“I know by the three gold stripes on his sleeve. If he had two and a half stripes there he would be a lieutenant-commander. If he had four he would be a captain.”
Sam looked incredulous.
“How do you happen to know all about that?”
“I read about it in a dictionary. They were all pictured out there. I know a lot more of them, too, only I’m too busy to tell you about them now. Have you finished filling out your blank?”
“Not quite.”
“Then you had better get busy. If we take too much time it may count against us. I don’t know about it for sure.”
For several minutes thereafter the lads wrote industriously. Dan was the first to lay down his pen, waiting in silence for his companion to finish, which Sam did shortly afterwards.
“What shall we do now?” questioned Sam, glancing up into the face of his friend.
“I do not know. Give me your paper and I will hand both to the officer over there.”
Dan stepped to the commander’s desk, handing the applications to him.