and Casey looked the 
 pride he felt. 
 
 Buck enjoyed the two weeks' stay at Portsmouth. He 
 enjoyed the water most, the great rise and fall of the tides. 
 While the drills and lessons in practical seamanship went 
 on all the time, the cadets were allowed to go out in the 
 Navy Yard practically every afternoon. Buck was inter- 
 ested in the shops, though but little work was going on. 
 
 Buck did not confine himself to the shops of the yard, 
 but explored the large tract of land owned by the Govern- 
 ment, partly overgrown, partly in orchards, up and down 
 the shore line. He found a cove over beyond the point, 
 where the swimming was fine, and where he could sit on 
 the rocks and watch the sea and hear the breakers. He 
 took Preble and Catell and Billerson and other class- 
 mates there, and they would pick wild raspberries on the 
 way, and swim together, but frequently he went alone 
 to think about the sea and about life as it showed its 
 new phases. 
 
 With all-day leave on Saturday, he and Preble took 
 an excursion to the Isle of Shoals. Buck enjoyed the trip 
 over and back, and made an inquisitive inspection in the 
 engine room. It was the first time he had been on a 
 steamer, and the engineer had to warn him several times 
 not to get entangled in the machinery. He was fasci- 
 nated with the smoothness and precision of the mechanism, 
 and began to analyze the function of the different parts. 
 After watching the way the steamer was brought to the 
 dock with ease and precision, in contrast with the diffi- 
 culties of the Constellation, he exclaimed to himself: 
 " Casey is wrong. I love the sails, but steam is the thing 
 to drive and control a ship," and he resolved to " master " 
 steamers as well as sailing ships. 
 
 The days passed, delightful days for Buck and all the
 
 BUCK PROVES HIS FRIENDSHIP FOR CASEY 163 
 
 others. They had a goodly amount of work, but, on the 
 whole, it was more like a vacation, with frequent liberty 
 for cadets and seamen. 
 
 The time for sailing was close at hand. Buck was sit- 
 ting on the afterguard chest after supper, looking out at 
 the lights across the bay. The upper classmen had gone 
 ashore to a farewell dance given to them at the Went- 
 worth. All the officers had gone but Dott and Lutze. 
 Lutze was officer of the deck, and Dott came up and they 
 were walking up and down together. Buck heard them 
 use Casey's name, which attracted his attention. 
 
 " Casey is renewing his youth in that young Jones," 
 he heard Lutze remark. 
 
 " Yes," said Dott, " his love for young Jones is mak- 
 ing a new man out of him. To-morrow is the last day of 
 liberty for the men and he hasn't asked to go on liberty 
 once, but is content to stay on board ship and around 
 the Navy Yard. I believe he has determined not to touch 
 another drop." 
 
 " Very different from Malone," he added after a 
 pause. " He is in double irons now. The ship's corporal 
 caught him to-day smuggling liquor on board. He always 
 has been a source of demoralization." 
 
 Buck went to bed very happy, thinking that perhaps he 
 had been helpful to Casey. It was a new kind of happi- 
 ness, in many ways the deepest that had yet entered his 
 heart, for he loved Casey, and had grieved ever since he 
 heard that drink had marred his life; but his happiness 
 was doomed to be short-lived. Casey was dressed in blue 
 the next morning. He had a restless look in his eyes and 
 shunned Buck. This was very disturbing to Buck. When 
 the liberty party left the ship at twelve o'clock, Casey was 
 among them. Dott happened to come on deck at that mo-
 
 164 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 ment, and Lutze, who had the deck for the forenoon watch, 
 remarked : 
 
 " We spoke too soon about Casey." 
 
 " Yes," said Dott, with bitterness and disappointment. 
 " It's all due to the liquor Malone smuggled on board. 
 I'd like to see every drop of liquor in the world poured 
 into the sea." 
 
 Buck was deeply depressed. At luncheon the last day 
 of liberty happened to come up for discussion, and one 
 of the first classmen told how on his plebe cruise the best 
 swimmer on board had drowned while coming off. 
 
 " The boat capsized, it seems. They said he was 
 drunk and got tangled up in the seaweed. The other two 
 men in the boat escaped all right. I have always believed 
 it was foul play. There are some toughs ashore who put 
 on sailors' suits and get the men drinking and then rob 
 them. Five years ago a seaman disappeared the last day 
 of liberty and was never heard of again till his body was 
 washed ashore two weeks later." 
 
 After lunch Buck went on deck to confer with Kelly. 
 Kelly was in the blues, too. 
 
 " Can't we do something, Kelly ? " 
 
 " No, Mr. Jones. Malone got him to take a drink 
 last night. That started him. Nothing on earth can help 
 him now." Then he added : " Such a pity, such a pity ! 
 He drew a hundred dollars from the paymaster this morn- 
 ing. When he comes back, he'll not have a cent. They'll 
 rob him." 
 
 " Couldn't you go ashore and take care of him ? " 
 Buck asked. 
 
 " It's no use, Mr. Jones ; it's no use," and Kelly went 
 down the hatch, looking the picture of woe. 
 
 Buck climbed up in the maintop to think it all out, 
 but he could not rest. Then he went down to the wash-
 
 BUCK PROVES HIS FRIENDSHIP FOR CASEY 165 
 
 room and walked up and down alone. His anxiety for 
 Casey grew. 
 
 " I'll go myself," he finally resolved. 
 
 Dott noticed how grave and determined Buck looked 
 when he asked for permission to go ashore, and guessed 
 what it meant. 
 
 " You will find it impossible to do anything, Mr. 
 Jones, and I advise you to come back on the 5.30 boat." 
 
 Dott felt anxious all the afternoon. When Buck 
 failed to appear on the 5.30 boat, the anxiety increased. 
 When he did not come on the nine o'clock boat, Dott be- 
 came alarmed and did not go to bed, hoping he might 
 come over in a shore-boat, or come around by the bridge. 
 At midnight he woke the Captain. 
 
 " Jones, B. P., has failed to return, sir. He went 
 ashore this afternoon bent upon looking out for Casey, 
 who is off on a spree again. I fear trouble from that 
 gang of toughs. With your permission I will send Mr. 
 Fonste, the cadet of the berth deck, ashore to confer with 
 the police authorities and begin a search." 
 
 " Very well, Mr. Dott. Report to me the result." 
 
 Fonste came back about three in the morning and re- 
 ported that the police had traced a cadet, also an old 
 drunken sailor with two comrades, as far as the Isle of 
 Shoals; all came on board to return on the night boat. 
 Then the trace was lost. No one could be found who re- 
 membered seeing the cadet or the old sailor get off at the 
 landing, though several saw the two comrades come off 
 together. They were out then, searching for these two. 
 
 " What do they think ? " asked Dott. 
 
 " They agreed that it was ' foul play,' and are very 
 gloomy. The chief of detectives says the same thing has 
 been done before by the same gang, and that there is not 
 one chance in a thousand for the victims, and furthermore,
 
 166 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 that unless their bodies are recovered at once, there will 
 be slight chance for convicting the thugs." 
 
 Dott called the Captain, and they went together to con- 
 fer with the Commandant of the Navy Yard. 
 
 " It's a sad case, Carrington. That gang of thugs has 
 been preying upon our seamen for five years. We must 
 break them up at any cost." 
 
 As a result of the conference, the Commandant issued 
 orders for the navy-yard tug to be ready at daybreak to 
 begin search for the bodies, to take a field howitzer in 
 the bow and fire every few minutes during the search. 
 Firing cannon over the water has often brought bodies 
 to the surface. 
 
 When Buck started up from the landing he noticed 
 the saloon with the sign " The First Chance." He had 
 noticed before on coming down to the landing that on the 
 other side the sign had " The Last Chance." 
 
 " This must be a special saloon to catch the sailors," 
 he murmured, and the horror of the practice came over 
 him. He went in and found a dozen sailors drinking and 
 carousing. They were all astonished to see a cadet come 
 in, and silence fell on the group. 
 
 " What will you have, sir ? " asked the bartender with 
 a bow. 
 
 " Nothing, thank you. But could you tell me where 
 to find Tim Casey, the old boatswain's mate of the Con- 
 stellation ? " and Buck described Casey. 
 
 The bartender suavely denied any knowledge what- 
 ever. 
 
 Buck was about to leave, when one of the sailors spoke 
 up. It was Olsen. 
 
 " Casey has been in here all the afternoon, Mr. Jones. 
 He left about half an hour ago with two seamen who had
 
 BUCK PROVES HIS FRIENDSHIP FOR CASEY 167 
 
 fought under Farragut; they were going to the Isle of 
 Shoals. You can't do anything, Mr. Jones, when he gets 
 started," he added. 
 
 " When does the boat leave ? " 
 
 " At four." 
 
 Buck looked at his watch. Six minutes remained, and 
 the wharf for the Isle of Shoals boat was a mile away. 
 Buck left the saloon calmly. On the outside, he looked 
 for a car. None was in sight. He could make it with 
 lighter shoes. He would make it, anyhow; and he took 
 the middle of the road on a dead run. Buck was conscious 
 that people stopped to stare at him, and he hated to ap- 
 pear undignified in his uniform, but he thought of Casey 
 and ran with all his might. The whistle blew when he 
 was still a hundred yards away. He saw the deck hands 
 beginning to cast off the lines. " Too late, too late," he 
 murmured, but on he ran, increasing his speed as the road 
 sloped down. The boat shoved off, but Buck still ran. 
 The captain of the boat backed till he was well clear of the 
 wharf, then put his helm hard aport and went ahead. 
 The stern swung within five or six feet of the end of the 
 wharf at the instant Buck arrived on a full run. He 
 leaped, as he used to do in his contest for running broad 
 jump a dangerous leap, but he caught a stanchion as he 
 struck the rail and brought up on board without injury. 
 He caught his breath for a few minutes, then found the 
 purser to pay his fare. 
 
 " Coming back for to-night ? Round trip ? There are 
 some jolly tars on board." 
 
 " Single fare, please." 
 
 It was the first time a cadet had taken the late boat, 
 and the purser eyed Buck closely as he saw the grim, stolid 
 look on his face. Buck had a foreboding of trouble. The 
 fact that he had disregarded Dott's advice and was bound
 
 168 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 to overstay his leave would have weighed on him heavily 
 at any other time, but now he never gave it a thought. 
 
 Buck, instead of becoming aroused, became phleg- 
 matic. His pulse actually slowed down instead of going 
 up. He didn't wish to speak unless words were abso- 
 lutely necessary. His whole mind became centered on the 
 situation and Casey's danger. His movements were slow 
 and deliberate as he went up on the passenger deck. He 
 pretended to be absorbed in looking out over the water as 
 he drew near to where Casey and his two companions were 
 standing behind the smokestack. 
 
 Appearing to follow the coast line around across the 
 bow to the headland on the other side, he got a good look 
 at the group. The two men were in sailor uniform and 
 had hatbands of the Kearsarge. He had never seen such 
 vicious faces. He cast his gaze back over the shore line 
 and moved, as though unconsciously, closer to the group. 
 
 " We are joyous to meet you, old comrade," and the 
 speaker slapped Casey on the shoulder. Buck noticed a 
 peculiar snaggle of his right-hand lower teeth as he made a 
 grimace of feigned pleasure. 
 
 " That we are. Let's drink to the Old Navy ! " and 
 the other one took out a flask and a small tumbler, filled it, 
 and handed it to Casey, whose back was turned toward 
 Buck. 
 
 " To the Old Navy it is," said Casey, as he staggered 
 forward, took the glass, and drained it. He was too far 
 gone to notice that his comrades didn't even make a pre- 
 tense of drinking with him. In a few moments the second 
 man slapped Casey on the shoulder. 
 
 " So you, too, fought under Farragut. Ah, there was 
 a seaman for you ! " 
 
 Buck noticed a peculiar squint that emphasized a scar 
 behind the man's right eye.
 
 BUCK PROVES HIS FRIENDSHIP FOR CASEY 169 
 
 " Yes, yes, yes, every inch inch a seaman," Casey 
 stuttered. 
 
 " Let's drink to Farragut ! " said the first man. 
 
 " Here's to Farragut ! " said Casey, as he again drank 
 the glass dry. 
 
 Buck revolved in his mind what to do. 
 
 " Shall I step in ? Shall I report the matter to the 
 officer of the boat ? " 
 
 A sense of caution counseled : " Wait." Again and 
 again they made Casey drink, always getting a rise out 
 of him with the name of Farragut. 
 
 Buck appeared to walk up and down the deck, but 
 he was never far away. As they approached the Isle of 
 Shoals he heard the snaggle-tooth man say to the other 
 aside : " He's nearly ripe." The smile with which he 
 spoke was the most hellish thing Buck had ever seen. The 
 three went over the gangway arm in arm, the two men 
 supporting Casey in the middle. 
 
 " The old chap is three sheets in the wind, but his 
 comrades seem to be able to look out for him," remarked 
 the purser with a smile to Buck. But the smile vanished 
 when he saw the set look on Buck's face as he passed with- 
 out a word. 
 
 " A queer young midshipman. A mere boy, but he 
 looks as stern as a man. He's probably staying out over 
 night without leave for the first time," he thought. 
 
 After landing Buck followed a short distance behind 
 the three. " Nearly ripe ! " he kept repeating to him- 
 self, and he wished that he had taken the precaution 
 to bring a Colt's revolver with him. " I must stay 
 close by." 
 
 The three went into the nearest saloon and remained 
 there. Buck passed up and down, and after dark walked 
 around behind the saloon, where he could hear them as 
 12
 
 170 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 again and again they had Casey drink " once more " to 
 Farragut. 
 
 About quarter past eight he heard one of them say: 
 " Come on, old comrade, it's time to go home. The boat 
 leaves at 8.30." 
 
 They came out together, and the two had to hold Casey 
 up as they went on board. The two men feigned to be 
 half drunk themselves as they passed the purser. 
 
 " We served together under Farragut. He's loaded 
 to the gunwale, but we'll look out for him ! " said the one 
 with the scar. 
 
 " What's the use of going up on deck ? It's night and 
 there is nothing to see." 
 
 " That's a fact. Let's stay down here," and they as- 
 sisted Casey aft, and the three sat down on the guard rail 
 over the starboard quarter. Buck took in the situation 
 from the deck. 
 
 " Had I better go back now and try to take Casey ? " 
 Caution counseled: No. " Then I'll go up on deck just 
 above them, where I can jump down." 
 
 " So you decided to go back to-night ? " remarked the 
 purser. 
 
 " Yes," said Buck, and he went slowly on deck, then 
 gradually aft, till he stood close over the three men where 
 he could see and hear them. As the boat got under way 
 they gave Casey another drink, holding the glass to his 
 lips for him, as a stupor had begun to set in. The night 
 was dark and overcast. The boat had been out about 
 twenty-five minutes, making about twelve knots an 
 hour, when, in the dim light, Buck saw one of the men 
 peer around one side of the deck house, then the other 
 side. 
 
 " It's all clear," he said in a low tone. They shook 
 Casey up. " One more drink to Farragut."
 
 BUCK PROVES HIS FRIENDSHIP FOR CASEY 171 
 
 After pouring out the whiskey, the snaggle-tooth man 
 poured something from a small vial into the whiskey. 
 
 " The fiends are drugging him." 
 
 " Take this for Farragut," and they poured the con- 
 tents down Casey's throat. Then they quickly rifled his 
 pockets and took out a wad of bills. 
 
 " Has he got a watch ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 "Got everything?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 Buck was just on the point of jumping down, when 
 suddenly his hair stood on end. They took Casey by the 
 legs and pitched him backward overboard. Buck dashed 
 for the side, throwing overboard the ring life preserver 
 that hung at hand as he went. In another instant he 
 dived overboard headforemost. The speed at which he 
 was going sprawled him out as he struck, but helped him 
 to come up with his head pointing aft, and like a flash 
 he was off with his fastest overhand stroke, covering the 
 boat's length of distance to Casey in time to see him go 
 down, with scarcely a struggle, in the eddy of the boat's 
 wake. Buck dived in advance and swam obliquely under 
 the water to cut him off as he went down. In the day- 
 time he could see like a fish under water, but now the 
 night was so dark that he groped about in vain, and 
 finally came to the surface for a breath. 
 
 There was no time to be lost. Casey probably would 
 not come up, with so much liquor in his stomach. There 
 was but one chance. 
 
 He found the spot where the bubbles were still coming 
 up, drew a long breath, threw his legs high in the air, 
 and went straight down. Down, down he went till the 
 pressure of the water strained his ear drums. Far down 
 below him, his eyes now better accustomed to the dark-
 
 172 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 ness, he discerned Casey, who was slowly sinking without 
 a struggle. 
 
 Buck expelled a little bubble of air with a temporary 
 relief, and went deeper. 
 
 Under the vigorous exercise nature made cruel de- 
 mands for breathing. The impulse to breathe out all the 
 air in his lungs became torture, and, finally, he was driven 
 to expel another precious bubble. Again the torture be- 
 came intolerable, this time sooner than before, and in 
 spite of almost superhuman control, he had to expel a 
 third bubble as his hands reached Casey's head and 
 seized the long collar of his jacket. He pulled with such 
 tremendous effort that it stopped Casey and started him 
 upward. Another bubble had to go. Holding Casey by 
 the collar, with his left hand straightened above his head, 
 Buck started on the journey upward, using his right hand 
 and legs with giant strokes. 
 
 " It's quick or never," he thought, and he redoubled his 
 strokes. Another bubble. Another still another and 
 yet another. On he struggled. Every tissue in his body 
 demanded oxygen. The impulse to draw in became more 
 terrible than had been the impulse to blow out. His ef- 
 forts became frantic. The agony almost passed the limit 
 of human endurance. " Let the end come," the tortured 
 body demanded. " No," commanded the spirit. " Let it 
 come ! Let it come ! " " No, it's for Casey." 
 
 A terrible dread came over Buck lest his spirit should 
 give way. He put forth convulsive efforts, and seemed 
 to find momentary relief, but nature came back like a 
 battering ram. " Open your mouth and end it all," it 
 demanded. " No." " Open ! Open ! ! " " No, it's for 
 Casey, it's for Casey." " Open ! Open ! ! Open ! ! ! " 
 " Never ! Never ! ! Never ! ! ! " and Buck ground his 
 teeth together. They set as in lockjaw. He lowered his
 
 BUCK PROVES HIS FRIENDSHIP FOR CASEY 173 
 
 chin and pressed it against his collar bone to hold it fast. 
 The spirit had conquered. Buck worked on with steadier 
 strokes, but it seemed that the end would never come. 
 Strange burning pains began to pass like lightning flashes 
 back and forth through his head. But it mattered not to 
 Buck. A great peace had come over him. Suddenly 
 Casey's weight seemed heavier, Buck's hand holding the 
 collar became chill. 
 
 At that instant his head popped out. They were at 
 the surface. Buck threw up his head, opened his mouth 
 wide and drank in the air. Thirst for water may become 
 terrible, but it can never compare with the thirst for air. 
 No perishing caravan in the desert ever drank at the oasis 
 with the eagerness and joy that Buck drank the fresh air 
 of heaven. There was exultation of spirit, too. He had 
 won ! He had won ! Then instantly the forlorn situation 
 came over him. He yelled at the top of his lungs : " Boat, 
 there ! Boat, there ! " but his voice was lost over the 
 waste of water. The boat was a good mile away, and 
 getting farther away constantly. He had not thought to 
 call out " Man overboard " when he jumped. But Buck 
 never wasted time over regrets, and it required strong 
 efforts to keep Casey on the surface. 
 
 He swam, pushing Casey along, and finally found the 
 white cork ring buoy. With some difficulty he got it over 
 Casey's neck, then one arm through, and finally the other 
 arm through, and though the buoy lodged under the arm- 
 pits and kept Casey's head and neck out to the shoulders, 
 there was great difficulty in keeping his face above water, 
 as in the stupor his head dropped over limp. Buck was 
 shivering, and his teeth were chattering under the chill 
 of the cold water. 
 
 He glanced out at the distant lights of the city, with 
 their gleam against the sky, then at the Shoal Island Light.
 
 174 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 He scanned the horizon carefully. A longing and a feel- 
 ing of regret passed over him as he saw the mast and 
 cabin lights of the steamer drawing farther and farther 
 away. 
 
 If they only knew on board ! And the assassins would 
 get ashore and off safe ! Anger against them came over 
 Buck as he looked at Casey. The chill seemed to penetrate 
 to his very bones in spite of the vigorous kicking. 
 
 It must have been five miles to the island. Buck meas- 
 ured the distance with his eye. They could not make 
 a half mile an hour, and would probably stiffen soon in 
 the cold. 
 
 The situation gave scarcely a ray of hope. The sky 
 was black, the sea was black. The swell tossed them up 
 and down. 
 
 All in all, it seemed best to try for the island, and 
 Buck struck out with stout heart, pushing Casey ahead. 
 The leg stroke was the main thing, he remembered, and 
 he drew his feet up and pulled off his shoes, one at a time, 
 with the use of one hand, and swam on with a better 
 stroke. Soon he took off his blouse, pulling the suspender 
 buckles up to keep the trousers high, and swam on with 
 a still better stroke. 
 
 Buck ducked Casey's head under water and half 
 strangled him, and soon the man began to vomit. Twice 
 more Buck stopped for this purpose, and after the second 
 time Casey gave signs of consciousness, and muttered 
 something incoherent about Farragut. On Buck swam, 
 pushing with his left hand, swimming with his right hand. 
 
 Soon his left hand became numb; he changed hands. 
 Both hands became numb, and he felt both of his feet get- 
 ting numb. He looked at the light on the island so far 
 away. 
 
 " It's no use. It can't be done. I'll keep on all the
 
 i 
 
 BUCK PROVES HIS FRIENDSHIP FOR CASEY 175 
 
 same," he groaned, and he doggedly swam harder, avoid- 
 ing looking at the light so far away. He was thinking 
 how lonely and cold and dark it was when he was startled 
 by a noise not very far away. " It's a whale. No, it's 
 a porpoise. There's a school of them." Superstitious 
 thoughts passed over him. 
 
 " They are after me ; coming to avenge their comrade 
 that I harpooned." It sounded to Buck as though there 
 were a hundred of them ; two passed very close, one almost 
 grazed his legs. Buck shuddered, then almost laughed at 
 himself. A porpoise had never been known to attack a 
 man. They were heading his way. " I wish I could hitch 
 on to one of them," he thought, and he was almost smil- 
 ing at the idea of driving a porpoise like a team when 
 his thoughts were brought back with a shock. A big 
 creature came from ahead and paused but a few feet 
 away, then passed close, and Buck saw it turn and follow 
 them. 
 
 It was a shark! A sudden terror seized Buck. He 
 kicked the water furiously; the shark stopped for a mo- 
 ment, then came on closer, still edging over to Casey's 
 side. 
 
 Buck jerked Casey over to the other side and kicked 
 furiously. He felt his numb toes strike the shark's head. 
 It drew off for a time into the shadows of the night, then 
 came forward on Casey's side again. Buck's anger was 
 rising. 
 
 " The coward, he's after Casey because he's helpless." 
 
 Buck got Casey's jackknife and lanyard, and with 
 his teeth and one hand opened the big blade, easing up 
 on his kicking. The monster swam up closer and closer, 
 turned on his back, his belly showing white, and struck 
 straight to take Casey about at the hips. They were ris- 
 ing on the slope of a sea swell. Buck dashed into the
 
 176 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 swell, and they were carried over. To his infinite relief 
 the shark, startled perhaps by his cries and the motions of 
 his limbs, was nowhere to be seen. Buck breathed more 
 freely once more, gathering renewed strength from this 
 passing of a grave danger. 
 
 Buck swam on and on. The numbness gradually crept 
 up from his ankles and his wrists. 
 
 " When it reaches the body I suppose something will 
 happen," he reflected, but there was no dread in his heart. 
 He was surprised at himself that there was not ; but in the 
 dive for Casey his spirit had subdued circumstance. He 
 would keep on as long as he could move a muscle. And 
 on he swam. The numbness crept up, on above his knees 
 and the elbows, but still he swam. It seemed that he had 
 been swimming for days. The light seemed considerably 
 nearer, but he thought that probably they hadn't made 
 more than a mile and a half. He swam on. He couldn't 
 understand the light, and wondered if his senses were af- 
 fected. It didn't look a mile away. And on he swam. 
 Suddenly he cried aloud : 
 
 " I can't be mistaken. There it is. I can see the top 
 outline of the tower. Oh ! it's the tide, it's the tide that 
 has brought us ! " His heart leaped with joy, but almost 
 instantly sank. " It's sweeping us by. It'll sweep us out 
 to sea," he moaned. He redoubled his efforts. They were 
 steadily passing by. Still on the tide bore them, though 
 the land was not a hundred yards away. Oh, the anguish 
 of failure as victory was almost in grasp ! 
 
 Buck shook Casey. 
 
 " Casey ! Casey ! ! Could you swim a little ? Try to 
 swim ! Try to swim ! " 
 
 Casey seemed to understand and tried to move his 
 arms and legs, but they were stiff. It was useless. They 
 were nearing the outmost point. The current was run-
 
 BUCK PROVES HIS FRIENDSHIP FOR CASEY 177 
 
 ning faster. They would pass within fifty yards of the 
 point. Buck heard an insidious whisper in his ear: 
 
 " You could make it by yourself." 
 
 " No, I can't leave Casey." 
 
 " You've done your best," whispered the voice. 
 
 " No, no, I won't leave him ; I won't." 
 
 " But he is old. He would probably die from this 
 exposure, anyhow. It's all his fault. You are young and 
 life is sweet. He is alone. You have a mother and 
 father and brothers and sisters. You owe it to them as 
 well as yourself." 
 
 They were now passing the point. 
 
 " O God ! help me to be true." Buck felt so cold and 
 so tired. The shore so close at hand was infinitely tempt- 
 ing. "It's the last chance. Go! Go! ! Go! ! !" 
 prompted the voice. 
 
 " Never ! Never ! ! Never ! ! ! " he cried aloud. 
 
 He ground his teeth together, put his head against the 
 buoy, face down, and with a revolving overhand stroke 
 with both hands made a final supreme effort. The spirit- 
 ual victory seemed to double his physical strength. His 
 stroke was furious, as though he had not already been 
 through enough to exhaust a dozen men. He raised his 
 head to get a breath, but never lost a stroke and never 
 stopped to glance at the land. He was going at this fu- 
 rious stroke when he felt a dull pain in his toe. The 
 cramps at last ! He knew it would soon be over when the 
 dreaded cramps set in. He took a breath and plunged in, 
 face down, and drove his stroke yet higher. The other 
 foot felt a shock. It was an obstacle. Then both feet. 
 
 Casey dragged. Buck looked up; they were in the 
 cove ! The furious spurt had brought them in till they 
 reached the eddy or counter current behind the point 
 which swept in close to the shore.
 
 178 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Buck stood up. The water was waist deep. He soon 
 recognized the cove where he and Preble had gone in bath- 
 ing. Casey could not stand. Buck took him on his shoul- 
 ders. The clock struck two as he roused the startled in- 
 mates of the cottage on the point
 
 CHAPTEE XIII 
 
 BUCK FINDS HIMSELF A HERO 
 
 IT was about nine o'clock when the tug returned to the 
 Navy Yard, with Buck and Casey on board. 
 
 The intermittent firing had roused the country- 
 side, and as the cause became known a deep gloom settled 
 upon the Navy Yard. All were surprised when the fir- 
 ing ceased as they reached the Isle of Shoals, and when 
 the tug was sighted on its premature return everybody 
 went down to the wharf. 
 
 " They're both on board, doing well," answered Sur- 
 geon Woodgate to the anxious questions as the tug drew 
 near. 
 
 They brought Casey off on a stretcher, wrapped in 
 blankets, looking like a corpse. Buck came over the side 
 unaided, with a broad boyish smile for those who greeted 
 him, although his lips and face were still blue and his 
 cheeks and eyes were sunken; his legs and feet were in 
 bandages. Woodgate hastened to the Captain to report. 
 
 " They are both doing well, sir. There must have 
 been apo-morphine in the drug the villains used; it kept 
 Casey's heart going. The circulation had practically 
 stopped in his arms and legs, but Mr. Jones procured 
 prompt medical assistance. We found Mr. Jones and the 
 two physicians on the island working to restore the circu- 
 lation. The stupor reduced the nervous shock. If we 
 can keep the heart going for twenty-four hours, he'll prob- 
 ably come around all right in spite of his age." 
 
 179
 
 180 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " How about Mr. Jones ? " 
 
 " He's all right, sir. I am going to write his case 
 up for the medical journal. He was five hours in the 
 cold water. His feet and legs were considerably lacerated 
 by the barnacles and rocks, as he groped his way in the 
 dark with Casey on his shoulders." 
 
 " Ask him to come to the cabin when he is com- 
 fortable." 
 
 " Report to the Captain, Mr. Jones," said Woodgate, 
 as he came into the sick bay. When Buck reached the 
 cabin, the Commandant of the Yard had come on board 
 and was talking earnestly with the Captain. They paused 
 as Buck entered. 
 
 " I am sorry to have overstayed my liberty, sir." 
 
 " Never mind that. Would you mind telling me about 
 your adventure ? " 
 
 Buck told them very briefly. 
 
 " You can stay on the sick list till further orders." 
 
 " I'd rather not go on the sick list, sir. I'm feeling 
 all right. I wish, however, you would let me go ashore 
 after those scoundrels. They might get away if we 
 wait." 
 
 The two officers caught the resolute look in Buck's 
 eyes. It was agreed that the tug would take him over 
 at once. 
 
 " Civilian's clothes would be best, so they won't sus- 
 pect, but I have none." 
 
 " I'll fit you out." And Carrington ushered Buck 
 into his stateroom. " A little big for you, Mr. Jones, par- 
 ticularly the coat, but they will answer. I'm afraid I 
 can't help you out in shoes." 
 
 Buck had big feet naturally; with the swelling and 
 bandages they looked enormous. He saw the twinkle in 
 the Captain's eye.
 
 BUCK FINDS HIMSELF A HERO 181 
 
 " Tell the yeoman to issue you a pair if there is a 
 pair on board large enough." 
 
 Both smiled. The officer of the deck smiled, too, when 
 Buck saluted and went down the gang plank with a pair 
 of " specials, number fourteen," on, and with the big 
 coat bulging out with a big service Colt's revolver in each 
 side pocket. 
 
 The Commandant went over on the tug. He was as 
 eager as Buck to see the thugs captured. On the way 
 over he had Buck write out and sign in his presence a 
 full detailed description of the two men. After this Buck 
 went down to the boiler room to make sure of his re- 
 volvers. 
 
 " The first thing to do is to make a man throw up his 
 hands. I'll have to drill my left hand." He exercised 
 his left hand; then he rehearsed with both hands at the 
 same time, pressing the triggers to make the self-cocking 
 hammers come back together till on the edge of firing, 
 then easing them down again. 
 
 As they stepped off the tug a gentleman complimented 
 the Commandant upon the miraculous rescue. The Com- 
 mandant bowed, but said nothing. 
 
 " I'm afraid, Commodore, it is already widely known 
 on shore. Maybe they have already fled the city." 
 
 " I was thinking the same thing myself, Mr. Jones." 
 
 At that moment they heard the incoming " Boston 
 Limited " whistle. 
 
 " I'm going to the depot," said Buck quickly. " I'll 
 call you up at police headquarters," and he was off to the 
 right at a trot, dragging his big shoes. His feet began 
 to ache, but he kept up his trot till he reached the sta- 
 tion, panting, as the passengers were going on board. He 
 climbed on the rear sleeper and started through, looking 
 at the passengers from the rear as he went. He had
 
 182 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 scarcely entered the second Pullman when he saw the two 
 men quietly arranging themselves. 
 
 " No doubt about it," he murmured, as his heart be- 
 gan to slow down a little. He left the train and hurried 
 to the 'phone booth. 
 
 " Police headquarters. Quick ! " 
 
 There was no excitement in the voice, but Central 
 dropped everything and gave him the wire. 
 
 " Police headquarters ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " The Commodore, please." 
 
 " Here he is." 
 
 " I have them, sir, on the Limited. She is pulling 
 out. Flag her before she gets out of town. If too late, 
 then the first stop. Find us in the next to rear sleeper. 
 I'll stay with them." 
 
 The 'phone snapped before the Commodore could say 
 a word, and Buck rushed out and caught the rear steps 
 as the Limited pulled out. He went quietly forward and 
 sat down in the seat just in front of the men, pretending 
 not to notice them. As he passed, his pulse slowed down 
 again. That phlegmatic feeling came over him. His 
 whole being concentrated on the situation. He looked 
 out of the window, and with a side glance scanned the 
 men. The one with the scar slapped the other on the 
 knee. 
 
 " We're off, old pal. We're too smart for them." 
 
 Buck noted the speed as it increased; they crossed 
 street after street and reached the suburbs. 
 
 " I suppose it was too late," said Buck. 
 
 At that moment the train whistled and began to slow 
 down. The two men became nervous. The brakeman 
 came hurrying back. 
 
 " What's the matter ? " asked the snaggle-tooth man.
 
 BUCK FINDS HIMSELF A HERO 183 
 
 " Don't know, sir. They've thrown the block on us." 
 The brakeman passed on to the rear. 
 
 Buck looked out of the window. The men became 
 restless as the train came to a stop. Buck put his hands 
 in his pockets and gripped the revolvers, playing with the 
 triggers. 
 
 The men glanced around the car. Buck noticed both 
 of them feel their inside breast pockets. 
 
 One of them stood up, then sat down again. Soon a 
 clatter began to be heard. Both men listened breathlessly. 
 It became louder. 
 
 " A fire ? " questioned the snaggle-toothed man. !No 
 answer from the other as he listened. 
 
 " It's the patrol." They both crouched down and 
 glanced at the doors. 
 
 " The window is best," said the man with the scar, 
 as he began to raise the inside window. He raised it full 
 up, then raised the other window likewise and paused 
 to look. 
 
 Buck slowly drew the revolvers, keeping them close to 
 the back of the seat, and turned slowly around and got 
 on his knees on the seat, keeping down low. 
 
 " There it comes ! The patrol ! Let's jump off ! " 
 
 Both rose and turned toward the window. 
 
 "Halt! Hands up!" 
 
 They turned to find Buck's revolvers resting on the 
 back of the seat and leveled. Both reached for their breast 
 pockets. 
 
 " Try it, if you dare," and Buck played on the trig- 
 gers. The men saw the hammers go back. Crouched 
 down behind the seat, Buck had the double drop on them, 
 and they threw their hands up quickly. 
 
 " The man that moves a muscle is a dead man ! " 
 
 They understood what such words meant, spoken with
 
 184 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 such firm determination. They little realized that it was 
 only a country boy, not long in his teens, who had never 
 been known to use such threats before. 
 
 The passengers were in consternation, as three police- 
 men came simultaneously through each door. 
 
 " You caught them going through the window ? " 
 asked the first sergeant to arrive. 
 
 " Yes, as they started. Their guns are in their breast 
 pockets, sergeant." 
 
 Buck remained as motionless as a setter dog pointing. 
 
 " Well done, Mr. Jones," said the Commodore, as he 
 came up while the men were being disarmed, two revolv- 
 ers and a long dagger being taken from each. 
 
 " We've been wanting you both for some time," re- 
 marked the sergeant. 
 
 " I'd like to know what for. We're going to bring 
 suit for your arresting peaceful citizens on the train this 
 way. We were only opening the windows to get some 
 fresh air." 
 
 Buck marveled at the coolness and resourcefulness of 
 the ruffians. It was of no avail, however. Buck's com- 
 plete identification and detailed testimony led to their 
 conviction and sentence to twenty years in the peniten- 
 tiary. 
 
 The Constellation was scheduled to sail the next day, 
 August 3d, but put off the date in order to let Casey iden- 
 tify the prisoners and give his testimony. 
 
 That morning Woodgate reported to the Captain on 
 Casey's condition. " He is recovering rapidly, sir, and 
 will be able to testify to-morrow or next day. But he still 
 refuses to take any brandy or whisky to stimulate his cir- 
 culation. It's a touching case. At times he weeps like a 
 woman when anyone speaks of Mr. Jones. ' It didn't
 
 BUCK FINDS HIMSELF A HERO 185 
 
 matter very much about my old hulk/ he said to me as I 
 prescribed the dose of whisky, f the liquor wrecked me long 
 ago, but if it hadn't been for a miracle it would have 
 brought the lad to his death. No, doctor, I'll not take a 
 drop, if going without it costs me my life,' and it was 
 useless to insist. When I sent him an eggnog, he detected 
 the liquor flavor and poured the whole thing into the 
 scupper." 
 
 About noon the orderly brought a telegram to Buck, 
 " The Captain's compliments. He has wired an answer, 
 but suggests that you wire also." Buck read the tele- 
 gram anxiously; it was dated Sumter, Ala., August 3d, 
 9 A.M., and addressed to the commanding officer of the 
 U. S. S. Constellation, Portsmouth, N". H. Buck's heart 
 leaped. It read : " Telegram from Montgomery reports 
 my son, B. P. Jones, in adventure and subjected to long 
 exposure in water. Please wire his present condition." 
 Signed Robin Jones. 
 
 It was warm and fresh, and tears came to Buck's eyes 
 as he thought of his father and mother and all the dear 
 ones at home. He wired back : " Am all right. So is 
 Casey. Love for all. Buck." 
 
 " I'm so glad I was true and didn't give up. I could 
 never have looked my father in the face again." 
 
 Buck's young nature with its great elasticity had 
 already recovered its normal condition and he had thrown 
 off the incident, but now and then he thought of the 
 temptation that had come over him. 
 
 " A thousand times better to be dead," and he shud- 
 dered at the thought. " I might have given way. I think 
 I would have given way if God hadn't helped me." 
 
 The thought made him very humble in the midst of 
 all the praise and showers of congratulations that began 
 
 coming in that afternoon. Among others, there was a 
 13
 
 186 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 telegram from the Secretary of the Navy, and later from 
 the President of the United States. Correspondents 
 flocked on board and insisted on interviews. Buck was 
 greatly relieved when the ship sailed on the 5th and he 
 could get away from it all. 
 
 After the ship had dropped the tug and stood away 
 under all plain sail to the southeast, Buck went down to 
 the sick bay to see Casey. 
 
 " We're off, Casey ; we're off. Isn't it fine to get to 
 sea again ? " 
 
 " Yes, Mr. Jones. I catch the whiff of the brine. It 
 puts new strength in me. My old bones are beginning to 
 limber up again." Then, after a pause, Casey continued : 
 " I was wondering, Mr. Jones, how you could take all 
 that trouble for an old derelict like me," and they began 
 talking over the experience in the water. Finally, Buck 
 made a clean breast of it. 
 
 " Twice I was base enough to think of leaving you, 
 Casey, and I cried out to God without help I'm sure I 
 would have failed. But I would never have known a 
 happy moment again." 
 
 There was a long pause. Buck saw a strange but ten- 
 der look in Casey's eyes. 
 
 " Mr. Jones, do you believe in God ? I had given up 
 the belief long ago." 
 
 " Yes, Casey. At times, as I reason, it seems I doubt, 
 but I don't think I'll doubt any more. My mother is 
 right. There is a God and God is good, and we must try 
 to do our part." Somehow, tears came to Buck's eyes, 
 he hardly knew why. Ordinarily he would have been 
 ashamed. Casey took him by the hand. There was 
 moisture in the old sailor's eyes, too. Their souls held 
 hands as they touched the infinite together.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 BUCK SHOWS PROFICIENCY IN UNEXPECTED WAYS 
 
 THE next day was Sunday. When Buck was leaving 
 the washroom, Stratford called him back. 
 " Turn the basin on full ! " 
 
 Buck turned the water on. 
 
 " Draw a deep breath ! " 
 
 Buck drew a deep breath. 
 
 " When I say ' three ! ' I want you to dive for Casey. 
 And don't you come up till you have him." 
 
 A smile twittered about Buck's lips. 
 
 " Wipe off that smile ! It's no laughing matter to 
 dive for a drowning man." 
 
 Buck wiped the smile off and tried to look solemn. 
 
 " Are you ready ? One two three dive ! " 
 
 Buck soused his head in the basin till the water came 
 up to his ears and ran out over the deck. 
 
 " Search for him ! Search for him ! ! " 
 
 Buck moved his head around and reached down his 
 arms, as though searching under water. 
 
 " Have you found him ? " 
 
 Buck nodded his head. 
 
 " Then bring him up ! " 
 
 Buck held his left hand out, closed as though holding 
 on to an object, and pawed the air with his right hand as 
 though swimming for the surface., then threw his head 
 
 187
 
 188 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 up out of the basin with a swing that sent the water flying. 
 Stratford roared and Buck laughed behind his hands as 
 he wiped the water from his face. 
 
 " Well done, Mr. Jones. Now go through the drill 
 in one motion. Stand by, dive for Casey ! " 
 
 Buck soused down, searched, and came up with great 
 precision. 
 
 " Come here, Moble, and see the new drill," called 
 out Stratford. 
 
 Moble, who was passing, came in. When he saw Buck 
 go through the process he almost split his sides, and went 
 to the washroom door and called in all the upper class- 
 men about the deck. Again and again Buck went through 
 the process, and the realism kept the upper classmen in 
 gales of laughter. Some of the plebes became curious 
 and sidled up that way to discover what was going on. 
 Stratford spied them. 
 
 " Come here, Mr. Billerson ! Come here, Mr. Pike- 
 man! Come here, Mr. Rix! Come here, all of you ig- 
 norant plebes and learn the latest drill ! " 
 
 Curiosity gave way to consternation as the plebes 
 came among the laughing upper classmen. 
 
 " The drill is called ' Dive for Casey.' It is done in 
 three motions dive, search for him, bring him up. Mr. 
 Jones, show these eager plebes how to do it. In three 
 motions, dive for Casey. Stand by; dive; search for 
 him!" 
 
 Buck searched. 
 
 " Bring him up ! " 
 
 Buck brought him up. 
 
 " Squad, take your basins ! " 
 
 The plebes distributed themselves, each to a basin. 
 
 " Fill them full ! Are you ready ? " 
 
 " In three motions, dive for Casey. Stand by, dive !
 
 BUCK SHOWS PROFICIENCY 189 
 
 Put your head in deeper, Mr. Pikeman. What do you 
 mean, Mr. Billerson, by strangling yourself like a baby ? " 
 
 They all stood up dripping. 
 
 " Try that first motion over again. Stand by, dive ! 
 Search for him ! " 
 
 The upper classmen roared at the awkward movements. 
 
 " You'll never find him at that rate, Mr. Pikeman. 
 Reach out and feel for him. Bring him up ! " 
 
 They came up together panting and dripping. 
 
 " Mr. Jones, you are proficient ; I'll make you captain 
 of the squad. Now drill the others until they are compe- 
 tent to do the drill in one motion." 
 
 Buck proceeded to give the orders and the drill 
 progressed well, except in the case of Pikeman, who 
 slouched over the motions. 
 
 " Mr. Jones, you'll have to have an awkward squad 
 for Mr. Pikeman. Give him special drill. Go ahead 
 with him, Mr. Jones." 
 
 And Buck put Pikeman through the drill alone. 
 Everybody roared, including the dripping plebes, as they 
 watched Pikeman as he came up puffing and blowing like 
 a porpoise, black in the face with anger. 
 
 When the crowd broke up to get ready for quarters, 
 Buck heard Pikeman say to Ninman : 
 
 " It's all Jones's fault. I'll get even with him yet." 
 Everybody else was in great humor. 
 
 " We give you the prize, Stratford," said Moble ; 
 " ' Dive for Casey ' is the best drill ever invented for a 
 plebe." 
 
 " I got it up to see if Mr. Jones's head had been 
 turned." 
 
 Stratford builded greater than he knew. " Dive for 
 Casey " became the favorite form of " running " at the 
 Academy. If there were no basin or tub at hand, the
 
 190 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 luckless plebe would have to dive into the wardrobe or 
 under the table or in a locker. 
 
 It was the first Sunday in the month, and after quar- 
 ters and general inspection all hands were called aft on 
 the quarter-deck to hear the Articles of War. Buck had 
 heard the Articles of War twice before, the first Sunday 
 in July and the first Sunday in June ; but they had not 
 made the impression they did this time. He was par- 
 ticularly impressed with the clause that called on every- 
 one in the naval service " to set a good example of so- 
 briety, of virtue, honor, patriotism, and subordination," 
 and with the clause, " It is earnestly enjoined upon all 
 officers and enlisted men diligently to attend upon every 
 occasion the worship of Almighty God." Though still a 
 boy all over, Buck had recently sounded to a great depth 
 in the ocean of life. 
 
 At church service everybody was surprised to see Gasey 
 come out of the sick bay and take a seat. It is true his 
 seat was back in the rear, but no one had seen Casey come 
 aft to church service at all for twenty years. He seemed 
 to take no part in the service, but a close observer could 
 have seen his eyes light up as he watched Buck. The 
 boy had opened up a new depth in the life of the old 
 Bailor. 
 
 The ship headed almost due south for three days, with 
 a moderate breeze from the east. Wednesday night the 
 rumor went around that the Captain had said that if the 
 breeze moderated a little, he intended to have target prac- 
 tice. Buck was all eagerness through the morning watch, 
 as the day dawned clear and bright and the breeze went 
 down. 
 
 The carpenter's gang came up on the forecastle about 
 six bells and began to rig the target. Crossplanks were
 
 BUCK SHOWS PROFICIENCY 191 
 
 lashed to casks; a pole about eight feet high was erected 
 from the middle; canvas wings attached to guys were 
 lashed to the top of the pole and carried out to the ends 
 of the planks; the center was painted black so that no 
 matter what side might be turned, it would be a white 
 triangular target with a large black bull's eye. A solid 
 shot was hung from the bottom of the pole, and a strap 
 with a toggle was secured to the top to hoist the target 
 over the side with a yard-arm whip. 
 
 It was all ready for letting go, when at three bells 
 Casey assembled the boatswain's mates and all piped to- 
 gether : 
 
 " All hands clear ship for action ! " 
 
 Buck's blood bounded as he rushed to his duties, and 
 he marveled at the wonderful activity that quickly cleared 
 the decks and provided the precautionary measures for 
 the contingencies of battle. He saw the target dropped 
 overboard as the bugles sounded to quarters, and he rushed 
 down to his gun. 
 
 " Cast loose and provide ! " 
 
 He rushed to the magazine hatch with his pouch, and 
 this time brought 3 charge of powder in a long canvas 
 bag. He had never seen so much powder before. 
 
 "Load!" 
 
 He jumped out to the port and opened the pouch for 
 the loaders to get the charge, was off to the hatch and back 
 with another charge before the shell had been driven home. 
 
 " Range, one thousand yards." 
 
 The sight bars were adjusted. 
 
 " Fire in turn, beginning aft ! " 
 
 Looking out of the port, Buck saw the target come 
 into view on the quarter. It looked very small. He heard 
 the captain of Number Twelve Gun, the next gun aft, say, 
 " Ready ! " Then a crash came. Buck's head was too far
 
 192 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 out of the port and the shock almost threw him to the deck. 
 He thought his ear drums were broken. But as the smoke 
 quickly drifted by, he heard Dott call out: 
 
 " Short and to the right. Range, twelve hundred 
 yards." 
 
 Fonste, Buck's gun captain, readjusted his sight bar. 
 
 " Lower lower handsomely well right hand spike 
 ready fire ! " A terrific crash ! The monster gun re- 
 coiled and was brought up by the heavy breeching. The 
 crew gazed out of the port. Buck saw the shell rise, higher, 
 higher, getting smaller and smaller. It seemed heading 
 straight for the target, but then seemed to drift to the 
 right. It struck to the right and short, exploding as it 
 struck. 
 
 " Still short, and to the right. Range, fourteen hun- 
 dred yards." 
 
 Soon Number Eight fired. 
 
 " Still short, and to the right. Range, fifteen hundred 
 yards." 
 
 Number Six fired. 
 
 " To the right and over." 
 
 Buck watched with fascination each shell fired. Sev- 
 eral exploded in the air, the fuse being cut too short. 
 Several struck and ricochetted, a thing that made Buck 
 wonder. But all seemed to drop to the right. 
 
 " Fire by battery. Port battery aim." 
 
 Buck stood on his tiptoes. All the guns on the port 
 side were being laid. 
 
 "Ready! Fire! !" 
 
 Twelve guns belched fire. The ship vibrated. Every 
 timber shook. Buck imagined that it was the Constitution 
 hurling her broadside against the Guerriere. He jumped 
 to the port, expecting to find the target destroyed. The 
 smoke still shrouded the ship as he heard the shells ex-
 
 BUCK SHOWS PROFICIENCY 193 
 
 ploding, and when it lifted he was sorely disappointed to 
 see the target was still riding untouched, while the little 
 puffs of smoke were drifting over it, and a few shells that 
 did not explode were still making waterspouts, ricochet- 
 ting far beyond. 
 
 " Each gun fire two shots at will." 
 
 All the gun captains knew this would be the end. 
 
 Buck noticed decided improvement in the shots. One 
 that Casey fired splashed water on the target. Fonste 
 fired a deliberate shot, which again fell to the right and a 
 little short. 
 
 " The next is our last," warned one of the crew. 
 
 " I'll do my best," said Fonste. " But I can't quite 
 understand how they keep falling to the right." And he 
 went off to consult the officer of the division about making 
 an allowance in his sight bar. 
 
 " The first division has finished, sir." 
 
 " The second division has finished, sir." 
 
 All had finished but Gun Number Ten. Buck was 
 looking over the gun to see how the target looked through 
 the sight. He picked up the lanyard and began to tauten 
 it to see how it felt. 
 
 The gun was laid, all except the last touches of the 
 hand spikes. The target was a little off to the right. 
 Buck practiced catching the moment when the ship was 
 at the end of a roll. He noticed that she was swinging 
 slowly. The target drew nearer to the line of sight. 
 
 " If I were firing, I'd allow for its continually going 
 to the right." He had made such allowances for quail 
 and duck on the wing. He did not understand the strange, 
 irresistible impulse that came over him. It may have been 
 hypnotic. 
 
 The lanyard was taut. The sight pointed a little to 
 the left of the target. The ship quivered, motionless on
 
 194 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 an even keel. Now is the time. The temptation was too 
 great. " Here goes, come what may ! " He threw his 
 weight back on the lanyard. The fire flashed, the gun re- 
 coiled, upsetting several members of the crew who were 
 not expecting it. Fonste came running over. 
 
 " How did the accident occur ? " 
 
 Pikeman pointed to Buck, who was half out of the 
 port watching the flight of the shell. Even to a seasoned 
 gunner there is always a keen fascination in watching the 
 flight of a projectile he has fired. Buck was entranced. 
 The shell seemed very slow, heading to the left, rising 
 very high, back to the right, and sinking downward in its 
 flight. Buck Ireld his breath. The shell exploded. The 
 target vanished. A shout went up all over the ship. 
 
 " Well done, Number Ten," came the voice of the first 
 lieutenant. " Secure." 
 
 " He ought to have been court-martialed. He might 
 have killed half the crew," said Pikeman to Ninman that 
 night. " I was sitting over the cabin skylight and heard it 
 all. Jones confessed he was wrong and said he would 
 take the punishment. But Carrington only warned him, 
 and, when he was gone, broke out into a laugh. Just wait 
 till we get our class organization. Then we'll check 
 him." 
 
 The weather was ideal during the rest of the cruise, 
 and the ship passed in the Capes and anchored off Fortress 
 Monroe on August 20th the schedule date. The Phlox 
 was there waiting with mail and fresh provisions, includ- 
 ing a load of watermelons, which combined with the letters 
 to make Buck homesick. 
 
 The ship lay at Fortress Monroe three days. Buck 
 had managed to keep in the first conduct grade, though he 
 was on the ragged edge. Consequently, he had leave
 
 BUCK SHOWS PROFICIENCY 195 
 
 every afternoon and enjoyed going all over the historic 
 fort, and taking swims and eating a big dinner twice at 
 the old Hygeia Hotel. One day he went over to Hampton 
 and over to the beach off which the Merrimac and Monitor 
 fought. 
 
 On the 26th they sailed, but only to stop off the mouth 
 of the Patuxent. Here they remained three days, having 
 special drills, like sending down topsail yards and top- 
 masts, sailing the cutters, " arm and away " boats for 
 cutting out service. 
 
 The third class was impatient and began to abuse Car- 
 rington for delaying. Finally they anchored off Annapolis 
 on the 29th. 
 
 The next morning, the third classmen manned the 
 capstan bars by themselves, and ran around at a break-neck 
 speed, the last " up anchor " for the cruise. Buck tried 
 to get in, too, but they ran him out. 
 
 The Phlox and the Standish came out, and by noon 
 the Constellation was moored at her buoy off the Santee's 
 wharf. By sunset the first and third classmen were away 
 singing and rejoicing on their leave, and the plebes were 
 back on the Santee, recently vacated by the second class- 
 men, who had already gone on leave. 
 
 Learning that the Constellation would sail for Nor- 
 folk the next day to get ready for a cruise with appren- 
 tices, Buck went off on board after supper and spent the 
 evening with Casey. It was sad for them both, though 
 both kept up appearances of light-heartedness. 
 
 " We'll meet again next May, Mr. Jones. My time 
 is up this winter, but I expect to reenlist and to ship for 
 next year's practice cruise." 
 
 " Take good care of yourself, Casey." 
 
 " And you take good care of yourself." 
 
 The tears almost came as the old sailor realized that
 
 196 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 he would not care to live any longer if anything happened 
 to Buck. 
 
 " Good-by, Kelly. Good-by, Anderson. Good-by, Ol- 
 sen." Buck shook hands with nearly half the ship's com- 
 pany. As the dinghy's crew pulled him ashore, he thought 
 it no wonder we won victories in the past, with such men 
 behind the guns. 
 
 Buck lay awake in his hammock on the Santee some 
 time after taps. He felt a void, a sinking feeling about 
 the heart, as he finally dropped off to sleep, realizing that 
 the plebe cruise was over and Casey was gone.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 BUCK DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF IN SOME THINGS AND 
 FAILS IN OTHERS 
 
 MALADIES like homesickness, despondency, and 
 heartache had but little showing at Annapolis. 
 There was literally no time to indulge in them. 
 Drills and exercises began the very next morning, and in 
 a few days the cruise seemed a matter of the past. Buck 
 was much interested, like all the others, in the prospect 
 of new members joining their class. The town was flooded 
 with candidates in the midst of the September examina- 
 tions. Buck, along with the others, felt a certain superi- 
 ority when he saw the candidates in their badly fitting 
 civilian clothes. 
 
 Saturday afternoon the May plebes went out in town 
 and spread consternation among the candidates, making 
 them put on " sir " and stand at attention with " fins out " ; 
 some were even made to stand on their heads. Buck took 
 no part in this, having already resolved that he would 
 do no hazing when his turn came ; but he understood the 
 feelings and impulse that prompt hazing. He did not 
 believe in hazing as an institution, but he was coming to 
 be more tolerant toward the milder forms. 
 
 Sixty-seven of the 117 candidates passed the examina- 
 tions, and in ten days the class numbered 106. Buck 
 was keenly interested in the new men, and soon began 
 to like some of them very much, though a certain formal- 
 ity still lingered between the May plebes and the Sep- 
 
 197
 
 198 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 tember plebes. The former could not help but look down 
 on the latter, though these gradually became efficient 
 in the drills and, when fitted out with uniforms, lost their 
 awkwardness. Full equality was not finally felt until the 
 baseball nine organized among the September plebes per- 
 sistently defeated the nine of the May plebes. Buck was 
 catcher on this nine and would not accept defeat. 
 
 " They have nearly twice the number to draw from, 
 and have had a chance to practice all summer; but I 
 don't believe they can keep on beating us." And he had 
 a challenge ready for three games, the last three Saturdays 
 of September. 
 
 He managed to get his nine out for more practice, 
 finding some time after supper, a little time between the 
 morning drill and dinner, and the pitcher and several 
 others joined him in getting up a half hour before gun 
 fire. They made him captain. He changed the men 
 around. The first of the three games was won by the Sep- 
 tember plebes, and the May plebes seemed disheartened. 
 
 " It's no use," said Prett, the shortstop, " they are bet- 
 ter players than we are. That's all there is to it." 
 
 " They made more errors than we did. They are no 
 better than they were last week, while we have certainly 
 improved. We'll beat them yet." 
 
 Buck's spirit spread through his nine, and they worked 
 harder, even to the point of training in diet. The Sep- 
 tember nine rested on its oars, and the result was that the 
 May nine won the next game thirteen to nine. 
 
 This roused the September plebes, who began prac- 
 ticing overtime, straining every nerve. The whole nine 
 turned out an hour before gun fire the last three days. 
 The May nine urged Buck to do the same. 
 
 " No, we'll go on steadily. They'll overdo it." 
 
 Excitement was high when the last game was called.
 
 BUCK DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF 199 
 
 The enthusiasm had spread to the town, and both sides 
 had their friends and rooters. 
 
 The September nine started out with brilliant playing, 
 and at the fifth inning stood three to nothing. The sixth 
 inning each made one. The seventh inning the Mays 
 made another. The eighth inning the Mays made two 
 and the Septembers one. The ninth inning began with 
 the Septembers at the bat and five to four in their favor. 
 They struck out and the Mays made one. The tenth 
 inning neither scored. The eleventh inning the Septem- 
 bers scored one, and the score stood six to five in their 
 favor when the Mays came to the bat. The first two of 
 the Mays fanned out. The Septembers felt confident. The 
 next man made his first on balls. 
 
 " Steady, men! Their pitcher is fagged. He's not 
 hardened, and he's been working too hard lately." 
 
 Buck's observation was correct. 
 
 The next batter took his base on being struck in the 
 hip by the ball. 
 
 The excitement was at fever heat. It was Buck's turn 
 at the bat. The crowd became nervous, and the players 
 also. 
 
 " Jones doesn't seem to care," remarked an onlooker, 
 as Buck was very slow and phlegmatic in finding his 
 favorite bat. 
 
 The first was a ball. The next, Buck struck a power- 
 ful blow and missed. The next was a ball. Then an- 
 other powerful blow that missed. The man on second 
 had failed to get away. 
 
 " Steady ! " said Buck to himself. " Am I making a 
 mistake to try for more than a base hit ? No, your strat- 
 egy is right. Three men on bases would do no good, and 
 one run would do no good. We must win." 
 
 There is a strength in such calm determination as
 
 200 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Buck's that seems to conquer nature's forces. He calmly 
 let the next ball pass, then the next. 
 
 " He's afraid to try it," jeered a September rooter. 
 
 Buck's eye was on the pitcher. He seemed to know 
 what the next ball was going to be before it left the pitch- 
 er's hand. Straight over the base with tremendous speed ! 
 Buck struck with all his might. A clear crack and the 
 ball went as though shot from a cannon, on, on, on, till 
 it struck in the big oak tree over center. A roar went up. 
 Caps were tossed in the air. All the May men rushed 
 to congratulate Buck as he came in on his home run. 
 Pikeman only remained back. " Jones's luck again," he 
 muttered to himself. 
 
 " I always felt that the May men were better than 
 the September men," remarked Prett, the shortstop, as 
 he swelled his chest with pride. 
 
 By the end of September, when the upper classes re- 
 turned from leave, the plebes, even the September plebes, 
 had become proficient in the drills and were ready to enter 
 the battalion, though fifteen, mostly September plebes, 
 were kept in the awkward squad to take extra setting-up 
 exercises. 
 
 During leisure intervals many of the plebes took up 
 studying early in September, and kept it up during the 
 month. Preble urged Buck to do likewise. 
 
 Buck thought over the matter, but shook his head. 
 
 " Now is the time for baseball and drills. I'll take 
 up studying when the time comes." 
 
 He regretted this decision the first day that studying 
 began. In all three recitations, mathematics, English, 
 and French, he made a bad showing ; especially in French. 
 He had never studied a word of French, and the method 
 used required the committing of a French text to memory 
 every day.
 
 BUCK DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF 201 
 
 At gun fire that night he was utterly unprepared for 
 the next day's recitation. 
 
 " It's absurd, Preble, to try to memorize and recite 
 French when you don't know how to pronounce a word." 
 
 He and Preble had applied for the privilege of being 
 roommates, and had been assigned to the first division, 
 quartered at the Old Quarters. Their room was in Build- 
 ing Number Three, where the officer of the day for the 
 Old Quarters had his office. 
 
 Preble pronounced the French words over for Buck, 
 who struggled with them till taps ; when he just got in 
 bed as the officer of the day reached their floor and 
 shouted : " Out lights ! Turn in ! " 
 
 When everything was quiet, and Preble was asleep, 
 Buck slipped out of bed, tacked blankets over the window 
 and transom, and put a heavy screen over the shade, then 
 lighted the gas, and continued on the French lesson. In 
 the midst of wrestling with the French words, he thought 
 he heard footsteps outside, and instantly turned out the 
 light. All seemed quiet, and after a while he lighted it 
 again. His conscience began to trouble him. 
 
 " I know it's against regulations ; but what can a man 
 do when they don't give him time enough ? " And he 
 continued studying, though he took the precaution of 
 changing the " In Charge of Room " plate from Preble's 
 wardrobe over to his own. 
 
 He was going over for the fiftieth time the first sen- 
 tence of the French text, when he was sure he heard foot- 
 steps in the hall below. He started to turn out the gas 
 again. He felt like a criminal. 
 
 " I'll not do it. If they catch me, all right." 
 
 The steps came up the stairs and down the hall, and 
 stopped for a moment in front of the door. Buck's heart 
 
 was in his throat. A knock ! The door opened. There 
 14
 
 202 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 stood the officer of the day and the sentry, who had de- 
 tected the light through the screened window. Buck rose 
 to his feet as the officer of the day entered. 
 
 " What is your name ? " 
 
 " Jones, B. P." 
 
 " Who is in charge of this room ? " 
 
 " I am, sir." 
 
 " You are aware that you are violating regulations ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " I'll report you." 
 
 " Very well, sir. I deserve it." 
 
 " Take down those blankets. Turn out your light and 
 turn in." 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir." 
 
 As he got in bed Buck murmured to himself : " I'm 
 glad he caught me." 
 
 Preble had slept through it all, and when he heard 
 Buck's name read out at breakfast formation for violation 
 of regulations, studying after taps; also for neglect of 
 regulations, having a light burning in room after taps, 
 while in charge of room, he was astonished. 
 
 " It must be a mistake, for I was in charge of the 
 room." 
 
 He dropped out of ranks to see the officer of the day. 
 
 " That report must be a mistake, sir." 
 
 " No, it is correct." 
 
 " I was in charge of the room." 
 
 " The * In Charge of Room ' plate was on Mr. Jones's 
 wardrobe." 
 
 After marching out, Preble hurried over to Buck. 
 
 " Did he slip up on you in his stocking feet ? " 
 
 "No, he caught me on the square. The sentry was 
 with him. I heard them in the lower hall and on the 
 stairway, and they stopped in front of the door."
 
 BUCK DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF 203 
 
 " Why didn't you turn the light out and jump in bed 
 and begin to snore ? " 
 
 " I did turn it out once, but I felt too mean to do it 
 again." 
 
 Preble loved Buck more than ever. And the officer-in- 
 charge and the Commandant, who heard the circumstances 
 from the officer of the day, lost none of their respect for 
 him. Pikeman, however, went to Rix and Huff and 
 Hutchins and Twinting and the other savey men of the 
 class, saying: "You'll have to look out for Jones. He'll 
 take any unfair advantage to try to stand ahead of you." 
 
 Buck never studied after taps again. 
 
 He began to investigate the total available time, and 
 to take account of the relative importance of the studies, 
 and to allot the available time accordingly. He worked 
 out his programme to take advantage of every five min- 
 utes of extra time that could be seized in each day of the 
 week. 
 
 Thus he caught ten minutes before breakfast, ten min- 
 utes after breakfast, before the call for the first period, 
 twenty minutes before dinner, after the recall from the 
 second period, about fifteen minutes after dinner, before 
 the call for the afternoon period, about ten minutes before 
 drill, about thirty minutes after drill and before supper, 
 about twenty-five minutes after supper before study hours, 
 and about twenty minutes between gun fire and taps. This 
 made altogether over two hours additional time that he 
 manufactured during the day. Huff undertook to put in 
 all the available time, too. So did Eix and several others ; 
 but they lacked Buck's rigid system. 
 
 When the first monthly examinations came, he was 
 satisfied with his French, was dissatisfied with his Eng- 
 lish, and utterly disgusted with his mathematics exam- 
 inations, in which last case he lingered over the third
 
 204 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 problem, as he had lingered on the entrance examination, 
 so that he barely reached the fourth question, and did not 
 touch the fifth. 
 
 After drill the following Saturday, all the plebes and 
 upper classmen hurried to the old Recitation Hall to see 
 the standing. 
 
 Some upper classmen, after seeing their marks, came 
 over to the marks of the plebes. Stratford noticed Buck's 
 look. 
 
 " Have you lost your last friend, Mr. Jones ? " 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " How did you come out ? I see five in English ; 
 that's good ; nine in French ; so is that ; twelve in math. ; 
 that, too. What do you expect? I have never been as 
 high as twelve in anything." 
 
 But this did not comfort Buck. Moble came up. 
 
 " Ah, Mr. Jones, you look downcast. What's the 
 matter ? " 
 
 "Nothing, sir." 
 
 Once, when Moble had Buck in the washroom on the 
 cruise, standing first himself, he asked him where he ex- 
 pected to stand. Buck had frankly told him, first. When 
 Moble noticed Jones, B. P., number twelve in mathemat- 
 ics, he turned and asked : " Where do you expect to stand 
 now, Mr. Jones ? " 
 
 " First, sir." 
 
 Moble smiled. A twitter passed among the group. 
 Pikeman laughed out loud. Buck said nothing further, 
 but went on taking down Preble's marks. As he left, he 
 saw Preble coming up the walk. He ran ahead, his face 
 lighting up. 
 
 " My congratulations ! It's fine. You pulled the first 
 section in math." It was on mathematics that Preble had 
 failed the previous year, and he smiled with satisfaction.
 
 BUCK DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF 205 
 
 " And where are you, Buck ? " 
 
 " In the middle of the second section. I went to 
 pieces on the exam, as I told you." 
 
 Preble's face fell. He knew what this meant to Buck. 
 
 " You ought to have studied on Sunday ; especially 
 last Sunday. The math exams always come on Monday. 
 Everybody else studies then. There is no other time." 
 
 Buck shook his head. He had never studied on Sun- 
 day at home, and he determined not to study on Sunday 
 at Annapolis. Instead, he would take a long walk across 
 Spar Creek, or over the Government Farm, or out across 
 the Severn on the road to Whitehall. On Sunday nights 
 he would read religious books. At times this was very 
 hard, especially when the great annual and semiannual 
 examinations came. But Buck never deviated from his 
 resolution. 
 
 " I'll try to make up on Saturdays and holidays," 
 he would repeat to himself. 
 
 " You'll be out at the game this afternoon ? " asked 
 Preble. 
 
 " The second half," replied Buck. 
 
 It was to be a great football game; the first game 
 between Princeton and Annapolis. 
 
 Buck's front room in Building Three looked out over 
 the football field, but during the first half of the game 
 Buck's back was turned, and he studied the French les- 
 son for Monday. At times when the shouting went up, 
 it was hard, very hard, but he concentrated his mind only 
 the more, and never turned till 3.45, when the time he 
 fixed arrived. Then he went out and followed the game 
 with breathless interest, running up and down the side 
 lines with the small boys. 
 
 Princeton had scored twelve in the first half, and now 
 made another touchdown and goal in the first five min-
 
 206 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 utes. Their heavy left guard had disabled the Xavy right 
 guard and substitute in succession, and was running over 
 the second substitute, who was left stretched out on the 
 field when the touchdown was made. 
 
 Time was called, and Stone, the captain of the Navy 
 team, called up Kister, the captain of the Hustlers, the 
 Navy second team. 
 
 " Kister, can you suggest a man ? " 
 
 " There is no man on the Hustlers that can stand up 
 before that bull." 
 
 " Who have played right guard for you ? " 
 
 Kister called over several names, but shook his head. 
 Then a thought came up. 
 
 " There's young Jones, the plebe. He's hard as a 
 knot and plucky as the devil. But he only plays now and 
 then, and refuses to join the Hustlers. There he is." 
 
 " Mr. Jones," called out Stone, " come here ! " 
 
 Buck came up. 
 
 " Cribbin, their left guard, has laid out three of our 
 
 men. 
 u 
 
 Yes, sir. I watched him, the brute ; he does it with 
 his elbow," replied Buck. 
 
 " Do you think you could hold him ? " 
 
 "I'll try, if you wish." 
 
 Buck was in football uniform in short order and took 
 his place. The Navy kicked and Princeton got the ball. 
 Buck caught Cribbin's vicious eye as he lined up in front 
 of him. The ball was snapped, and like a flash Cribbin's 
 elbow caught him in the throat. Buck thought his wind- 
 pipe had been broken, but he caught the Princeton half 
 back with the ball as he tried to pass through. 
 
 " One more will be enough," chuckled Cribbin to the 
 half back. 
 
 The teams lined up again. The ball was snapped.
 
 BUCK DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF 207 
 
 Cribbin lunged with his elbow. Buck ducked low, the 
 elbow passed over, and he caught Cribbin in the body with 
 his head. The half back piled on top. Cribbin was getting 
 his breath when Poe, the Princeton captain, came up. 
 
 " What's the matter, Cribbin ? " 
 
 " That little devil dodged and caught me in the wind." 
 
 " We'd better try something else ? " 
 
 " No, I'll get him this time ; then we'll walk over 
 them." 
 
 They lined up. 
 
 " Second down and four yards to make." 
 
 Buck watched Cribbin's eye. The look he caught re- 
 minded him of the look of the snaggle-tooth assassin at 
 Portsmouth. The ball was snapped to time with Cribbin's 
 lunge. The rest of the Navy team was taken by surprise, 
 but Buck was not. He looked for just what came a 
 lower lunge. He jumped back a half pace, knocked Crib- 
 bin's elbow down with his right fist, and made a counter 
 lunge with his left elbow, caught Cribbin square in the 
 neck, and disengaged in time to down the half back as he 
 tried to pass over. A shout went up that echoed over the 
 bay. 
 
 " Third down. Navy's ball." 
 
 The whistle called time. Cribbin was stretched out. 
 
 " Come ahead, old man." 
 
 Cribbin shook his head. They took him off the field. 
 
 A substitute came up. The Navy snapped. Buck 
 lunged with his elbow and caught the new man in the neck. 
 He staggered as he stood up again. 
 
 " Second down. Two yards to gain." 
 
 Buck had a consultation with Stone. The navy 
 snapped, Buck made the elbow lunge, caught the substi- 
 tute in the neck and went down with him, while Stone 
 passed over for a gain of eight yards. Cheer after cheer
 
 208 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 went up, and a Navy song broke forth ; but the whistle 
 called time. The substitute was taken off the field, and 
 another came in his place. He fell back as Buck lunged, 
 and hit Buck with his fist a smashing blow between the 
 eyes. He was ruled off, and a groan went up from the 
 stands. 
 
 " Princeton is a coward ! " 
 
 " Princeton is a coward ! " 
 
 " Princeton can't take its own medicine ! " 
 
 Everybody was astonished when Buck took his place, 
 and a third substitute stood up. The first lunge, Buck 
 caught him in the neck, and the Navy passed over for 
 a gain of five yards. The next lunge he missed. The next 
 he caught him in the neck, and the substitute was taken 
 from the field, while the Navy had reached Princeton's 
 twenty-yard line. Buck went up to Stone : 
 
 " How many of .our men did Cribbin lay off? " 
 
 " Four." 
 
 " Then we are quits." 
 
 " No ; we'll keep it up for this touchdown." 
 
 Buck shook his head. " We don't want a game to 
 come this way." 
 
 Everybody was astonished that the Navy suddenly 
 stopped the play that was gaming so much. The two 
 teams struggled back and forth. The time was nearly 
 up. An opening came and Buck kicked a drop kick for a 
 goal from the field. The shouting rent the skies. Time 
 was called. Everybody rushed in, but Buck had slipped 
 off. 
 
 " Stone, why didn't you keep up your play after Jones 
 got on to Cribbin's stunt so well ? " 
 
 " Jones refused to go on after he had laid out as many 
 as Cribbin laid out." 
 
 Buck hurried back to his room, tied a towel with
 
 BUCK DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF 209 
 
 cracked ice over his forehead, where a lump was rising, 
 and got in an hour's study on his mathematics before the 
 bugle blew for supper. 
 
 Buck carried out his self-imposed routine during the 
 second month, and used better judgment on the examina- 
 tions. When the marks were posted, Huff was again first 
 in everything with a big lead. Rix was second in mathe- 
 matics and in English, and third in French. Buck was 
 fifth in mathematics, fourth in English, and fifth in 
 French. He felt some satisfaction in going up in every- 
 thing, and his general average made him third in the 
 class, but Rix was well ahead, and Huff was out of 
 sight. But he held to his rigid regime, which was begin- 
 ning to make him appear very serious and almost stern. 
 
 Thanksgiving, however, he gave himself all the day 
 after two o'clock. He enjoyed the sports immensely and, 
 though having had no special practice, won the mile heat 
 with a good record. After the sports he said : 
 
 " Preble, I feel like a spree. Let's go out to Wie- 
 gard's." 
 
 They went out and ate ice cream and cake. 
 
 " My mother sent me a spread," said Preble. 
 
 " Then we'll get it," said Buck. 
 
 But they found the express office closed. They looked 
 up the expressman at home. 
 
 " Please come out and let us have the box." 
 
 They pleaded in vain. 
 
 " I'm going to get it and take it, if you don't come 
 on," cried Buck. " This is the only day we'll have." And 
 under the threat the agent went down and gave them the 
 big box. They took turns in carrying it to their quarters, 
 and a string of classmates gathered as they went. 
 
 " Come on," said Buck to everyone. " Preble's got
 
 210 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 the biggest spread I ever saw. I invite you all to come 
 and help us eat it" 
 
 All accepted Buck's invitation, while Preble roared 
 with laughter to see the boy in Buck breaking out all 
 over in reaction from the rigid regime he had been going 
 through. 
 
 Nearly half the class was gathered in their room after 
 supper enjoying the great spread, and the fun became so 
 uproarious that the officer of the day came up about nine 
 o'clock, thinking that they were drinking; but found no 
 evidence of liquor. 
 
 A little while later, just after gun fire, Stratford ap- 
 peared in the doorway. All the plebes stood up at at- 
 tention. 
 
 " Prepare to dive for Casey. Mr. Jones and Mr. Bill- 
 erson, take the basins ; Mr. Catell and Mr. Knowlton, take 
 the outboard wardrobe; Mr. Prett and Mr. Mortel, take 
 the inboard wardrobe; Mr. Prowhoska, Mr. Kirck, Mr. 
 Ferbier, and Mr. Dinf orth, take the inboard bed ; Mr. Ty- 
 rone, Mr. Stiger, Mr. Thimes, and Mr. Henderson, take 
 the outboard bed; the others, not provided for, take the 
 table. Take your stations ! " 
 
 They all took their assigned stations. Buck filled his 
 basin full of water and stood over it. 
 
 " Are you ready ? " 
 
 All were on the tiptoe of expectancy. Buck couldn't 
 restrain the fun bubbling up. 
 
 " Mr. Stratford, we'll all agree to make the best dive 
 you ever saw, if you'll promise not to eat up all the spread 
 before we come up." 
 
 A snicker went through the plebes. 
 
 " Jones has a nerve," whispered Catell to Knowlton. 
 
 Stratford stamped his foot. 
 
 " Come here, Mr. Jones ! " he said savagely.
 
 BUCK DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF 211 
 
 Buck came up. 
 
 " Are you trying to be gaily ? " 
 
 " No, sir," replied Buck respectfully. 
 
 " Then take your station ! " 
 
 "Standby dive!" 
 
 Such scrambling had never been witnessed before ; 
 under the beds and tables, into the wardrobes they went; 
 hands and legs were shuffling. Stratford was bursting 
 with delight, but kept a solemn look. 
 
 Buck soused his head in the basin, and worked his 
 arms frantically; then rose, and soused again, then rose 
 and spluttered out : 
 
 " I've got him, sir ! " 
 
 This was a variation, but Stratford seized upon it. 
 
 " Have the rest of you got him ? " 
 
 " I've got him, sir ! " answered Billerson. 
 
 " I've got him, sir ! " " I've got him, sir ! " " I've 
 got him, sir ! " they all answered. 
 
 " Then bring him up ! " ordered Stratford. 
 
 As they came up from all directions, holding their left 
 hands out and pawing the air with their right hands, 
 Stratford could restrain himself no longer, but broke out 
 and bent over double with roaring laughter, and took no 
 exception when all the plebes broke forth, also unable to 
 restrain themselves. 
 
 At that moment the warning bugle blew, and away 
 the group scattered. Many had to get up to the New Quar- 
 ters and in bed in five minutes, and they flew. Those 
 rooming in the same building took it more leisurely. They 
 were well practiced in going to bed, and could do it in two 
 and a half minutes. 
 
 Buck's spirits were at the highest pitch. An inspira- 
 tion seized him. 
 
 " Fellows," he said to the last four who lingered,
 
 212 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " come in after everything is quiet, and we'll go on with 
 the spread." 
 
 About 10.30 they slipped in: Knowlton, Billerson, 
 Henderson, and Kirck. Buck and Preble turned out, and 
 the six went ahead on the good things, by the dim light 
 from the corridor that came in through the open door. 
 
 " This is a wonderful turkey, Preble." 
 
 " Yes, wonderful, and these tarts your mother made," 
 put in Buck. 
 
 They had been eating the same things all evening, but 
 a new relish came with the clandestine circumstances. 
 
 Soon they became bold and raised their voices and 
 clamored for more light. 
 
 " Let's fix up the window and transom and light the 
 gas," suggested Knowlton. 
 
 " We'd better put the blankets double over the win- 
 dow," said Buck, remembering his former experience. 
 
 When everything was snug, they lit the gas and went 
 ahead with the spread, having the time of their lives, 
 Buck outdoing himself with his fun. He was just be- 
 ginning to tell a ghost story Casey had told him at sea, 
 when he stopped suddenly. 
 
 " I hear footsteps," he said in a low voice. 
 
 " It's a ghost," suggested Billerson. 
 
 " I wish it were a ghost," replied Buck, as the steps 
 grew louder. 
 
 " Fellows, it's the sentry. He's on to our light. He's 
 going for the officer of the day." 
 
 The guilty six were just about to scatter. 
 
 " It's too late, fellows ; he's on the stairway." Buck 
 knew the steps only too well. " Billerson, you and Kirck 
 get in my wardrobe. Knowlton, you and Henderson get 
 in Preble's wardrobe. Preble, you jump into bed, and be- 
 gin to snore. Quick ! It's a real case of dive for Casey."
 
 BUCK DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF 213 
 
 All obeyed, thinking that Buck would turn out the 
 light and jump into bed. Instead, Buck quickly changed 
 the " In Charge of Room " plate from Preble's wardrobe 
 over to his own, and jumped back and stood over the box 
 eating a big slice of pie as a knock came and the door 
 opened, and the officer of the day and the sentry stepped 
 in. Buck put down the pie and stood at attention; but 
 chewed fast, as though caught with a big mouthful. 
 
 " This is Mr. Jones ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir," Buck answered with difficulty, as he 
 finally gulped the pie down. 
 
 " Who's in charge of this room ? " 
 
 " I am, sir." 
 
 The officer of the day glanced up to verify the plate 
 on the wardrobe. 
 
 " You are rather greedy, eating by yourself." 
 
 " I have a bigger capacity than my roommate." 
 
 The officer glared at this retort, but resumed with cut- 
 ting sarcasm: 
 
 " There is more than is good for you. I think you've 
 had enough. I'll confiscate the rest. Orderly, gather up 
 the things." 
 
 Buck was overwhelmed as the orderly began to gather 
 the good things up into the box. He didn't know that 
 confiscation of the goods was the penalty for clandestine 
 use. 
 
 " Please don't, sir. They belong to my roommate." 
 
 He pleaded in vain. 
 
 " Your roommate should have been more discreet in 
 trusting his goods," the answer came, as the orderly was 
 putting the last things in. 
 
 The officer was morally certain that the snores coming 
 from the bed were unnaturally loud. 
 
 " Take the box to my office."
 
 214 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 And the orderly went out with the box. 
 
 Buck's wrath was running high. 
 
 " Take down those blankets, Mr. Jones ; turn out your 
 light and turn in," ordered the officer as he withdrew. 
 
 Buck couldn't contain himself. 
 
 " Please help yourself. The things are good, and I 
 am sure my roommate would wish you welcome," he said 
 with sarcasm. 
 
 The officer stepped back into the room. 
 
 " What do you mean, sir ? " he demanded of Buck. 
 
 Buck said nothing, and the officer of the day went out, 
 looking black with rage. 
 
 Preble jumped up. 
 
 " Buck, what in the world possessed you ! You are 
 ruined! Higbrath is the meanest stinker in the Acad- 
 emy ! " 
 
 The others came out of hiding in consternation. 
 
 " He ought not to have taken your spread," said Buck 
 between his teeth, as he turned out the light. " Come 
 close. I'm going to get that spread back." 
 
 The six conspirators held their heads close, as Buck 
 developed his plans, and gave each his instructions. 
 
 " Ask no questions. Simply obey instructions. We'll 
 all get out of the window. Henderson, take your station 
 on the upper floor of Building Number Two. Kirck, on the 
 upper floor of Building Number One. Billerson, take your 
 station behind the Institute Building. Knowlton, take 
 station under the willow tree behind the Steam Building. 
 Preble, take station at the corner of this building. At 
 exactly ten minutes after six bells, Knowlton Avill call out 
 ' Fire ! fire ! ' and then hide behind the old boat shed, 
 climbing up into the Sandwich Island boat, if necessary. 
 When Billerson hears Knowlton's call, he will likewise 
 call ' Fire ! fire ! ' then slip down the terrace and hide be-
 
 BUCK DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF 215 
 
 hind the Photographic Building. When Preble hears Bil- 
 lerson's call, he will pull his cap over his eyes and rush by 
 the door, calling out i Fire ! fire ! ' and will turn around 
 the Old Recitation Hall and hide. When Henderson and 
 Kirck hear Preble, they will rush pell-mell down the 
 stairs, calling out, ' Fire ! fire at the Steam Building fire 
 at the Steam Building ! ' and will rush by this building, 
 keeping up the call. They likewise will drop behind the 
 Old Recitation Hall and hide. When the fire engine is 
 out and everybody is off, we'll all assemble on the top floor 
 of the Old Recitation Hall and go ahead with the spread." 
 
 They were all electrified. 
 
 Just at that moment six bells were sounded. 
 
 " It is time to be off. Knowlton, make your call five 
 minutes after you reach your station. Here are matches." 
 Buck pulled a bundle of them out of the table drawer. 
 " Each man take a box, but use them only when necessary. 
 And look out for the watchmen. If you run across one, 
 pull your cap over your eyes and fly ; but lead the pursuer 
 astray." 
 
 Buck questioned each to see if he thoroughly under- 
 stood his part, then raised the window guiltily to see 
 about the watchman who had struck six bells with the bell 
 in front of Building Number Five. 
 
 " He's gone. The way is clear." 
 
 Buck led the way out of the window and dropped down 
 on the sidewalk. The others followed. 
 
 " Bend over passing the lamp posts," whispered Buck 
 as they parted.
 
 CHAP-TEE XVI 
 
 BUCK EATS HIS CAKE AND PAYS THE PRICE 
 
 IT was a dark night, well suited to the scheme. Buck 
 slipped around the building, then along the rear to 
 Building Number Four, then on to Building Number 
 Five. Then he passed close to the side of the building and 
 slipped across the sidewalk to the little belfry, stood close 
 up to one of the columns, and waited. 
 
 He began to feel a little anxious as the minutes passed. 
 The darkness seemed heavy and mysterious. He felt 
 queer. But his blood was up, and he repeated to himself, 
 " I'll get that spread at any cost." 
 
 At last it seemed a half hour, at least the stillness 
 was broken by a loud cry of " Fire ! fire ! " A pause 
 then another cry " Fire ! fire ! " Then a man rushed by 
 " Fire ! fire at the Steam Building ! " 
 
 Buck seized the bell and rang furiously ; then paused, 
 and struck three bells; then rang furiously, and paused, 
 and three bells, the signal for fire in the Steam Building. 
 
 He heard a tumult in Buildings One and Two, and two 
 men rushed out yelling " Fire ! fire in the Steam Build- 
 ing!" 
 
 " It's working like a charm," murmured Buck as he 
 rang furiously. 
 
 Suddenly looking around, he saw the watchman run- 
 ning toward the bell, not thirty yards away. Buck drew 
 his cap down and dashed across the sidewalk to the rear 
 
 216
 
 BUCK EATS HIS CAKE AND PAYS THE PRICE 217 
 
 of the building and turned the corner to the right, as he 
 saw the watchman coming on in pursuit. This watchman 
 had caught many a fugitive cadet; but he lost ground as 
 Buck dashed toward the Santee's wharf and turned up 
 around the gas house by the gymnasium, and doubled back 
 on his tracks, as he saw the watchman running down the 
 Santee's wharf. He slipped along the rear of the build- 
 ings, then out from behind Building Number Three, 
 where he paused and looked cautiously down the walk. 
 The last straggler was running toward the Old Recitation 
 Hall. 
 
 " It's time. I'll take my chances." 
 
 And he dashed under the light into the building, into 
 the office of the officer of the day. There was the box. 
 He grabbed it up and shouldered it. As he reached the 
 door he saw a watchman running toward him from the 
 Superintendent's house ; so he started down toward the 
 gymnasium, then turned behind Building Number Five, 
 and doubled back behind the buildings toward the Old 
 Recitation Hall. 
 
 The second watchman rushed by and seized the first 
 watchman, who was returning from his vain search of the 
 Santee's wharf, each watchman threw his bull's-eye light 
 in the face of the other. 
 
 " Did you see a cadet with a box ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Something is wrong here." 
 
 Buck proceeded cautiously, but swiftly. The engine 
 was rattling along the road near the sea wall, with the 
 sparks flying. The hose cart dashed by it. Buck climbed 
 the rear steps, then cautiously slipped around and into 
 the Old Recitation Hall and climbed to the top floor, 
 breathing deep from his load. He made a low whistle. 
 
 " Here we are." 
 15
 
 218 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Buck recognized Knowlton's voice, and groped his way 
 to the group, and deposited the box on the floor. 
 
 " We thought you weren't coming." 
 
 " I told them you would get here some way." 
 
 " I'd have been frightened to death any other time, 
 for I know this old building is haunted." 
 
 Buck paid but little heed to these remarks. 
 
 " Have you mustered ? " 
 
 " Yes, all are present." 
 
 Buck examined the hall. 
 
 " Come on this way." 
 
 And they went over to the corner where a light would 
 not show. 
 
 Buck struck a match and began to take the good things 
 out. 
 
 He bit a big half moon from a tart. 
 
 " I never knew anything so sweet ! " 
 
 The others took pie and cake, chocolate caramels and 
 turkey. 
 
 " This is the greatest spread I ever saw ! " 
 
 " Isn't this great ? " 
 
 " They are hauling on the drag ropes and hose out 
 there." 
 
 All laughed. 
 
 Each in turn struck a match. It was a chilly night, 
 and their teeth were chattering, but each testified that he 
 had never known anything to taste so good. The turkey 
 was the best ever! The ham came in for high praise. 
 They even tried the stuffed hard-boiled eggs that had been 
 neglected to that point. Each was wondering if he could 
 get back all right, but no one intimated the least anxiety. 
 All waited on Buck, who continued to stuff himself. 
 
 When the alarm was sounded the officer of the day 
 hastened over to join the Commandant. When they reached
 
 BUCK EATS HIS CAKE AND PAYS THE PRICE 219 
 
 the Steam Building, the hook and ladder squad were al- 
 ready there, but were at a loss where to operate. The 
 Commandant went all around the building. No sign of 
 fire! The Superintendent, accompanied by the four- 
 striper, his aide in fire quarters, came up. 
 
 " There is no trace of fire, sir," Carrington reported. 
 
 The watchman for the Steam Building and Phlox's 
 wharf came up. 
 
 " I have been right here, sir, and have seen no sign 
 of fire." 
 
 " Have the building inspected," directed Rumsey. 
 
 And the watchman and four-striper went in and soon 
 returned. 
 
 " No trace of fire^ sir." 
 
 " This is very strange, Captain," said Carrington, as 
 he questioned the watchman. 
 
 " Who sounded the first alarm ? " 
 
 " I don't know, sir. It was from over there on the 
 terrace. I ran around and thought I saw a cadet slip be- 
 hind that willow, but when I examined, there was no one 
 there." 
 
 At that moment another watchman came up. 
 
 " I heard fire called over here, then repeated about the 
 Institute Building, v and I ran to sound the bell at the Old 
 Quarters and found a cadet ringing it, with other cadets 
 rushing up the walk giving the alarm. As I came up the 
 cadet at the bell fled, and I chased him as far as the 
 Santee's wharf, where he slipped me." 
 
 " It is a conspiracy, Captain," said Carrington, as he 
 turned to Rumsey, who remained silent a moment, then 
 replied : 
 
 " I think you are right. Sound the retreat from fire 
 quarters. Then assemble the battalion. Unless the guilty 
 confess, march the battalion at double quick up and down
 
 220 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Maryland Avenue for an hour, and we'll issue an order 
 for a court of inquiry in the morning." 
 
 Rumsey's voice was clear and stern. 
 
 The six conspirators had been eating all afternoon 
 and evening, but they all professed to have a prodigious 
 appetite. Billerson was getting nauseated, and others 
 were not eating as much as they pretended. But Buck 
 kept stuffing by the match lights. 
 
 " There goes the retreat. They've extinguished the 
 raging fire at last," said Buck as he took up another pie, 
 while all grinned and laughed and shivered. 
 
 " Are all those tarts gone ? " asked Buck, as he began 
 to search down in the tart corner. 
 
 At that moment they heard the bugle call the assembly. 
 
 Buck stopped short. 
 
 " They are going to muster and catch us," said Kirck 
 with trembling voice. 
 
 " Let's be off." 
 
 " Let's hurry." 
 
 " A moment," said Buck sternly. " Continue to obey 
 instructions, and you'll come out all right. But first look 
 out for the spread. This is the last chance. Let's take 
 away as much as we can." 
 
 And he began shoving drumsticks in his trousers 
 pockets, and potted ham; and got three sardine boxes in 
 his blouse. 
 
 The steps of the cadets going to formation were heard 
 outside. Panic seized the other conspirators. Billerson 
 grabbed up a pie and put it, flat, soft side to body, under 
 his blouse. Henderson filled his trousers pockets with 
 cocoanut cake. Even Preble lost his nerve, and began 
 crowding molasses candy in his hip pocket. 
 
 " Come now ; steady ! " whispered Buck, as he led the 
 way.
 
 BUCK EATS HIS CAKE AND PAYS THE PRICE 221 
 
 Knowlton stumbled at the head of the stairs, and fell 
 forward against Kirck, and Kirck imfooted Billerson, and 
 the whole group began tumbling down the stairs. Buck 
 braced himself against the banister, and blocked the ava- 
 lanche. 
 
 " They must have heard us. We are lost ! " quailSd 
 Kirck. 
 
 " Steady ! " said Buck as they regained their feet. And 
 he led them to the ground floor. 
 
 " It won't do to go out of the door. We must drop 
 from the rear. It's pretty high ; but bend your knees as 
 you strike the ground, and it will be all right." 
 
 And he led the way, groping through the recitation 
 room, opened the rear window stealthily, swung out from 
 the sill, and dropped to the ground. It was higher than he 
 thought. 
 
 " Put your feet on my hands and lean in against the 
 side ; now on my shoulders. Steady ! " and he helped 
 the next one down; then the others. 
 
 Buck led the way around to the foot of the steps. 
 
 " Let's run," said one. 
 
 " No ; stay with me," replied Buck. 
 
 The gas house hose squad was coming up. 
 
 " Preble, Billerson, and Kirck, run up from the rear 
 and join them." 
 
 They obeyed, and glided into the squad unnoticed. 
 
 The engine squad soon followed. 
 
 " Go ahead, Knowlton, you and Henderson ; I'll 
 follow." 
 
 Soon they were absorbed unnoticed in the squad, and 
 all reached formation in the corridor, and answered mus- 
 ter. At last they breathed easy. 
 
 Hunt, the four-striper, read an order from the Super- 
 intendent, calling on the instigator of the false alarm to
 
 222 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 own up; otherwise, the whole battalion would be marched 
 double quick for one hour up and down Maryland 
 Avenue. 
 
 Five of the conspirators trembled. Buck never turned 
 a hair. 
 
 " Will the instigator step forward ? " 
 
 Buck, who was in the rear, shouldered the front rank 
 man out of place and stepped out. 
 
 " I am the instigator." 
 
 " What name ? " 
 
 " Jones, B. P." 
 
 " Report to the officer in charge." 
 
 Buck marched half the length of the battalion, around 
 the right and into the office of the officer in charge, where 
 Rumsey, Carrington, and Winewraight were looking over 
 the conduct report. Buck felt his blood run cold. 
 
 " I was directed to report to you, sir," he said to Wine- 
 wraight as he saluted. 
 
 All three looked up astonished. 
 
 " What for ? " asked Winewraight. 
 
 " I am the instigator." 
 
 " Mr. Jones reports that he was the instigator," said 
 Winewraight to Carrington. 
 
 Carrington had become fond of Buck on the cruise, as 
 had all the officers, and he remained silent, visibly af- 
 fected. Rumsey broke the silence with calm, impersonal 
 accents that cut like a sword. Rumsey was a rigid disci- 
 plinarian; a disciplinarian first, a man afterwards. 
 
 " You say that you instigated the false fire alarm, 
 Mr. Jones?" 
 
 Buck felt his heart rise in his throat, but he answered 
 without any visible sign of emotion. 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " You are under arrest."
 
 BUCK EATS HIS CAKE AND PAYS THE PRICE 223 
 
 The words seemed to strike Buck in the face. His 
 temples throbbed ; but he stirred not a muscle. 
 
 " Orderly, direct the corporal of the guard to report 
 here with three marines under arms." 
 
 The orderly saluted and was off, and the three officers 
 turned again to the conduct report. 
 
 The blood rushed to Buck's cheeks. His heart 
 pounded against his chest. Strange, conflicting emotions 
 surged over him. He could have died at the stake, with- 
 out wincing, for a noble cause. But now he felt a sense 
 of guilt and shame, that multiplied tenfold the torture. 
 " Under arrest ; under arrest," he kept repeating to him- 
 self. 
 
 The corporal arrived with his guard with fixed bay- 
 onets. 
 
 " Corporal of the guard, that is your prisoner." Rum- 
 sey pointed at Buck. " Conduct him to the Santee, and 
 direct the commanding officer, with my compliments, to 
 place him in solitary confinement on bread and water 
 until further notice." 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," said the corporal, saluting. He then 
 turned to Buck. 
 
 " Prisoner, about face forward, march ! Guard, for- 
 ward, march ! " 
 
 All night Buck tossed in his prison bunk with night- 
 mares a fugitive from justice; pursued over land and 
 sea. Once he saw his father and mother, but he was 
 ashamed to show his face, and fled on. 
 
 The pies, tarts, and turkey, the jam, ham, and cakes 
 and candies raised rebellion within. Pursued to the end 
 of the earth, he was captured and ordered to be shot. The 
 execution was at hand. He looked into the muzzles of 
 the leveled rifles. " O God ! If I were only not guilty ! " 
 The volley flashed. Pains darted through his body. He
 
 224 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 awakened, doubled up with cramps, the cold sweat stand- 
 ing out on his forehead. Echoes were still reverberating. 
 It was the morning gun. 
 
 " I know what it must be like in hell. It's the guilt 
 that torments." 
 
 He got up and rubbed his stomach, and leaned on the 
 edge of the bunk to ease the pain, and began to analyze 
 the degree of his guilt, when the master-at-arms came 
 down and directed the sentry on guard to conduct his 
 prisoner to breakfast formation. 
 
 The officer in charge halted them on the left as the 
 battalion formed. The blood came to Buck's cheeks as 
 he knew that everybody saw him under the guard. Buck 
 noticed the officer in charge stop in front of Billerson. 
 
 " Report, Mr. Billerson, for spot on blouse. That's 
 the biggest spot I ever saw on a blouse, Mr. Billerson." 
 
 It was exactly the size of a pie. 
 
 Finally, Buck heard Hunt read : 
 
 " Jones, B. P., neglect of regulations ; having light 
 in room after taps, while in charge of room. 
 
 " Same, violation of regulations ; sitting up after taps. 
 
 " Same, disobedience of orders, in not removing 
 blankets from window, and turning in, as ordered by the 
 officer of the day. 
 
 " Same, insubordination ; using disrespectful and in- 
 subordinate language to the officer of the day. 
 
 " Same, conduct unbecoming a naval officer and a gen- 
 tleman; purloining an object from the desk of the officer 
 of the day. 
 
 " Same, conspiracy to the prejudice of good order and 
 discipline, in sounding a false fire alarm." 
 
 A suppressed murmur passed along the battalion. 
 Jo-Jo and his gang gloated, and Pikeman felt the deep- 
 est joy of his life.
 
 BUCK EATS HIS CAKE AND PAYS* THE PRICE 225 
 
 Buck did not hear the rest of the report. He scarcely 
 heard the last charge as he kept repeating, " conduct un- 
 becoming a naval officer and a gentleman," " purloining," 
 " purloining." All the other charges, grave as they were, 
 drifted to the background. 
 
 "It's an insult!" 
 
 Buck followed behind the battalion as it marched in 
 to breakfast. Higbrath, having been relieved, came out 
 of the officer-in-charge's office, as Buck passed. The sight 
 of him stirred the elemental passions in Buck's breast. 
 
 " I dare you to say the same thing now that you are 
 off duty," he said in a low voice. 
 
 Higbrath's smile of satisfaction looked devilish. 
 
 " You're a miserable coward ! " Buck muttered be- 
 tween his teeth. 
 
 During breakfast, Buck noticed how Pikeman and 
 Ninman gloated over the situation. 
 
 When the battalion rose from breakfast, the four- 
 striper called out : 
 
 " Jones, B. P., will report to the Commandant." 
 
 Buck found Carrington looking very serious. 
 
 " Take a seat, Mr. Jones. You had a light burning 
 after taps ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 Carrington reached over and checked off the first 
 report. 
 
 " You were up ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 He checked off the next. 
 
 " You failed to turn in after being ordered to do so ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 He checked off the third. 
 
 " What language did you use to the officer of the 
 day?"
 
 226 BUCfK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " I told him to help himself to the spread he took 
 away." 
 
 " Why did you speak such words ? " 
 
 " Because he spoke similar words to me ; told me I 
 was selfish eating alone, and had had enough." 
 
 Carrington put a question mark after this report. 
 
 " Did you purloin an object from his desk ? " 
 
 " No, sir ! " Buck rose to his feet as he spoke. " I 
 took back the spread that belonged to my roommate." 
 
 " Did he see you do it ? " 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 At this juncture the officer-in-charge entered. 
 
 " Here is a supplemental report Mr. Higbrath asks 
 to add, as officer of the day yesterday." 
 
 Carrington read it out loud. 
 
 " Jones, B. P., mutiny; threatening his superior offi- 
 cer, while in the discharge of the duties of his office." 
 
 " What did you say to him, Mr. Jones ? " 
 
 Carrington's face, which had begun to light up, now 
 took on a terrible sternness. 
 
 " I dared him to say off duty that I l purloined.' 
 And when he only smiled, I called him a miserable 
 coward." 
 
 Buck's face flushed and his fists began to clench un- 
 consciously. 
 
 " When was this ? " 
 
 " As I followed the battalion in to breakfast." 
 
 Carrington pressed the button over his table. The 
 orderly appeared. 
 
 " Orderly, ask the officer-in-charge to send Mr. Hig- 
 brath here." 
 
 Soon Higbrath came in, showing a fiendish delight as 
 he saw Buck at the bar and Carrington looking so se- 
 rious.
 
 BUCK EATS HIS CAKE AND PAYS THE PRICE 227 
 
 " I notice your supplemental report says Mr. Jones 
 threatened you while in the performance of your duty. 
 When did he threaten you ? " 
 
 " On the way to breakfast." 
 
 " Had you been relieved as officer of the day ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir. But I meant that he threatened me for 
 having performed my duty as officer of the day." 
 
 " For reporting him for purloining ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " What did he purloin ? " 
 
 " A spread." 
 
 " Did you see him take it ? " 
 
 " Does he deny it ? " asked Higbrath vehemently. 
 
 " Simply answer my questions, Mr. Higbrath. Did 
 you see him ? " 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " Do you know of anyone who did see him ? " 
 
 " No, sir. But I am morally certain of it," stam- 
 mered Higbrath. 
 
 "How so?" 
 
 " It was on my table when the fire alarm sounded, 
 and when I came back it was gone." 
 
 " Is that all the evidence you have for making such 
 a serious report ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " That is all." 
 
 As Higbrath went out Carrington took up a pen and 
 scratched out the report for purloining. Buck's heart 
 leaped with delight. It didn't matter about the other 
 reports now. In gratitude toward Carrington he was 
 ready to confess everything. 
 
 " You confess that you sounded the false fire alarm ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 "Why did you do it?"
 
 228 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " To get the officer of the day out of his office so I 
 could get the spread." 
 
 " Did you realize that the whole Academy would be 
 roused out of sleep ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir. But I couldn't see any other way of get- 
 ting the spread." 
 
 " Why did you want the spread so much ? " 
 
 " Because I didn't think he had a right to take it. I 
 told him it belonged to my roommate." 
 
 " Under the regulations, anything found in clan- 
 destine use is confiscated, irrespective of its owner- 
 ship." 
 
 " I didn't know that, sir." 
 
 " Who were your accomplices in the fire alarm ? " 
 
 " I must ask you to excuse me from telling." 
 
 " Do you realize that in trials a witness is required 
 to tell the whole truth ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir. On the stand, under oath, I should have 
 to tell. But I don't think I ought to in this case, for I 
 was altogether to blame. I thought of it, planned it, and 
 led the others into it." Buck's voice began to plead. 
 " They are all good men and would never have dreamed 
 of doing such a thing, but for me. You can be sure they 
 would never repeat it." 
 
 Carrington did not press the matter. 
 
 " One more question, Mr. Jones. Mr. Higbrath re- 
 ported to the officer-in-charge that he thought there was 
 drinking going on in your room." 
 
 " No, sir ! " said Buck indignantly. " There was not 
 a drop of liquor. We were only having fun. I was the 
 most boisterous one of all. I haven't had much of a 
 chance for fun lately, and I overdid it." 
 
 " You can go to your recitation, Mr. Jones. Further 
 instructions will follow."
 
 BUCK EATS HIS CAKE AND PAYS THE PRICE 229 
 
 Buck went to his mathematics, and Carrington went 
 over to see the Superintendent. 
 
 Buck was in the midst of a problem at the blackboard 
 when the Commandant's orderly appeared at the door and 
 saluted the instructor. 
 
 " A message from the Commandant to Mr. Jones, sir. 
 He directs that Mr. Jones need not return to the Santee" 
 
 Buck had never felt such relief in his life. And his 
 delight was undiminished even when he found on the 
 posted conduct report, three demerits for neglect of regu- 
 lations ; five for violation of regulations ; seven for disobe- 
 dience of orders ; and twenty-five for conduct to the preju- 
 dice of good order and discipline ; forty demerits in all, 
 that kept him in the fourth conduct grade for three months. 
 
 " That's a pile to get in one day. I'd like to take 
 half of them." 
 
 " It's all right, Preble. I have no complaint. Car- 
 rington and Rumsey are square." 
 
 To his father Buck wrote that he was very sorry to get 
 so many demerits. " I was on the prison ship one night. 
 But it wasn't for anything mean. We were having fun 
 on Thanksgiving, and I went too far. I think hereafter 
 I'll know better where fun ends." " I deserved all the 
 demerits. The authorities were absolutely just," he added 
 in a postscript. 
 
 On the way from drill, Buck spied Billerson. 
 
 " Eh, there, Billerson ! How big is that spot on your 
 blouse?" 
 
 " If you call that a big spot, you ought to see the spot 
 on my vest and shirt. I had a pie bath." 
 
 When Buck remained after church for the Chaplain's 
 Bible class, as usual, Pikeman beckoned back over his 
 shoulder with his thumb, as he passed out in the throng, 
 and said in a loud voice to Ninman :
 
 230 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " Bid you ever see such a hypocrite ? And the nerve ! 
 He goes to Sunday school and to the Y. M. C. A. ; but he 
 gets caught out after taps, sounding fire alarms, and the 
 like. He's got the devil in him." 
 
 During the month of December Buck carried out rig- 
 idly his self-imposed routine. He made good progress in 
 French, but in giving so much time to it, he realized that 
 he was neglecting mathematics and English; particularly 
 the former. So when Christmas came, with the examina- 
 tion in mathematics set for the next day, he allowed him- 
 self only one hour in the morning and one hour in the 
 afternoon, during which he took a brisk walk, and thought 
 about all the dear ones at home. These thoughts brought 
 the tears to his eyes, and the old, clamoring homesick 
 feeling in his breast. But he ground his teeth together, 
 and was only the more careful to get back to his room, 
 ready to continue work when the hour was up, and to 
 concentrate his mind so as not to be disturbed by the 
 sounds of the others in their frolicking. 
 
 When he turned in his papers at the close of the ex- 
 amination next day, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction; 
 felt that he had actually done himself justice for the first 
 time. 
 
 " I'm glad I didn't take Christmas off." 
 
 After Saturday-morning drill the cadets hurried to 
 the Old Eecitation Hall to see the marks. As Buck came 
 up, Preble rushed out. 
 
 " Buck, you knocked a four ; a cold four, on the math 
 exam." 
 
 An architect has pride in the sight of a great struc- 
 ture, the offspring of his mind ; a conqueror has pride in 
 the map of an empire he has built ; but the full depth of 
 human pride is only sounded by a naval cadet who looks
 
 BUCK EATS HIS CAKE AND PAYS THE PRICE 231 
 
 at the bulletin board that shows he has " knocked a four " 
 on an examination. 
 
 Buck felt the depths were in commotion; but his 
 brows lowered as he asked : 
 
 " Who stood one, Preble ? " 
 
 " Huff stood one because he had such good weeklies. 
 But he only made 3.7 on the exam." 
 
 This was no consolation to Buck. Those who noticed 
 him looking over the heads of the throng around the bul- 
 letin boards wondered why he was not laughing and smil- 
 ing, for he was second in mathematics, third in English, 
 and fourth in French. But instead of smiling, he had a 
 stolid, set look on his face, which made Huff and Rix 
 feel nervous, though, thus far, both had a long lead, and 
 Huff was practically out of sight of all competitors. 
 
 January was the general review month, and the 
 " weeklies " counted for the month's work. Huff and 
 Rix were again ahead of Buck with a large lead. It was 
 an impossibility for Buck to equal them in weeklies, when 
 he had to give so much time to French. But he realized 
 that he might make up some of the difference at least, if 
 he could be sure of mastery of the subjects so as to make 
 the best examinations. 
 
 The great semiannual examinations were at hand. 
 The mathematics examination was to be the first, set for 
 Monday. Buck did his utmost, but when taps came Sat- 
 urday night, he felt he was far from ready. 
 
 " Shall I turn out after everything is quiet ? " he 
 asked himself. 
 
 " No ; I don't quite like it. It's against regulations. 
 Then I must study to-morrow, like everybody else," and 
 he began to reason over with himself the question of 
 studying on Sunday. 
 
 For probably an hour Buck wrestled. He not only
 
 232 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 longed to stand first like the others, but he had made up 
 his mind to stand first, and he felt that the great thing 
 he needed was time. A whole day, each week. What 
 an advantage it would be ! And then with this additional 
 time, he could allow himself to go on the teams, and the 
 baseball nine and the crew. The thought of giving up 
 the baseball nine and the crew almost broke his heart. 
 He went over the whole ground. His boy nature joined 
 with his ambition to plead for studying on Sunday. But 
 in vain. 
 
 " I haven't studied on Sunday before, and I'll not 
 study now. And I'll stand one." And having made his 
 final decision, Buck dropped off to sleep. 
 
 Every department of life has its times of tragedy. 
 The semiannual and annual examinations are the tragic 
 times at Annapolis. Nineteen of Buck's classmates were 
 bilged at this first semiannual, many of them promising 
 and ambitious, on whom the family pride was centered. 
 Gust, who had stood first on the entrance examinations, 
 and many others, considered bright at home, were among 
 the number. 
 
 Oh, the tragedy of the cadet who is hovering over a 
 2.5, and in the semiannual finds one terrible question 
 after another beyond his grasp! Oh, the tragedy of see- 
 ing the cold, pitiless marks on the bulletin, and being di- 
 rected to send in his resignation ! 
 
 Buck passed the best examination. But Huff and 
 Rix were close behind and their higher marks on the 
 weeklies kept them far ahead for the term as a whole. 
 So Buck entered upon the second term with but gloomy 
 prospects of ever overtaking Huff and Rix; but he ap- 
 plied himself with an even more rigid observance of his 
 routine. 
 
 As the spring began to approach it became harder and
 
 BUCK EATS HIS CAKE AND PAYS THE PRICE 233 
 
 harder to give over to studies the short respite during the 
 day ; particularly the time after drill, and before supper, 
 when all the others went out for tennis, baseball, or row- 
 ing. As a partial compensation, he took great interest in 
 the drills, and learned to get good sport out of them; es- 
 pecially the field artillery, where his animal spirits leaped 
 high. Stationed at the end of a drag rope, he would pic- 
 ture, as the battery dashed across the field, that an enemy 
 was holding the position ahead. He was keen on the 
 infantry drills, too; especially when blank cartridges 
 were issued, and a sham battle was fought. He loved 
 to be on the skirmish line and get the order to rally, and 
 imagine that cavalry was charging them. 
 
 Even during the winter months, when the drills were 
 indoors, he brought himself to enjoy them ; particularly 
 gymnastics. After a few lessons in boxing, he succeeded 
 in landing a good blow on the boxing master's jaw. 
 
 " Come down after supper, Mr. Jones, and take spe- 
 cial lessons. I'll make you the best boxer in the academy." 
 
 But Buck declined. He had mapped that time out 
 for extra study of French and Spanish, the latter study 
 having been taken up, elective by the first two sections 
 in French. 
 
 When the drill was dancing, Buck took the same keen 
 interest, and became proficient; though he said to him- 
 self, " I shall probably never go to a hop." 
 
 Even in the rigging loft, where the drill is considered 
 stupid, Buck was all interest, and frequently surprised 
 the instructor by tying difficult knots before they had been 
 taught. 
 
 " Where did you learn that, Mr. Jones ? " 
 
 " Casey taught me on the cruise, sir." 
 
 Thus the second term wore on, full of hard work. 
 16
 
 CHAPTEE XVII 
 
 BUCK AGAIN ENTERS THE KING 
 
 FEBEUAKY and March passed. Huff and Eix still 
 stood ahead, but Buck's rigid system of study was 
 making itself felt. He pulled up a number and 
 forged ahead of Eix in French; so in April he decided 
 he'd give a little more time to mathematics. Huff and 
 Eix never ceased to put forth their utmost exertions ; but 
 the warm spring weather seemed to pull down heavily. 
 They were dismayed at the end of the month to find that 
 Buck stood first in mathematics, having again made a four 
 on the examination ; while he stood second in English, and 
 held his third place in French and third in Spanish. 
 
 May was probably the hardest month of all for Buck. 
 It was so bright and alluring; at times he felt as though 
 he must put down his books, especially on Saturday af- 
 ternoon, and go out and play ball and row with the crew. 
 But he held himself rigidly to his self-appointed routine. 
 
 He had developed into a remarkable shot, both with 
 the pistol and the rifle, and was urged to put in more time. 
 He wanted to become the best shot in the Academy, but 
 decided that he had made up his mind to stand first, and 
 that he would adhere to his regime until then. So he only 
 dropped by the pistol gallery and the rifle range about 
 twenty minutes out of the hour allotted to recreation Sat- 
 urday afternoon. 
 
 There is no doubt that Buck derived a great deal of 
 234
 
 BUCK AGAIN ENTERS THE RING 235 
 
 recreation and a good deal of sport out of the drills and 
 exercises, and a good deal of fun, even out of the hazing 
 and running, though he was usually the worst victim of 
 all. However, he positively refused to do anything for 
 Jo-Jo Kerr. Jo-Jo's gang had made a practice of getting 
 three or four plehes out hehind the gas house late in the 
 afternoon, after drill, on week days, and after supper, 
 on Saturdays. 
 
 " Mr. Jones, it is your turn. Report at the gas house 
 after supper," directed Gillespie, one of the gang, as Buck 
 was going up to supper formation Saturday. 
 
 " You come, too, Mr. Dreggs," he added, as Dreggs, a 
 September plebe, passed at that time. 
 
 " Please, sir, let me off to-night. My mother is in 
 town, and I have an engagement to join her immediately 
 after supper," pleaded Dreggs. 
 
 " What do I care for that ? You'd better be there on 
 time." 
 
 Dreggs was much disturbed, but after supper finally 
 decided to send a note to his mother, to keep her from 
 getting uneasy. So he dispatched the note, telling her 
 that he had to report to Jo-Jo's gang behind the gas 
 house. 
 
 The gang was all present that night, and had a half 
 dozen plebes going through the stunts. All went smoothly 
 until Jo-Jo ordered Buck to " dive for Casey " under one 
 of the old cannon. Buck never budged. 
 
 " You refuse ? " asked Jo-Jo savagely. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Put on ' sir ' when you speak to an upper classman." 
 
 Buck said nothing. 
 
 " I told you how he was, Whaley," said Jo-Jo. " He 
 knows I am too big to fight him." 
 
 Buck's lip began to curl.
 
 236 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 All the upper classmen began to center around Buck 
 to the neglect of Dreggs and the others, who were left 
 standing on their heads. 
 
 " Leave Mr. Jones to me," said Whaley, coming up 
 close to Buck. " You refuse to obey Mr. Kerr ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Do you want to fight ? " 
 
 "No, sir. I don't want to fight." 
 
 " You'll have to obey Mr. Kerr or fight me." 
 
 " I'll not obey Mr. Kerr." 
 
 " Then get your seconds and meet me in twenty min- 
 utes in room thirty-one on the top floor of the New Quar- 
 ters." 
 
 At this juncture a woman's scream was heard. 
 
 " Oh, my boy ! My poor boy ! " And Mrs. Dreggs 
 rushed over to her son standing on his head. 
 
 They were all about to laugh, when behind her they 
 saw the officer-in-charge coming up on one side and the 
 officer of the day on the other. 
 
 " Caught red-handed, gentlemen," remarked the offi- 
 cer-in-charge, as he had the officer of the day write down 
 all the names of the upper classmen and of the plebes. 
 
 There was wild consternation among Jo-Jo's gang, 
 and soon the air was full of rumors of how Dreggs and 
 his mother had trapped the whole gang and any number 
 of the other second classmen were caught, and were sure 
 of dismissal. But Buck paid little attention to the matter 
 of reports. 
 
 " Henderson, will you be one of my seconds ? Bill- 
 erson, will you provide the bucket of water and the 
 sponge ? " 
 
 Then he went off to find Preble. 
 
 " Preble, will you be my second ? Jo-Jo tried to run 
 me and Whaley took it up. It'll be to a finish."
 
 BUCK AGAIN ENTERS THE RING 237 
 
 Buck spoke slowly and deliberately between his set 
 jaws. 
 
 Preble knew only too well that it would be to a finish. 
 He knew that Whaley was the best boxer in the Academy, 
 and that he was dead game. And he knew what the set 
 look on Buck's face meant. 
 
 " It's a confounded shame, Buck, for two good men 
 like you and Whaley to fight over such a man as Jo- Jo." 
 
 " I did everything Whaley ordered. It was not nec- 
 essary for him to take Jo-Jo's fight. I have seen this com- 
 ing on for a long time. Whaley thinks that I need taking 
 down. He made up his mind to fight me long ago. This 
 is only the opportunity he has been waiting for." 
 
 Buck began making his preparations. 
 
 " Promise me, Preble, that you will not let them take 
 me away, no matter how badly used up I may seem. I'm 
 going to stick it out. Go by the gymnasium," he contin- 
 ued, " and bring my gym slippers and trousers, and bring 
 some resin." 
 
 Preble began to get nervous and pale. 
 
 " Don't fail me, Preble. Swear you will stand by me 
 this time ! " 
 
 " I'll stand by you, Buck." 
 
 Fifteen minutes from the time the group at the gas 
 house broke up, the parties were assembled in the fighting 
 room. Preble had brought face towels and bath towels, a 
 bottle of ammonia, and a heart stimulant, called amyl 
 nitrate, which he got at the drug store. 
 
 Getting caught hazing was a tragedy. Ten second 
 classmen were involved. But even this took second place 
 when it became known that Whaley and Buck had gone to 
 the fighting room. 
 
 " Whaley will knock him out in twenty minutes," was 
 the general comment.
 
 238 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 The door was locked, and a sentinel stationed at the 
 head of the stairs. By 7.40 everything was ready. The 
 two beds, tables, wash stands, and wardrobes had been 
 shifted into one corner of the room. This room had be- 
 come the fighting room because it was larger than the 
 others, and farthest from the office of the officer-in-charge, 
 and the gas fixtures were out at the sides instead of in 
 the center, leaving a larger space and giving a more even 
 light. 
 
 Buck and his seconds were located near the window; 
 Whaley and his near the door. Fonste, who had agreed 
 to referee, was in the center, watch in hand. 
 
 " Gentlemen, are you ready ? " 
 
 The principals stepped out, stripped to the waist, both 
 perfect specimens. It was apparent that Whaley was in 
 better training. His biceps and shoulder muscles stood 
 out like a professional prize fighter's. Buck, however, 
 looked firm and solid, with uniform development. They 
 were about the same height and weight, though Buck 
 looked a mere boy, Whaley being clearly four or five years 
 his senior. The moment they took position and raised 
 their guards, the disparity in skill was glaring. Buck had 
 only taken the boxing lessons given during the winter ex- 
 ercises. Whaley had taken special lessons for three years, 
 and for two years had had no match in the Academy. 
 
 They began by sparring lightly, cautiously, keeping 
 well away. Whaley soon found out Buck's want of skill, 
 and began to land his blows with scientific, almost mathe- 
 matical precision, Buck making but a poor showing in his 
 efforts to parry. The first round Whaley landed a stiff 
 blow on Buck's right eye, and another in the cheek, while 
 Buck never came anywhere near getting in a blow. " It's 
 all one way," thought Fonste. Jo-Jo beamed with satis- 
 faction.
 
 BUCK AGAIN ENTERS THE RING 239 
 
 During the second and third rounds, Whaley played 
 on Buck's face like a performer on a piano. Buck only 
 got in a glancing blow that amounted to nothing. 
 
 " Show him your muck this time," whispered Jo-Jo 
 in Whaley's ear, as he advanced for the fourth round. 
 
 Whaley smiled his relish. 
 
 For some time it seemed there would be no execution 
 in this round. Whaley was playing for a good opening, 
 and presently, quick as a flash, he landed a staggering blow 
 on Buck's nose. Buck's hands flew up. He seemed to 
 stagger. The blood spurted from both nostrils. But 
 quick as thought he was back on guard, made one feint, 
 then rushed Whaley, broke down his guard and landed 
 a crashing blow in his right eye. 
 
 During the fifth and sixth rounds, Whaley became 
 cautious again, and landed four damaging blows, without 
 receiving any punishment himself. 
 
 " It's time for a knock-out blow, old chap," whispered 
 Jo-Jo to Whaley, as he advanced for the seventh round. 
 
 Buck realized from Whaley's play that he was pre- 
 paring for a surprise. It came without warning. With 
 the swiftness of a cat, and the strength of an ox, Whaley 
 made an uppercut with all his might, landing full under. 
 Buck's chin. Lightning seemed to flash through Buck's 
 brain ; everything turned dark. He suddenly realized that 
 he was on his knees swaying from side to side, his seconds 
 rushing up. He fairly leaped to his feet. 
 
 " Back ! " he said, as he shoved his seconds out of the 
 way, and rushed upon Whaley. 
 
 He received a blow between the eyes, but paid no 
 heed. Through Whaley's guard he rushed, and with a 
 thud landed a body blow that echoed about the room. 
 Whaley gasped and staggered. Buck turned for another 
 rush.
 
 240 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 "Time!" called Fonste. "Gentlemen," he con- 
 tinued, " I would suggest that it be called a draw." 
 
 Whaley shook his head. Buck shook his head. 
 
 During the eighth round, Whaley sparred for wind, 
 landing only a few light blows on Buck's cheeks and eyes, 
 which were already reduced to pulp. 
 
 Just before the end of the ninth round, the whole 
 group was surprised to see Buck land a clean, scientific, 
 but heavy blow in Whaley 's left eye. 
 
 " He keeps his head all the time," thought Fonste. 
 
 " Don't get careless," whispered Jo-Jo to Whaley, as 
 he saw Whaley was beginning to lose his temper. 
 
 At the outset of the tenth round, Whaley rushed Buck 
 and landed two heavy blows in quick succession. But 
 Buck followed him back, and landed two blows equally as 
 effective before he got away. Whaley was in a rage. He 
 lunged out with a wild, vicious blow. Buck parried, and 
 with a counter caught Whaley on the bridge of the nose, 
 and the blood poured forth. 
 
 " It is now nine o'clock, gentlemen, and I would 
 again suggest that we call it a draw." 
 
 Whaley shook his head. Buck shook his. Whaley 
 had thought his prey so easy, he was becoming impatient 
 to finish him up. 
 
 The eleventh was a brutal round. Three times they 
 clinched. Whaley had become reckless. He cared but 
 little for his own guard. Each blow he wanted to be a 
 knock-out blow. Twice he landed a furious blow on 
 Buck's body, but twice received in return a staggering 
 blow in the face, coming forth with his nose broken. 
 A bloody sight they looked as they drew off from the 
 eleventh round, both covered with blood, both spitting 
 blood and bleeding at the nose. It made Preble sick at 
 the stomach, and Jo-Jo began to take alarm.
 
 BUCK AGAIN ENTERS THE RING 241 
 
 " Don't let him get in," he cautioned Whaley. 
 
 But Whaley was in a blinding rage. 
 
 At the opening of the twelfth round, he caught Buck 
 with another uppercut under the chin, that stretched him 
 flat upon the floor; but Buck was up in an instant. 
 Whaley tried to fight him back, but he broke down his 
 guard, and, to the astonishment of all, landed an upper- 
 cut under Whaley's chin, that laid him flat out in 
 turn. 
 
 "Time! It is now 9.30, gentlemen, and again I 
 would urge that we call it a draw." 
 
 Whaley shook his head, anger showing in his eyes. 
 Buck shook his head ; but there was not the slightest evi- 
 dence of emotion. Whaley now looked nearly as bad as 
 Buck; both were pounded to jelly, and smeared with 
 blood. Whaley was breathing through his mouth. Buck's 
 mouth was firmly closed, except at intervals when he 
 turned to spit out a mouthful of blood. 
 
 " You'll have to let him have the temple cut, Whaley," 
 whispered Jo-Jo. " You needn't have any fears. He's 
 made of whitleather." 
 
 Buck was surprised to see Whaley start up the thir- 
 teenth round cautiously, sparring for an opening, though 
 impatient rage flashed from his eyes. Buck had never 
 heard of the dangerous " temple cut." He saw Whaley 
 advance with his guard half down, and was about to 
 take advantage of the opening, when suddenly Whaley 
 half whirled, clearing the way with his left hand, and 
 with a swinging, crashing blow, struck Buck in the 
 temple. 
 
 " My skull is crushed," thought Buck, as all turned 
 black. 
 
 The next thing he knew, the smell of ammonia was 
 in his nostrils. Consciousness came back like a flash.
 
 242 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " Bring the amyl," lie heard Preble say. But in an in- 
 stant he was on his feet. He reeled at first, but started 
 toward Whaley, who half smiled a satanic smile, as if to 
 say, " That ended you. You needn't try any more." 
 But to the astonishment of all, Buck put up his guard, 
 drew a few deep breaths, rushed Whaley, and like a thun- 
 derbolt, gave him a swinging temple cut that stretched 
 him out upon the floor. 
 
 Jo-Jo shook him. There was no response. Gillespie 
 threw a half bucket of cold water over his face. No sign. 
 
 " Gentlemen, take your positions." 
 
 Buck stepped out. Fonste marked the time : " Five 
 seconds more ; three seconds ; time is up. I award the 
 contest to Mr. Jones." 
 
 Fonste then went over to examine Whaley. He was 
 still as limp as a rag. No breathing yet. Fonste put his 
 ear down on his chest. 
 
 " His heart has stopped." 
 
 Panic seized the crowd. 
 
 " A moment," said Buck imperatively as he went 
 over to Whaley's prostrate form. " Bring me the amyl, 
 Preble." 
 
 Preble brought it, and Buck soaked the end of a towel 
 and put it over Whaley's mouth and nose, and began to 
 press down upon his chest. In time there was an indica- 
 tion of a return of breathing, and soon Buck put his ear 
 down and heard the heart begin to flutter a little, then stop. 
 Then he applied the amyl and the respiration, and soon it 
 fluttered again. 
 
 " Preble, go for the surgeon. Henderson, stay with 
 me. The rest of you had better go to your rooms." 
 
 They obeyed. When the surgeon and the officer-in- 
 charge finally came, there were only Buck and Henderson ; 
 no upper classmen.
 
 BUCK AGAIN ENTERS THE RING 243 
 
 " His heart flutters and beats a little at intervals, doc- 
 tor, but he hasn't begun to breathe yet," said Buck. 
 
 " This looks like a slaughter pen," remarked the offi- 
 cer-in-charge, as he looked about at the blood that covered 
 the floor and even spattered the walls. 
 
 The surgeon examined Whaley carefully; went over 
 the body bruises, the neck, the face and the head. 
 
 " The blow on the temple did the work. It's a ques- 
 tion of the heart." 
 
 " Look here, Mr. Jones," and Dr. Woodgate began ex- 
 amining Buck's wounds. " You are more done up than Mr. 
 Whaley, and a heavier blow on the temple. Did your 
 heart stop ? " 
 
 " For a short while only, sir." 
 
 " How is it now ? " 
 
 " All right, sir." 
 
 The surgeon turned to the officer-in-charge. 
 
 " Send for my assistant. Tell him to prepare for an 
 operation for concussion of the brain. Direct the hospital 
 steward and nurses to bring a stretcher. 
 
 " Mr. Jones, you'd better go straight to the hospital 
 and go to bed. I'll come and dress your wounds as soon 
 as I can leave Mr. Whaley." 
 
 " Please, sir, I'm all right. I'd prefer not to go to 
 the hospital. Let me help you." 
 
 " You've done what was needed already. You may 
 have saved him. I can't tell yet. Now you'd better look 
 out for yourself." 
 
 The cadets had been gathering in groups for an hour 
 previous. Wild rumors began to circulate when the fight 
 broke up, when Whaley, still unconscious, was taken on a 
 stretcher to the hospital. The report went forth that he 
 was dead, and that Buck was dying. The rumor spread 
 to the town ; thence to Baltimore. The next morning the
 
 244 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 papers had it : "A terrible hazing fight to the death. 
 Whaley, of Texas, a second classman, dead ; and Jones, of 
 Alabama, a plebe, dying." 
 
 Buck could not sleep that night. Preble stayed up 
 applying a cold pack and raw beef, but these applications 
 could not stop the terrible headache that set in, the first 
 headache he had ever had. About midnight the surgeon 
 came in. 
 
 "How is Mr. Whaley?" 
 
 " We can't tell yet. How are you ? " 
 
 " All right ; but my head aches." 
 
 " Of course your head aches, Mr. Jones. The wonder 
 is it hasn't split." And he gave him a capsule, after 
 which Buck dropped off into a dazed sleep. 
 
 At reveille, the surgeon came again. 
 
 " How are you now ? " 
 
 " All right, sir, but a little dazed. I'll have to get 
 you to lance my eyes so I can see out." 
 
 The surgeon expected Buck to keel over when he got 
 up to dress ; but was surprised to see him proceed as usual. 
 Buck felt light-headed, but even the surgeon could de- 
 tect no sign of heart failure. He came prepared to tell 
 Buck that they would send a stretcher for him in a short 
 while and take him to the hospital. But to his utter 
 surprise Buck finished dressing, and went out for break- 
 fast formation, passing the men coming down with the 
 stretcher. 
 
 Buck's face looked like a wasp's nest, and ugly, black 
 lumps and blotches covered him from the top of his head 
 down to the belt. 
 
 By Sunday night correspondents began to arrive, and 
 telegrams began coming in from all parts of the country. 
 For two weeks Whaley hovered between life and death. 
 The whole nation was stirred. Every newspaper in the
 
 BUCK AGAIN ENTERS THE RING 245 
 
 land cried out against " the barbarous, brutal practice of 
 hazing." 
 
 A court-martial was called. Jo-Jo and his whole gang 
 were convicted of hazing and were dismissed, and fifteen 
 others besides, who had never dreamed of being found 
 out. Buck hated to go on the stand, but had to do it, 
 and under the searching questions of the judge advocate, 
 he had to tell everything. These dismissals didn't satisfy 
 the country. Reforms were demanded. A congressional 
 committee of investigation was appointed and came to An- 
 napolis. Fortunately, before it finished its sittings, Wha- 
 ley passed the danger point and began to recover. The 
 committee returned to Washington, nevertheless, with rec- 
 ommendations to Congress for drastic legislation. 
 
 As soon as Whaley was well enough, he also was court- 
 martialed, found guilty, and dismissed. Buck pleaded 
 for him before the court in vain. He got a special day's 
 leave, and went down to Washington and pleaded with the 
 Secretary of the Navy, and with the President ; and got 
 the Senator from Alabama to take up Whaley's cause, 
 and finally succeeded in getting Whaley reinstated. It 
 being dangerous for him to study for the approaching ex- 
 aminations, he was turned back to the next class. On 
 their way back to Annapolis together, Whaley said : 
 
 " Jones, why was it that you refused to take running 
 from Jo-Jo ? " 
 
 " When I whipped him last year, it was agreed be- 
 tween us." 
 
 " He lied to me about it," replied Whaley. " I'm 
 disgusted with the whole thing," he added, and paused. 
 " And I'm thoroughly ashamed of that fight." 
 
 " So am I," said Buck. 
 
 Another pause. 
 
 " Fighting is silly, anyhow."
 
 246 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " I agree with you thoroughly," replied Buck. 
 
 The effect of the upheaval against hazing was felt for 
 many years, and the new classes that derived the benefit 
 all attributed their good fortune to the terrible Whaley- 
 Jones fight. 
 
 It was a strange, new sensation for the plebes to see 
 a new class come in during May. Buck wondered, when 
 he looked at the shy, awkward new plebes, if he had looked 
 that way only a year ago. 
 
 The year had indeed made a tremendous change. The 
 annual physical examination showed that he had grown 
 two inches and a half, and had gained twenty-two pounds, 
 and was beginning to be ranked as one of the big men of 
 his class. The rigid mental exercise and discipline had 
 produced equally pronounced results, particularly in the 
 power of concentration and of grappling quickly with new 
 problems, which became more and more evident upon ex- 
 aminations. 
 
 Buck made the highest annual examinations, as he 
 had made the highest semiannual ; but the great lead Huff 
 had in monthly averages carried him far ahead, first in 
 each and every study. Buck's heavy gains toward the end 
 put him ahead of Rix, so that he stood second in studies ; 
 but when the final marks were worked out, with the de- 
 merits included, Rix was second. Each demerit takes off 
 so much. Rix had but eighteen ; Buck had a hundred and 
 sixty-five. 
 
 There were seven " stars " in the class with over 
 eighty-five per cent, and to be third was considered a great 
 honor. 
 
 " Third, third," pondered Buck, when the final aver- 
 ages were posted. " 1 must be first ! " 
 
 It was the first time in Buck's life that a year's work
 
 BUCK AGAIN ENTERS THE RING 247 
 
 had left him in any but first place. The experience was 
 a bitter one, but he never brooded over it a moment. 
 Herein he showed the fiber of his character, which had 
 made leaps and bounds in development during the year, 
 beyond even the physical and mental development. 
 
 " I congratulate you, Huff. It's great ! ! Far ahead 
 in everything ! We can't reach up to you with a ten-foot 
 pole ! " Buck shook Huff's hand heartily, and both 
 smiled. 
 
 " I'll give you another try next year." 
 
 Buck smiled with a broad, frank smile. But Huff 
 saw the look in his eye, and felt nervous for the future. 
 
 " Allow me to congratulate you, too, Rix. It's rough 
 to lose a number on demerits, but I deserve it." 
 
 When Buck turned away from the bulletin board, he 
 put the completed year entirely out of mind. In fact, 
 the moment he came out of the last of the annual exam- 
 inations, he turned his rigid routine upside down. He 
 rushed off for a tennis game ; and soon had a tournament 
 arranged to come off in graduation week. He started up 
 a scrub baseball nine, and issued a challenge to the offi- 
 cers' nine: 
 
 " The new third class challenges their instructors to 
 meet them in the open." And the game was the event 
 of graduation week. The officers completely unbent, and 
 the most dignified ones made the most ludicrous errors. 
 Some played who hadn't played in twenty years. The 
 third classmen won, twenty-nine to seventeen. 
 
 " We are even now ! " cried out Buck ; " but you'd 
 better give us better marks next year." 
 
 Buck got up a long-distance swimming contest, open 
 for all comers. Ten entered. They started at Graveyard 
 Creek Bridge, with two cutters pulling along with the 
 swimmers. All reached the Phlox's wharf, with Buck in
 
 248 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 the rear. Five dropped out between the Phlox's wharf 
 and the Saniee, at which point Buck was third. Three 
 more asked to be picked up within the next mile, leaving 
 Lockwood, a first classman, and Buck alone. On they 
 swam. At last, off Newbury Point lighthouse, Lockwood 
 called : " Jones, you win ! I've had enough ! " Billerson, 
 who was in the cutter, declared that Buck had only gotten 
 well into his second wind, and would have crossed the 
 bay to Kent Island, if Lockwood hadn't given up. 
 
 When the rifle team went out for the skirmish run 
 in the finals, Buck, who had not entered, or tried to 
 qualify, picked up a rifle, and made the highest score yet 
 made on a skirmish run. 
 
 " I'll try the rest," and he proceeded to make the 
 highest score at all the different ranges. 
 
 " The prize belongs to Jones," several contestants de- 
 clared at the close. 
 
 " No, indeed. I'm not entered. I had good luck." 
 
 And Buck positively declined to allow the rules to be 
 suspended. 
 
 " I'm very much obliged for letting me go along. It 
 was fine sport." 
 
 " I'm having the time of my life," wrote Buck to 
 Hugh, his brother. And he did have a great time those 
 days when the year's work was over, and before the third 
 class cruise began. After the drills and exercises before 
 the Board of Visitors, morning and afternoon, Buck and 
 some other enthusiasts always had some kind of sport. 
 The daylight was not long enough. After supper they 
 continued in the gymnasium. 
 
 At last graduation came, at which the plebes became 
 third classmen. This promotion staggers the imagination. 
 There is nothing like it in human experience. Being 
 made full admiral, with the vote of thanks of Congress,
 
 BUCK AGAIN ENTERS THE RING 249 
 
 is nothing in comparison. The plebes came back from 
 chapel, Buck in the midst, swelling their chests with the 
 pride of their new importance. They swaggered through 
 Lovers' Lane, and lounged on the gunbacked seats, with 
 their caps on the back of their heads. They spoke to 
 upper classmen without saying " Mister," or putting on 
 "Sir." Oh, the leap! the mighty leap, from the abyss 
 of a plebe to the dizzy height of a third classman! 
 
 17
 
 CHAPTEE XVIII 
 
 BUCK LEAKNS THE TEKKOK OF THE SEA 
 
 FOE. several weeks many rumors had been afloat 
 about the summer cruise. It was stated that one 
 of the ships of the " New Navy " would be used, 
 and that the cruise would be under steam and would ex- 
 tend to the Mediterranean. Another rumor had it that 
 there was some trouble in Central America, involving our 
 canal concessions, and that the practice cruise would be 
 taken advantage of to show our flag in Nicaraguan waters 
 and off the Mosquito Coast. 
 
 Saturday noon before graduation week, the James- 
 town came into the harbor under tow, and was moored 
 at the Constellation's buoy. That put an end to these 
 rumors. 
 
 " It's to be just the same old cruise," remarked Preble 
 with disappointment, as he and Buck came in from the 
 parade of reception to the Board of Visitors, " and the 
 only difference, we'll have to crowd together in a smaller 
 ship." 
 
 Buck, however, was keen with interest, and could not 
 wait till after dinner, but hurried down to the wharf and 
 pulled off to the Jamestown. 
 
 " Is Casey on board ? " he asked eagerly, as he came 
 over the side. Then he caught sight of Casey and rushed 
 forward. 
 
 Such a hand clasp as they had! 
 250
 
 BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA 251 
 
 " You look so well, Casey and you've finally ac- 
 cepted a warrant Boatswain Casey ! ! It's fine ! " 
 Buck could not conceal his joy. 
 
 " How you've grown, Mr. Jones I have never seen 
 anything like it." Casey beamed all over. " Have you 
 seen John Anderson and Ol Olsen and Pat Kelly? 
 They are all on board except Kelly, who is on the 
 Kearsarge, that is on her way. Anderson is a boatswain's 
 mate now, and Olsen is captain of the foretop." 
 
 At this point the corporal of the guard came up. 
 
 " The officer of the deck would like to see you, sir." 
 
 " Very well." Buck turned red as he started off, and 
 went up to the officer of the deck. " I am very sorry, 
 sir ; when I saw my old shipmate Casey, I forgot all about 
 reporting and asking permission to come on board." 
 
 Buck barely had time to get ashore for dinner. The 
 bugle blew when he was away down on the sea wall, but 
 by a quarter-mile dash across the lawn he reached the 
 ranks just as the battalion faced. At dinner the topic 
 turned to the Jamestown and the cruise. 
 
 " Casey said something about the Kearsarge's coming, 
 but I was called away at that moment," remarked Buck, 
 and the rumor ran everywhere that the Jamestown and 
 Kearsarge were both going on the cruise. 
 
 Monday morning, when the cadets went out in the 
 bay on the Wyoming for seamanship drill, the Kearsarge 
 appeared in the offing, under her own steam, and passed 
 into the harbor. 
 
 " She's very much like the Wyoming," the remarks 
 ran. 
 
 " She's the vessel that sank the Alabama" mused 
 Buck, as he watched her a long time. 
 
 The order that was published the next day, giving 
 the detail for the cruise, assigned the first classmen to
 
 252 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 the Kearsarge, and the third and fourth classmen to the 
 Jamestown. 
 
 Preble noticed that Buck was very thoughtful during 
 the rest of the day. As they were about to turn in, Buck 
 remarked abruptly: 
 
 " I'd like to go on the Kearsarge" 
 
 " So would I," said Preble. 
 
 " Let's try to get ordered to her." 
 
 " It's no use." 
 
 After breakfast formation next morning, Buck ap- 
 plied to the Commandant, then to the Superintendent, and 
 then, with the permission of the Superintendent, wired to 
 the Secretary of the Navy. To the surprise of all, in- 
 structions were wired back detailing Buck and Preble to 
 the Kearsarge. 
 
 When Casey heard of this the next day he was greatly 
 disturbed, and applied to the captain of the Jamestown 
 to be transferred to the Kearsarge. 
 
 " Casey, the thing is impossible ; the detail is all made 
 up I can't spare you. Besides, you have often said you 
 hate these mongrel steam and sailing vessels." 
 
 " I have never asked many favors in my day, Captain, 
 but I must ask this one." 
 
 At that juncture Buck came on board, half out of 
 breath. 
 
 " Casey, you must get transferred. I have applied 
 to the Navy Department for permission. Would John 
 Anderson and Ol Olsen like to come ? " 
 
 The Captain glared at Buck. 
 
 " You would demoralize my crew. I'll not approve 
 the request." 
 
 All day the wires were hot ; and at last an order came 
 direct from the Navy Department to transfer Buck, 
 Preble, Casey, Anderson, and Olsen to the Kearsarge.
 
 BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA 253 
 
 Everybody was surprised. 
 
 "If an angel had told me it was possible, I .'would 
 not have believed him," remarked Preble, when it was 
 all settled. " The Secretary probably remembered about 
 you and Casey at Portsmouth." 
 
 When Casey, Anderson, and Olsen went aboard the 
 Kearsarge next morning, Kelly was at the gangway, his 
 face beaming with delight, but the old merry twinkle was 
 in his eye. 
 
 " Come here, men of the Kearsarge look at these re- 
 cruits ! Just one week ago to-day, at Norfolk, Tim Casey 
 there he is, look at him in this very spot swore that 
 he wouldn't be found dead on any such mongrel tub as 
 this ; and here he is, begging us to take him in." 
 
 Casey had on a broad grin. 
 
 " It's not for your tub of a ship I've got so little 
 faith in it that I wouldn't trust any friend of mine on 
 board alone. I've only come to be on hand to comfort 
 my friend, Mr. Jones, when this derelict wears the pa- 
 tience out of him, for he's a seaman, a true seaman, every 
 inch of him." 
 
 The Kearsarge lost little time after graduation. By 
 noon Saturday she was under way, and about sundown 
 Sunday she passed out of the Capes and headed about 
 south-southeast, bound for the windward passage, under 
 orders to put in at Kingston, Jamaica, where further 
 orders would be waiting. 
 
 In a few days, Buck knew every nook and corner of 
 the vessel, and soon became familiar with the machinery, 
 the main engines and auxiliary engines, the main boilers 
 and donkey boilers. 
 
 The first morning out at sea, the chief engineer found 
 Buck in the after fire room, stripped to the waist, shovel- 
 ing coal and slicing the fires like an experienced stoker.
 
 254 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 He made a special request to the Captain for assignment 
 to the big eleven-inch pivot gun, forward, " For," he re- 
 marked, " Casey tells me that this gun sank the Ala- 
 bama" 
 
 The second day out, a brisk breeze sprang up from 
 the northeast, and blew like a trade wind. All plain sail 
 was set, the fires were banked, and for five days they ran 
 with the wind a little abaft the port beam, averaging over 
 eight knots an hour under sail alone. 
 
 Buck was keen about the navigation, and began keep- 
 ing a navigation notebook like the first classmen. In his 
 enthusiasm he would take sights of the planets and fixed 
 stars, and of Polaris, the ISforth Star, in addition to the 
 sight of the sun, morning, noon, and afternoon. Soon he 
 began comparing the positions he found with those of the 
 navigator and the first classmen, and formed ideas of his 
 own as to the amount of current experienced each day. 
 He was constantly going to the chart house, and followed 
 every position plotted on the chart. He had long talks 
 with Casey during the night watches, and Casey showed 
 him the constellations of the Southern skies. The sixth 
 night out he declined to go below at the end of his mid- 
 watch. 
 
 " I'm going to stay up and discover America at day- 
 break," he remarked. 
 
 He climbed up to the foretop with a pair of glasses, 
 and just as the sun broke over the horizon he called out : 
 
 " Land on the port bow ! San Salvador ! ! San Sal- 
 vador! !" 
 
 Columbus scarcely watched this outpost of the un- 
 known world with more eagerness than Buck did as the 
 Kearsarge left Cat Island to the westward, and San Sal- 
 vador (or Watlings Island) to the eastward,, and passed 
 down through Crooked Island passage. Toward noon the
 
 BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA 255 
 
 breeze began to die down, and in the afternoon watch it 
 fell to a dead calm, though they were now in the region 
 of the northeast trade winds. When the wind failed to 
 rise in the dogwatches, the Captain ordered the fires spread 
 in the two after boilers, and proceeded under steam. The 
 day closed in glory, in such a sunset as Buck had never 
 seen wonderful colors new and strange shades of green 
 and blue appearing in strata and in great spokes diverging 
 from the sun. A weird brightness seemed to cover the 
 heavens above and the sea around them. 
 
 " Isn't it glorious, Casey ? " said Buck in delight. 
 
 Casey shook his head. " I'm afraid it is a breeder, 
 Mr. Jones. There's trouble somewhere." 
 
 They sighted Cape Maysi, at the east end of Cuba, 
 about breakfast time next morning, then headed due 
 south, then to the westward of south, through the wind- 
 ward passage. Buck wished that they might turn out of 
 the course to look in at Santiago, or even at Guantanamo, 
 or else at Port au Prince, but the ship held her course 
 straight across for Jamaica and entered Kingston harbor 
 about ten o'clock next morning. 
 
 Buck and Preble were off watch and applied for per- 
 mission to go ashore, which the executive officer readily 
 granted. They went along the docks, where negroes were 
 loading bananas, then through the streets of Kingston, 
 looking at everything, interested in everything the 
 motley population, the houses, but especially the palms and 
 tropical plants. They took lunch and went out to the 
 park and back toward the hills. Buck couldn't resist the 
 silent challenge of a tall cocoanut palm near the road, but 
 shinned up it to the very tufted top, and threw down some 
 green cocoanuts. 
 
 " You've ruined your new duck trousers, and nearly 
 ruined a new blouse," said Preble, as Buck came down.
 
 256 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " I can't help it. I had to climb that tree. I never 
 saw such hard trees to climb as these cocoanuts not a 
 limb or even a knot for forty feet." And he and Preble 
 cut into the thick rind and drank cocoanut milk till they 
 could drink no more. 
 
 Walking along the roadside, they caught glimpses of 
 the city and part of the bay. The British flag was flying 
 on all sides, and suddenly, clearing a clump of trees, they 
 saw the stars and stripes flying from the peak of the 
 Keasarge. A lump came up into Buck's throat, and one 
 came into Preble's, and a film of moisture spread over 
 their eyes. No one can ever know how much he loves 
 his country's flag until he has seen it in a foreign 
 land, or has seen it when smoke and thunder are in 
 the air. 
 
 They were still looking at the flag in silence, when a 
 puff of smoke shot out from the bow gun, and a signal 
 flag ran up to the main truck. 
 
 " One gun and the cornet it's the general recall," 
 exclaimed Preble, and both were off at a trot for the 
 wharf, where they hired a shore boat and were soon on 
 board. Coal lighters were alongside, and swarms of ne- 
 groes of all sizes and ages were passing up the coal in 
 baskets, the white of their blinking eyes making the only 
 break in the expanse of coal-dust ebony from the tops of 
 their bare heads, where they carried the baskets, to the 
 soles of their bare feet. 
 
 " We are under sailing orders," said the executive offi- 
 cer, as Buck and Preble reported their return. 
 
 " Where are we going ? " asked Buck of a first class- 
 man on the edge of a group that was evidently talking 
 about the developments. 
 
 " The Consul brought off telegraphic orders from the 
 Navy Department for the ship to proceed to Bluefields, on
 
 BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA 257 
 
 the Mosquito Coast of Honduras, with all dispatch. That 
 means that we shall sail as soon as we finish coaling. 
 
 Coaling was a novel thing to Buck. It came near 
 taking the romance out of steam ; in spite of the canvas 
 screens the coal dust penetrated everywhere not only the 
 decks, but the beams, the sides of the ship, the wardroom, 
 the tables, the furniture, the staterooms, the very bedding 
 everything was begrimed ; and the negroes, with their 
 monotone chants and chatter, no longer seemed human 
 beings. Buck went forward to find Casey, and the two 
 went as far out on the bowsprit as possible. 
 
 " I told you, Mr. Jones, that a vessel with steam is no 
 place for a seaman. I don't feel easy while you are on 
 this old tub. I've been feeling queer for two days. A 
 hurricane is running out in the Windward Islands. The 
 captain thinks he can run down and get below it before 
 it curves to the northward; but he can't do't. It must 
 have passed into the Caribbean last night, and we are sure 
 to run head into it. Not that I mind a hurricane, Mr. 
 Jones if we were in a sailing ship I'd laugh at the hur- 
 ricane, and it would be good sport for a seaman like you ; 
 but somehow, in this black mongrel I've got a presenti- 
 ment. I want you to be very careful, Mr. Jones take 
 no chances anywhere." 
 
 The superstition of the old sailor was contagious. 
 Buck began to feel queer himself, though he laughed out 
 loud at the idea. He noticed clouds out to the southeast, 
 moving in confusion in different directions. The queer 
 look in the heavens of the day before came back, though 
 the sun disappeared about three o'clock and did not come 
 out again. The breeze had sprung up from the northeast 
 and was blowing fresh at 4.30, when the coaling was com- 
 pleted. The ship got under way and stood out under top- 
 sails to the southeast, as both watches washed down the
 
 258 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 decks, fore and aft. Buck came on duty as gentleman of 
 the watch in the evening watch. As he read the barometer 
 he was more astonished each hour to find it so unsteady. 
 He called Casey aft to look at it. 
 
 " Just as I told you, Mr. Jones. We are going straight 
 into it. The wind has hauled to the eastward. The cen- 
 ter is sweeping westward. We'll be in it before this time 
 to-morrow. The Cap'n's got his orders. He believes in 
 steam, and thinks he can run right over it." And Casey 
 shook his head. 
 
 The ship was running eleven or twelve knots, with the 
 wind just abaft the port beam. Buck went to the chart 
 house and found the navigator worried about his depar- 
 ture. The thick weather had settled down quickly and cut 
 off Kingston light soon after dark. Buck noticed that the 
 course was laid nearly south, till clear of Portland Rock, 
 and then about southwest by south to clear Roncador reef 
 about twenty miles, passing to the south. The wind and 
 sea continued to rise, and about four bells the watch reefed 
 the topsails and took in the mainsail. Just before the 
 watch was called the topsails were reefed again. Later, 
 when the course was changed to the westward, and the 
 wind and sea were quartering, the sails steadied the ship 
 considerably, in spite of the heavy sea, and she fairly flew 
 as she scudded along the wave crests, the patent log at 
 times showing fourteen knots, and even more. All night 
 she carried this sail, and all forenoon. 
 
 " It's easier riding this way than hove to," remarked 
 the first lieutenant to the Captain. 
 
 " We are making a record run, too," answered the Cap- 
 tain. " The center has curved to the northward." He 
 swept his finger out to the eastward, showing the way the 
 storm center was running. " We'll keep her battened 
 down and keep the fires banked, and if we can hold on
 
 BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA 259 
 
 eight hours longer we'll pass across a day ahead of time 
 without expending a pound of coal." 
 
 Buck greatly enjoyed the forenoon watch. On his 
 plebe cruise he had had some stiff sailing, but it was noth- 
 ing in comparison to this a full-rig ship running before 
 a hurricane with topsails and foresail set. The fires were 
 still banked and the propeller was uncoupled. This made 
 a heavy drag that helped to keep the ship on her course, 
 but naturally cut down the speed. Nevertheless, the pat- 
 ent log constantly showed over fifteen knots. This tre- 
 mendous sailing speed, with the roar of the seas and of 
 the wind, fairly intoxicated Buck. 
 
 " It's great," Casey, great ! the greatest thing I ever 
 saw!" 
 
 Casey smiled. Buck had only been to sea once before, 
 but he talked like an old salt. 
 
 " Yes, Mr. Jones, she runs like a scared dog before 
 the wind and sea. But any old tub can do that. Nothing 
 good will come out of it," he added after a pause. 
 
 Buck saw that Casey could not or would not get over 
 his prejudice, and would not throw off his gloomy pre- 
 sentiment. Whether the ship deserved much credit or not, 
 Buck realized that it was wonderful sailing. She seemed 
 to travel on the great wave crests as on mighty rollers. A 
 big wave coming under the quarter would literally lift the 
 ship on its shoulders and run away with it, finally passing 
 out from under the bow only to drop it on the shoulders 
 of the next big wave. 
 
 The rain had poured in torrents during the latter part 
 of the night, and the day came in overcast with heavy 
 clouds driving low overhead. The half-masked sun had 
 broken partly forth for a short interval about seven bells, 
 permitting a fairly good time sight for longitude, though 
 the horizon was indistinct. Buck was the only one besides
 
 260 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 the navigator who was lucky enough to get a sight, and he 
 found that his result corresponded well with that the navi- 
 gator plotted on the chart. The navigator remarked that 
 he was not worried about the longitude, but that the main 
 thing was to get a good noon sight for latitude. Accord- 
 ingly, the navigator, assistant navigator, and most of the 
 first classmen were out on deck before seven bells, sextants 
 in hand, watching for a glimpse of the sun. Buck got 
 Preble to mark time. The sun was very unaccommodat- 
 ing, allowing only very imperfect sights, and the navigator 
 finally gave it up, and by 12.30 all had gone below but 
 Buck and Preble. As had once happened on his plebe 
 cruise, by lingering Buck suddenly caught a good sight, 
 and the sun was not too far from the meridian. He was 
 a little slow in working it out, and when he went to the 
 chart house the noon position had been plotted and the 
 navigator had gone to lunch. The position plotted was 
 forty miles north of the position he had found. 
 
 " Something must be wrong," he concluded, and he 
 went over his work again, with the same result. Finally 
 he went in to see the navigator. 
 
 " You must be out, Mr. Jones. I did not get very 
 reliable noon sights, but the position came out as I ex- 
 pected, showing a northerly current of about twenty miles. 
 By your position there would have been a southerly cur- 
 rent of twenty miles. The sailing directions and chart 
 show a strong northerly current." 
 
 Buck went away still unsatisfied. He went over his 
 work again, and finally concluded it was right. He could 
 scarcely enjoy the wonderful sailing during the afternoon, 
 though the force of the hurricane rose yet higher. The 
 wind and sea drew around to direct astern. The decks 
 were constantly swept with spray and foam, but the stern 
 always climbed the curling crests. They took a close reef
 
 BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA 261 
 
 in the mizzen and main topsails, but still carried the fore- 
 sail and single-reefed fore-topsail. But for the drag of 
 the propeller, however, it would have been necessary to 
 heave to. Casey, himself, with more than fifty years on 
 the sea, had never seen a ship carry as much sail in so 
 heavy a wind and sea. Buck drew out this reluctant con- 
 fession when he announced forward that the patent log 
 showed seventeen knots for the last hour. Casey shook 
 his head. 
 
 " I don't like it, Mr. Jones. You can't tell anything 
 about this kind of a ship." 
 
 It did not add to Casey's comfort of mind when Buck 
 later told him that the navigator was forty miles out in 
 his latitude. 
 
 " I know it, Casey. I never was more sure of any- 
 thing in my life. If I can catch a Polaris sight, to con- 
 firm it, I'll report the matter to the Captain." 
 
 Casey said nothing. As the afternoon wore on, the 
 wind and sea showed signs of coming around on the port 
 quarter. At times the rain came down as if poured from 
 the clouds. The seamen forward were enjoying the royal 
 way in which the old ship took the great seas. 
 
 " She hitches .up to each one in turn," remarked An- 
 derson, " and rides him for a mile." 
 
 " How's that for you, Casey ? " said Kelly, as the 
 stern climbed a monarch wave and held its position. 
 " One of the ships of your t Old Navy ' would have been 
 pooped." 
 
 " Yes, a propeller makes a good sea anchor over the 
 stern, but that's all it is good for. In the old navy we are 
 not such fools. We'd have been hove to the last fifteen 
 hours, snug and safe as a ferryboat. As it is, any of the 
 young gentlemen might be washed overboard at any time." 
 Then Casey added : " The navigator doesn't know our lati-
 
 262 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 tude within forty miles. We've been going like a race- 
 horse. We must have passed Serrana Bank by this time, 
 and can't be far from Roncador. You can't see Roncador 
 in clear weather more than four or five miles; in thick 
 weather you can't see it at all. It's nothing but a few low 
 sand banks on a coral reef. I've been out here before." 
 
 " Oh, it's all right, Casey ; you've been in the dumps 
 for two days, imagining that something would happen to 
 Mr. Jones. He will take care of himself." 
 
 At that moment Buck came up with a sextant in his 
 hand. He was bareheaded and barefooted, with an old 
 pair of trousers belted about the waist. Everybody 
 else, officers and seamen, were in rain clothes, sou'westers 
 and rubber boots, protection against the spray and the 
 intermittent rain. Buck had on only a white-flannel shirt, 
 and didn't care how wet it became. 
 
 " What are you going to do with the sextant, Mr. 
 Jones ? " asked Kelly. 
 
 " I'm going to try to get a sight of the North Star." 
 
 Murphy laughed, and all the others joined in except 
 Casey. 
 
 " It'll be black as ink in a half hour. A cannon ball 
 couldn't get through those clouds, much less the starlight." 
 
 " I'm going to be ready and on the lookout, all the 
 same ; I think the navigator is out in his latitude." 
 
 Kelly looked at Casey. 
 
 " Mr. Jones is your authority, Casey, for saying the 
 navigator is forty miles off." And Kelly smiled. Buck 
 didn't mind this chaff of Kelly's, nor did Casey; but 
 they both felt uneasy about the safety of the ship. Soon 
 Buck found Preble, and the two went up on the poop to 
 wait for any accidental sight of the North Star. Casey 
 came up and tied a line around the waist of each of them. 
 He had scarcely gone down when a half sea passed over
 
 BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA 263 
 
 the poop and swept them off their feet, and would have 
 swept them overboard but for the lines. But Buck held 
 on to his sextant and Preble to his bull's eye lantern, and 
 soon they were ready again. 
 
 " Casey has an instinct whenever I'm in danger," re- 
 marked Buck, as he looked through his sextant out toward 
 the north. " Quick, Preble, quick ! Stand by mark ! " 
 For an instant only the North Star swept across a small 
 patch of thin cloud, and at that instant a great wave broke 
 on the horizon, giving a line of white. 
 
 " Did you get it, Buck ? " 
 
 " Yes fine ! Did you mark all right ? " 
 
 " Yes, to a half second." 
 
 Buck ran by and got the reading of the patent log, 
 and was off to the chart house. In a few minutes he came 
 running out and dashed for the cabin. He rushed by 
 the orderly without waiting to be announced, and found 
 the Captain and navigator poring over the Captain's 
 chart. 
 
 " I've just caught a Polaris sight. It shows that the 
 current has been setting south instead of north." 
 
 The Captain and navigator had just been discussing 
 that very question. The Captain had been suggesting 
 that the long run of the wind and sea under the hurri- 
 cane might set up a reverse current. At that instant the 
 orderly stepped in and said that Casey asked to see the 
 Captain. 
 
 " Tell him to step in. We'll see what he thinks about 
 it. What is it, Casey ? " 
 
 " I've come, Cap'n, to urge you to bring her around 
 and heave to for the night." 
 
 " Do you know these waters, Casey ? " 
 
 " I know them well, sir." 
 
 " Do you know anything about the currents ? "
 
 264 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " I know they are as treacherous as an Indian. When 
 I was down here at Roncador in '63, on the Brooklyn, 
 our navigator found that a hurricane reversed the cur- 
 rents reported on the charts and Sailing Directions. These 
 are nasty waters, Cap'n, in a hurricane. I hope you won't 
 go any farther." 
 
 Neither Casey nor Buck noticed the pallor that came 
 over the faces of the Captain and navigator. 
 
 " Orderly, tell the officer of the deck to call all hands 
 and take in the foresail and bring her to the wind as soon 
 as possible." 
 
 There was no evidence of anxiety in the Captain's 
 voice, but there was a strange feeling about his heart. 
 
 " According to your Polaris sight, Mr. Jones, what is 
 our position now ? " 
 
 Buck read him off the latitude and longitude just as 
 he heard the boatswain's mate calling all hands. 
 
 " Where does that put us ? " 
 
 The navigator was already plotting with his parallel 
 rulers. He brought the rulers up. His face turned ashen 
 pale. He slid them back to the parallel and brought them 
 up again. All stopped breathing. 
 
 " It puts us " He stopped, then started again. " It 
 puts us on " 
 
 The sentence was never finished. There was a terri- 
 fying crash. The four men were hurled against the bulk- 
 head. Buck struck head foremost and was stunned for a 
 moment. When he came to, Casey had him in his arms, 
 staggering forward with him in the dark. 
 
 " I'm all right, Casey." 
 
 And Buck slid down. When his feet touched the deck 
 he found the deck was heaving beneath them. The deck 
 planking began to fly up. 
 
 " Go forward ! " he heard Casey calling out to strag-
 
 BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA 265 
 
 glers found in the gangway, his voice scarcely audible 
 above the terrific din. " Come on, Mr. Jones. Come on ! " 
 
 Casey hurried him forward, his arm around his body. 
 Buck's senses were fast returning. Seeing a giant wave 
 coming up over the stern, the two men made a dash for- 
 ward. They felt the timbers cracking. Over his shoul- 
 ders, in a flash of lightning, Buck saw the mizzenmast go 
 by the board with a mighty crash. An instant later the 
 mainmast fell. Just after they passed the waist skylight 
 the deck broke open. They came upon the officers and 
 crew gathered around the foremast. As it happened, all 
 hands were forward when she struck. 
 
 " She's breaking up aft," reported Casey, as he found 
 the Captain. $% 
 
 " I've been expecting it," he answered calmly. 
 
 The din and turmoil were deafening. They had just 
 clewed up the foresail when the ship struck, and Kelly, 
 acting under a sailor's instinct, cut away the fore-topsail 
 sheets. The noise that followed from the wild flapping 
 of the sails overhead, as they tore themselves to shreds, 
 increased the din of cracking spars and creaking timbers. 
 Above these disrupting sounds came the terrifying roar of 
 the reef, impatient for its prey. Each man said to him- 
 self, " The end is at hand," but there was no turmoil, no 
 confusion. The enlisted men were farthest forward, the 
 petty officers and warrant officers next, then the cadets, 
 and last the officers, the Captain being farthest aft toward 
 the point from which death would advance. The Captain 
 called Casey and the first lieutenant for a conference. All 
 the rest stood waiting for their decision. At that moment 
 a mammoth sea struck the stern and crumpled it up for 
 fifty or sixty feet, and a seething, hissing flood swept 
 forward with floating wreckage, till it licked the feet of 
 the refugees as they huddled together. Buck heard a 
 18
 
 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 voice rise above all the din the clear tenor voice of the 
 Chaplain : 
 
 " My country, 'tis of thee " 
 
 Other voices joined all the voices joined voices of 
 four hundred and sixty men looking death straight in the 
 face. Buck had been phlegmatic up to this point. He was 
 now electrified everybody was electrified. 
 
 The whole visage of death was transformed. Men 
 began to smile. The second verse followed the first, then 
 the third verse then the fourth. As the last strains died 
 down, a great wave struck a mighty blow that almost threw 
 the men from their feet. The stern of the ship, for a 
 hundred feet, broke sheer off, and crushed the port side 
 for fifty feet farther as it broke into great masses of wreck- 
 age and ground itself up on the reef to port. The voice 
 of the Chaplain again rose above the tumult : 
 
 " Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light " 
 
 Buck's blood tingled to the tips of his fingers. His 
 spirit seemed to rise with the song high above the storm. 
 A vivid flash of lightning showed up the terrible desola- 
 tion. Like a streak Buck dashed aft. The water rose. 
 The breaking sea swept by. He struck out, half swim- 
 ming, half wading, across the wreckage, climbed the totter- 
 ing chart house, broke in, found an ensign, dashed back, 
 climbed the forerigging, then out on the foreyard, and 
 lashed the Stars and Stripes to the fore lift. Higher still, 
 above the din, the voices rose: 
 
 " Oh, say, does that Star-spangled Banner yet wave 
 O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? " 
 
 Under the light of a vivid flash, all eyes turned to the 
 national flag fluttering above them in the gale. A titanic
 
 BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA 267 
 
 wave struck at this instant; the whole rear half of the 
 great ship crashed away, and a hungry curler leaped 
 toward the bow. At this point Casey stepped out and 
 piped : 
 
 " A call for volunteers ! Who will volunteer to swim 
 ashore with a line ? " 
 
 The dim light of the lanterns hung about the fore- 
 castle lit up the faces of the men. For a moment there 
 was a pause, then, as with one impulse, the whole ship's 
 crew, officers and men, stepped forward. 
 
 " If you are my friend, Casey, recommend me," Buck 
 pleaded. 
 
 Then Anderson edged up to Casey and took him by 
 the arm: 
 
 " We have been shipmates these many years, Casey. 
 Let me have it." 
 
 " Casey, you know how you have always backed my 
 swimming now is the chance to prove it," and Olsen took 
 Casey by the other arm. 
 
 " See here, Casey," spoke up Kelly, " don't forget 
 me." 
 
 Casey could hardly extricate himself from those im- 
 portuning him, though everyone knew that a swimmer 
 trying to cross the reef would be dashed to pieces. Casey 
 drew himself up proudly as he turned to the Captain. 
 
 " It's like the Old Navy, sir. Men who hardly know 
 how to swim have volunteered. The whole ship's company 
 has volunteered." 
 
 The Captain stepped out. 
 
 " This is worthy of the traditions of the service. 
 Casey, choose the man and give him his instructions." 
 
 The Captain's voice was as steady as if on drill. Casey 
 called : 
 
 " Ol Olsen, step out."
 
 268 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 The rest looked on with envy as Olsen stepped up for 
 instructions. 
 
 " Swim to windward till you find a gap in the reef, 
 then go in. There is a gap somewhere above here. When 
 you get ashore, come down opposite the ship, pull in a 
 heavier line, then haul the catamaran across the reef 
 and a raft we'll have ready." 
 
 Olsen stripped a magnificent physical specimen, deep 
 chested, with muscles like iron. 
 
 " John Anderson is swifter, but Olsen has the power," 
 Casey remarked to the Captain. 
 
 The Captain of the forecastle brought out a long coil 
 of marline stuff. 
 
 " I'm fixing a slip knot here," said Casey to Olsen, 
 as he passed a bight of the line over Olsen's right shoulder 
 and brought the knot close up under his left armpit. 
 " It's running like a mill race. Go full power from the 
 start. If you find you can't make it, slip the line and try 
 to swim around to the lee side of the bank. It is useless 
 to try to cross the reef unless you find the gap." 
 
 Olsen understood perfectly. They lowered him with 
 a whip from the foreyard. Glancing to see that the line 
 was clear, he plunged into the crest of a big wave that 
 carried him backward for some distance, but like a flash 
 they saw him cross the trough with a mighty stroke, bear- 
 ing out obliquely from the ship, and soon the darkness 
 swallowed him. Everybody watched the line as Kelly paid 
 it out carefully. For a time it bore almost abeam. 
 
 " He's holding his own," remarked Kelly. 
 
 Then it seemed to draw a little to windward. 
 
 " He's gaining," was the hopeful word that passed 
 along, and men began to ask Casey questions about Ron- 
 cador, for Casey had been all over the reef years before. 
 
 He went ahead directing the construction of a raft on
 
 BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA 269 
 
 the forecastle, but stopped every few minutes to go over 
 and look at the line. 
 
 " Still gaining a little, I think," said Kelly. 
 
 Casey followed the line out into the darkness. 
 
 " I'm afraid not, Kelly." A pause followed. " He's 
 barely holding his own." 
 
 A gloom spread over the company. A great wave 
 struck, and the big pivot gun went crashing through the 
 bottom. Casey crossed over. 
 
 " He's losing, Captain. The sea is too much. He'll 
 have to slip." 
 
 Soon the line slackened. Kelly pulled gently, then 
 began to haul in rapidly. 
 
 " He has slipped, sir." 
 
 Buck had watched every movement of Olsen's, had fol- 
 lowed the line at every instant. When it was all in he 
 went over to where Casey and the Captain were in deep 
 conference. 
 
 " It's the sea, sir," Casey was saying. " No human 
 power can withstand these curlers." 
 
 " Do you think the gale will moderate soon ? " 
 
 Casey shook his head. 
 
 " Do you think we can hold on here for long ? " 
 
 " The bow ran up high and tight, sir, but the seas are 
 eating the wreck up bite by bite." 
 
 As Casey finished speaking, a great wave struck like 
 a thousand battering rams; the deck under their feet 
 buckled, and a tremendous crash followed. 
 
 " The flfter boilers have fallen in, sir. They'll grind 
 like a millstone." 
 
 The two men looked at each other in silence. 
 
 " Captain," spoke up Buck, between his set teeth, 
 " I'd like to try." 
 
 The Captain looked at Casey.
 
 270 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " We might try again, sir. There is no other way." 
 
 Casey spoke with indifference : 
 
 " But it is not Mr. Jones's turn yet." 
 
 Then he turned to the group. 
 
 " Anderson, do you still volunteer ? " 
 
 Anderson knew that Olsen was a stronger swimmer, 
 but he stepped out. 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Then get ready." 
 
 Buck watched like a hawk every movement of Ander- 
 son's how he entered the water, how he took the curlers. 
 For several minutes Anderson gained considerable dis- 
 tance. Hope again began to revive; but it was one of 
 those semislack intervals in the sea way ; when the monster 
 waves came back to the charge, Anderson began to lose 
 ground. His great speed was of no avail; the combers 
 hurled him back like an infant. Slowly he dropped back. 
 Kelly soon tested the line. 
 
 " He's slipped, sir." 
 
 Despair spread over all. The sea seemed to roar louder 
 in its savage exultation. Four great curlers pounded in 
 succession. The forward boilers fell, and the great cylin- 
 ders began to roll on each other and higher up the reef, 
 and to grind the creaking timbers to shreds. Everybody 
 realized that it was but a question of a few hours at most 
 when the last plank would go. 
 
 " Captain, it's my turn now," said Buck between his 
 teeth. 
 
 " Not yet, Mr. Jones," replied Casey. " The next 
 turn is yours. This one is mine." Casey spoke slowly. 
 There was infinite firmness and infinite tenderness in 
 his voice. A smile spread over his grizzled face as he 
 made his preparations. Many hearts felt heavy as they 
 watched him.
 
 BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA 271 
 
 " Get your line clear, Kelly ; I'm going off of the 
 foreyard." 
 
 Buck stood close, and felt a leaden weight on his chest. 
 Casey looked at him long and tenderly. Buck dared not 
 speak, and he ground his teeth and lips together. There 
 was no word of farewell. At the rigging, Casey held 
 Buck's hand in a long clasp, then turned and climbed 
 aloft and went out to the end of the fore-yardarm. 
 
 " It's just the way he used to go in swimming," said 
 Kelly, and his voice grew husky. Kelly was a brave, 
 strong man, ready to die himself the next minute ; but the 
 tears came to his eyes. Others turned away. The Cap- 
 tain wiped his cheek. Buck stood rigid. 
 
 Casey stood up on the yardarm, facing the sea, steady- 
 ing himself with his right hand on the lift, while his left 
 hand kept the line clear. In the dim light they saw him 
 calmly wait his chance. As a great wave approached, they 
 saw his white form leap far out, straight over the crest, 
 and a flash of lightning later showed his white head in 
 the trough beyond. He had made a half wave length on 
 the dive. The line paid out rapidly. 
 
 " He's giving his great giant stroke," remarked Kelly 
 with admiration. 
 
 Faster and faster the line paid out, straight to wind- 
 ward. 
 
 " It's great," said the Captain. 
 
 " Great," others repeated ; and hopes began to revive. 
 For fully a quarter of a mile the line must have paid out 
 steadily. Then it began to slacken. 
 
 " If he were only thirty years younger," said Kelly. 
 
 Then it began to go by spurts then it stopped then 
 it slackened. 
 
 " Has he slipped, Kelly?" 
 
 " No, he's working still but he's losing."
 
 272 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Buck didn't wait for the rest. In a stolid, deliberate 
 manner, he got out a tarpaulin and cut off some wide 
 strips, took off his clothes and wrapped the strips around 
 his abdomen, to keep it warm. By the time the end of the 
 line was in, Buck reported to the Captain that he was 
 ready. A half dozen men stepped up and protested, and 
 asked to take Buck's place. 
 
 " He's too young, Captain." 
 
 " But Casey chose him next." And the Captain re- 
 mained firm. 
 
 When Kelly secured the line under Buck's arm, the 
 men standing near noticed that Buck pulled the end 
 through its own part to join it tight. 
 
 " He doesn't intend to slip," they whispered. 
 
 Buck waited till a pair of great waves passed, then, 
 accompanied by two men with lanterns, he ran aft along 
 the wreckage, almost to where the boiler cylinders were 
 steadily grinding up the part that remained. He ran the 
 risk of injury, but he gained fully thirty feet to wind- 
 ward ere he climbed up, saw that his line was clear, and 
 dived into the side of a curler. He came up in the trough 
 and made a quick gain with an overhand stroke, then 
 began to climb the side of the next big wave, when it 
 reared and curled and dashed him back with terrible vio- 
 lence. Buck had never conceived that water could engen- 
 der such force. The men paying out the line were aston- 
 ished and elated at the remarkable gain, when Buck's 
 strategy made almost as much at the start as the others 
 had made altogether. Then the line slackened. Kelly 
 shook his head. 
 
 " A brave lad. A brave lad," the men said as they 
 turned away. 
 
 The line started out again, only to slacken back. 
 
 " It's no use," sighed Kelly, with a groan.
 
 BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA 273 
 
 The line started out again. 
 
 " Has he slipped ? " asked the Captain, coming over. 
 
 " Xo, sir. He's not going to slip. I saw him jam the 
 knot. He's going to fight till he drowns." 
 
 The line slacked again, then started out again, then 
 slacked, then started out a little more. There seemed 
 to be some regularity about it. Kelly called the Captain 
 over. 
 
 " Watch the line, Captain." 
 
 They watched it closely. An interval of slackness, 
 then a little paying out; another interval, then a little 
 more paying out. 
 
 " He's worked out some kind of method, sure. The 
 question is, how long can he keep it up ? At this rate it 
 will take hours to make a half mile." 
 
 When Buck recovered from the shock of the first curler, 
 he struck out manfully across the trough that followed, 
 and up the side of the next wave, when it, likewise, curled 
 and hurled him back farther than before. 
 
 When he was about half way up the side of the next 
 wave, he dived through and came out in the trough be- 
 yond, the line showing that in the dive he held his own. 
 Across the trough he struck out overhand for a substantial 
 gain, then dived into the next. It seemed he would never 
 come out of this one. When he finally emerged he found 
 it was a double wave a wave on a wave. He opened his 
 mouth for a gasp of breath, only to be strangled by the 
 breaking crest of the second wave, which caught him and 
 hurled him back. 
 
 He finally got his breathing equilibrium, and dashed 
 across the trough and dived. This time he kept his eyes 
 open, and by the white streak could tell where the crest 
 was. It was a long dive, but he held out till he again 
 emerged near the trough, and made a dash, and dived
 
 274 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 again. The efforts were terrific, and the diving became 
 torture at times ; but he got it down to a system, sizing up 
 each wave as he began to mount its side. He learned to 
 gauge the moment, in each case, when it was best to dive 
 and the moment when it was best to emerge. Several 
 times he was strangled, but each time he regained his 
 equilibrium and went ahead with renewed effort. Slowly 
 and steadily he forged his way. 
 
 It must have been about one o'clock in the morning 
 when he started ; day was now breaking, with the hurri- 
 cane still at its highest. He had never looked back once ; 
 but after full day, wondering whether the ship was there 
 yet, he turned at an opportune moment and looked. 
 There was the ship about three quarters of a mile away, 
 but only a small part left now. The foremast had fallen 
 and all the men were crowded together on the topgallant 
 forecastle, which was all that remained. He saw them 
 waving. They were evidently watching him with glasses, 
 and saw him when he looked back. As he turned and 
 dived he thought he heard a hurrah above the roar of the 
 storm and the reef. 
 
 ~No gap yet; and on he struggled. Could Casey have 
 been mistaken ? 
 
 His limbs had gradually become numb, though not so 
 rapidly as in the cold water at Portsmouth; but worse 
 than the numbness was the steady exhaustion. In that 
 tremendous sea he had to go all the time at full strength. 
 
 " I'll have to rest," he finally concluded, and turned 
 on his back for a short respite. The first curler that came 
 caught him up, turned him sidewise, wound him in the 
 line, and dropped him, strangling, twenty feet back. 
 
 He struck a steady pace again. " This is my third 
 wind," he pondered to himself. " I'll keep it up till the 
 end." He knew that his strength was slowly ebbing, but
 
 BUCK LEARNS THE TERROR OF THE SEA 275 
 
 he felt a strange, deep satisfaction in his unfaltering re- 
 solve never to give up. 
 
 It must have been eight o'clock at least when, still 
 without any visible evidence of a gap in the reef, he 
 thought he detected an interruption in the sound under 
 water. In the constant diving he came to distinguish, 
 when under water, between the roar of the sea and the 
 roar of the reef. The next dive, he listened carefully and 
 was sure there was a break in the continuity of the reef 
 roar. It grew more perceptible. He changed his course a 
 little inshore. There was no mistake. 
 
 The gap the gap ! The joy came like a shock, and a 
 curler strangled him. He had to dive more frequently as 
 he came closer. Soon he saw above water the limits of the 
 gap. Nearer the reef line he drew. Then, when abreast 
 the center of the gap, he turned square, and struck out for 
 the breach. The hissing and roaring were terrifying as he 
 reached the line of the reef edge, and a great sense of 
 relief came when he passed in unobstructed. With his ter- 
 rible exhaustion, a relaxation followed, and before he 
 realized the new danger of the surf, he was hurled in a 
 lump, end over end, on the beach. Half unconscious, he 
 felt a heavy pull over his shoulder. 
 
 The line is caught. He jumped up instantly, only to 
 be dashed to the ground again and hurled far up the beach. 
 For a moment the line cut deep into his shoulder, then it 
 slacked. A shudder passed through his very soul. 
 
 The line had parted. He drew it in quickly, and the 
 end appeared. " God, help me ! " he cried, and ran out 
 into the surf to search for the line, only to be dashed to the 
 ground and almost stunned. He jumped up instantly ; as 
 the next breaker came he dived flat down on his face, and 
 it passed. 
 
 He went back, groping on the bottom in vain. Then
 
 276 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 lie went out still nearer the gap and passed within ten feet 
 of the terrible reef edge, diving and scraping the bottom, 
 where his fingers were scratched by the sharp angles of 
 the coral foundation. 
 
 Again and again he dived and swept the bottom. It 
 was getting too deep for diving, but down he went for the 
 last time. He groped on toward the reef. 
 
 At this instant he felt something slide along his leg. 
 It was the line! He reached and seized it. It slipped. 
 
 He rolled over on the ground and wrapped it three 
 times around his body, braced his heels and gave three 
 pulls, then three more, and then it began to pay out. It 
 seemed an eternity when he reached the surface and gasped 
 and had to dive again. Carefully, he approached this 
 time, and struck in obliquely so the line would not catch 
 the edge of the gap. When on his feet, he quickly cleared 
 the line and started down the beach, and ran till abreast of 
 the ship. It was only about a hundred feet away from the 
 beach. He hauled a four-inch line ashore, then hauled the 
 catamaran, with six men held down by lashings. Then 
 they hauled the raft ashore, with ten men. The raft and 
 catamaran were then hauled back to ship by two sets of 
 ropes, and the trips were fast and sure. By twelve o'clock 
 the whole crew was off. The Captain came in the last trip, 
 alone. Before one o'clock, the topgallant forecastle went 
 over with a crash and was devoured by the insatiable reef. 
 
 " Call all hands to muster," ordered the Captain. 
 
 " All present, sir, but Boatswain Casey, Boatswain's 
 Mate Anderson, and Petty Officer Olsen," reported the exe- 
 cutive officer, and at the words Buck's heart suddenly 
 became dead within him.
 
 CHAPTEE XIX 
 
 BUCK AND FEEBLE HAVE SOME STRANGE ADVENTURES 
 
 THE little coral creatures of the tropical seas are the 
 mightiest builders in all the world. Palaces, towers, 
 cathedrals, bridges, sea walls, jetties, are as fragile 
 pygmies compared to the great reef piles these tiny insects 
 build along the rock bed of the ocean. Roncador is a coral 
 masterpiece, probably reared upon volcanic rock, the far- 
 thest out in the Caribbean, where soundings show two 
 thousand fathoms. 
 
 But Roncador's beauty lies below the water. Above, it 
 is a desolate spot in the waste of waters. The highest 
 point is but thirteen feet over all. It is but four or five 
 miles long and a mile wide, with ponds and lagoons, and 
 necks of water cutting up the small respite of sand. 
 Nature has shrunk from Roncador's desolation; a little 
 cluster of dwarf palms is all there is to show. The hurri- 
 cane and shipwreck added the climax to the desolation of 
 nature. The angry sea swept masses and piles of wreck- 
 age in all directions, and seemed bent upon inundating the 
 pitiful handful of dry land remaining. 
 
 But this bleakest desolation of dry land was like a 
 paradise to those who had for fifteen hours been at the 
 mercy of the pitiless sea. The Captain and first lieutenant 
 began at once to organize the ship's company. While 
 waiting for death on the topgallant forecastle, they had 
 put the men for diversion to work as much as possible, get- 
 
 277
 
 278 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 ting up what stores and provisions and equipment could be 
 reached in the forehold and forecastle, and elsewhere on 
 the wreck. As much of these as possible was lashed to the 
 raft, for its last trip, and the things that could not be 
 rafted were thrown over the sides to be driven up by the 
 sea. In fact, the ship was so close to the beach, and so 
 completely demolished, that not only its cargo, but the 
 materials of the hull and fittings, were driven up ashore. 
 Even coal from the coal bunkers was deposited high up on 
 the beach. The Captain's chief concern was about fresh 
 water. None was saved when the tanks were crushed. 
 The scuttle butt in the forecastle happened to be full, and 
 this was brought off on the raft ; but already it was getting 
 low, though only a reduced ration of water was allowed, 
 and with clothing soaked by the spray and rain less thirst 
 was experienced than usual. The Captain detailed the 
 executive officer and thirty men to provide water. They 
 proceeded to gather up all the casks, barrels, tanks, about 
 the beach, and make them, watertight, and to fit together 
 parts of the mizzen topsail and mainsail, that came up on 
 the beach, to catch the rain that continued to fall. They 
 dug two wells in the highest part of the island, and found 
 water more or less brackish, but good enough for cooking 
 purposes. The navigator and rigger and twenty men were 
 detailed to erect a flag pole and fly a signal of distress to 
 attract any ship that might pass. 
 
 The senior watch officer, with the carpenter's gang and 
 sailmaker's mates, ten cadets and fifty seamen, were de- 
 tailed to improvise tents and build huts from the canvas 
 and timber and planking on the beach. By sunset there 
 was shelter for all, though of the crudest kind. 
 
 The second watch officer, paymaster, yeoman, ten 
 cadets, and twenty seamen, were detailed to gather up 
 everything available for food, from the boxes and barrels
 
 BUCK AND PREBLE HAVE ADVENTURES 279 
 
 of provisions rafted off, to the chunks of salt pork and tins 
 of corned beef and dissolving hard-tack found strewed over 
 the sand. 
 
 Each kind of work had its detail, and within a half 
 hour after the muster every man was hard at work on his 
 particular duty. 
 
 Buck and Preble were assigned with the junior watch 
 officer and ten men as a fishing party. 
 
 " Mr. Jones is half fish himself. He naturally belongs 
 to the fishing gang," remarked the Captain with a smile 
 that would have warmed Buck's heart but for his silent 
 grief at Casey's loss. The sea was running so high the 
 fishing party could not do much, so they set to work to get 
 together tackle and construct a net and seine. Buck and 
 Preble were sent off with sacks to gather up shellfish and 
 explore the island from the standpoint of fishing prospects. 
 The sailmaker's mate had made Buck a breech cloth and 
 pair of canvas sandals, to supplement the tarpaulin strips 
 about his body that had served him so well. 
 
 " It's the most satisfactory dress I ever wore," de- 
 clared Buck when Preble was inclined to laugh. " I'm 
 always ready for rain and for going in the water, and feel 
 free as a bird." For a moment he had forgotten Casey. 
 
 They found only sand crabs and conchs high up on the 
 beach. 
 
 " This will not make a very savory dish, but I suppose 
 they can make soup. I'm going to get a line and go into 
 the surf on the lee and see if we can't find something 
 better." 
 
 " Bring a knife with you to open the shells," Preble 
 suggested. 
 
 So when Buck poured out his first sack of shellfish 
 at the commissary headquarters, an improvised shack 
 where all provisions were being collected, he gathered up a
 
 280 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 coil of the line he had used in the night. He couldn't get 
 a jackknife the men were all using theirs so he took a 
 big butcher knife, washed up in a box of hardware, and 
 stuck it in his waistcloth. 
 
 " You are the image of a Fiji Islander. You are my 
 man Friday. Come ahead." And Preble led the way to 
 the beach on the lee side, trying to draw Buck from his 
 wordless sorrow. And he was partly successful, for there 
 was work to do, and Buck remembered it. He tied the 
 line around his waist and waded along the beach, while 
 Preble held the other end of the line well ashore. In 
 places Buck was astonished at the strength of the cur- 
 rents, even in depths not over his hips. In other places he 
 found table flats, just under water, with holes and lagoons, 
 without current. He had fallen into several of these holes 
 while gathering shellfish, and saw schools of fish of many 
 kinds. 
 
 " Won't we have fun over here when the nets and 
 seines are ready ? " he remarked, as he came out of a hole 
 where a school of fish like large mackerel had darted into 
 the crevices. 
 
 Then, a little farther, he paused on the brink of a 
 large lagoon where the bottom sloped down toward the sea. 
 
 " I'll go around this one." And he started around the 
 edge. " There's a lot of big eels on the bottom down there. 
 I'll scare them up." And he waded down to his hips to 
 have fun with the eels. They didn't seem to run at his 
 approach, and he kicked among them. To his astonish- 
 ment, one of them seemed to lay hold of his leg then 
 another one then one laid hold of his other leg, and 
 another and another, and all began to climb slowly up, 
 winding about his legs. He jerked back, but they pulled 
 down, heavier and heavier, and began to draw him into 
 deeper water.
 
 BUCK AND PREBLE HAVE ADVENTURES 281 
 
 " Haul on your line, Preble quick ! A devilfish has 
 got me ! " And Buck braced himself with all his might. 
 
 His foot caught a solid hold and checked the sliding, 
 with the water about at his waist. The weight had become 
 very heavy. The tentacles climbed up to his body, suck- 
 ing tight as they climbed. Buck reached down with his 
 left hand to dislodge the tentacle climbing up his left 
 thigh, and it seized his hand and held it down. He felt a 
 tentacle climbing up his back. He drew his knife and 
 completely severed the one that held his left arm. A great 
 commotion followed, and another heavy tentacle com- 
 pletely lapped his left arm and body. 
 
 " Pull hard, Preble, I'm slipping down." 
 
 The monster kept its longest, lower tentacle holding to 
 a fissure in the coral, and, having seized the victim se- 
 curely with all the others, was preparing to draw him 
 down. 
 
 Preble had braced himself and was hauling at the line 
 with all his might. Between the two forces, Buck felt his 
 knees begin to totter. It was hard to get a clean knife cut 
 at the tentacles about his legs and body, so Buck deliber- 
 ately examined the parts below water, and discovered the 
 hideous, hooded monster's head at about the height of his 
 calves. He was just raising his knife to strike at the body 
 and head when he discovered the tentacle extending out to 
 the bottom. Preble looked on aghast as he saw Buck bend 
 far over into the water, and the uppermost tentacle close in 
 over his shoulder; but like a flash Buck severed the ten- 
 tacle holding to the coral, then rose and rushed headlong 
 up the beach, bearing the monster on his back. The ten- 
 tacles began to loosen and slip. Buck grabbed one of them 
 a short distance up, with his left hand, and plunged his 
 knife through the head and body, and jumped away as the 
 great tentacles began to writhe in death. 
 19
 
 282 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " The old devil thought he had you." 
 
 " I began to think so myself." 
 
 They found a timber and lashed the monster to the 
 center and shouldered it between them. Buck took up the 
 half-filled sack of shellfish, and Preble took the coil of line, 
 and they started proudly to camp with their catch. 
 
 It must have been about four o'clock in the afternoon 
 when they started. The hurricane was still running high ; 
 the center had passed to the north, and the wind had 
 veered to the west ; the reef was thundering off to the north 
 and east. 
 
 " Stop, Preble," said Buck abruptly, as he turned his 
 ear out to seaward to the southwest. 
 
 " It's nothing but the gale and the sea," remarked 
 Preble. 
 
 Buck still listened. 
 
 " There it is again." 
 
 Preble heard it this time, and his hair stood on end. 
 
 " Help ! Help ! " the agonized voice came from the 
 angry sea. 
 
 They dropped their burden and ran headlong up the 
 beach. Buck stopped. 
 
 " It comes from out there, Preble. Get your line 
 secure here ashore, and be prepared to wade out to your 
 neck, or swim with the line; but under no circumstances 
 drop the line or go beyond its reach. The current is 
 fierce." 
 
 Buck rushed into the surf and then struck out over- 
 hand toward the voice. About one hundred and fifty 
 yards out he caugnt sight of a man's head about a hun- 
 dred yards farther. Buck never made such speed be- 
 fore. Across the trough, through and under the seas he 
 plowed.
 
 BUCK AND PREBLE HAVE ADVENTURES 283 
 
 " I'll be with you in a minute," he called out cheerily. 
 The man was holding another man. Buck's heart pounded 
 against the walls of his chest. 
 
 " Is that you, Casey ? " he cried. 
 
 "No; it'sOlsen." 
 
 " Is that Casey you have ? " 
 
 " No ; it's Anderson, Mr. Jones. The current is fear- 
 ful. We've been trying to make it for two hours and were 
 just giving up when we saw you two." 
 
 Buck took Anderson, who was in the last stages of ex- 
 haustion, on his left shoulder, and started ahead. Poor 
 Olsen tried his best to follow, but he, too, was at the last 
 extremity. 
 
 " Come along, Olsen, and I will give you a lift. 
 Anderson, can you keep your head up ? " 
 
 " I'll try, sir." 
 
 The two men kept their heads above water, and Buck 
 began to push them both, first one, then the other. They 
 seemed to make good headway at first, and Buck was get- 
 ting in a good, strong stroke with one arm and both legs. 
 But the headway soon decreased. 
 
 " It's been this way for a long time. I'm afraid we 
 can't make it through this current inshore." 
 
 Olsen was getting discouraged. 
 
 " Oh, yes, we can," said Buck with confidence and 
 vigor. " You get Anderson in tandem. I'll push with my 
 head and use both hands and legs." 
 
 The new move proved of great advantage, and Buck 
 summoned his whole strength. 
 
 " Come out to the end of the line, Preble, but tie it to 
 your ankle." 
 
 The sight of Preble coming ont with the line cheered 
 the two exhausted men, and they tried to strike out for 
 themselves. Olsen helped a little, but Anderson tried in
 
 284 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 vain. He was fast drifting into unconsciousness, and 
 could barely keep his head up. When Preble reached the 
 end of the line, the swimmers w r ere only about thirty yards 
 away. Buck was making terrific efforts, but the current 
 was running like a mill race. He cut the distance down to 
 about twenty yards, but all his efforts could get them no 
 farther. All began to despair but Buck. 
 
 " Olsen, you are a brave man. I'm going to take 
 Anderson in, and then come for you." 
 
 " You are right, Mr. Jones." 
 
 It took Buck forty-five minutes to push Anderson 
 across those twenty yards into Preble's reach, and when he 
 came back Olsen had drifted nearly a half mile away. It 
 took an hour and a quarter to push Olsen in. 
 
 When they reached camp, the surgeon took charge of 
 Olsen and Anderson, and promised they would be all right 
 next day. 
 
 " It was a catch, gentlemen," said the Captain, as he 
 came upon Buck and Preble, " two seamen and a devil- 
 fish in an afternoon." 
 
 The octopus measured nine feet across his tentacles, 
 and would have probably measured two feet more if one of 
 the longest tentacles had not been left behind. The whole 
 ship's company feasted on the soup and steaks of devilfish 
 for three days. 
 
 At sunset the ship's company was assembled, and the 
 Chaplain offered up prayers. Buck never realized so much 
 before that man is but a waif on the ocean of infinity. At 
 nightfall they lighted a big bonfire of driftwood, wreckage, 
 and coal picked up on the beach. Before going off to their 
 various tents and improvised shacks for the night, all 
 hands gathered around the bonfire. Anderson and Olsen, 
 fast becoming limbered up, told of their long sojourn in
 
 BUCK AND PREBLE HAVE ADVENTURES 285 
 
 the water, baffled by the heavy sea and the fierce currents, 
 and of the remarkable coincidence of their meeting. 
 
 " How did you manage to get over those curlers, Mr. 
 Jones ? " asked Olsen with astonishment. 
 
 " I went under them." 
 
 " Mr. Jones doesn't swim, Olsen he dives." And a 
 smile played over Kelly's face, and passed to the others. 
 
 Buck listened to the men talking over the experiences 
 on the topgallant forecastle the steady grinding of the 
 boilers, as the bow went down before their advance. His 
 heart was too heavy to join them in speech, but they all 
 knew the sorrow that was preying upon him, and in which 
 they, too, shared. 
 
 The gathering did not linger long. The men had not 
 been to bed for thirty-six hours, and had been under the 
 severest strain. They soon dispersed to sleep on their 
 sandy beds. When the others were gone, Buck went over 
 to Olsen and Anderson. 
 
 " You saw nothing of Casey ? " he asked, his face 
 drawn with his sorrow. 
 
 " Nothing." 
 
 Both the seamen loved Casey, but they forgot their 
 own grief when they looked into Buck's eyes as he turned 
 away. He then w r ent over to Kelly. 
 
 " Do you think there is any chance ? " 
 
 Kelly knew what he meant, and shook his head. 
 
 " I paid out the line, Mr. Jones. Casey compressed 
 his whole strength into the effort. When finally exhaust- 
 ed, he pulled the line, a signal of last good-by." 
 
 Buck turned away without a word. When all was 
 quiet, and only the sentry was astir, Kelly slipped over 
 to Buck's shack, but Buck was not there. He asked the 
 sentry. 
 
 " He walked down toward the beach awhile ago."
 
 286 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Kelly went out to search. He discovered Buck's fig- 
 ure sitting on the sand, looking out toward the wreck. He 
 saw him put his face in his hands and rock back and forth 
 in silent anguish. Kelly walked up quietly and touched 
 him on the head. Buck looked up. 
 
 " It's all right, Mr. Jones. He felt that his day was 
 done. It was a noble death." 
 
 The sympathy in Kelly's voice was too much. It was 
 like the sympathy his mother used to give. He broke down 
 and sobbed as though his heart would break. Kelly tried 
 to comfort him in vain; the floods had broken through. 
 
 " He never knew how much I loved him. Why did I 
 let him try before me ? He was an old man ; I ought to 
 have tried first." His words came brokenly between sobs. 
 
 Kelly's tender heart could stand the strain no longer ; 
 he broke down and began to sob himself. He took Buck's 
 hand and began to tell about Casey, between his sobs. The 
 rugged seaman and the manly boy, holding hands on the 
 beach, wept themselves out, while the lowering clouds 
 marched by overhead, and the pitiless sea roared its dirge 
 over the watery grave of their comrade. 
 
 The camp was astir at daybreak. The men missed the 
 early coffee, but the surgeon prescribed a cup of boiling 
 hot water, which proved a better substitute than anyone 
 expected. Everybody enjoyed the devilfish steaks, and 
 Preble and Buck were off before the rest of the fishing 
 party. It had rained hard during the night, and all the 
 receptacles were full of water. The hurricane, however, 
 had subsided considerably, and was fast passing away to 
 the north. The sun was breaking out at times. The two 
 cadets went down to the lee side. Preble lingered to pick 
 up some fine conchs that had been washed up during the 
 night, and Buck went on ahead, line in hand. As he
 
 BUCK AND PREBLE HAVE ADVENTURES 287 
 
 passed the highest sand-dune, he noticed a big brown ob- 
 ject, half covered in the sand. 
 
 " It must be a piece of wreckage," he thought, and was 
 passing on when he wondered how the wreckage could have 
 gotten so high up in the sand, over on the sheltered side. 
 
 " Perhaps it's from an old wreck, and is slowly dis- 
 appearing in the sand." 
 
 His curiosity was aroused, and he went up and stood 
 on the object and began to kick the sand off. 
 
 " It's round ! What a remarkable color ! " 
 
 The object began to move under his feet. Buck was 
 petrified with astonishment. The sand opened and up 
 stuck the monster head of a giant turtle, the red streak 
 about its eyes flashing fire like a dragon. Buck jumped as 
 though shot from a gun, and ran ten or fifteen yards, but 
 soon recovered himself and turned back to reconnoiter. 
 The great creature was leisurely working its flippers cov- 
 ering up the hole with sand. Buck cautiously drew 
 nearer. It paid but little attention to his presence, con- 
 tinuing its work till completed, then turned down, with 
 its slow, awkward stride, toward the beach. The sporting 
 spirit began to assert itself, and to supplant the tempo- 
 rary paralysis produced in Buck by the sudden apparition. 
 He ran down to head it off. The monster was waist-high, 
 and came straight upon him, opening its great beak that 
 was as big as a saucer. Buck drew his big knife, but 
 jumped aside, afraid to remain within reach. The turtle 
 passed on. Buck ran down in front of it again, only to 
 step aside as it lumbered upon him with head raised and 
 its beak opening and shutting like a gander's. Buck ran up 
 from behind and struck at the turtle with his knife, under 
 the shell near the right hind leg. The creature stopped 
 and turned partly around, while Buck retreated. Then it 
 resumed its course for the sea.
 
 288 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Buck became desperate. He ran and leaped upon the 
 turtle's back. The turtle only looked up sidewise and con- 
 tinued its course. Buck steadied himself and got down 
 on his knees, then spread out flat on his face and drew 
 himself well forward, then raised upon his left hand and 
 with his right hand made a fierce jab at the turtle's neck. 
 Like a thunderbolt the creature snapped the knife out of 
 his hand, breaking the blade and sending the handle flying. 
 The twist almost dislocated Buck's elbow joint. He was 
 baffled. He stood up on the back, impotent, while the 
 creature began to lumber along toward the sea. He looked 
 around, as though for a suggestion, and noticed the line 
 coiled on the sand, where he had dropped it in the first 
 dash of flight. An inspiration seized him. He jumped 
 off, ran for the rope, and dashed back, fixing a noose and 
 calling for Preble as he ran. To Preble, coming up in the 
 distance, it was a strange sight Buck balanced on the 
 turtle's back, swinging the noose for its head. The turtle 
 paid but little attention, and in a few trials Buck had the 
 noose over its head and well up its neck. He pulled in 
 gently and when the noose was about home, gave it a hard 
 jerk, slid back on the ground, and began to pull. The tur- 
 tle shook its head, pulled its neck in short, and went ahead, 
 the rope passing over its back. Buck pulled with all his 
 might, wrapped the line around his body, stuck his heels 
 in the sand in vain the steed dragged him on. 
 
 " Hold to him, Buck hold to him ! " shouted Preble, 
 as he came on a run. The two hauled together. In vain ! 
 Steadily they were dragged toward the water. 
 
 " Let's try him sidewise," suggested Buck, and they 
 ran around and pulled together at right angles. The turtle 
 began to turn. 
 
 " Keep pulling him to the side ! " 
 
 And soon they had him turned entirely around ; then
 
 BUCK AND PREBLE HAVE ADVENTURES 289 
 
 he began to pull backward and was gradually outpulling 
 them. 
 
 " Get a pole behind him, Preble," said Buck, and 
 Preble ran off and soon came back with a four-inch timber 
 eight or nine feet long. 
 
 " Hurry up and get it behind him, Preble. He's been 
 snapping, and has snapped one strand of the line in two." 
 
 Preble planted the timber, and the turtle backed up 
 against it to a standstill. 
 
 " Prize him forward," cried Buck with delight. 
 
 The turtle was bewildered when Preble, using the pole 
 as a lever, prized him forward. He started ahead, then 
 attempted to turn. Buck stuck his heels in the sand and 
 held him straight. 
 
 " Prize ahead, Preble." 
 
 The turtle started ahead and tried to turn again, and 
 Buck held him straight. 
 
 " Prize away, Preble." 
 
 Soon they were making fair progress. The pole always 
 bewildered the turtle, and they gained four or five yards 
 each time they prized. Again and again the turtle balked 
 and tried to turn, but each time the pole started him up 
 again. 
 
 Buck regarded it as the proudest moment of his life 
 when they " drove " the turtle into camp. Everybody sus- 
 pended work. The Captain and officers and men alike 
 rushed out. 
 
 " What's that you've got, Mr. Jones ? " called out 
 Kelly, smiling all over. 
 
 " Only a dray horse to do the heavy hauling. Preble, 
 show his paces." 
 
 The company roared when Preble applied the pole vig- 
 orously and the great creature, as broad across the back as 
 a barn door, literally paced down the line.
 
 290 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " It'll be great eating, Mr. Jones," remarked the pay- 
 master, whose mind was bent on the question of provi- 
 sions ; " we'll credit you and Mr. Preble with a thousand 
 pounds of fresh provisions. He'll weigh more than that." 
 
 Buck had slackened the line, and the turtle snapped at 
 it and cut another strand; and snapped again, and the 
 line parted. Then it began to look around, and started for 
 the beach. Buck hurriedly tied another noose and climbed 
 on its back, and soon had it lassoed again. It was like a 
 circus exhibition. Buck stood straight up, steadying him- 
 self with the line, and the turtle ran its best. 
 
 " This is the only genuine bareback rider of sea mon- 
 sters," Kelly called out, to imitate a circus announce- 
 ment. 
 
 When he had ridden a hundred yards, Preble, with 
 his lever, ran in front to turn him. The turtle seized the 
 lever in its beak, overturned Preble and ran partly over 
 him. Buck jumped down, ran to the side and turned the 
 turtle half round, while Preble jumped up and began the 
 prizing operation; and soon they had the bewildered 
 creature back in camp. 
 
 " What shall we do with him, Preble ? He'd tear down 
 any shack here." 
 
 " There is no trouble about keeping him," said Kelly. 
 " Send me your pole, Mr. Preble. Three or four of you 
 lend me a hand. Let him start up, Mr. Jones." 
 
 As the turtle started, they put the pole across its route, 
 and when it had just begun to pass over the pole, the four 
 men raised it with energy and turned it on its back. There 
 it sprawled, its legs and neck working in the air, utterly 
 helpless. 
 
 " It'll stay there without any trouble, now, and it'll 
 keep fresh for a month. There'll be no starvation in this 
 camp," said Kelly.
 
 BUCK AND PREBLE HAVE ADVENTURES 291 
 
 " Where did you find him, Mr. Jones ? " asked one of 
 the men. 
 
 " We found him down there half buried in the sand." 
 
 Kelly laughed. 
 
 " I guess it's not a him it's a her. That old turtle 
 has probably been laying eggs in that sand pile for a thou- 
 sand years." 
 
 Buck was off with a dash for the sand pile, and brought 
 back Preble's hat full of big eggs. His delight was com- 
 plete.
 
 CHAPTEE XX 
 
 MR. JONES, I would like to speak to you a 
 moment," said the Captain, as Buck put down 
 the eggs with triumph. 
 
 Buck went over with the Captain to his tent. 
 
 " Roncador is far from the track of regular steamers. 
 There is no telling how long we might be left here. I have 
 decided to send a boat to Old Providence, and thence to 
 Colon for succor. The navigator asks to take the boat. 
 He has been sick for some time, and the surgeon pro- 
 nounces him a sick man now. But he is anxious to do 
 what he can. I have consented to let him take the boat. 
 He wants a junior officer to go along, and asks that you be 
 detailed. You have been under severe strain, and are en- 
 titled to rest." 
 
 " I am entirely rested, sir." 
 
 " The trip is uncertain. The carpenter's gang is 
 patching up the skeleton of the sailing launch thrown up 
 on the beach, and nailing on miscellaneous boards and 
 planks, and will cover the seams with canvas ; but it will 
 leak badly and require constant bailing. If the weather is 
 good, it may come out all right; if bad, probably not. 
 Four men have volunteered. The boat will leave as soon 
 as it is ready and the sea moderates a little more. Will 
 you volunteer to go ? " 
 
 292
 
 BUCK HAS HIS FIRST COMMISSION 293 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Then report to the navigator." 
 
 The Captain bowed, and Buck went out and reported 
 to the navigator. 
 
 " Inspect everything, Mr. Jones, and let me know 
 when you are ready. I'm getting the navigating instru- 
 ments ready. We have a boat compass, but I'll have to get 
 together the fragments of a sextant and the scattered 
 leaves of a Nautical Almanac and Bowditch Table. We'll 
 have some difficult navigation." 
 
 Soon Buck was following up all the work of prepara- 
 tion, inspecting the carpenter's gang on the boat and mast, 
 and the sailmaker's mates on the sail; the men getting 
 fresh water breakers and provisions, including a big sec- 
 tion of devilfish. lie got the sailmaker's mate to sew up 
 some canvas strips and make a pair of trousers and a can- 
 vas cap. 
 
 " You look like a prince, Mr. Jones, in your royal 
 robes." Kelly had a good laugh at Buck's expense. " But 
 I prefer you in the robe of a Fiji Islander." 
 
 Buck was anxious to navigate by the North Star. He 
 hurried up the work, and at sunset reported to the navi- 
 gator that all was ready on the lee side. The little open 
 boat shoved off as the tropical darkness fell. The wind 
 was blowing fresh from the west, direct ahead, so they 
 stood away on the starboard tack, the navigator at the 
 helm. The sea was running high, and the boat shipped a 
 good deal of water. One man was kept bailing constantly, 
 and at times two. The clouds were fast disappearing, and 
 soon the stars were beginning to show through. The little 
 crew watched the bonfire on Roncador till its glow disap- 
 peared below the horizon. 
 
 " I!d like to relieve you, sir," said Buck, to the navi- 
 gator, about ten o'clock. " The doctor said you were sick.
 
 294 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 You'd better sleep if you can. I'm going to watch the 
 stars through to-night." 
 
 " We'll stand watch and watch, Mr. Jones. The 
 shigras fever is in my bones, but I'm good for the trip all 
 right." 
 
 Some planks had been nailed across the thwarts for 
 beds. Two of the seamen stretched out on one side, the 
 other two remaining on watch, one to bail out, the other to 
 tend the main sheet. Soon Buck stretched out on the other 
 side. Whether it was because of the activity during the 
 day in the open air, or because he had become a seaman 
 through and through, Buck fell asleep almost instantly, 
 stretched out on a plank, without pillow, in a small boat 
 being roughly handled in a sea way. 
 
 At midnight the sleepers were called and took the 
 watch. Buck tacked, with the view of running the watch 
 through on the port tack. The stars had come out in all 
 their splendor. The clouds had disappeared. The boat 
 heeled well over in the fresh breeze. Buck would put his 
 hand out in the mild, tropical water. He felt an exhila- 
 ration from the sea, and the sky ; he was so close, so very 
 close, to them. He watched the constellations making 
 their way across the heavens. About three o'clock the 
 wind drew around to the northwest, and Buck went about. 
 The navigator made a remark that showed he had not been 
 asleep at all. So at four o'clock, when the two seamen 
 were called, Buck left the navigator undisturbed, as he 
 seemed to be dozing off, and he did not wake till about 
 eight o'clock. 
 
 " I'm so sorry, Mr. Jones." 
 
 " No apologies, sir. I was enjoying myself so much 
 I couldn't bear to stop." 
 
 They washed over the side in the salt water, ate some 
 cold devilfish, and got comfortable for the day.
 
 BUCK HAS HIS FIRST COMMISSION 295 
 
 " I'll take the sights, sir," volunteered Buck, and he 
 got a good time sight about eight o'clock, then a good 
 meridian altitude. Locating their position on the soiled 
 chart, they found they had made excellent progress. The 
 wind was now around to the north, still holding fresh, 
 while the sea was going down rapidly. 
 
 " If this luck continues," remarked the navigator, as 
 he set a course by the boat compass, " we'll make Old 
 Providence by five o'clock." 
 
 When Buck took the helm at noon, the navigator re- 
 marked that his fever. was running high. Along about 
 three o'clock he said it was running higher. 
 
 " If my temperature should make me delirious, have 
 one of the men stay by me at Old Providence, charter the 
 largest fishing vessel you can find, and start for Colon at 
 the earliest practicable moment. After arriving, telegraph 
 the Secretary of the Navy and charter a steamer to run to 
 Roncador." And he handed Buck one hundred dollars in 
 gold and the paymaster's draft for five hundred dollars. 
 
 It was magnificent sailing, and they reached the small 
 fishing village of Old Providence about four o'clock. Un- 
 fortunately, the navigator had become delirious. Buck 
 sent him ashore with a seaman to take care of him, giving 
 the seaman thirty dollars for expenses. Then, with quick 
 decision, he ordered a fishing vessel to go to Roncador with 
 a load of fresh water, oranges, and fresh food, and by sun- 
 set he was off in a ten-ton fishing schooner, chartered for 
 ten dollars per day. The wind was almost back to the 
 northeast trades. The schooner was speedy. Straight on 
 their course they held with all sail set, night and day. 
 Buck took frequent sights, by day and by night. Each 
 time he located his position it showed large gains. He 
 made over one hundred and sixty miles the first day, over 
 a hundred the second, and moored at the dock in Colon
 
 296 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 shortly after sun-up the third morning. A magnificent ex- 
 perience ! In supreme command ! Buck had never en- 
 joyed anything so much in his life. 
 
 He aroused the American Consul from bed; by ten 
 o'clock had chartered the mail steamer Panama; and by 
 noon was off for Roncador, after sending the following 
 cable to the Secretary of the Navy : 
 
 " Kearsarge wrecked and destroyed on Roncador last 
 Friday night. All safe ashore save Boatswain Casey, who 
 met heroic death. Sailing to rescue in steamer Panama. 
 
 (Signed) " B. P. Jones, Naval Cadet." 
 
 By the time this message reached America, the 
 Panama was far on her way, and before sunset the next 
 day the survivors were safe on board. She went over to 
 Old Providence the same night, for the navigator, and 
 started for New York, reaching there without incident the 
 end of the next week. Buck's third class-cruise then came 
 to a premature end. 
 
 A big crowd met the Panama at the wharf. The loss 
 of the historic Kearsarge had produced regret all over the 
 country. Buck's telegram had been the only authentic 
 news, and many wild accounts had been published as ema- 
 nating from Colon, so that the whole country was waiting, 
 eager. The newspaper correspondents and reporters came 
 down the bay in a tug to meet the Panama, and fell upon 
 the officers and men of the Kearsarge. Buck had almost 
 nothing to say; but by the time the vessel reached the 
 wharf a hundred graphic accounts of 'the wreck and the 
 sojourn on Roncador, colored by a score of vivid newspaper 
 imaginations, were ready for the evening papers, and a 
 vast accumulation of mail was sent ashore. 
 
 At quarantine, orders from the Navy Department 
 were brought off, directing the officers to appear before a
 
 BUCK HAS HIS FIRST COMMISSION 297 
 
 Board of Inquiry, assembled at the New York Navy Yard, 
 to inquire into the cause of the wreck. The enlisted men 
 were ordered to the receiving ship Vermont, at the same 
 yard, where they would be available for witnesses. The 
 navigator had improved, but had to be sent to the Naval 
 Hospital. Buck and Preble were surprised and delighted 
 to see Mrs. Preble on the wharf. Buck's delight was 
 almost as great as Preble's. Mrs. Preble could hardly 
 contain herself. The thought of all that her boy had been 
 through brought the tears constantly to her eyes. She told 
 Buck that she had been in correspondence with his mother. 
 
 " I went to see the Secretary of the Navy," she said 
 with enthusiasm, " and it has all been arranged. After the 
 Court of Inquiry is over, you are both to have leave till 
 September 30th. Bainbridge will go to Alabama with you 
 the first half of the time, and you will come up to the 
 White Mountains with him the second half. I have rooms 
 for us all in New York while the court lasts." 
 
 The witnesses were called in the order of rank, so that 
 Buck and Preble did not take the stand for a week. Dur- 
 ing this time they " saw New York." Preble had been to 
 New York before, but the great city was a revelation to 
 Buck. Mrs. Preble had secured quiet rooms, where the 
 " poor boys " could rest ; but the " poor boys " were not 
 still a moment. Preble undertook to be the guide, but soon 
 Buck was driving him into all kinds of strange places, par- 
 ticularly where engines and machinery were operating. 
 They went to Coney Island and several of the beaches to 
 swim and see the sights. Mrs. Preble was considerate 
 enough to stay behind frequently, and have ice cream and 
 good things when they returned. 
 
 " I've had the time of my life," said Buck, when she 
 told them good-by and left them on the through sleeper 
 for Birmingham. 
 20
 
 298 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 It was a happy day when Buck and Preble reached 
 Sumter. Half the town turned out to meet them. Buck's 
 fraternity, headed by his oldest brother, Hugh, boarded the 
 train at a crossing three miles above town, where the train 
 stopped by agreement with the conductor. 
 
 " Fellows, this is Preble." 
 
 Buck looked out of both sides of the car at the same 
 time, so as to miss nothing of the familiar scenes that 
 made his heart leap. 
 
 " You see that clump of plum trees over there, Preble ? 
 That's where a fine covey of partridges ranges. I'm sorry 
 it's out of the season." 
 
 Buck's glance passed on across the broom-sage field, 
 turning a little wistful. 
 
 " Out there," whispered Hugh to Preble, " Buck acci- 
 dentally shot his favorite dog, Hugo." 
 
 The train lost twenty minutes more at Sumter station. 
 Captain Sled and his engineer and the agent had to join in 
 the welcome. Half the stores in town were closed. 
 
 " Papa, this is Preble. Colonel Picket, my friend 
 Mr. Preble." 
 
 Buck was beaming with delight, introducing Preble to 
 his family and friends. 
 
 " Your mother is waiting to greet you at home, Buck," 
 said his father. " She knew it would be so crowded here." 
 
 Buck broke away from the crowd, leaving Preble in 
 Hugh's charge, and started down the railroad track on a 
 run, then across the fields. He crowded through the old 
 hole in the rear hedge, dashed down the slope, leaped the 
 branch, ran up the other slope by the old smokehouse and 
 chicken house and kitchen. 
 
 " How d'y' do, Aunt Becky ? " he called out, but never 
 paused. Up the back steps, across the back piazza., in the 
 back door, down the wide hall, out on the front piazza.
 
 BUCK HAS HIS FIRST COMMISSION 299 
 
 " Mamma mamma ! " 
 
 "My Buck! My Buck!" 
 
 Buck took his little mother up in his strong arms. 
 
 " Where did you come from ? I was looking for your 
 coming from the big gate." 
 
 " I couldn't wait, mamma. I came across the fields." 
 And Buck had the first ten minutes with his mother 
 alone. 
 
 " How you have grown, Buck ! You are as tall as 
 Hugh. I would scarcely have known you and you look 
 like a man." 
 
 " You have to be a man at Annapolis," said Buck with 
 evident pride. 
 
 Soon after the others came, Buck took Preble off to the 
 lot to see Uncle Ben and the horses, then out to the pasture 
 to see the cows, and then to the garden and to the water- 
 melon patch. 
 
 " Hold on, Preble. That one's not ripe. Let's try 
 this one." Buck thumped the biggest. " Let's bring it 
 over here to the scuppernong arbor. >? 
 
 Buck raised the big melon and dropped it. It broke 
 wide open, and the big red heart separated from the rest. 
 
 " Try this." And Buck handed Preble a big chunk of 
 heart as big as his head, and the two fell to eating. 
 
 " I've never tasted anything so good," said Preble. 
 
 " It's the only way to eat a watermelon," remarked 
 Buck knowingly, as he brought his face up, dripping. 
 
 They went through the orchard on the way to the 
 house, and continued to stuff with apples and peaches and 
 figs. Preble was particularly delighted with the figs. 
 
 Late that afternoon the whole town came down to 
 Wildwood, old and young alike. Mrs. Jones had tea and 
 lemonade and ice cream out under the big magnolia trees. 
 All the ladies and girls were in white.
 
 300 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " We are sorry the magnolias are through blooming, 
 Mr. Preble," said Mrs. Jones. 
 
 " It couldn't be more beautiful than it is/' replied 
 Preble with enthusiasm. 
 
 He thought he had never seen so many beautiful girls 
 in his life. 
 
 " Every other girl you meet down here would be called 
 a raving beauty anywhere else," he wrote his mother. 
 
 Mrs. Preble soon became anxious about her son's heart. 
 He was accustomed to tell her everything, and he confided 
 to her that he was in love with Miss Picket. Fortunately, 
 he thought he was in love with three others in succession 
 before he left. Buck was gallant and deferential to all 
 alike. The two cadets were the lions of the town, and the 
 envy of all the other boys, particularly on one occasion of 
 ceremony, when they wore their full-dress uniforms. 
 
 Buck organized a summer baseball nine among the 
 town boys, and got up a series of games with the neighbor- 
 ing towns ; and Preble played first base while Buck caught. 
 
 Major Jones got up a camping trip up to the lakes, 
 and the boys had a week of good sport catching trout, 
 bream, and white perch, and in swimming and rowing. 
 Buck showed the other boys many new points in swim- 
 ming. 
 
 " Show us the stroke you used when you swam from 
 the wreck." 
 
 Buck showed them the stroke, but remarked scornfully : 
 
 " You can't do anything in fresh water." 
 
 The second day in camp, Buck slipped off with Preble 
 before daybreak, and they brought in a wild turkey each. 
 
 " It was terribly exciting. I had the buck fever, but 
 I got my gobbler all right," Preble wrote his mother. 
 
 The boys had another camping trip on the river, which 
 they enjoyed very much. Before the time for leaving, the
 
 
 
 301 
 
 people in the country above Sumter, who all loved the 
 Joneses, gave a barbecue and fish fry to the boys, out at 
 Silver Creek. Buck and Preble were in high feather. 
 After the delicious dinner, the crowd called on Major 
 Jones for a speech. The major responded and made a 
 rousing patriotic speech of about twenty minutes. They 
 then called on the probate judge for a speech, and he paid 
 a glowing tribute to Sumter's gallant representative in the 
 navy. When he finished, the enthusiasm over Buck was 
 running high. Suddenly some one called out: 
 
 "Buck Jones!" 
 
 It was taken up on all sides: 
 
 "Buck! Buck! Speech! Speech!" 
 
 Buck blushed red to the roots of his hair. His heart 
 pounded hard against his breast. There was no escape. 
 He rose. 
 
 " Friends and fellow citizens. A naval officer's busi- 
 ness is to fight, not to talk." (Applause.) "If you 
 asked me to climb that long-leaf pine I'd go up it wil- 
 lingly " 
 
 " He could do it," ejaculated Preble enthusiastically, 
 and the crowd roared. 
 
 " I'd gladly swim the length of the mill pond for you, 
 but make a speech I cannot." (Great applause.) " I am 
 very glad that my comrade and friend, the grandson of one 
 of the greatest officers the navy has ever produced, is with 
 us to-day, and I wish to thank you from the depths of my 
 heart for your kindness." 
 
 " Hurrah for Buck ! " they shouted, as Buck sat down. 
 
 He had scarcely taken his seat when some one called 
 out: 
 
 " Preble ! Captain Preble ! Speech ! Speech ! " 
 
 Preble turned white, then red, then white again. 
 
 " Captain Preble ! Captain Preble ! "
 
 302 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 The cries became more insistent. Cold perspiration 
 began to stand out on his forehead. He wished that the 
 earth might open and swallow him. Buck took him by the 
 elbow and raised him to his feet, and supported him for a 
 minute till he ceased swaying back and forth. He drew a 
 deep breath as though to begin, then sighed, then drew 
 another deep breath, then sighed again. His agony was 
 becoming painful, when he finally broke forth : 
 
 " It's no use I'm much obliged but I can't speak 
 they don't speak in my country. All I can tell you is 
 that Buck Jones would climb that tree if he decided, and 
 he'd swim that pond, too. You can't kill him, and you 
 can't beat him. He's true to the death." 
 
 Preble stopped abruptly and sat down. A tumult of 
 applause followed. 
 
 " Hurrah for Buck and Captain Preble ! " the shout 
 went up. 
 
 The probate judge got up and went over with great 
 dignity : 
 
 " My congratulations, Captain Preble. I consider 
 your speech, for its length, the best effort it has ever been 
 my pleasure to listen to." 
 
 And Major Jones came over and congratulated him, 
 and thanked him for the kind words about his boy, and 
 assured him that Buck reciprocated all his feelings of con- 
 fidence and friendship. The country people crowded 
 around to shake his hand. 
 
 " A great speech, Captain. We've known all these 
 things about Buck since he was a little shaver. He'll 
 show them more things up there yet." 
 
 The tall, grizzly justice of the peace delivered himself 
 of these remarks with much importance. 
 
 An observant politician, who had been looking on, 
 came up and congratulated Preble.
 
 BUCK HAS HIS FIRST COMMISSION 303 
 
 " You told them exactly what they wanted to hear, 
 Captain. The people down here literally worship that 
 boy. If you don't make him admiral up there we are 
 going to make him governor of Alabama, or anything else 
 he wants to be." 
 
 Preble wrote his mother a long letter that night, de- 
 scribing the whole thing. 
 
 " It gave me a new insight into the loyalty and 
 devotion of the Southern people. And now, remem- 
 ber, mother, I have been promoted promoted at the 
 hands of the sovereign people. I am now Captain 
 Preble." 
 
 In Sumter and the country round about, Preble was 
 henceforward known as Captain Preble; and Preble's 
 mother could not refrain, in her mother pride, from telling 
 wherever she went of her son's success at the barbecue. So 
 at the Naval Academy, in New Hampshire, and every- 
 where else, Preble from that hour on was known as Cap- 
 tain Preble. 
 
 The time drew near for them to leave. Major and 
 Mrs. Jones wrote with them to Mrs. Preble asking an 
 extension, but she had perfected all her plans and the day 
 was fixed. 
 
 The Saturday before they were to leave, a great tour- 
 nament was given in their honor, and knights entered 
 from all the towns for forty miles around, bearing the 
 colors of their ladies. Preble was not accustomed to fast 
 riding, so Buck entered as his champion. 
 
 " Enter for yourself, Buck," Preble protested. 
 
 " No. I have no lady love myself, so I will bear your 
 lance with ribbons of blue and white. We'll enter as the 
 Knights of the Navy." 
 
 Preble blushed and acquiesced. Blue and white were 
 the colors of the young lady, the third of the summer, that
 
 304 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Preble had lost his heart to. He was sure this was the 
 one. 
 
 Buck came back from town about a week before the 
 tournament and looked up his father, who was out in the 
 grove with Preble. 
 
 " Papa, Garber of Marengo has entered. He's won in 
 five tournaments in succession this summer, and he boasts 
 that he is coming to Sumter especially to dash the pride 
 of the Knights of the Navy. I think I'd better ride 
 Prince. He's so sure." 
 
 Major Jones readily assented. 
 
 Every day, for the last week, Buck went out before 
 breakfast to the lists in Cherry field, and practiced on 
 Prince. The other local knights were constantly practic- 
 ing, and by Thursday visiting knights began to arrive with 
 their mounts. The town was gay with visiting young 
 ladies whose colors were to be seen in the lists. By Friday 
 night everything was ready. The grand stand was all 
 decorated with flowers and wreaths, and the seats of honor 
 were allotted to the young ladies whose champions were 
 entered. The tables were constructed under the great 
 trees and the pits dug, ready for the charcoal fires to 
 barbecue the fatted ox and the lambs next morning. Fri- 
 day night a reception was given at Wildwood to the visit- 
 ing knights and ladies, the great ball in the town hall being 
 set for Saturday night. It was a bright moonlight night, 
 and Wildwood was at its best, with the six great white 
 columns casting shadows across the wide -piazza, where 
 couples were promenading back and forth. Preble had 
 his sweetheart on his arm, and paused at the end of the 
 piazza, and looked out over the lawn, through the great 
 trees, under the soft light. As the couple stopped, a 
 mocking bird, on its nest in the magnolia tree above, began 
 to sing ; the song was a little subdued, in harmony with the
 
 BUCK HAS HIS FIRST COMMISSION 305 
 
 moonlight, but so sweet and clear and peaceful and joyous. 
 Preble pressed his sweetheart's arm. 
 
 " Have you ever seen anything so beautiful so ro- 
 mantic so intoxicating ? " 
 
 " It is very beautiful," she answered, " but not more 
 beautiful, I fancy, than the moonlight on the ocean." 
 
 There is no doubt that Preble would have declared his 
 love but for the interruption of the belle of Tuscarora, who 
 came up on the arm of the Knight of Marengo to say good 
 night. 
 
 " Let the blue and white beware of the crimson," was 
 her parting warning. 
 
 When the guests had parted, Preble went over to 
 Buck. 
 
 " See here, Buck, we must get that crown to-morrow. 
 The crimson was flaunted in the face of the blue and white 
 to-night. Blue and white, you know, are part of the navy 
 colors." 
 
 " Yes, and they are the colors of somebody else," re- 
 plied Buck with a teasing smile, as Preble blushed. " I'll 
 do my very best, Preble, but I ought to have had twice as 
 much practice. Garber was brought up on a horse, and 
 they have a strain of thoroughbreds down below here. 
 His mount is the equal of Prince, and younger and pos- 
 sibly not so steady," Buck added slowly, as though plan- 
 ning his strategy. 
 
 When the trumpets sounded the preliminary blast the 
 next day, the whole town and countryside, and hundreds 
 of visitors from a distance, were on the field. The grand 
 stand was one mass of white and colors ; each lady had the 
 ribbons of her knight. In the seats of honor the crimson 
 floated out alongside the blue and white. 
 
 The first lot fell to the Knight from Marengo, and a
 
 306 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 shout went up when he rode out on his black charger, pois- 
 ing his lance, with its crimson streamer. 
 
 " It makes me think of the days before the war," 
 remarked Colonel Picket. " That knight looks like Pel- 
 ham when he came here for a tournament in the summer 
 of '59." 
 
 Horse and rider seemed as one proud and confident 
 and eager. When they turned upon the course they 
 seemed to be shot from a cannon. The lance, in rest, 
 seemed as steady as if nailed to a wall. Its point took ring 
 after ring, clean, clear, with a click, down to the last one 
 a perfect joust, in record time. A shout went up, and 
 cheeks glowed crimson with the crimson ribbon. Five 
 more knights made their initial runs, all within the time 
 limit, two of whom took all the rings. Buck was number 
 seven. He appeared at the call, and the blue and white 
 fluttered with high expectation, and a shout went up. 
 Preble felt uneasy at the appearance. Both Buck and 
 Prince seemed indifferent. 
 
 " That's Buck's way," remarked Major Jones, in an 
 effort to quiet Preble's evident anxiety. 
 
 The trumpet sounded, and Buck went through on a 
 good run, taking all the rings ; but there was no show, and 
 but moderate speed, leaving only a small margin of time. 
 
 " A tame run, compared with the crimson," remarked 
 a citizen from Marengo proudly. 
 
 On the first runs, four out of ten of the knights took 
 all the rings; all came within the time limit. On the 
 second run the crimson made another brilliant record, tak- 
 ing all the rings, but dropping a little in speed. Buck was 
 the only other knight to take all the rings. He made a 
 conservative run, at a little higher speed than on the first. 
 
 On the third run the crimson was again brilliant, tak- 
 ing all the rings and going through at high speed. His
 
 BUCK HAS HIS FIRST COMMISSION 307 
 
 charger was white with foam, but again dropped a little in 
 speed. Buck passed through and took all the rings, and 
 again added a little to the speed. 
 
 The trumpeter sounded, and announced in the name of 
 the judges that the contest was a tie between the Knight of 
 Marengo and the Knights of the Navy, and that, by 
 mutual choice, the crimson and the blue and white would 
 ride it off forthwith. 
 
 The crimson went through with a dash and took all the 
 rings, but lost a little more time. The blue and white fol- 
 lowed, took all the rings, and gained a little more time. 
 There was now no time for the grooms to rub the horses 
 down between runs. The proud black charger came up 
 blowing hard, started well, but slackened toward the end. 
 For the first time its rider applied the spurs. The horse 
 leaped like a deer the lance missed the next ring. All 
 eyes were riveted on Buck when the blue and white start- 
 ed. Prince was panting, but went at a tremendous speed. 
 Just before the last ring, Buck's foot slipped the stirrup. 
 He swayed the lance missed. 
 
 Still a tie. 
 
 The excitement was at fever heat. Preble noticed the 
 cheek of the lady with the crimson turn a little pale as her 
 knight appeared, on his laboring charger necked with 
 foam, nostrils dilating at each breath. It is hard on a 
 horse to go through the list three times on a hot day, with 
 a good interval between each run ; but the black had gone 
 five times, each time at its highest speed, with no interval 
 of rest since the third run. It started off at its best, only 
 to slacken. The spurs caused a spurt, only to be followed 
 by a slackening. Another spurt a quicker slackening. 
 The pace became ragged. The crimson knight missed 
 two rings. He mercifully refrained from applying the 
 spurs, toward the end. The time fell below the limit.
 
 308 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " Can the bay go through again ? " was the eager ques- 
 tion, as Buck appeared with Prince panting and covered 
 with foam, but alert to his rider's every wish. Prince was 
 guided by the neck, and Buck held a light rein, only pull- 
 ing enough to steady him in speed. 
 
 Buck leaned forward, patted Prince on the neck, 
 turned, leveled his lance, and went through like a shot, 
 taking each ring with a clear, clean click. It was his best 
 run. When the last ring slid over the point, a deafening 
 shout went up. All the knights gathered on their chargers, 
 lances in hand, in front of the grand stand, the panting 
 black, with the crimson knight, at their head. The trum- 
 pet sounded. The proud bay, though reeking, came forth 
 prancing. Its knight bore a wreath on the point of his 
 lance. Through the lines of the others he rode, and de- 
 posited the wreath at the feet of the lady in the center. 
 
 " The Knights of the Navy, in homage to the blue and 
 the white." 
 
 At the great ball that night, Preble, by the right of 
 victory, crowned his sweetheart " Queen of Love and 
 Beauty." 
 
 Buck and Preble had four vigorous and happy weeks 
 in the White Mountains, fishing, swimming and tramping. 
 Buck became very fond of mountain climbing. It was 
 something like the sea, he thought, it lifted one up and 
 made him think. 
 
 The last week of their leave they spent with a guide far 
 up in the forests, near the Canadian border, and over in 
 the State of Maine, looking for big game. It was the first 
 time Buck had ever had a good chance at big game, and it 
 was a thrilling experience. He persevered after Preble 
 and the guide had stopped to camp, one day when they 
 were on the trail, and was rewarded by getting a big bull
 
 BUCK HAS HIS FIRST COMMISSION 309 
 
 moose the biggest that was killed that season. He 
 barely escaped being gored by the animal after it was 
 wounded. Only his presence of mind saved him ; he put 
 the final bullet through its eye at barely five paces, and 
 stepped aside as the great animal passed beyond and fell. 
 
 Buck presented this moose head, and Preble presented 
 a beautiful pair of antlers, to the Officers' Club at 
 Annapolis. 
 
 Buck and Preble reported at the Academy September 
 30th, all bronzed, looking the picture of vigorous, robust 
 health.
 
 CHAPTEE XXI 
 
 BUCK RETURNS TO ANNAPOLIS TO NEW DUTIES 
 
 THEY found that they had been assigned to the third 
 division, with a room on the third floor of the New 
 Quarters. By supper formation, all the cadets, 
 except a few on sick leave, had returned. It was a great 
 pleasure for Buck and Preble to go up and down the cor- 
 ridor, where the trunks were still piled, and into the 
 rooms, saying " How d'y' do? " to their classmates as they 
 stored their things away. There was all the news of the 
 diverging cruises to exchange, and each one had individual 
 experiences to tell. Buck found great pleasure in seeing 
 the upper classmen, too, and felt very cordially even to- 
 ward those who had hazed him the worst. 
 
 " They are all fine fellows. The mean ones were 
 bilged," he said to Preble. 
 
 There was very little hazing of the new plebes. The 
 court-martial and congressional investigation of the spring 
 had taken the impetus out of this practice. 
 
 There was no call to study hours that first night, and 
 after supper, when their things were all in place, Buck and 
 Preble went down to the Old Quarters to see the first 
 division. There they found their classmates all gathered 
 in Pikeman's room. Buck was so glad to see everybody, 
 he didn't notice the coldness of Pikeman and Ninman and 
 many others. 
 
 " Well, Jones, you had your old luck this cruise, and 
 310
 
 BUCK RETURNS TO ANNAPOLIS 311 
 
 from the way you got into print I suppose you saved the 
 ship a dozen times or so." 
 
 In his simple, warm-hearted confidence in everybody, 
 Buck failed to notice the sarcasm in Pikeman' s voice and 
 the smile that went the rounds. 
 
 " We didn't have much of a cruise, and it was very 
 hot ; but Preble and I got ahead of you all on the matter of 
 leave we've had nearly two months and a half." 
 
 The next day was Saturday, and Buck inaugurated his 
 study routine by preparing his Monday recitations Satur- 
 day afternoon. After supper his class had a meeting at 
 which Pikeman was again elected president, and his lieu- 
 tenants were elected committeemen. Catell and Knowl- 
 ton came away holding Preble's arm. 
 
 " Did you ever see anything so cut and dried ? Worse 
 than any convention that ever was run by any political 
 machine," remarked Preble. 
 
 " Yes, and they have a conspiracy against Jones. 
 During the cruise, Pikeman had the class all to himself, 
 and he was poisoning every man he could against Jones," 
 said Knowlton. 
 
 " The whole purpose of class spirit is being perverted. 
 The meanest men are the ones getting control," observed 
 Catell. 
 
 But Buck was too busy to pay much attention to this 
 drift of things. While he was delighted with the new 
 studies of trigonometry and physics and chemistry, other- 
 wise known as " skinney," he found endless trouble with 
 mechanical drawing. It was not a matter of imaginative 
 power, for he excelled in descriptive geometry, but it was 
 the slow, mechanical execution. Though he gave extra 
 time to it, as he had done to French the year before, the 
 best he could do for the month was a 2.9 ; while he stood 
 second in skinney, second in math and third in English
 
 312 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 and French, he stood only fourth in his class, on account 
 of mechanical drawing. Huff again stood first in every- 
 thing but mechanical drawing, and stood near the top in 
 that. Rix stood near the top in everything, including 
 mechanical drawing, which put him second in the class; 
 and Twisting, with a high mark in mechanical drawing 
 and in everything else, stood third. Buck was greatly 
 concerned, realizing that mechanical drawing would con- 
 tinue all the year, and that it had a large multiple ; so he 
 redoubled his efforts, making his regime even more rigid 
 than for the year before. 
 
 He was greatly concerned, too, at the low marks Preble 
 made in trigonometry and skinney, especially on the ex- 
 aminations, and he began to set aside an hour each day in 
 which to coach Preble. This made a heavy drain upon 
 his available time. The result was that, in spite of all he 
 could do for the second month, though he stood first in 
 math, he stood only fourth in the class ; and Preble seemed 
 to lose heart when he again went all to pieces on the math 
 and skinney exams, so that in the former he came out un- 
 satisfactory for the month. This only made Buck spur 
 him on the more and give more of his time to coaching 
 him. He even prevailed on Preble to stay with him 
 Christmas Day to study for the trig exam the day 
 after. 
 
 " Billy " Kendricks, the head of the department, had 
 a way of testing the mettle of each class in turn. On this 
 exam he gave five regular questions and a sixth question; 
 the cadet could take his choice of the five or of the sixth, 
 and if he tried all he would get the credit. Two days 
 after the examination, the whole academy was astonished 
 to learn that Buck had done the first five and then the 
 sixth, and made a 4 on each, giving him an 8, or twice per- 
 fect on the examination, while even " Wooden " Preble
 
 BUCK RETURNS TO ANNAPOLIS 313 
 
 had made a good showing on the sixth and, though falling 
 down on the five, had a 3.45 for the examination. 
 
 " That will carry him across the semi-an," said Catell 
 to Buck, as he came up to congratulate him. 
 
 There had never been such a record on an examination 
 in the annals of the academy. The sixth question is so 
 designed as to be sure to require at least the whole of the 
 time for its solution ; but Buck, on Christmas, had discov- 
 ered a short cut, by the use of a new formula, and had 
 taught it to Preble. This formula became known as 
 " Jones's formula," and soon took the place of the other 
 solution. 
 
 Standing first in math, with such a lead, was a satis- 
 faction to Buck ; but his work in mechanical drawing was 
 so low that he stood only third in the class. 
 
 He applied himself yet more rigidly. The grind was 
 so great that Preble marveled. 
 
 " I don't see how you can keep at it so, Buck. I'm 
 sick of it all, though I don't stay down to it half as closely 
 as you do. Life is not worth living with such a continual, 
 unending grind." 
 
 But Buck never let up. The regime took away his 
 opportunity for athletics, and he even gave up looking on 
 at the first half of the great football games. 
 
 " Not until I stand first," he would repeat to himself. 
 
 The most enjoyable recreation he had was the fencing. 
 He took a fancy to it from the start. He liked single 
 sticks, bayonet exercises, and broadsword ; but his favorite 
 was the foil, or small sword. He never took special les- 
 sons, not being willing to give the time ; but showed such 
 aptitude that, taking only the regular lessons, Corbezier 
 soon rated him the first of his class, and in a few months 
 the first in the Academy. He was the only cadet who had 
 
 ever given Corbezier a " touche," and he had given him 
 21
 
 314 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 three before the indoor drills were over. They begged 
 him to go on to the intercollegiate fencing tournament at 
 New York, but he refused. 
 
 " After I stand first," he said to himself. 
 
 As third classmen, Buck's classmates began to take an 
 increasing part in the social life of the academy, most of 
 them going to the hops regularly. Before the New Year's 
 ball, Preble had fallen in love with a girl from Baltimore, 
 and Buck threatened to write to the lady of the blue and 
 the white. 
 
 " Skinny " Minerson, one of the smallest members of 
 the class, became devoted to the " Scottish Lassie," who 
 must have been at least six feet two in her stocking feet. 
 Preble was urging Buck to come down to the semiannual 
 ball. 
 
 " I'll give you two dances with the sweetest girl there, 
 and then you can see Minerson and the Scottish Lassie try 
 the two-step. It's worth a year of your life." 
 
 " The inducements are certainly great," Buck admit- 
 ted, but he shook his head. " After I stand first." 
 
 On the semiannual examinations Buck made the high- 
 est marks, but his work in mechanical drawing was so low 
 that he barely stood third in the class for the term. 
 Preble had become so occupied and preoccupied with the 
 girl from Baltimore that, in spite of all Buck's efforts and 
 special coaching, he went to pieces on the examinations 
 and came out for the term unsatisfactory in trigonometry, 
 and with but a small margin in skinney. 
 
 " Preble," said Buck with great anxiety, " they'll 
 doubtless carry you on till June ; but you'll have to take a 
 brace. You'd better cut out * spooning ' altogether." 
 
 " You are right, Buck ; but I couldn't live without see- 
 ing the girl from Baltimore." Preble spoke with con- 
 viction.
 
 BUCK RETURNS TO ANNAPOLIS 315 
 
 " She's the fifth one, to my knowledge, you couldn't 
 live without." Buck's voice had no sympathy. 
 
 Preble admitted the fact, and agreed with Buck that 
 he would join him for putting in more time on trig and in 
 the chemical laboratory, where Preble's work was espe- 
 cially weak. 
 
 Almost immediately after Buck's lecture to Preble 
 about " spooning," he became involved in a " spooning " 
 scrape himself. 
 
 Miss Minnie Simpkins had been down to a Saturday 
 afternoon tea on the Santee, given by the captain's wife, 
 and had hired one of the Annapolis hacks. It is not 
 known which was the older, the hack or the spinster. It is 
 said that those old hacks were some used in Colonial days. 
 Certain it is they antedated the Civil War, for nothing 
 like them has been constructed since the war. Gossip said 
 that Miss Simpkins made her debut yearly for the first 
 fifteeen years of the Academy's existence, after it was 
 moved from Newport, and that the Superintendent before 
 Bumsey had been engaged to her, when he was a cadet 
 thirty-five years before. This, perhaps, justified Miss 
 Simpkins in being somewhat shrunken and in being so 
 prim and kittenish and partial to cadets, particularly the 
 young ones. She could not understand why the dear 
 plebes were not allowed to go to teas and hops. At the 
 Santee tea, she made little Billerson's heart flutter several 
 times, and he came near being late for formation. She 
 was feeling particularly content with the afternoon's con- 
 quest as her hack turned the corner at the Steam Building 
 and started up Maryland Avenue, where the cadets were 
 lounging on the seats waiting for supper formation. Even 
 the din and jolting from the cobblestones failed to per- 
 turb her equanimity, except that she decided to reduce the 
 jolting by bearing part of her weight on her feet. This
 
 316 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 was a fatal decision, for without warning the floor fell 
 through and she found herself running along the cobbles, 
 with her skirts up in the hack. Her tongue clave to the 
 roof of her mouth. The feeble articulations were lost in 
 the din. An Annapolis team trots slowly, but to her it 
 seemed to run. She saw the tumult among the cadets. 
 She tried to scream. Then she tried to hide her face in her 
 hands. At that instant, like a flash, rescue came. A 
 manly figure in uniform dashed by and stopped the driver, 
 then threw open the door, bowed low, and offered his hand 
 to assist. It was all too overpowering. As she stepped up 
 through the floor and put her foot upon the ledge and took 
 the proffered hand, her spinster heart could bear no more. 
 She swooned away and fell upon the manly breast of her 
 rescuer, her head resting upon his shoulder. It was luck- 
 less Buck. He and Preble had been coming up from the 
 chemical laboratory, and as they turned into Maryland 
 Avenue they saw the strange spectacle of a pair of long 
 thin legs in baby blue stockings and slippers twinkling 
 under a hack. They both dashed to the rescue, but as 
 soon as Preble saw who it was, and saw the laughter of the 
 cadets ahead, he stopped and almost split his sides; but 
 Buck rushed on. He heard voices saying : 
 
 " Jones to the rescue." 
 
 " I'll bet on Jones." 
 
 But he paid no heed. When the fair spinster swooned 
 into his arms, he gallantly bore her to the seats, amid the 
 suffocated shrieks of the battalion. 
 
 Coming out from supper formation, Preble asked 
 Buck if the engagement would be announced forthwith. 
 When the gun fired that night, Preble turned to Buck 
 with a solemn look on his face. 
 
 " Jones, you'll have to take a brace. You'd better cut 
 out ' spooning ' altogether."
 
 BUCK RETURNS TO ANNAPOLIS 317 
 
 In the chemistry course, the third class reached the 
 composition and manufacture of explosives early in the 
 spring. Buck was particularly interested in high explo- 
 sives. Their terrific, irresistible power had a peculiar 
 fascination for him. He made the regular experiments 
 with the rest of the class, but in addition he and Preble 
 went down Saturday afternoon to do extra work. Preble 
 had become frightened at the prospect of bilging in June, 
 and Buck had actually prevailed on him to give up wit- 
 nessing the first boat race to come to the laboratory. 
 
 During the spring months it was hard work for Buck 
 to keep up his rigid regime of study, particularly when it 
 became clear that it was impossible for him to stand first 
 for the year; and it was still harder to keep Preble at 
 work, but Buck was unrelenting. He put in all the time, 
 according to schedule, and gave about an hour and a half 
 per day to coaching Preble. It looked fairly hopeful for 
 Preble to pull through, provided he held his own on the 
 annual examinations, and Buck gave up to him more and 
 more of the time he held so valuable. It was all to no 
 avail. About a week before the annual examinations, 
 both the girl from Baltimore and Preble's mother came 
 and camped out at Annapolis, in anticipation of gradu- 
 ation week. Mrs. Preble continually urged Preble to 
 study hard and stick to his work, but as frequently had 
 him out in town for dinner ; her presence started the de- 
 moralization that the sweetheart completed. 
 
 Preble went all to pieces on the math and skinney 
 exams, and came out hopelessly unsatisfactory for the 
 year. His mother wanted to go to Washington to try to 
 get him reinstated, or- turned back again; but he knew, and 
 Buck knew, that the case was hopeless. 
 
 On Saturday afternoon, when the marks were posted, 
 Buck looked for Preble's first. When he saw them, he
 
 318 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 turned away from the bulletin board and went to his room. 
 The chagrin and sorrow were so deep in his heart that he 
 forgot his own marks forgot about everything. When 
 Preble came in, he found Buck lying on the bed, with his 
 hands under his head, looking up at the ceiling. Buck 
 had been so busy, and kept so close to his room during the 
 two years, that the storehouse of affection that would 
 otherwise have gone out to many, had become concen- 
 trated upon one and that one was now to leave. Life 
 began to appear empty ; even a great naval career seemed 
 vain. 
 
 Preble forgot his own chagrin and disappointment 
 when he saw the depths of sadness depicted on Buck's 
 face. 
 
 " It was no use, Buck. It wasn't in me. I've been 
 brought up wrong. I'd give everything else in the world 
 to serve in the Navy all my life; but I simply can't get 
 through the Academy." 
 
 Buck said nothing. Preble went out and sought his 
 sweetheart, and buried his sorrow in her smiles. Buck lay 
 for an hour looking up at the ceiling ; then he walked over 
 to the government farm. But no comfort came. At sup- 
 per he scarcely spoke a word. An irresistible impulse 
 came over him to do something to drown his sorrow. On 
 the way to his room, he found Henderson and Knowlton in 
 the corridor having fun with the whistle they had mis- 
 chievously taken from the speaking tube that led from the 
 third floor down to the officer-in-charge's office. Search 
 had been made for two days to find the whistle and catch 
 the offender. Knowlton had a most winning personality, 
 and Buck liked him very much. 
 
 " See here, Jones. I dare you to put the whistle on 
 the tube and call up the officer-in-charge." 
 
 Buck laughed and took the whistle, screwed it on, and
 
 BUCK RETURNS TO ANNAPOLIS 319 
 
 blew a loud whistle below. The officer-in-charge promptly 
 answered back: 
 
 "Hello!" 
 
 Buck was a little puzzled, and repeated: 
 
 "Hello!" 
 
 Then the officer-in-charge asked: 
 
 "Who are you?" 
 
 " I am the whistle, and wish to report my return." 
 
 He heard the chair turn over down in the office, but 
 waited no longer. Officer-in-charge, officer of the day, 
 and orderly all came rushing up the stairs, and Buck and 
 his crowd scurried to their rooms. Not a soul was visible 
 in the corridor when the officials arrived; but there was 
 the whistle. 
 
 In beating his retreat, Buck took refuge in Knowlton's 
 room. Knowlton was always full of mischief, and when 
 the whistle excitement had subsided he took from his 
 wardrobe drawer a large flag, made of three quarters of a 
 bed sheet, all painted black, with skull and crossbones. 
 
 " I've got this for the flag pole. Let's hoist it to- 
 night, and it will be there in the morning. We'll pass the 
 word that the Oyster Pirates have captured the Naval 
 Academy." 
 
 Buck was electrified. Soon he was deep in the con- 
 spiracy. 
 
 " The watchman will see it early in the morning, and 
 lower it before anybody else sees it. We'll have to nail it 
 up." He meditated for a while. " Then they will proba- 
 bly get one of the seamen on the Santee to shin up for it 
 We'll have to do better than that." 
 
 Buck's imagination was fired. Soon his whole mind 
 was concentrated on the capture of the Academy by the 
 pirates. He suddenly recalled the skeleton used in the 
 lectures on physiology.
 
 320 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " I'll fix it so no seaman will shin up." 
 
 He soon perfected his plans. Knowlton and Hender- 
 son aided. They slipped down the end stairway. Buck 
 climbed up the trellis work on the hospital, raised the win- 
 dow with the dexterity of a professional burglar, secured 
 the big skeleton in the surgeon's anteroom, and lowered it 
 to Knowlton. 
 
 The night was dark. The conspirators began to feel 
 uncanny with the skeleton. Knowlton, who was holding 
 it up by the ring from the skull, intimated that it would 
 be best to return the skeleton and try some other way. 
 
 " The orderly or the watchman is sure to catch us." 
 
 " No, indeed," said Buck, with determination. " I'll 
 look out for the skeleton. Go up to my room and get a 
 sheet and bring it down. Take my shoes up." Buck took 
 off his shoes. 
 
 Knowlton brought the sheet, and the three rigged it 
 up around Buck and the skeleton. Buck was already 
 familiar with the skeleton, from the Friday-night lectures 
 in physiology and hygiene. He stood behind and kept it 
 upright by the ring. 
 
 " I'll fix up the jaw for an emergency." 
 
 In a little while they had the apparition completed, 
 with the head arranged so that, with the hand not em- 
 ployed holding it up, Buck could slide the hood back and 
 drop the jaw. To the astonishment of his accomplices, he 
 announced that he would try it on the orderly. 
 
 " I'll come up from the rear. Get where you can 
 watch the fun." 
 
 He had a little difficulty in making the apparition 
 glide as he liked, but soon he became expert. After re- 
 hearsing, he learned to work the hood and jaw with pre- 
 cision. 
 
 Knowlton and Henderson slipped around the building,
 
 BUCK RETURNS TO ANNAPOLIS 321 
 
 and stood concealed behind a tree, where they could see 
 the orderly walking up and down on the piazza in front of 
 the entrance. Soon they saw a figure in white appear, at 
 the other end of the building, close up to the side. As the 
 orderly turned his back to walk in the other direction, it 
 would glide along and stop. It drew up to within twenty 
 or thirty yards, undetected, then stepped out in full view 
 against the background of the night. There was a dead 
 stillness. The orderly turned and walked a step, then 
 halted, rubbed his eyes, took another step, and stopped, his 
 knees shaking. The hood slightly opened, the outline of 
 the eye sockets and nose pit appeared. With a shriek the 
 orderly dashed into the hall and into the office of the offi- 
 cer-in-charge. 
 
 " A ghost, sir ! A ghost ! " 
 
 He was white with terror, trembling from head to foot. 
 The ghost glided back, and was out of sight around the end 
 of the building when the officer came out to examine. 
 
 " It's your imagination, orderly. You are probably 
 wrought up by the ghostly tales of the Oyster Pirates." 
 
 Knowlton and Henderson ran around the other way 
 and joined Buck. 
 
 " It works like magic. I was frightened myself," 
 said Knowlton. 
 
 " So was I," added Henderson. " A little more and 
 we would have run ourselves." 
 
 " Get your flag, a hammer and nails, and meet me be- 
 hind the band stand. We've got to handle the night 
 watchman at the Superintendent's house." 
 
 " Be careful, Buck. He's not afraid of the devil." 
 
 Buck glided along the rows of trees and reached the 
 band stand unobserved. The others had not arrived. He 
 decided the old Japanese bell was a better location, and 
 took his stand there. Soon he heard Knowlton's whistle,
 
 322 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 and answered back. He waited probably fifteen minutes, 
 when he discovered the watchman coming up from Porter 
 row. Buck kept behind the pillars of the belfry. The 
 watchman turned in front of the Superintendent's house, 
 and came straight down the walk that passed close to the 
 bell. He must have been absorbed, for he noticed nothing 
 until suddenly the ghost stood within five or six paces. 
 Against the night, it looked seven or eight feet tall. The 
 watchman stopped, petrified. The country round about 
 was full of ghost stories. Stanly had scoffed at them ; but, 
 accustomed to the night as he was, he felt shaky when this 
 strange, white object seemed to rise out of the ground. 
 Stanly was an old soldier, distinguished for his courage 
 and nerve, but there was a tremor in his voice when he 
 challenged : 
 
 " Who goes there ? " 
 
 No answer. A deathlike silence followed. 
 
 " I ask who goes there ? " His voice quivered, but his 
 hand went to his hip pocket, and he held his ground. 
 
 Another terrifying silence. 
 
 " A third time, I demand who goes there ? " He drew 
 his revolver. 
 
 The hood opened. His hand was palsied. The jaw 
 dropped. The revolver fell to the ground. For the first 
 time in his life, Stanly ran away from a foe, and made for 
 the post. He ran like a deer, and never looked behind. 
 Knowlton and Henderson rolled on the ground with laugh- 
 ter. There was no danger of interruption now. Buck 
 shinned up to the top of the flag pole. It was hard work 
 getting to the lower pole landing, about eighty feet up, and 
 harder work still getting up the upper pole, seventy feet 
 higher; but Buck made it. ' The two on the ground used 
 the signal halyards to hoist the flag, and hammer and 
 nails ; and Buck nailed the great black flag, with skull and
 
 BUCK RETURNS TO ANNAPOLIS 323 
 
 crossbones, at the top. [Next thing they hoisted the skele- 
 ton, all wrapped in the sheet, tied with yarn so as to show 
 the skull and neck down to the shoulders. Buck cut off 
 the halyards and secured the skeleton so as to hang just 
 below the flag. 
 
 " The pirates have captured the ]^aval Academy," he 
 remarked, as he reached the ground. " It only remains 
 for them to issue their proclamation to the world." 
 
 They went back to Buck's room. 
 
 " Go and see Jerry. Tell him to come here as soon as 
 he is through for the night." 
 
 The 9.30 gun had fired as Buck was shinning down the 
 pole. It was nearly taps when Buck handed three tele- 
 grams to Jerry, the colored hall boy. 
 
 " Take these to the depot telegraph agent. .Here's the 
 exact change. Deposit them, and leave at once. Answer 
 no questions. If you ever tell who sent you, I know a big 
 ghost that will catch you." 
 
 The telegrams were identical, and were directed to the 
 Baltimore Sun, the Washington Post, and the Norfolk 
 Landmark. They read as follows: 
 
 " You may announce that we have captured Annapolis, 
 and the black flag, skull and crossbones, now float over the 
 Xaval Academy. 
 
 (Signed) " The Oyster Pirates." 
 
 As these daring marauders had been committing depre- 
 dations up and down the bay and had recently disappeared 
 in the neighborhood of the mouth of the Severn, a great 
 sensation was produced at the newspaper offices. They 
 printed the telegram with reservations, saying they had 
 dispatched special agents to the scene. The Baltimore 
 Sun got their man off on a special locomotive. It ap-
 
 324 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 preached Annapolis a little after sun-up. Through his 
 glasses, the correspondent saw the black flag in the dis- 
 tance. And what is that object hanging beneath? He 
 sat down at the station and sent a five-hundred-word mes- 
 sage, and the Baltimore Sun got out an extra. 
 
 " The most daring piracy in modern times. The 
 Black Flag floats over the Xaval Academy. The body of 
 the Superintendent hangs below it, etc., etc." 
 
 There was the greatest commotion the next morning. 
 The Commandant and Superintendent were in constant 
 consultation. Everybody in the Academy, including the 
 Board of Visitors and streams of people from out of town, 
 were down looking at the remarkable sight. 
 
 One seaman after another was brought up to shin up, 
 but each one, upon seeing the grewsome skeleton, shook his 
 head. 
 
 On the way to church, the battalion marched under it. 
 Telegrams began to pour in from all over the country. 
 
 " Is the black flag really floating over the Academy ? " 
 most of them ran. 
 
 The Superintendent became desperate. At dinner for- 
 mation an order from the Superintendent was published, 
 offering immunity to the cadet who perpetrated the deed, 
 on condition that he would volunteer to get it down. On 
 the way in, Buck fell out of ranks and reported to the 
 officer- in-charge. 
 
 " I'll volunteer to get it down." 
 
 " Very well, Mr. Jones," said the officer-in-charge. 
 " I'll report your offer to the Commandant." 
 
 The sensation of graduation week came 'when Buck 
 shinned up the one-hundred-and-fifty-foot flag pole, after 
 dinner, and brought down the black flag and skeleton, in 
 the presence of five thousand spectators.
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 BUCK IS " PUT IN COVENTBY " AND WINS OUT 
 
 ALL during graduation week Buck tried to drown his 
 sorrow at Preble's bilging. Finally he went to 
 the June ball and danced till daybreak. But it 
 was of no use. When his class, now second classmen, 
 moved down on the Santee for summer quarters, every- 
 thing reminded him of Preble. He gave no outward 
 signs, but Catell and Knowlton and others knew that a 
 void was left aching in his heart. 
 
 The ending of the third class year and the beginning 
 of the second class year mark a distinct turning point in 
 the life of a cadet. Without knowing it, he changes from 
 a boy into a man, and is treated as such by the authorities. 
 Many things considered natural and to be expected in a 
 plebe or a " youngster " (a third classman) would be 
 looked upon by everyone as undignified in a second class- 
 man, or a first classman. The basis for this is not so 
 much the difference in age and experience, but the fact 
 that when he becomes a second classman he begins to 
 " come on duty," and to assume the responsibility of com- 
 mand. 
 
 *v 
 
 Buck started out the second class summer in the usual 
 way. He took a keen interest in the work in the machine 
 shops, where he liked the faster and more precise work of 
 the machine tools rather than the slower, tedious work at 
 the bench. He liked the work in the blacksmith's shop 
 
 325
 
 326 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 very much, particularly the welding and shaping of iron 
 when hot ; and he cared but little for the boiler shop, where 
 the work was done chiefly with the cold chisel. He organ- 
 ized two baseball nines, to play a series of match games, 
 and soon had two crews contesting in the shells. Things 
 seemed to be taking their normal course, when, about ten 
 days after the summer's work began, it became his turn to 
 be coxswain of cutter Number Eight. 
 
 The detail officer always went out in a steam launch, 
 and directed the exercises of the cutters under sail. 
 
 Before starting, he gave general instructions, and con- 
 cluded : 
 
 " I wish particularly to impress upon the coxswains 
 that they are in command. Let each one look upon him- 
 self as he would if in command of a ship in squadron 
 maneuvers. He is not only responsible for prompt and 
 accurate execution of all orders, but for the maintenance 
 of order and discipline on board." 
 
 The flotilla tacked several times with maneuvers in 
 quick succession, and then stood out for a long stretch, 
 toward the bay. As had been the custom on the previous 
 days, Pikeman and Ninman, and two or three others, when 
 work was slack, got out tobacco and began to roll some 
 cigarettes. 
 
 " There will be no smoking in cutter Number Eight 
 this afternoon," said Buck. 
 
 They saw the way his jaws closed down, and with a 
 scowl all put their tobacco up but Pikeman. 
 
 " I guess I'll smoke as usual," remarked Pikeman, as 
 he continued to roll his cigarette. 
 
 Buck said nothing. Pikeman deliberately lighted the 
 cigarette, drew a big mouthful of smoke, and puffed it up 
 in the air. At the first puff, Buck put the helm down and 
 swung out of the line into the wind.
 
 BUCK IS "PUT IN COVENTRY" 327 
 
 " Man the brails ! " he ordered. " Stand by the sheets 
 and halyards ! " 
 
 The crew obeyed the orders, wondering what Buck in- 
 tended to do. 
 
 " Let go the sheets and halyards ; brail up ! " 
 
 When the sail was all in, Buck rose from the stern 
 sheets, left the tiller and walked across the thwarts and 
 stood over Pikeman. 
 
 " I'll give you a half minute to throw that cigarette 
 overboard." 
 
 Pikeman was nearly four years Buck's senior, and 
 still about an inch and a half taller and fifteen pounds 
 heavier, though Buck had been catching up rapidly since 
 the entrance examinations. 
 
 " I'll not throw it overboard." 
 
 Pikeman drew another puff and stood up. Buck 
 grabbed at his wrist. Pikeman anticipated the move, and 
 jerked his hand behind him. Buck grappled him. Pike- 
 man grappled, still holding the cigarette. It was per- 
 haps his determination to hold on to the cigarette that 
 caused him to be at a disadvantage and to fail to notice 
 that Buck rolled him against the gunwale, and then, like a 
 flash, rolled him overboard. Pikeman came up sputter- 
 ing and swearing, and started to grab the gunwale, to climb 
 back, but Buck pushed him back. 
 
 " Let me on board! " he roared with rage. 
 
 " Not until you say no more cigarettes." 
 
 " Are you men going to stand there and let him drown 
 a man ? " 
 
 No one made a move. They saw the flash in Buck's 
 eye, and knew he would have tackled them all if necessary ; 
 but what cowed the whole crew Avas the consciousness that 
 he was in the right. Again, Pikeman tried to climb on 
 board, only to be rolled back.
 
 328 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " When you hold up your hands and swear that there 
 will be no more cigarette smoking, I'll let you on board, 
 and not till then." 
 
 Pikeman saw the launch in the distance, coming down 
 upon them. In impotent rage he held his empty hands 
 up, and gave the promise and then took hold of the gun- 
 wale. Buck helped pull him on board, then took the helm. 
 
 "Man the halyards! Clear away the brails! Hoist 
 away! Hold the jib sheet out to windward! Draw jib! 
 Haul flat aft!" 
 
 And the cutter stood back toward her position in the 
 line. The steam launch soon came steaming up close 
 alongside and slowed down. 
 
 " Why did you drop out of line, Mr. Jones ? " 
 
 " To quell a mutiny, sir." 
 
 "Did you quell it?" 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Have you any reports to make ? " 
 
 " No, sir. The matter of discipline has been settled 
 on board." 
 
 All the rest of the drill Pikeman shivered, and to him- 
 self swore revenge. 
 
 The officer steamed away, and murmured to himself : 
 
 " Young Jones has caught the spirit of the service. 
 He's ready for responsibility. Rather direct in his 
 method," he added, and smiled as he thought of the man 
 he had seen go overboard. 
 
 Coming out of the old mess hall after supper the next 
 day, Buck noticed Pikeman and the committeemen going 
 upstairs to the model room, and supposed they were hold- 
 ing a meeting to consult about the selection of a class ring, 
 that was under discussion. Before taps it became gener- 
 ally known that Buck's conduct as coxswain was the sub- 
 ject of discussion, and that it was finally agreed that the
 
 " Buck . . . like a flash, rolled him overboard."
 
 BUCK IS "PUT IX COVENTRY" 329 
 
 action of the committee would be postponed till after 
 Buck's first tour of duty, which would come the second day 
 afterwards; and if Buck continued to violate the customs 
 and practices of his class, that a class meeting would be 
 called to " put him in Coventry." There had been but 
 one case of a cadet being put in Coventry since Buck en- 
 tered. That occurred while he was a plebe. One of Jo- 
 Jo's gang cheated in a game of poker. The game was 
 clandestine, and the participants decided that they would 
 not report the matter to the authorities, but would report 
 it to the class. The class promptly put the offender in Cov- 
 entry, and not a soul spoke to him from that time on. 
 Buck remembered the look of scorn as everyone turned 
 away. This appeared to him as the most terrible punish- 
 ment possible on this earth. Perhaps it was the most ter- 
 rible. The outcast could not stand it long, but soon sent 
 in his resignation. All during the day following the com- 
 mittee meeting, Buck looked depressed and preoccupied. 
 He went about the practical work in a stolid, mechanical 
 way, and when work was over, instead of going out with 
 the baseball nine, he took a long walk across the Severn. 
 
 When he heard the detail read out for the following 
 day, " Officer of the day, Jones, B. P.," he felt as though 
 fate was pronouncing some terrible doom. It was an 
 overcast afternoon, with black, tragic clouds out toward the 
 horizon. The face of the earth and of the heavens seemed 
 weird and dark and threatening. 
 
 " Officer of the day. Officer of the day. I'm to be 
 officer of the day. What shall I do? What shall I do? 
 What shall I do ? " He kept repeating the question, but 
 no answer came from the water, the land, or the sky. 
 
 He walked on and on, only getting back in time for 
 supper formation. During supper he made an effort to 
 appear light-hearted, but his heart was as heavy as lead. 
 22
 
 330 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 For two hours after dark he walked up and down the sea 
 wall, from the Saniee's wharf to the Marine Barracks, 
 back and forth, where the water ripples licked the stone; 
 but no answer came from out the night, any more than 
 from the day. The boy's experience during those hours 
 was the bitterest he had ever known, so bitter, indeed, 
 that its impress remained upon his soul for all time. Pres- 
 ently, the gun fired, and after a while he went aboard. 
 The warning bugle sounded and taps. Everything 
 seemed strange. He turned into his hammock, but not 
 to sleep, for tumult reigned within. All seemed chaos 
 and confusion. 
 
 " Why can't I do like the rest ? " 
 
 Buck was warm-hearted and full-blooded, and loved 
 people and company, and loved for others to think well of 
 him and like him. He was really, now, for the first time, 
 getting a chance to see his classmates intimately, as they 
 were all gathered on the Santee together. It is the sum- 
 mer of the second class year that puts the seal upon the 
 deep attachments of classmates at the Naval Academy. 
 
 Buck's affections had first gathered around Casey, then 
 around Preble ; and now they were spreading out to cover 
 his classmates generally. The world seemed bright and 
 fair. He had begun to walk arm in arm with Billerson 
 and Henderson and Thompson, and a half dozen others, 
 besides Catell and Knowlton. During the hard months of 
 perpetual study, his heart had been under repression, and 
 he had begun to feel that the summer would be the hap- 
 piest of his life. 
 
 " Why can't I do like the rest ? It has come to be the 
 universal custom. Probably the authorities themselves 
 don't really expect you to report your classmates." 
 
 But there was no relief, no rest. He heard the bell 
 strike five, then six, then seven, then eight and he was
 
 BUCK IS "PUT IN COVENTRY" 331 
 
 still tossing. lie heard it start up one, then two, then 
 three, then four and still there was no rest for his body, 
 no peace for his soul. 
 
 " They ought not to require you to sign the statement 
 that you have reported all infractions of the regulations. 
 The signature is under compulsion. The statement can- 
 not be binding." 
 
 But still he tossed, and he heard the bell strike five, 
 and then strike six. 
 
 " What does it all mean ? Where am I ? " " You are 
 in the naval service," the answer seemed repeating itself. 
 " And you are to be on duty on duty ! . . . God help 
 me, I'll do it. I'll do it. I will, I will, though the 
 heavens fall ! " 
 
 It was about 3.30 in the morning, when, following 
 upon his absolute resolve, a wonderful peace came over 
 Buck and he fell asleep. 
 
 Buck was called thirty minutes before gun fire, and 
 was soon at the desk of the officer of the day. He put on 
 the sword the first time he had ever worn a sword with 
 a solemn feeling of responsibility. Shortly after gun fire, 
 the hammocks were brought up. Buck thought they had 
 all gone up some time before, when Henderson came loiter- 
 ing along, six minutes behind the time allowed for 
 hammocks. 
 
 " Mr. Henderson, I must report you for being late 
 with your hammock." 
 
 It cut Buck to the quick to do this. He saw a frown 
 come over Henderson's face. Buck turned to the desk 
 with a weight on his heart, as he wrote Henderson's name 
 on the report. While he was writing, he heard Hender- 
 son's voice down the hatch : 
 
 " Pikeman, you are right. Jones is as mean as they 
 make 'em."
 
 332 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 A few minutes later, Pikeman and Ninman came up 
 the hatch and sauntered along the deck, talking with ani- 
 mation. When they were close to Buck, Pikeman spoke 
 up, in a voice loud enough for Buck to hear : 
 
 " Let's go down to the washrooms, where the fellows 
 are having a smoke." 
 
 Buck paid no attention. It was not part of duty to 
 overhear, or to act on information overheard. 
 
 When Pikeman joined the group down in the wash- 
 room, they called out : 
 
 "Where's your fish?" 
 
 " The sucker wouldn't bite," he answered with a scorn- 
 ful laugh. 
 
 Pikeman and his lieutenants had gathered together 
 nearly all the members of the class that smoked, and were 
 trying to lure Buck down to the washroom. 
 
 " Let's poke our heads up the hatch and see what he 
 will do." 
 
 As Buck looked around, a moment later, he saw four 
 or five faces turned up the fore hatch, sending puffs of 
 smoke upward. He rose promptly and went to the fore 
 hatch, and down it, into the washroom, into the midst of 
 the gathering. The smokers made no effort to conceal 
 their cigarettes. Pikeman and the committeemen smiled. 
 
 " I will put you gentlemen on the report for smoking." 
 And he took down the names of twenty-one in all, then 
 went up the hatch. 
 
 " That was the happiest moment of his life," said 
 Pikeman. " He would go to any length to get a chance 
 to report a classmate, and curry favor with the Superin- 
 tendent and Commandant." 
 
 At breakfast formation five were late. Buck reported 
 them all. Then Millerson, the dude, asked for permis- 
 sion to fall out. Buck granted the permission, but added:
 
 BUCK IS "PUT IN COVENTRY" 333 
 
 " Mr. Millerson, I will report you for wearing that 
 nonregulation blouse." 
 
 Millerson went away furious. 
 
 " He must have been lying in wait for me." 
 
 All through the day the reports accumulated. In fact, 
 the custom of not reporting one's classmates had caused 
 great slackness in discipline, until the regulations were 
 practically suspended, except when the detail officer was 
 around; and cadets, ordinarily careful when in winter 
 quarters, had become careless from habit. That night it 
 took two of the big pages to contain the reports. There 
 were more for this one day than for all the previous two 
 weeks combined. Catell was the only man not reported. 
 His habit of being careful was proof against all relaxing 
 influence. The long enjoyment of immunity had brought 
 many to think that they had a right to it. Pikeman and 
 his lieutenants were indefatigable, going about among 
 those enraged, attributing mean motives to Buck. 
 
 " He wants to show off his authority. He's working 
 for promotion." 
 
 " He hates the class, and is taking it out this way." 
 
 " He thinks he is the whole thing greater than the 
 customs, greater than the class." 
 
 " He certainly soaked it to you and without any 
 warning." 
 
 Such were the suggestions. The class was furious. 
 Pikeman, as president, issued a call for a class meeting at 
 nine o'clock. Buck was still engaged copying up the re- 
 ports of the day when Ninman came up to the desk. 
 
 " Mr. Jones," he began. Buck looked up. " I have 
 been sent as a committee to notify you that the class has 
 put you in Coventry." 
 
 Buck said nothing, but turned back to the desk and 
 resumed his writing.
 
 334 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " What did he say ? " inquired several, as Ninman 
 came back. 
 
 " He practically told me to go to ." 
 
 It took Buck till nearly eleven o'clock to finish up the 
 report. Between names, he would repeat to himself, " In 
 Coventry." He would pause now and then and look up, 
 and repeat, " In Coventry." When the gun fired, it 
 echoed, " In Coventry." The bugle at taps quivered, " In 
 Coventry." The glinting water, out of the gun port, 
 spoke, " In Coventry." 
 
 When he finally signed the statement that he had re- 
 ported all infractions of the regulations, a sense of deep 
 relief came over him, but upon its heels came the pursu- 
 ing memory. He unlashed his hammock in a mechani- 
 cal way, half dazed, fixed the stretchers, and leaped in, 
 more from force of habit than for any purpose. As he 
 leaped, it occurred to him that he had more room than 
 usual. Those on each side of him had moved their ham- 
 mocks away. A comfort came to him from out the infinite 
 space when he lifted up his heart : 
 
 " O God! I've tried to do my part." 
 
 At gun fire, Buck leaped out and began lashing his 
 hammock vigorously. 
 
 " Good morning, Billerson. It's a fine day," he called 
 out heartily. 
 
 Billerson turned his head and ignored the salutation. 
 The terrible reality rushed back upon Buck. He was in 
 Coventry ! When he carried his hammock on deck, passing 
 his classmates coming and going, there was a glassy stare 
 as eyes met only to turn away. When he began washing, 
 the basin on each side was left vacant, as though he were a 
 leper. At breakfast formation no one would fill the file 
 in rear of him, and it was left vacant. At the table, the 
 men on each side edged their chairs away. Walking back
 
 BUCK IS "PUT IN COVENTRY" 335 
 
 to the Santee, those that were near slackened to let him 
 pass on. In the blacksmith shop, where he and Hender- 
 son had been working together on a large weld, Henderson 
 obtained a shift of work and left Buck working alone. In 
 the cutter drill, the coxswain assigned him to the bow, 
 where he would be alone. When drill was over, he started 
 out for a walk, passing by the baseball field. The sides 
 were choosing up, and the moment he appeared the whole 
 thing stopped; they were ready to disband if he should 
 pause ; but he passed on and then they went ahead. When 
 he came back he wanted a swim, and jumped in some 
 little distance from where the others were bathing. The 
 instant he came in, the others went out. When he turned 
 in that night, he counted up, and found that he had 
 spoken just seven words all day, since his forgetful salu- 
 tation to Billerson. Five of those words were to the 
 blacksmith; the other two were official. The next day, 
 he spoke but three words altogether, the next day none. 
 He went about in silence, treated with scorn and con- 
 tempt. 
 
 No cadet has ever been able to endure for any length 
 of time being put in Coventry at Annapolis. It is a pun- 
 ishment beyond anything conceived of elsewhere. Pike- 
 man's crowd expected to see Buck resentful and angry at 
 first, then sullen, then, melancholy ; and then they expected 
 him to resign. They were surprised to see him go his 
 way, holding his head and eyes erect, as he carried out a 
 routine. He took an hour's walk, a half hour in the gym- 
 nasium, and a twenty-minute swim each day, and twice a 
 week he took a horseback ride, sometimes as far as White- 
 hall ; and during the other spare hours, especially between 
 supper and taps, he studied and read some interesting 
 books, notably the classics and the standard novels he had 
 never had time to read before. He began to delve into the
 
 336 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 theory of the steam engine, and to take up theoretical naval 
 architecture and nautical astronomy. The subjects came 
 to have a fascination for him. Huff and Rix became un- 
 easy, and began studying the textbooks for the following 
 year, work that they found great drudgery, while the 
 others were at sport or recreation. 
 
 Pikeman became anxious lest the Coventry should 
 fail of its purpose. He noticed Buck's steady, firmly 
 closed, silent lips, but he failed to detect any gloom or 
 depression. 
 
 One day he and all the others were confounded as 
 Catell came on duty, and, from the morning gun, began to 
 report everybody, whenever there was an infraction of the 
 regulations. Several times committeemen went to him 
 and warned him. At nine o'clock the class met and put 
 him in Coventry. 
 
 Buck had just gotten off to sleep when he was awakened 
 by a shaking of his hammock. He looked up. It was 
 Catell, unlashing his own hammock close by. 
 
 " I've come over to join you, Jones. I didn't have the 
 courage the first time ; but ever since they put you in Cov- 
 entry I have been impatient for my turn for duty to come 
 again." 
 
 Buck now had a. companion, sent, as it seemed to him, 
 from heaven. They had been good friends before, but 
 new and wonderful ties now came to bind them. Buck 
 felt it was almost worth the loss of the friendship of all 
 the others. 
 
 The following week a bomb was thrown into the group 
 of Pikeman's friends, when Knowlton began reporting 
 right and left. They put him in Coventry, also, and that 
 night he swung his hammock alongside of Buck. 
 
 " It's a mean, false class spirit that would put a man 
 in Coventry for doing his duty," said Knowlton.
 
 BUCK IS 'PUT IN COVENTRY" 337 
 
 The dual fellowship became triple, and Knowlton, with 
 his gay nature and fun-making talent, soon had the three 
 almost as bright as the rest. 
 
 It was utterly beyond Pikeman's comprehension when, 
 a few weeks later, Billerson reported everybody, only to 
 be put in Coventry with the other three. 
 
 Two days later, Craney, one of the committeemen, fol- 
 lowed. Next came Davenport, then Eberhart, then Ful- 
 ton, then Henderson himself. Every few days there was 
 a new recruit, and when the summer closed there were 
 nineteen men swinging with Buck. They were doing the 
 best work. They had gotten up two baseball nines among 
 themselves, and they all agreed that the latter part of the 
 summer was the happiest. They were a concrete illustra- 
 tion of the great fact that the highest and truest happiness, 
 even for youth, can only come in the path of rectitude and 
 duty. 
 
 " I can tell by the way a lot of those other fellows look 
 that if they had come on duty again they would have 
 joined us," remarked Craney, as they were breaking up 
 to go on leave. 
 
 " Yes, I agree with you, Craney," replied Buck. " If 
 the summer had lasted long enough we should have had a 
 big majority of the whole class." 
 
 The summer was an unusually hot one, and Major 
 Jones carried his family to the mountains of North Caro- 
 lina, where Buck joined them, bringing Catell and Knowl- 
 ton as his guests. The spirit of the mountain climber, 
 which had taken root the previous summer, in the White 
 Mountains, came over him strongly again, and he put in 
 his vacation organizing one trip after another up Mount 
 Mitchell, to the Roan Mountains, to the Smoke Moun- 
 tains, and all through the Sapphire Country. He and Ca- 
 tell and Knowlton caught mountain trout in the smaller
 
 338 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 streams, took dips into the Swananoah and French Broad, 
 and reached the waters of the Yadkin. 
 
 When they told the family good-by, Catell and Knowl- 
 ton declared that it had been the happiest month of their 
 lives, and perhaps it had. The three young men had 
 reached a plane of friendship attainable only with a com- 
 mon experience of sacrifice in a noble cause, and a com- 
 radeship in a noble resolve.
 
 CHAPTEK XXIII 
 
 BUCK BECOMES NOTED AS A GHOST CATCHER 
 
 WHEN they reached Annapolis they found the 
 Academy all excitement. On account of the 
 growing tension with Spain over the Cuban 
 insurrection, the Navy Department was adopting the pol- 
 icy of putting more ships in commission, making an in- 
 creasing demand for officers. The graduates of the pre- 
 vious June had proved inadequate to meet the demand for 
 junior officers. The Navy Department had, therefore, 
 directed that half of the first class be graduated in Feb- 
 ruary, the other half in May, and that the summer cruise 
 be omitted the following year, the second class to be ad- 
 vanced to first classmen in May, and to be graduated the 
 first of December. 
 
 The Superintendent had appointed a board of officers 
 to revise the course to meet these requirements. Their 
 report had just been completed and approved. The cadets 
 returning were discussing the outlook. Some were ex- 
 cited, thinking that war might come immediately and 
 leave them at the Academy. All were eager to move for- 
 ward. It is remarkable how an eager and willing spirit 
 can accomplish tasks otherwise impossible. It is no exag- 
 geration to say that the eagerness and willingness of the 
 cadets, at the prospect of war, caused them to accomplish 
 more in one year than they would otherwise have accom- 
 plished in two years. 
 
 339
 
 340 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Catell and Buck had agreed to room together, and it 
 made a strong combination ; Catell, with his care and pre- 
 cision and neatness, was a help and supplement to Buck, 
 whose hold on mathematics and the heavyweight problems 
 was a supplemental help to Catell. 
 
 The second class year at the Naval Academy is by all 
 odds the hardest year in studies. Buck's second class year 
 was doubly hard, the class covering the whole year's work 
 in about two-thirds of the time. 
 
 Buck inaugurated the old routine for putting in the 
 maximum of time. The result was a surprise, even to 
 Buck himself. When the marks were posted, at the end 
 of the first month, he stood first in mechanics and applied 
 mathematics, first in steam engineering, first in calculus, 
 and second in international law, which put him first in the 
 class by an enormous lead, Huff coming out second and 
 Rix third. The next month, Huff and Rix strained every 
 nerve, but in vain. They were all on an even footing, 
 now, in new fields. Buck's powers of concentration and 
 mental discipline were unmatched, and his methodical 
 habit of hard work could not be equaled. The result was 
 inevitable. Month after month he came out first, each 
 time with a larger lead. 
 
 The first class was unusually small in numbers, so 
 second classmen were put on as officers of the day at the 
 Old Quarters. Both the Commandant and Superintendent 
 were struck by their efficiency and devotion to duty. 
 Those who had come over to Buck's side in the summer 
 were not the only ones, but one after another of those re- 
 maining took up the same practice of exacting strict com- 
 pliance with regulations, from all alike. There was no 
 effort to put them in Coventry, and gradually the whole 
 Coventry structure fell to pieces. Pikeman was slowly 
 losing his hold. One adherent after another abandoned 

 
 BUCK BECOMES NOTED AS A GHOST CATCHER 341 
 
 him. But he counted on his original group, with Ninman 
 at the head. The third month, it happened that Ninman 
 was section leader and Pikeman was in the section. One 
 day, the section was surprised when Ninman announced 
 that thereafter there would be no more talking and study- 
 ing in the fourth section on the way to and from recitation. 
 
 When the section was about half way down the walk, 
 Pikeman, as usual, opened his steam book to do some last 
 studying. 
 
 " Pikeman, close that book," Ninman ordered. 
 
 Pikeman paid no attention to the order. 
 
 " I mean what I say. Close that book." 
 
 " You go to ." And Pikeman continued with the 
 
 book open. 
 
 When the section was finally dismissed, Ninman went 
 to the officer-in-charge's office and handed in reports 
 against Pikeman: 1st, for violation of regulations, 
 reading book while in section; 2d, for disobedience of 
 orders, keeping book open when ordered by section leader 
 to close it ; 3d, conduct prejudicial to the maintenance of 
 good order and discipline, answering back in unbecoming 
 and defiant language when given a lawful order by his 
 superior in command. 
 
 These reports produced a sensation. Ninman went to 
 the committeemen, and a class meeting was called that 
 same night, after gun fire. Pikeman was deposed from 
 class president, and Buck was elected president by acclama- 
 tion, amid unprecedented enthusiasm. The next day, the 
 Superintendent wrote to the Navy Department, reporting 
 Pikeman's case, and recommending his dismissal. Two 
 days later an order was published at dinner formation, 
 dismissing Pikeman " for the good of the service." 
 
 After the first term, Buck began to take up sports. 
 
 He could do it, now that he stood first !
 
 342 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Soon he was catcher on the baseball nine, and just 
 before the first match game they made him captain. He 
 thought that baseball was enough, but they all insisted on 
 his pulling in the boat's crew, and when he finally consented 
 they made him captain. He put his crew into wonderful 
 condition, pulled the stroke oar himself, and arranged to 
 have a long course decided upon. 
 
 When the first part of the first class graduated in Feb- 
 ruary, fifteen of the second classmen, headed by Buck, 
 were made noncommissioned officers in the battalion, 
 whereupon Buck applied himself to the study of tactics 
 for infantry and artillery, though these studies would not 
 come till the first class year. 
 
 When the final graduation of the first class took place, 
 in May, Buck was chosen cadet lieutenant commander. 
 It had been a swift, vigorous, strenuous second class year, 
 crowded full to the very brim. Buck was first in athletics 
 and sports, first in discipline, and first in each and every 
 study. 
 
 The graduating exercises took place Friday, and the 
 following Monday morning the new academic year began. 
 Buck's class was launched at once into the study of navi- 
 gation and surveying, seamanship, naval architecture, and 
 shipbuilding, ordnance and gunnery studies which lit- 
 erally fascinated Buck. He had been thrown with their 
 practical application so much, on his cruises, and had 
 gone into them to such an extent, that) though his class- 
 mates groaned under the long lessons, he found but little 
 difficulty, and mastered them easily. He was particu- 
 larly interested in the handling of the battalion. Com- 
 mand seemed to come to him like second nature. Per- 
 haps he had inherited the quality from a long line of 
 forefathers; and it had been quickened by his course of 
 obedience. From the first formation after graduation,
 
 BUCK BECOMES NOTED AS A GHOST CATCHER 343 
 
 when he took charge, he seemed perfectly at home. The 
 orders were given as though he had had a long experi- 
 ence. His physique helped him out in this. He was now 
 climbing up to five feet eleven inches in height, and 
 weighed one hundred and sixty-eight pounds, as solid as 
 steel and as straight as an arrow. His voice was wonder- 
 ful for giving orders. Without effort he could give an 
 order that could be heard for half a mile. Frequently, 
 the officer in charge of artillery drill, if the bugler hap- 
 pened to be off for the moment, would call on Buck to 
 give the command, and his voice would sound clear, above 
 all the din of a charge. Furthermore, Buck's spirit of 
 discipline and devotion to duty had been transmitted from 
 his own class through all the classes, and permeated the 
 whole corps. 
 
 Early in June, the country around was stirred, as in 
 the previous year, by accounts of the depredations of 
 Oyster Pirates, who did not hesitate to murder or drown 
 the oyster fishermen they fell upon. As in the previous 
 year, the pirates had committed the most appalling mur- 
 ders, and then had been chased by revenue cutters and 
 disappeared in the neighborhood of the mouth of the 
 Severn. By direction of the Secretary of the Navy, the 
 Superintendent sent out an expedition in search. A six- 
 pounder was mounted on the bow of the Standish, and 
 a gun's crew of first classmen was selected to man it, with 
 Buck in charge. The head of the Department of Ord- 
 nance was in command of the expedition. For three days 
 they steamed up and down, for fifty miles on each side, 
 and around Kent Island, but found no trace, and returned. 
 
 The search was finally abandoned by the revenue cut- 
 ters as well. The routine work went ahead as usual. 
 
 The incident, however, gave an impetus to target prac- 
 tice, and Buck headed a movement that ended in the Navy
 
 344 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Department allowing a special supply of ammunition, all 
 the way from the thirteen inch on the monitor, down to 
 the pistol. He took delight in eliminating all the errors, 
 one by one, with each caliber, until he could score a bull's 
 eye with astonishing frequency. The Superintendent re- 
 ported his scores to the Navy Department; and before 
 long the Department wrote to inquire if Cadet Buchanan 
 Jones was sufficiently proficient in studies to be able to 
 spare the time to enter with one of the Navy teams at 
 the great shooting match at Seagirt The Army had won 
 the last two championships, the militia the previous one, 
 and a private citizen the one before that ; the Navy hadn't 
 won for five years. 
 
 Buck got permission to go on three days ahead of 
 time. He was in wonderful physical condition, and the 
 constant salt bathing had kept his eyes in splendid con- 
 dition. For three days he practiced on the range, testing 
 the influence of all the air currents, of all the cloud and 
 sky effects, and light effects on target and on his sights. 
 
 It took a week to finish the first series, which elimi- 
 nated all but ten. Buck was number seven among these. 
 
 The course was made more difficult, the ranges in- 
 creased, with more skirmish runs, and rapid firing. This 
 series eliminated all but five. Buck was number three 
 among these. The next series was likewise made more 
 difficult, a large part of the firing being done at eighteen 
 hundred yards. It left but two in the contest. Buck was 
 Number Two. A sergeant of regulars was Number One, 
 and had been Number One in all the contests from the 
 start. 
 
 The judges decided to put these two to the test that 
 had never been tried except in the international contest 
 in Germany. The firing opened at twenty-four hundred 
 yards, and the skirmish run began six hundred yards
 
 BUCK BECOMES NOTED AS A GHOST CATCHER 345 
 
 earlier than in the preceding test. The sergeant was 
 panting heavily by the time he reached the middle of 
 the course. When he finally fired his last shot, he fell 
 exhausted. Buck never opened his mouth once, and 
 ended in comfort, breathing long, deep breaths, though 
 he had considerably lowered the time of the sergeant. 
 The crowd surged to see the target. 
 
 Upon examination, it was found that Buck had broken 
 the record and set a new pace for such contests. Cable- 
 grams of inquiry as to the methods and measures began 
 coming in from all the military centers of the world. 
 The answers ended by stating that " the young cadet has 
 not yet reached his eighteenth birthday." 
 
 When Buck returned to Annapolis, he applied himself 
 to the lost work, made it up, entered the regular exam- 
 inations, made the best marks in all of them, though he 
 had lost fifteen days, and stood first for the month in 
 every study. When the weather became hot, the even- 
 ing study hour was made later eight o'clock instead of 
 7.30, and in the long twilight after supper Buck and 
 Catell and Knowlton used to stroll over across the gov- 
 ernment farm, enjoying the cool of the evening. One 
 day they wandered up the river, and were coming back 
 across the farm well after dark, when they were startled 
 to hear strange noises as they passed near the old Gov- 
 ernment Hospital that had been closed since the Civil 
 War. It was a dark night, and everything was ghostly 
 among the black cedar trees around the hospital. The 
 noises seemed to come from the basement. The three 
 cadets stopped and listened. The noise was weird, and 
 seemed to be approaching. 
 
 " It's ghosts," whispered Knowlton, with a tremor in 
 
 his voice. 
 
 23
 
 346 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 At that instant something white appeared from be- 
 hind the corner of the hospital. With one impulse the 
 cadets started forward on the run. They didn't stop to 
 look back, but flew across the fields and over the hill. 
 When crossing Graveyard Creek bridge they quickened 
 their pace, for the bridge creaked, and the white tombs 
 in the distance seemed to be coming toward them. They 
 fairly flew, and did not stop till they were safe inside the 
 Academy grounds, with the sentry and watchman between 
 them and their pursuers. Soon they began to feel a little 
 ashamed, Buck especially. He had more speed, and at 
 first had dashed ahead of the others; but he concluded, 
 and Knowlton also, who was faster than Catell, that all 
 three had better remain together. 
 
 They told of their adventure, and several classmates 
 began to twit them. 
 
 " All right, I dare you fellows to go over there to- 
 morrow night," said Knowlton, with defiance. 
 
 They accepted the challenge, and next night a party 
 of five others went over about 7.30 o'clock, only to come 
 flying back faster than the first, telling wild tales. One 
 of them had almost been seized by a ghost. They all 
 made a very narrow escape. 
 
 The next night a party of ten went over, with the same 
 result, and the stories grew. Soon it was discovered that 
 the gymnasium was haunted, and the old houses in An- 
 napolis, and out in the country around Annapolis. A 
 ghost epidemic passed over the land. 
 
 Buck had become thoroughly ashamed of himself for 
 running as he did. His conscience seemed to trouble him. 
 Finally he decided, as punishment, that he would make 
 himself go over and see it out. So he slipped off alone 
 one night. He trembled a little as he crossed the bridge, 
 but never changed his steady walk. His heart began to
 
 BUCK BECOMES NOTED AS A GHOST CATCHER 347 
 
 beat fast as he approached the hospital. It looked more 
 weird and ghostly than before. His legs almost refused 
 to go, but on he forced himself to march. His hair stood 
 on end as he reached the sighing cedars, for he heard the 
 noises there was no question about them. On he forced 
 himself to go. Suddenly a white object appeared at the 
 corner of the building. Buck turned and flew. As he 
 went down the hill his conscience rose up, and a fierce 
 struggle followed between the flesh and the spirit. 
 
 After a while he stopped, arguing with himself. 
 
 Back he went, by the cedar trees. The noises began. 
 He marched on, his teeth clenched. He thought he saw a 
 white object. His whole frame trembled, but on he 
 marched. 
 
 "There it is!" 
 
 His flesh crept, but on he marched. The white object 
 receded; he followed. Suddenly a great commotion be- 
 gan. He saw white objects moving within the basement 
 door. On he marched, up to the door itself, and stood 
 in the entrance. Turmoil and confusion reigned. Sud- 
 denly a white object dashed straight for him. He braced 
 himself and did not budge. He received a heavy blow in 
 the chest, and went over backward, and, throwing out 
 his hands, felt the curved horns of a ram as it passed over 
 him. Oh, how sweet it was to be butted over by that 
 ram! ! Buck could hardly catch his breath from the 
 blow, but he had never experienced such ecstatic delight 
 as he did then, reaching up to grab at each sheep ghost 
 as it passed over him. Oh, how joyous it was to be tram- 
 pled upon by that flock of sheep! ! 
 
 The next night Buck located the gymnasium ghost in 
 the branches of the mulberry tree that overlapped and 
 scratched on the tin roof. He went about locating all 
 the other ghosts, and soon became famous as a " ghost
 
 348 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 catcher." People began to send for him from all around 
 to come and catch their ghosts, and he had great sport 
 at it. One day a darky came in and begged him to come 
 out to Whitehall. 
 
 " Dey is terrible ghosts, sah dey sho' is. This time 
 of the year they have great carryin's on. I can't work 
 my tater crop. I hears 'em in the daytime." 
 
 Buck told the darky he would like to catch his ghosts 
 for him, but that it was too far seven miles away. 
 
 The following week, the Superintendent sent for Buck. 
 Upon entering his office, Buck found the same darky. 
 
 " Mr. Jones, this darky says his crop is overgrown 
 with grass, that the crop of his neighbor has been aban- 
 doned, because of the ghosts in Whitehall, and he has 
 come to ask me to let our ghost catcher come out and 
 catch them. Would you mind going out with him? " 
 
 " No, sir, I should enjoy it." 
 
 " You will be excused from drill this afternoon, and 
 can start when your third period recitation is over and 
 you will be excused if not back by taps." 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir." Buck saluted. 
 
 He and the Superintendent looked at each other and 
 smiled. The darky, however, was in deadly earnest. Af- 
 ter recitation, Buck put on his tramping clothes a blue 
 flannel shirt, a pair of old trousers and leggings, and he 
 and the darky started out about three o'clock. 
 
 It is eight miles to Whitehall by the road, but the 
 darky knew short cuts that saved nearly two miles. As 
 he followed the darky, in one of the short cuts up the 
 bank of Mill Creek, he noticed a good-sized steam vessel, 
 that looked a cross between a steam yacht and a tug, 
 moored under the cover of overhanging boughs. 
 
 " A queer-looking vessel," he remarked. " That looks 
 like the niche for a gun mount on the bow. I don't see
 
 BUCK BECOMES NOTED AS A GHOST CATCHER 349 
 
 how it could get up the creek. The chart doesn't show 
 any channel deep enough." 
 
 " It comes in eve'y spring and stays till fall. I 'spec' 
 de owners wants to git it away frum bein' bothered with. 
 Dey ain't no one ever comes tru dere." 
 
 They reached the darky's house, about a quarter of 
 a mile from Whitehall, about five o'clock, and Buck sat 
 down to have some kindly fun about the ghosts. The 
 darky's wife and children were all in a fearful state of 
 mind. 
 
 " I'se gwine away from here, ef you pester them 
 ghosts. I seed one of 'em at de winder ten minutes 
 ago." 
 
 Buck was greatly amused. After a little rest, he 
 started leisurely for the quaint, old colonial house. He 
 had ridden by on horseback, several times before, but had 
 always been in a hurry, and was now delighted to have 
 a chance to see the house at leisure. Whitehall, in many 
 ways, is one of the most remarkable houses in America. 
 It was built by Governor Sharp, one of the greatest colo- 
 nial governors ever sent to Maryland by the British 
 crown. Here the function of government was carried on 
 for many years. The guardhouse remains, where the 
 soldiers were quartered, and the old dungeon under the 
 house, where prisoners were confined. To this day it is 
 a beautiful piece of pure colonial architecture, with wings 
 running out from the main building. One is in doubt 
 which side is the more interesting the rear, facing the 
 overgrown garden to the north, or the front, facing the bay 
 to the south. Buck was coming up, admiring the beauty 
 of the rear, when he noticed something pass by the win- 
 dow. He diverged his course out to the guardhouse, and 
 then approached from the west wing. As he came close 
 he heard noises.
 
 350 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " These are no sheep." 
 
 He cautiously entered the old archway leading toward 
 the dungeon, and slowly felt his way along the walls, 
 through the dimming light, toward the direction of the 
 sound. 
 
 " The ghosts are men, this time." 
 
 He could now hear their voices coarse and brutal, 
 using foul oaths. They were evidently gambling. 
 
 Buck advanced cautiously. He got down on his all 
 fours, as a precaution, for it had become pitch dark. 
 Soon he came to a turn, and saw the flicker of a light 
 against the wall at the end of the passage. Upon reaching 
 this point, he peered around the corner, and there in the 
 dungeon chamber sat six hideous-looking men, playing 
 cards. 
 
 " Who can they be ? " Buck asked himself. 
 
 The dim light showed a most remarkable collection 
 of objects. 
 
 It was evidently booty, and the men, robbers. The 
 lamp came from an engine room. The loot came off of 
 vessels. It was the lair of the Oyster Pirates! 
 
 Buck became more deliberate. He was just drawing 
 his legs under him to turn away before being detected, 
 when the man dealing the cards remarked: 
 
 " There's a ghost catcher abroad. The town was full 
 of accounts of his catches, when I went in for fresh provi- 
 sions last week." 
 
 " Who is he? " asked the one opposite. 
 
 " Only one of those damn little brass buttons." 
 
 " I'd like to get a whack at those brass buttons, big 
 ones or little ones," said another. 
 
 " Cap'n, you are always out for a fight, and I'm with 
 you; but a war vessel is not a revenue cutter." 
 
 The captain broke out in a loud laugh.
 
 BUCK BECOMES NOTED AS A GHOST CATCHER 351 
 
 " War vessel ! They sent out that Academy tub. If 
 the Captain Kidd hadn't been in the summer quarters 
 up the creek, I'd have sent that tub and the brass buttons 
 to Davie Jones's locker in fifteen minutes. I'll sink her 
 upon sight by ! " 
 
 Buck was riveted by what he heard, but gradually he 
 was turning, when his heart seemed to stop beating, as 
 he heard one of the players remark: 
 
 " As I passed by the cabin this morning, and asked 
 the old woman where her old man was, she said he had 
 gone to town for the ghost catcher." 
 
 A general laugh followed, but a terrible oath broke 
 out from one of them. 
 
 " Why didn't you say so before," he said, as he got 
 up from the game. " Pedro, if you look at my hand while 
 I'm gone, I'll cut your infernal lights out." 
 
 " Where you going? " 
 
 " To take a look. I saw a young boy at the cabin as 
 I went up to make the ghost signal." 
 
 " If it's the ghost catcher, bring him down and we'll 
 get a tenderloin off of him for supper." 
 
 " But don't let him see you," continued the captain. 
 " If he does, he must never go back alive." 
 
 " I should have left sooner," thought Buck to himself. 
 " It's too late now. I'll hide." He slipped over to the 
 other side, where the flicker of the light had no effect, 
 and crouched down low in the dark. 
 
 The cutthroat came nearer. Buck held his breath. 
 He passed so close that his legs fanned the air in Buck's 
 face. He went out to the entrance, poked his head out, 
 looked cautiously around, then started back. Buck could 
 detect his form against the diffused light let in by the 
 entrance at the other end. He was coming down the 
 middle of the passage, where he would pass close again;
 
 352 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 but, without any reason, just before he reached Buck, he 
 edged over to the boy's side. Buck tried to dodge to the 
 other side, but too late; the man tripped on his legs. 
 
 "What is this?" he exclaimed, with an oath, as he 
 reached down to seize the object, whatever it might be.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 BUCK FIGHTS UNDER WATER AND FIRE 
 
 BUCK did not lose an instant. He grabbed the man's 
 legs, threw him with tremendous force, then 
 dashed for the entrance. There was great commo- 
 tion behind, but he never looked around. As he passed 
 out of the entrance, a pistol shot rang out, and he felt the 
 mortar dust fly against his neck. It showed the remark- 
 able confidence and intimacy Buck had come to have with 
 the sea that, like a flash, instead of dashing across the 
 fields, he turned for safety to the water. It was about 
 a quarter of a mile away. He had covered about a hun- 
 dred yards, when a buzz passed by his ear, a pistol shot 
 rang out, then another, and he felt his trousers flap along 
 the side of his thigh ; then another buzz, then another shot, 
 as his flannel shirt lifted on his shoulder, and another as 
 his cap flew off in front. The shots ceased. He glanced 
 over his shoulder. The pirate captain was in hot pur- 
 suit, only about fifty yards behind, while the others, 
 strung out farther, had their pistols in hand, waiting for 
 a chance to fire by the captain. Buck gave a spurt at his 
 highest speed, but barely held his own. He realized that 
 the pirate must be a powerful athlete. He dashed into 
 the shoal water, lifting his feet high, but his speed fell 
 almost to a walk, and the pirate could not have been 
 twenty paces away when he reached the water's edge. 
 " If he had a shot left he'd get me now," thought 
 353
 
 354 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 Buck, as he lunged forward, with a feeling of relief as 
 the water deepened. Looking over his shoulder, he saw 
 the pirate stripping. At that Buck stopped and quickly 
 stripped to his skin, losing time, however, in releasing his 
 leggings ; and when he started up the pirate was not fifteen 
 yards away, plunging ahead through the knee-deep water, 
 with a long knife in his hand. Buck drew into the deeper 
 water first, which slackened his progress and shortened 
 the distance between them. When the water was about 
 his waist, he began to swim, giving a good kick on the bot- 
 tom every other stroke. The pirate did likewise. Soon 
 Buck's foot failed to hit bottom, and he struck out with 
 his strongest overhand stroke. He looked around to see 
 what stroke the pirate had. To his horror he saw the 
 pirate, with his knife in his teeth, plowing ahead with 
 Casey's great stroke, gaming every minute. Closer and 
 closer he came. 
 
 Without warning, Buck dived, and when well under 
 water, turned his course sharp to the right. A long dive; 
 and when he came up the pirate had passed on, and he 
 had gained at least fifteen yards. The pirate turned 
 quickly and started toward him with increased speed. 
 When about ten yards away, Buck dived again, and this 
 time went under water to the left, and gained about fifteen 
 yards as before. He felt a little relieved; but suddenly 
 the water splashed about a foot from his face. He knew 
 it was a bullet before he heard the crack of a rifle, which 
 followed. 
 
 " They fight foul," he muttered. " The curs! " 
 
 The pirate started the pursuit again. Soon there was 
 another shot; this time the bullet passed just over his 
 head, a wonderful shot. 
 
 Buck now swam so as to bring his pursuer between 
 himself and the riflemen, and the bullets stopped; but
 
 BUCK FIGHTS UNDER WATER 355 
 
 the knife came closer and closer. Buck looked over his 
 shoulder. It was a hideous sight the bearded face, 
 drawn into contortions, with the long knife between the 
 canine teeth. He waited till there were scarcely ten yards 
 between, then he quietly dived. 
 
 This time he turned to the rear, and swam backward, 
 watching the powerful swimmer slacken his great stroke. 
 The water was as clear as crystal. He could see every 
 curve in the herculean body as it drew over him, the pi- 
 rate looking first to the right, then to the left. 
 
 Quietly but swiftly Buck rose, reached up with his 
 left hand, seized the pirate's beard, and jerked down and 
 backward with all his might. The head came under, 
 mouth open, and the pirate strangled; but the jaw did not 
 let go the knife. Buck grabbed for it with his right hand, 
 but too late; the pirate got it first, and drew back for a 
 thrust. Buck seized his wrist. He tried to wrench it 
 away, and brought his left hand into the struggle. Buck 
 let go the beard, and brought his left hand to reenforce his 
 right. He felt the spasms passing through the giant's 
 frame from the strangling, and the effort to bring up to 
 the surface to get air. 
 
 Buck held tight and watched. Just as they reached 
 the surface, he threw his head and shoulders out, pushed 
 the pirate's head downward, and they went down with 
 an impetus. Buck got a good breath himself, but the 
 pirate's head never had reached the surface. The man 
 tried to bring his knees up to prize Buck loose, but Buck 
 lurched, as in gymnasium tumbling, and got across the 
 pirate's shoulders, then slid down on his back and clinched 
 his legs around his body under the armpits, producing a 
 severe wrench of his wrists at the same time, the knife 
 being now held by the four hands, above the pirate's head. 
 Suddenly they touched bottom. The man bent his knees
 
 356 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 and gave a great shove that sent them clear to the sur- 
 face. Buck rose out of the water, head and shoulders, 
 but just before the pirate's head came out, he lurched 
 over, and they went down again. Buck felt the man's 
 strength weakening. He gradually forced his hands 
 downward and backward; the point of the knife touched 
 his breast. 
 
 Buck's whole nature recoiled at the thought of kill- 
 ing his enemy. Each moment the pirate thought would 
 be his last. Utterly surprised at the clemency of his ad- 
 versary, he relaxed his hold on the knife. Buck did not 
 try to catch it as it fell from his hand and sank, but re- 
 laxed his hold, swam away under water, then rose and 
 struck out for the open bay. He looked back and saw 
 the pirate come up and vomit, and then turn on his back 
 and start, evidently exhausted, for the shore. 
 
 Buck had made probably two hundred yards before 
 the pirates on the beach recovered from their consterna- 
 tion over the fate of their leader. Then a bullet splashed 
 by his head. He looked back to estimate the distance 
 and the chance of being hit, and saw the pirate captain 
 wave his hand to the rifleman to stop firing. On Buck 
 swam, heading straight for the south. It was about sun- 
 down when he saw the pirates disappear into the old build- 
 ing. Then he changed his course to the westward, went 
 ashore and crossed Greenbury Keck, then swam Carr's 
 Creek, then Little Carr's Creek. He was so badly 
 scratched in getting across Greenbury Neck that he waded 
 the rest of the way along the water's edge, out by the 
 Buoy Depot, then down till opposite the Santee's wharf, 
 when he struck across with a good stroke. It was about 
 ten o'clock when he reached the wharf. Here he secured 
 the underclothes of the sentry. They were woefully 
 small and badly torn, but he put them on and hurried on
 
 BUCK FIGHTS UNDER WATER 357 
 
 to the Superintendent's house. He was in the midst of his 
 recommendations, when the Superintendent's wife came 
 in, uttered an exclamation, and rushed out. The Super- 
 intendent smiled. Buck looked innocent; he had forgot- 
 ten about his remarkable uniform, so absorbed was he 
 in the plans he had worked out The Superintendent ap- 
 proved them all. 
 
 " The Captain Kidd will probably get away by sun- 
 up. "We'll have to rush things on the Standish." 
 
 By 3:30 in the morning Buck sent up word to the 
 Superintendent that they were all ready, and only waiting 
 for the commanding officer. The Superintendent came 
 down and made a rapid inspection. 
 
 " You may command, Mr. Jones, and get under way 
 as soon as you are ready. Use your own judgment." 
 
 Buck flushed crimson with the pride he felt at the 
 confidence thus reposed in him. The only commissioned 
 officer sent out was the surgeon. By daylight he was out 
 in the bay, steaming slowly up and down in front of the 
 mouth of Mill Creek; and a crowd had gathered on the 
 dome of the State Capitol, watching with glasses. Shortly 
 after sun-up, Buck and the crew of the Standish were put 
 on edge by seeing smoke rising back up Mill Creek, and 
 soon the Captain Kidd appeared. Buck was heading to 
 the southwest, and the Captain Kidd turned to the south 
 when clear of the shoals. Buck waited till she was about 
 two thousand yards away, then hoisted a signal for her 
 to surrender. She appeared not to understand, and slowed 
 down, as if to make an inquiry; but Buck saw through 
 his glasses that they were really clearing ship for action, 
 and he called the six-pounder's gun crew to quarters. He 
 had selected Catell for the gun captain, Knowlton for 
 Number Two, and all the posts were filled by his class- 
 mates, as he had requested of the Superintendent
 
 358 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 It would have been proper tactics to steam ahead fast 
 and capture the vessel before her gun could be mounted; 
 but Buck had been so stirred by the words of the cap- 
 tain of the pirates that he decided to give him a chance to 
 make good his boast that he would sink the Standish on 
 sight. The two vessels had drawn to within about fifteen 
 hundred yards. The guns were trained. The crews were 
 holding hi till the order. 
 
 " Fire across her bow ! " Buck ordered. 
 
 Catell fired. The enemy replied by running up the 
 black flag and firing a shot across the Standish's bow. 
 The next minute they fired almost together. The shot 
 from the pirate crashed through the deck house of the 
 Standish, and exploded just beyond, while the shot from 
 the Siandish passed over the mark. 
 
 " Aim low, Catell. Range, twelve hundred yards 
 A good shot! Train on the water line abreast the engine 
 room." 
 
 Just as Buck finished this order, a shell struck the 
 bulwark, and a big piece of the deck rail swept down three 
 of his gun's crew. 
 
 " Do double duty on the gun. In no case allow the 
 fire to slacken. That shot went in near the water line. 
 Let them have another like it. Range, one thousand 
 yards." 
 
 Buck was gradually drawing astern of the pirate. The 
 pirate was unsuspecting, thinking that the oblique move- 
 ment was simply to shorten the range. Buck pulled three 
 bells; the vessel began to back. 
 
 " Hard astarboard! " 
 
 Then in a few minutes he pulled four bells, for full 
 speed ahead. 
 
 "Hardaport!" 
 
 Before the pirate knew what was happening, the
 
 BUCK FIGHTS UNDER WATER 359 
 
 Standish swung by, before she could be raked, and 
 steamed into the zone where the enemy's gun could not 
 train. 
 
 " Let him have it hard before he can get around ! 
 Train on his stern port; range, seven hundred yards." 
 
 Fast and furious was the fire of the Standish, with 
 no reply from the pirate, who began to turn with a full 
 helm to bring his gun to bear again. Suddenly she ceased 
 turning. Buck saw through his glasses that there was 
 great commotion in the pilot house. 
 
 " We've shot away her steering gear," he called out. 
 " Keep up a heavy fire! Range, five hundred yards." 
 
 The gun was served with extraordinary rapidity and 
 precision, and shot followed shot, crashing through the 
 pirate, passing from stern to stem. Buck saw a great 
 blast of steam come up from her boiler hatch, and sud- 
 denly her engines stopped. 
 
 " Cease firing ! " he ordered, as he steamed up slowly 
 toward the enemy, now lying at his mercy. 
 
 "Are you ready to strike?" he called out through 
 the megaphone. 
 
 A bullet crashed through the rim of the megaphone 
 for reply. 
 
 " Open fire, Catell! Range, two hundred yards." 
 
 The pirate replied with the small arms. The man at 
 the helm received a bullet in the shoulder. A bullet 
 passed through Buck's cap. The shells from the Standish 
 were riddling the pirate fore and aft. A fire broke out 
 on board. The small-arm firing ceased. 
 
 " Cease firing! Stand by to board! Keep down be- 
 low the rail ! " 
 
 Buck steered up quickly, backed, as his bow ap- 
 proached the quarter of the pirate, and came up alongside. 
 The crew leaped upon the deck and dashed through. As
 
 360 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 the head man reached the bridge deck, a pistol shot rang 
 almost in his face. Dashing behind the pilot house, he 
 found the captain of the pirates, dying by his own hand. 
 All the rest of the crew were already dead. 
 
 Buck towed the pirate into the harbor. Upon land- 
 ing, the Superintendent directed him to form the battalion 
 and march out to the Capitol. The legislature of Mary- 
 land, in summer session, had adjourned to the dome to 
 witness the duel; and, by the time the battalion reached 
 the Capitol, had passed a vote of thanks, and had voted a 
 handsome sword to each of the cadets and the crew of 
 the Standish taking part, giving the names.
 
 CHAPTER XXY 
 
 BUCK DODGES GLORY BUT IS CAUGHT 
 
 AUGUST was a hot month that year, and the Ath- 
 letic Association was surprised when, early in the 
 month, Buck proposed to begin football work. 
 
 " Not for the brawn part, but for the head part," he 
 said. 
 
 The fact is that Buck brought his head to bear upon 
 every proposition. Even excitement and danger could 
 not perturb the clear working of his mind. The secret 
 of his ultimate success in his undertakings was his com- 
 bination of good thinking with the habit of tireless, in- 
 defatigable, unrelenting hard work. He thought out the 
 best plan, and then he never let up in working it out. 
 Such a combination, humanly speaking, is irresistible. 
 Appreciating that the Annapolis cadets were younger and 
 lighter than the students in other colleges, he saw that 
 they must win by superior team work, and by using their 
 heads during a game. 
 
 " We are too light to keep them from scoring, but 
 they can't keep us from scoring, either," he said. 
 
 When they elected him captain, he decided to play 
 half back, instead of guard, so that he could direct bet- 
 ter. He entered upon a line of correspondence that 
 ended by arranging a game not only with Princeton and 
 the University of Pennsylvania, but with Harvard and 
 Yale, and finally with West Point. This last electrified 
 24 361
 
 362 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 both the Army and the Navy. Letters of congratulation 
 and encouragement came pouring in from ships in all 
 parts of the world. Because of December graduation, all 
 the games were arranged to be played at Annapolis, the 
 game with West Point to be the last. Buck got in over a 
 month of team work and practice in " head work " before 
 the hard physical work began. 
 
 The first " big " game was with the University of 
 Pennsylvania; Annapolis won, 11 to 6. 
 
 " I can't account for it," said Penn's captain. " We 
 never thought it possible. We are nearly twenty pounds 
 heavier, and can eat them up. It is true," he added, re- 
 flectively, " they did a lot of head work, and played to- 
 gether. They play a mighty clean game." 
 
 The next big game was with Harvard; Annapolis beat, 
 6 to 4. This was the telegram to Cambridge: 
 
 " Team work, brilliant plays, and good luck beat us. 
 They couldn't do it again in a hundred years. They are 
 clean. Must have return game." 
 
 Princeton was next. Annapolis beat, 12 to 10 two 
 touchdowns each, but Princeton missed one goal. 
 
 " They were so little they slipped between our legs." 
 
 " Those two flukes we made were fatal." 
 
 " It was luck." 
 
 Such were the theories of the Princeton men. 
 
 " I don't understand it. I'd give ten years out of 
 toy life to have it over. Luck certainly followed them," 
 said the captain. 
 
 " Luck favors the side that uses its head," remarked 
 a Princeton professor who happened to be standing 
 near. 
 
 The football enthusiasts of the country at first put 
 Annapolis's victories down to flukes on the part of their 
 opponents, and to good luck; but now they began to
 
 BUCK DODGES GLORY BUT IS CAUGHT 363 
 
 search for the secret, examining the tables of weights, 
 ages, number of years of playing, but could find no ex- 
 planation. The mystery only thickened, when the score 
 with Yale was: Annapolis 12, Yale 12. 
 
 " Team work, brilliant plays, and luck very clean," 
 was the laconic message sent to New Haven. 
 
 It is not surprising that the eyes of football lovers 
 all over the world were turned to the Navy-Army game. 
 Enthusiasts came from the Pacific Coast. The President 
 of the United States and most of his Cabinet came; all 
 the foreign ambassadors were there; even staid justices of 
 the Supreme Court had been taken up in the enthusiasm. 
 Both houses of Congress adjourned after attending to 
 routine business, and came down on a special train. It 
 was beyond comparison the most brilliant gathering ever 
 seen in America. 
 
 The first half of the game, the Army made a touch- 
 down; but as Buck saw the touchdown coming, he hurled 
 his whole team and threw them almost over to the side 
 line. The goal was consequently very difficult, and they 
 missed. This did not dampen the enthusiasm, however, 
 for the Army band struck up a triumphal march, and the 
 Army shouters went wild. The Superintendent crossed 
 over, with the Secretary of the Navy, to the Army side, 
 where the President had sat during the first half, with 
 the Secretary of War and the Superintendent of West 
 Point. 
 
 " Mr. President, your presence on the Army side has 
 been too much for our team. With your transfer to our 
 side, we shall expect to win in the second half." 
 
 " Admiral, I'll appoint you an ambassador when you 
 retire. I have always maintained that our naval officers 
 are the best diplomats in the world." 
 
 All the group laughed, and the Navy gave three rous-
 
 364 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 ing cheers, and the Navy band played " Hail to the Chief," 
 as the President crossed over to the Navy side! 
 
 When the second half was called, Buck and the cap- 
 tain of the Army team came out arm in arm, laughing, evi- 
 dently already the best of friends, and the teams were 
 fraternizing as teams had never been seen to do before. 
 The Superintendent left the President for a moment, and 
 came down to speak to Buck: 
 
 "What are the chances, Mr. Jones?" 
 
 " I'm afraid the chances are against us, sir. They 
 are using their heads. They try but one simple play, 
 using their greater weight to make their distance, with- 
 out running any risk of our getting the ball." 
 
 " But I have promised the President that we would 
 win when he came over to our side." 
 
 Buck smiled. 
 
 The Navy kicked off, and downed the Army at its 
 twenty-yard line. 
 
 " Never lose a point, and fight every inch," Buck 
 called out. 
 
 " Don't let the Navy get the ball," called out the Army 
 captain. 
 
 For sixty yards the Army advanced the ball yard by 
 yard, with a simple, massed play. Suddenly, Buck leaped 
 into the place of the guard and stopped a third down, with 
 still a yard to gain. 
 
 " The Navy's ball ! " 
 
 There was a series of quick, dashing plays, in which 
 the Navy carried the ball back forty yards ; but " Mac," 
 the Army's famous sprinter, stopped each breakaway, and 
 the ball then passed back to the Army on a third down. 
 The Army again took up its tortoise strategy; yard by 
 yard they worked down the field. ' v 
 
 " It's not exciting," said the Superintendent to the
 
 BUCK DODGES GLORY BUT IS CAUGHT 365 
 
 President, " but our captain told me that was West Point's 
 winning strategy. They get advantage of their heavier 
 weight, and shut out our chances for brilliant plays." 
 
 " It's a case of Greek meeting Greek, Admiral," re- 
 plied the President, with keen relish. 
 
 West Point was still ten yards from the Annapolis 
 goal line, and but ten minutes remained to play. 
 
 " One more touchdown ! " called the Army's captain, 
 and they began to play faster. 
 
 Five yards more, and five minutes remained. 
 
 " Over with it over with it ! " said the Army captain 
 impetuously. 
 
 " Steady, steady," said Buck to his men, as he came 
 up on the line. " The President is watching you. Not 
 an inch! " 
 
 Twice the Army fell, as if it had struck a stone wall. 
 
 " The Navy's ball ! Three minutes to play ! " 
 
 " Steady, steady," said Buck, as he dropped back, as 
 though to kick. 
 
 Instead he hurdled the line at the center, shook off two 
 men, hurdled a third, dodged a fourth, outran a fifth that 
 tried to head him off. A sixth was pressing him close; he 
 lost time in dodging the full back, about the middle of the 
 field, and his pursuer gained. 
 
 " That Army man is the swiftest man in America," 
 said some one near the President. 
 
 The President stood up on his chair. The two men 
 passed near. Buck soon realized that his pursuer was 
 faster. It was " Mac." He watched him over his shoul- 
 der. When he reached out with his hands, Buck skinned 
 his back in and swerved a little and passed clear; again 
 he reached for him; again Buck slipped clear. The speed 
 of the two was terrific. A dead silence reigned ove&the 
 thousands. They held their breath.
 
 366 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " Mac will get him. Don't you worry," said the 
 Superintendent of West Point to the Secretary of 
 War. 
 
 " I doubt it." 
 
 " He's never missed a man yet." 
 
 Again he raked, and again. His fingers would scrape 
 Buck's back, but not get a hold. 
 
 " Drive him over the side line! " 
 
 "Over the side line!" 
 
 " Over the side line ! " came the shout from the Army 
 side, as the distance shortened and Mac still had no hold. 
 Mac acted on the advice. He stopped raking, made a 
 burst of speed up to abreast Buck. Buck had to ease off. 
 He pressed him; Buck eased off farther. He knew the 
 side line was but a few yards off, but he dared not take 
 his eye off of his pursuer. Right up to within a foot of 
 the side line he came, then lowered his head and refused 
 to go farther. Mac pushed, but was afraid to try to 
 tackle; Buck pushed for twenty yards the two runners 
 ran and pushed. Buck ducked his head very low. Mac 
 stooped also. A wonderful sight it was both men using 
 the utmost of brawn, and yet struggling hardest with their 
 brains. 
 
 " Try him! Try him! Throw your weight at him! " 
 
 Mac saw the last five-yard line approaching. As they 
 crossed, he made his tackle. Buck expected it, knew he 
 could not dodge it, stooped low and threw his entire weight 
 the other way. Mac's arms circled his shoulders; Buck 
 carried him on. They slipped to his waist ; still Buck held 
 his feet and dragged on. They slipped to his feet; Buck 
 fell, holding the ball out at arm's length, and placed it 
 on the ground, one foot over the goal line, just inside the 
 side line. A run of one hundred and seven yards! A 
 mighty shout went up. One half minute to play! Like
 
 BUCK DODGES GLORY BUT IS CAUGHT 367 
 
 a flash Buck was on his feet. He did not wait for the 
 others, aimed, allowing for the wind in the oblique kick. 
 
 He was breathing through his nose, and seemed as 
 calm and deliberate as if practicing; but not a second was 
 wasted. 
 
 "It is impossible," said the President. 
 
 He kicked. The ball rose, tumbling end over end. 
 
 " It will go to the right," thought the umpire, who 
 had gotten in position, panting. " No the wind is bring- 
 ing it in." 
 
 Straight between the goal posts it fell, and just after 
 it bounced the whistle blew. 
 
 Pandemonium was let loose. The President whirled 
 his hat in the air. The Cabinet shouted. Dignified offi- 
 cers and professors became boys again. The Army joined 
 in. Both bands began to play. A column formed the 
 Army and Navy together. Around and around the field 
 they surged, singing national hymns. 
 
 The moment Buck kicked the goal he went for his 
 sweater, put it on, and slipped through the end crowd. 
 
 " Where's Jones? Where's Jones? " demanded a 
 horde of cadets, coming down. 
 
 " There he goes, out there ! " 
 
 They put out in pursuit. They ran Buck to the sea 
 wall. There happened to be a rowboat there, whose 
 owner had gone ashore in his enthusiasm. Buck jumped 
 in and shoved off just as the eager pursuers were about to 
 catch him. He pulled out, laughing and bantering them. 
 
 " If you get me you've got to catch me ! " 
 
 The cadets were not to be outdone. They rushed out 
 to Burgesses's and jumped into his rowboats and started 
 in pursuit. 
 
 As soon as the President regained his composure, he 
 asked for Buck.
 
 368 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " Tell Mr. Jones to come here at once. The President 
 wants him," directed the Superintendent. 
 
 The orderly soon came back. 
 
 " Mr. Jones has taken to the water, sir. They are 
 trying to catch him now. There they are ! " 
 
 The President roared as he saw the race out on the 
 bay. Soon everybody saw it. 
 
 "On to the cutters! " 
 
 Officers and cadets alike surged down to the boat- 
 house. The cutters were all there ready from the recent 
 drill. They piled in. Old officers pulled oars alongside 
 of plebes. Army cadets and officers went along. The 
 President and members of his Cabinet went with the Su- 
 perintendent to his rear piazza, where they watched the 
 pursuit. The crowd remained to watch it from the 
 grounds. Buck couldn't understand it, as he saw a regu- 
 lar flotilla shoving off. On he pulled. He held his own 
 with the rowboats; but the first cutter to get off began to 
 gain on him, though he had three quarters of a mile the 
 start. The cutter passed one row-boat after another. 
 About abreast the lighthouse, she came in speaking dis- 
 tance of Buck. 
 
 " Have you struck, sir? " 
 
 "No, sir; I have just begun to fight, sir." 
 
 All laughed, and Buck pulled on. 
 
 " We demand an unconditional surrender," said the 
 coxswain of the cutter, as his bow drew up to the stern 
 of the rowboat. 
 
 " Not while there's a man left on board." 
 
 "Stand by to board!" 
 
 At this point, the President, looking through his 
 glasses, caught the Superintendent's arm. 
 
 "They have overtaken him they are boarding! By 
 jingo! He's gone overboard! The others have gone over-
 
 BUCK DODGES GLORY BUT IS CAUGHT 369 
 
 board after him! He's diving the boat heads him off! 
 They've got him! Admiral, this makes me a boy again. 
 It'll add another year to my life ! " 
 
 There never was such a triumphal march as that re- 
 turn to the Academy. It gave a vent to the boundless en- 
 thusiasm of the victory, and the great love and respect 
 all had for Buck. 
 
 " A model game it was plucky game, brain and 
 brawn put to the limit, but clean as ivory immaculate," 
 said the referee, with enthusiasm. 
 
 The Superintendent suspended the regulations till 
 church formation next morning. A great ball was given 
 to the Army that night. The Academy had never seen 
 such a celebration since its foundation. The President's 
 enthusiasm was so great that he canceled an important 
 engagement and remained over and delivered the diplo- 
 mas to Buck's class. 
 
 We unconsciously come to love a place in proportion 
 to our character growth while there. The course at the 
 I^aval Academy is necessarily a hard grind, and Buck, 
 like his classmates, for two months in advance, had been 
 counting the days till graduation; but now that the time 
 was at hand, the thought of leaving stirred the depths of 
 his heart, and he looked out over the familiar scenes with 
 a new tenderness; over the buildings and monuments, the 
 lawns, the trees, the walks, and the shimmering waters 
 of the bay and river. Everything seemed to smile and 
 say " Good-by. God speed you in your career," and he 
 realized that he loved every spot, every stone in the 
 place. 
 
 Catell and Knowlton were waiting for Buck to come 
 with the mail, which they expected to bring their orders, 
 before starting for the train.
 
 370 BUCK JONES AT ANNAPOLIS 
 
 " I can't get over the funny way we caught him after 
 the game/' said Knowlton with a laugh. 
 
 " You might have known," said Catell, " that he 
 would end it up on the water. He's in league with the 
 sea." 
 
 Buck came running up. 
 
 " Our requests have been granted. We all three go 
 to the Oregon, and what is more, Preble has gotten a com- 
 mission in the Marine Corps, and is to go to the Oregon 
 with us." 
 
 This made Buck's happiness complete, and as the train 
 pulled out he realized, with exultation, that he was off 
 for stirring scenes under the flag, in the service of his 
 country; but nevertheless a lump came in his throat as 
 he looked out of the window for the last glimpses, just 
 as he had looked out, as a candidate, for the first glimpses; 
 and as the clock tower disappeared, he said half to him- 
 self, half to Catell: 
 
 " The dear old Naval Academy ! " 
 
 (i) 
 
 THE END
 
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