“What are the side ladders for?” etc., etc., etc., etc., and right in the middle of the uproar, Jack rose and gave the command “Attention!” All sprang from the bunk and stood facing the door from the kitchen which had just swung open. Mrs. Perkins stood in the doorway with a tray in her hands, upon which were a pitcher of lemonade and some hot gingerbread, fresh from the oven.
All the boys stood as quiet as mice until she had deposited the tray on the table. When Jack had thanked his mother, he gave the command “At Ease!” and she turned to the boys, almost with anxiety, to find out whether Jack had made his talk pleasant and interesting.
She had a sailor’s blood in her veins, and she knew that a ship’s company must be a happy one if it was to do anybody any good. So she seconded Jack’s efforts with the true sailor’s cheer and the boys felt nothing but pleasure and enjoyment in connection with their little taste of drill in nautical knowledge. They all sat down to their supper, but Jack reminded the boys that he had not reached the third point of his lecture, namely that of Etiquette, and then asked his mother’s permission to round up the evening’s instruction, which he did quite simply and without any more mock heroics.
“Now the next thing I want to tell is about the quarter-deck. You see, boys,” he said, “in ancient times every ship carried a crucifix high up aft, and the National Ensign was flown just below it. These two symbols represented together the idea of God and the King, and therefore were saluted whenever a man passed over the side, either on arriving aboard or leaving the ship, and whenever a man came up from below on to the deck. We preserve the same custom now both in our Navy and on Boy Scout ships; because, although the crucifix and the King have disappeared, the ideas of God and our country always remain, and the custom of saluting the quarter-deck—whether the flag is flying at the time or not—is an expression of the first words of the scout oath: ‘On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country.’”
It was interesting to note the change in Jack’s manner as he solemnly repeated these words. Any one could have seen that he regarded them as very important and as expressing an idea to be held in reverence. The younger boys listened attentively and, after a little pause, during which his words seemed to be sinking into their minds, they thanked Jack for giving them such a good send-off, and then thanked his mother with real gratitude for her friendliness and the good little supper which they had so much enjoyed.
All hands parted in high spirits, full of expectation of the time when they should actually tread the deck of the Bright Wing.
As they were going home, Tom suddenly said: “Gee, I guess I’ll get up an hour earlier to-morrow morning and work on that diagram!”
“Say,” said Chippie, “he didn’t tell us the positions of the four sections on the deck; I’d like to mark them on my drawing. I’ve half a mind to go back and ask him now!”
“Oh! come along,” said Dick, “it’s too late; my Dad says you mustn’t drive a willing horse too far.”
“All right, Dick!”