“Sir?”
“You will now try the hammock.”
“How do you mean, sir?” questioned Sam.
“Get in it.”
“Yes, sir; where’s the ladder?”
“Ladder?” exploded the quartermaster.
“Sure! You don’t think I can get into that thing without using a ladder, do you?”
“We do not use ladders. Watch carefully. I will show you how it is done. This is the way you will have to turn in all the time that you are in the Navy.”
The officer reached up, grasping the rope that held the hammock to the hooks above. With an ease born of long experience he lifted himself clear of the floor, curled his body upward and placed himself on his back in the hammock without the least apparent effort. The officer got out of the hammock by a reverse movement and with the same ease.
“Did you see how it was done?”