"All right, I'll take a chance on it. Go ahead."
Dan stationed himself on one side of the deck, while Sam walked briskly to the opposite side.
"Oh, Columbia, the gem of the ocean,
The home of the brave and the free,"
wig-wagged Dan.
"The shrine of each patriot's devotion,
A world offers homage to thee,"
continued Sam Hickey, his red flag flashing up and down forming the letters of the code with such swiftness that few of the officers were able to follow.
"Thy mandates make heroes assemble,
When Liberty's form stands in view;
Thy banners make tyranny tremble,
When borne by the red, white and blue."
The instant Dan's swift strokes with flag had ended the verse, both the Battleship Boys swung into the chorus,
"When borne by the red, white and blue,
When borne by the red, white and blue,
Thy banners make tyranny tremble,
When borne by the red, white and blue."
"Thirty-three, thirty-three," finished the lads, bringing the butts of their flag staffs to the deck with a click that sounded as one.