“Turn out, Bollup,” called out Ralph, rushing to the latter’s room; “report to the office for orders. The battalion is to be broken out and mustered.” And then rushing up and down the corridor, he threw open the doors of different rooms, shouting, “Turn out on this floor, turn out, turn out.” Resounding cries from other floors were to be heard throughout “main quarters,” and soon from all the rooms sleepy midshipmen, rubbing their eyes, were to be seen emerging. Ralph now ran to his own room where Himski was in the act of dressing, and he threw off his dirty coat and started to bathe his face.
“What’s all this row about, Os?” asked Himski. “Why are we being turned out? Look here, old fellow, you must have been fighting; some one has plugged you a pretty good one. What’s the trouble?”
“Somebody’s Frenching, I imagine, Himski, but please don’t ask me any questions about my appearance, please don’t; I can’t talk about it. But it’s nothing to do with the turning out of the battalion.”
Himski stared soberly at Ralph but made no further comment. He observed that Ralph’s eye was nearly closed up and felt that he would learn the facts later.
The muster of the battalion disclosed five absentees; these were of the first and second classes. Later they were all recommended to be dismissed but instead, the Secretary of the Navy directed that less drastic punishment be meted out to them. The graduation diplomas of the two first classmen were withheld for one month and the three second classmen were deprived of the following September leave.
CHAPTER XXX
The Thief Unmasked
The next day while Himski was in his room talking with Streeter, Cadet Lieutenant Hamm, better known in the battalion as “Billy Bacon,” entered with a rush.
“Look here, Himski,” he cried, “the thief has been busy again. This is the third time he’s called on me in my absence and each time he’s helped himself to something. This time it isn’t much but I’ve suffered all I’m going to from him, and as you are class president I demand you do something.”
“What’s gone this time, Billy?” asked Himski, his dark eyes lighting with interest.