The herald., 1898-04-07

the service, and though the old-timers
may guy them a little, no hazing is
permitted. The fare they get is quite
good-better in fact than they can eX-
pect to get when they are away from
land.
The raw recruit has to earn this food
and his SIG pay by cleaning the decks,
polishing the brasses and doing other
plain work about the ship; and by
practicing the infantry drill and the
setting-up drill every day. But for the
most part, the period just after enlist
ment is period of idleness. The lands
man learns to sling his hammock and
is educated in the language of the bells,
the boatswain's whistle and the bugle;
| but beyond that he is not kept very
| busy If he is an enthusiast, though,
/ as most raw recruits are, he welcomes
| the day when he is assigned to duty,
| and singing his 'ditty bag" over his
shoulder, he starts away, with a squad
! of blue jackets, to take the train for
| Norfolk or whatever the point may be
at which his ship is waiting. There
| he goes aboard, reports and is entered
on the list of the ships crew.
| A fixed number of men is assigned to
each ship-so many landsmen, SO many
ordinary seamen, so many seamen,
and SO on through all ratings. There
is always a small shortage, due to
deaths and desertions. Each landsman
when he reports for duty, is assigned
| to one of the four or five divisions
aboard the ship. He is taken below,
shown where to find his hammock and
where to sling it and the locker in
which to stow his clothing He gets a
ribbon with the name of the ship which
he puts on his cap and he is ready for
| his duties.
These are simple at first. He assists
in coaling the ship. He is assigned to
a place in a gun crew and he learns all
the duties at the gun, but particularly
those which are to fall to him. He is
told to keep a certain part of the big
| gun clean; this being known as
''brightening." He learns all the drills,
including those with side-arms, pistols
and broadswords. All this drilling and
breaking-in is done by the petty Off
GERS with the assistance Of some of the
older men who are quick at licking a
new man into shape. 1t Is not done
very gently and the new man is made
to feel the rigor of a severe discipline.
Then he is assigned to a boat, in
which he is to pull specified oar; and
| he practices rowing until he can feath-
er and pull a strong stroke without
! crab catching.
After q month or six weeks of study
ing the school of the sailor, the new
man is fit for general duties aboard
ship. But there is much about reefing,
steering. knotting, splicing and the
other details of sailors work which he
has to pick up in odd hours and he is
| fortunate if he understands enough of
it to take an ordinary seaman's rating
at the end of his three-years service.
The sailors life is busy one. Here is
| his days routine: He turns out at 80
o'clock in the morning and lashes and
| slows his hammock in seven minutes.
| Then he eats a continental breakfast
a cup of coffee, a roll. After this he
scrubs his clothing or he cleans ship
sometimes the former, but always the
latter. The ships deck must be kept
as clean as sand and water will make
it; and every day the paint must be
scrubbed. Every day, too, a detail of
''side-cleaners'' goes over the paint on
the outside of the ship and makes it
! clean.