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The details are consistent with Old Home's history so far as we know it。 The Senior's first century coincides with that century of continuous war which preceded the Great Collapse… a century of much scientific progress paralleled by retrogres
… sion in social matters。 Waterborne and airborne ships were used for fighting throughout this century。 See appendix for idioms and technicalities。 …
…J。F。 45th
CA
hours plowing behind a mule。 and the longer he stared a the south end of that mule； breathing dust it kicked up ani wiping the sweat of honest toil out of his eyes； the more hi hated it。
That night he left home informally； walked fifteen miles t~ town； slept across the door of the post office until the post mistress opened up next morning； and enlisted in the Navy He aged two years during the night； from fifteen to seventeen which made him old enough to enlist。
A boy often ages rapidly when be leaves home。 …The fac was not noticeable； birth registrations were unheard of a that time and place； and David was six feet tall； broad…shoul dered； well…muscled； handsome； and mature in appearance save for a wild look around the eyes。 …
The Navy suited David。 They gave him shoes and nev clothes； and let him ride around on the water； seeing strang and interesting places…untroubled by mules and the dust o cornfields。 They did expect him to work； though not as much or as hard； as working a hi…Il farm…and once he figured ou the political setup aboard ship he became adept at not doinl much work while still being satisfactory to the local gods namely； chief petty officers。
But it was not totally satisfactory as he still had to get UI early and often had to stand night watches and sometime~ scrub decks and perform other tasks unsuited to his sensitivc temperament。
Then he heard about this school for officer candidates… 〃midshipmen〃 as they were known。 Not that David cared what they were called； the point was that the Navy would pay bin to sit down and read books…his notion of heaven…untroubled by decks to scrub and by petty officers。 0 K？ng； am I boring you？ No？
Very well… David was ill prepared for this school； …never having had four to five years' additional schooling considered necessary to enter it…mathematics； … what passed for science； history； languages； literature； and So forth。
Pretending to four years or so of schooling he did not have was more difficult than tacking two years on the age of an overgrown boy。 But the Navy wished to encourage enlisted men to bee officers； so it had established a tutoring school to aid candidates slightly deficient in academic preparation；；
第9节
David construed 〃slightly deficient〃 to mean his own state； he told his chief petty officer that he had 〃just missed〃 graduating from high school…which was true in a way； he had 〃just
missed〃 by half a county； that being the distance from his home to the nearest high school。
I don't know how David induced his See…Pee…Oh to remend him； David never discussed this。 Suffice to say that； when David's ship steamed for the Mediterranean； David was dropped at Hampton Roads six weeks before the tutoring school convened。 He was a supernumerary during that time。 The Personnel Officer （in fact； his clerk） assigned David to a bunk and a mess； and told him to stay out of sight during working hours in the empty classrooms where his fellow hopefuls would meet six weeks later。 David did so； the classrooms had in them the books used in tutoring in academic subjects a candidate might lack…and David lacked them all。 He stayed out of sight and sat down and read。
That's all it took。
When the class convened； David helped tutor in Euclidean geometry； a required subject and； perhaps the most difficult。 Three months later he was sworn in as a naval cadet on the beautiful banks of the Hudson River at West Point。
David did not realize that he had jumped from the frying pan into the fire； the sadism of petty officers is a mild hit…ormiss thing pared with the calculated horrors visited on new cadets…〃plebes〃…by cadets of the senior classes； especially by the seniormost； the first classmen； who were walking delegates of Lucifer in that organized hell。
But David had three months to find this out and to figure out what to do； that being the time upper classes were on the briny； practicing warfare。 As he saw it； if he could last nine months of these hazards； all the kingdoms of the Earth would be his。 So he said to himself； if a cow or a countess can sweat out nine months； so can I。
He arranged the hazards in his mind in terms of what must be endured； what could be avoided； and what he should actively seek。 By the time the lords of creation returned to stomp on the plebes he had a policy for each typical situation and was prepared to cope with it under doctrine； varying doctrifles only enough to meet variations in situation rather than coping hastily on an improvised basis。
Ira…〃O King；〃 I mean…this is more important to surviving in tough situations than it sounds。 For example； Gramp… David's Grampaw； that is…warned him never to sit with his beck to door。 〃Son；〃 he said to him； 〃might be nine hundred and niy…nine times you'd get away with it…no enemy of your'n would e through that door。 But the thousandth
time…that's the one。 If my own Grampaw had always obeyed that rule； he might be aflve today and still jumping out bedroom windows。 He knew better； but he missed just once； through being too anxious to sit in on a poker game； and thereby took the one chair open； one with its back to a door。 And it got him。
〃He was up out of his chair and emptied three shots from each of his guns into his assailant before he dropped； we don't die easy。 But 'twas only a moral victory； he was essentially dead； with a bullet in his heart； before he got out of that chair。 All from sitting with his back to an open door。〃
Ira； I've never forgotten Gramp's words…and don't you forget 'em。
So David categorized the hazards and prepared his doctrines。 One thing that had to be endured was endless questioning； and he learned that a plebe was never permitted to answer； 〃I don't know； sir；〃 to any upperclassman； especially a first classman。 But the questions ordinarily fell into categories… history of the school； history of the Navy； famous naval sayings； names of team captains and star players of various athletic sports； how many seconds till graduation； what's the menu for dinner。 These did not bother him； they could be memorized
…save the number of seconds remaining till graduation； and he worked out shortcuts for that； ones that stood him in good stead in later years。
〃What sort of shortcuts； Lazarus？〃
Eh？ Nothing fancy。 A precalculated figure for reveille each morning； a supplementary figure for each hour thereafter； such as： five hours after six o'clock reveille subtracts eighteen thousand seconds from the base figure； and twelve minutes later than that takes off another seven hundred and twenty seconds。 For examp