The Englishman shrugged his shoulders and said nothing further, and a moment or two later Mr. Dewsnap took the chief one side and whispered to him that he was sure Mr. Doubter did not believe one word that was said to him, and as for Baron Bernstoff, he was so accustomed to the old fashioned, slow-but-sure methods in vogue in his native land, that it was impossible to convince him that in a fire brigade, if nowhere else, quickness was an indispensable quality.
“Why,” exclaimed the enthusiastic old gentleman, “I told these men again and again about the time it takes to get out into the street and get a stream on at a fire, but it’s impossible to convince them, and if you were to hear them talk about the way they run these things on the other side, you would know why it is that they can’t comprehend our methods.”
“And do you mean to tell me,” inquired the German baron, “that when an alarm comes in, let us say at midnight, your men jump right out of their beds, slide down those poles, and get away to the fire all in the space of a few minutes and without leaving anyone behind?”
“In a few minutes!” cried the chief, contemptuously, “why how long do you imagine that it takes us to get up and get dressed, hitch up the horses and get started?”
The foreigners immediately began to calculate on their fingers. “To begin with,” said Baron Bernstoff, “I suppose that the light sleepers wake up of their own accord, and then go around and arouse such of their comrades as have not heard the alarm. That must take a minute and a half at the very least.”
The chief’s eyes twinkled with amusement, and one of the men, who had been standing within earshot, walked hurriedly to the window for fear that his desire to laugh would get the better of him. Bruce, though he felt the same inclination, managed to control his features out of respect to the chief and his visitors, but Mr. Dewsnap had no such scruples, and he uttered a whoop of merriment which was contagious enough to cause the chief, Bruce, and even the fireman at the window to break out into sudden peals of mirth.
“Go on sir?” said the chief apologetically, “It only seemed funny to us because such a thing as a man being a light sleeper is unheard of in the department. There’s no time allowed for him to sit up in bed and stretch himself and yawn and maybe ask somebody what time it is. He’s expected to jump out of bed and land on his feet in his turnout at the very first stroke of the gong, even if he happens to be dreaming that he is Chief of the whole New York Fire Department. Well according to your calculations we’ll make it a minute and a half to get waked up. Now go on.”
“Then,” continued the Baron, “I don’t suppose that a man is expected to make a very elaborate toilet even if he is going out into the streets, but he must put on his clothes, wash his hands and face——”
“We’re apt to get all the drenching we want when we get to the fire,” interjected Chief Trask, and the Baron continued without seeming to comprehend his remarks, “Well, suppose we say three minutes for dressing and another minute to get down stairs and hitch the horses—you don’t stop to call the roll of the men, do you?”
“No,” rejoined the chief gravely “our only roll is the pay-roll and a man drops off that pretty quick if he’s not at his place when the truck goes out.”