Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-02
SAILORS WHO RE-ENLIST

On the day after his enlistment for .
period of three years the American man
o'-war's man begins to figure on the
amount of time that is to intervene before
his discharge He has two years and a
butt to do, the butt" being the remain
ing eleven months and twenty-nine days of
the first year. On the day following his
completion of the first year of his enlist
ment he has only a year and butt to get
through. No matter if the butt is only a
single day under4 year in length, the blue
jacket eontemp&tesS,th the term with the
blandest complassaneS II is not at any
rate, a whole year, eAten though 1t be 1854
days, and this fashion OF throttling each
year OF his servfrer Makes him happy; it
seems to bring hts discharge, and the more
or less tempestueas joys he carefully maps
out long before bis discharge, within closer
range. When he has put in eighteen
months of an enlistment, he breaks out the
homeward- bound pennant; he Is going
down the hill: and when he has finally
achieved two years and has only the butt
to accomplish, joy fills his cup.
Once sailor always a sailor" is not
strictly true OF men-o-war's men of the
American navy. Only about one-half Of
the men who complete one enlistment ship
for another three-year cruise. But about
nine-tenths of the men who put in two
cruises settle down to "a lifelong continue
ance In the service. Six years of navy life
seem to thoroughly inoculate them with
what the Germans call wanderlust. When
q bluejacket passes few of his summers
in the latitude OF the North Cape and a
couple Of his winters down among the Ber-
mudas or in the salubrious South Pacific
he is likely to acquire dislike for the cli-
mate of the United States, and this dislike
has more weight than anything else in
forming his decision to remain in the navy
Moreover, after aEfew years in the navy
RI
of the odd idea that he Is really doing moth
Ing aboard ship to earn his pay-that the
perpetual scurry In which he Is kept from
all hands in the morning until pipe down
at night Is really not work, and with this
quaint notion he also acquires an exceed
ingly exaggerated idea of the terrific
amount Of grinding labor a man has to
perform In order to gain livelihood
ashore. Put to a bluejacket who has put
In couple of naval cruises the direct ques-
ton. Are you going to ship over when
your time Is out?" and, In nine cases out of
ten. he will look you in the eye with an
expression of stupefaction and inquire:
What do you think I'm going to do
work?'
Overtime men being shipped back to this
country on man-of-war are not compelled
to do any Of the ships work; they simply
stand the military calls, eat their meals
and smoke their pipes, watching the while
with lazy happiness the daily round Of la
Dor Of the less fortunate bluejackets at
ldCHeQ as ISmpeFS OI Tue crew OIL tue snip
on which they themselves are practically
passengers. The overtime men occasional
ly emit arrogantly humorous directions to
these temporary shipmates. the ships COM
pany Of the boat that is hauling them
home. Gwan, now, an shine up that
bright work, We longtime swab.' they will
shout to deck hand when the officer of
the deck is aft and out of hearing, and
''Git down to your bunker. ye grimy fiat
foot. and rake out your coal!' is the kind
Of thing the man of the black gang below
hears from the passengers" whenever he
tries to smoke peaceful pipe on the
to'gallant focsle.
One of the immemorial customs of the
navy jacks Is to secrete in the ditty bag
of the discharged shipmate who Is about to
go ashore a can Of corned beef, few po-
tatoes and perhaps one or two other ar
ticles of sea foodi This is done in order
to remind the discharged man when he
opens his bag ashore that in the opinion Of
his shipmates he, will be unable to earn
enough to eat on, land If he takes it into
his head not to ship s6Ser, and that they
have, therefore, taken small measure to
shield him from setarYauon with little
navy grub when he. has spent his pay
schemes to keep thYs stuff from being placed
in their bags, butihevettheless they nearly
always find it there Within they get ashore