"
"Is it long enough time, sir, for a boy?"
That was rather a hard dig. Instantly the other cadets became all
attention.
"It depends upon the boy, as it would upon the man," Jack answered.
"Do you consider, Mr. Benson, that you know all about submarine boats,
sir?"
"Oh, no."
"Who does, sir?"
"No one that I ever heard of," Jack answered. "Few men interested in
submarine boats know much beyond the peculiarities of their own boats."
"And that applies equally to boys, sir?"
"Yes," Jack smiled.
"Do you consider yourself, sir, fully competent to handle this craft?"
"I'd rather someone else would say it," Jack replied. "My employers,
though, seem to consider me competent."
"What is this material, sir?" continued the cadet, resting a hand on a
piston rod.
"Brass," Benson replied, promptly.
"Do you know the specific gravity and the tensile strength of this brass?"
Before Jack could answer Mr. Mayhew broke in, crisply:
"That will do, Mr. Merriam. Your questions appear to go beyond the limits
of ordinary instruction, and to partake more of the nature of a
cross-examination. Such questions take up the time of the instruction tour
unnecessarily.
Pages:
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110