"What kind of drill?"
"Abandoning ship."
"Pshaw, if I'd have known that I'd stayed in bed. The idea of a drill in the middle of the night, and after I've rowed half way to Europe in the racing gig. Who started this thing, anyway?"
"The admiral signaled all ships in the harbor to abandon ship. I presume all of them are taking the time, and we shall see who succeeded in getting away from their ship first."
"I'll bet I'd have broken the record if they had taken my time. That's the only way to abandon ship in a hurry."
"How's that, Hickey?" questioned a shipmate.
"Head first," answered Sam.
"Return to ship," came the command. "Be lively there, men. This counts on record, too. All boats to be hoisted aboard as they were."
The men piled over the side of the ship to the decks in fully as quick time as they had left. In a very brief time the small boats were emptied, excepting for the men who were manning them, two men in each boat to attend to making fast the falls for hoisting and riding up to the decks in the little craft.
The drill was ended without a mishap, save that which had occurred when Hickey tried to lean against the ship's rail and failed.