BELLS

The old sergeant was lying next to the compound fence trying to get some sun and a little rest. It had bee a hard couple of weeks for the platoon and everyone was in stand down mode.

Dog was curled up beside him so the sergeant felt perfectly safe trying to go to sleep. Nothing would get by Dog. Just as he started to doze off he heard a group of the men arguing.

Pretending he didn’t notice or care the sergeant just put his hat over his eyes and pretended to snore. At just about that time he felt Dog tense and he knew he wasn’t going to get any rest that day.

“Yeah? What do you guys want now? You want me to tell you a bed time story before your naps,” the old sergeant growled.

“Uh, no Pappy,” one of the group standing around him said.

“We have been having an argument about bells and wanted to know if you knew anything about them.”

Pappy sat upright. “Bells? Ok you guys are out of your minds, do you know that? Now can you PLEASE explain to me what you think a handsome young sergeant like me would know about bells?”

“Naw Pappy,” one of the goon squad said. “It ain’t like that. We mean ship bells. You know. Like the ones we hear all the time when we are in transport? You know the ones that sound all the time?”

“Yeah, yeah. I know what you’re talking about. But I still don’t understand why you think a sergeant in the United States Army would know anything about that.”

“Aww Pappy. We know you. If it’s military you know it.”

Pappy just grunted. “Yeah. And flattery will get ya no where kid.”

Sighing out loud the old sergeant sat up a little straighter and said, “Ok you knuckleheads. I’ll tell ya what little I know but sit DOWN. You’re making me and Dog both nervous.”

As everyone formed a circle and sat down Pappy began:

“I guess you ladies know that a long time ago, watches were not very common and a lot of ordinary sailors couldn’t afford one so it was hard to tell what time it was aboard ship. So they figured out that they would just use an hourglass that was set to the ships clock, which was usually set to the time of the country of origin. Ya guys got that?”

Looks of puzzlement greeted the old sergeant.

Sighing again he started over.

“Ok let me make this as simple as I can for you guys. The ship had a clock. They had an hourglass, or I should say a 'half hourglass.' Ok?

“Every thirty minutes this 'half hour glass' would run out and then the glass would be turned over to start measuring another thirty minutes and the bell would be struck so all hands knew a half-hour had passed. At the end of each hour, the bell would be struck one more time, so it was struck once at the end of the first half-hour and eight times at the end of the fourth hour.

“And you all know the Navy. Tradition is tradition and they still continue using the bells despite clocks and watches. After eight bells are struck, the sequence starts all over again. An odd number of bells marks a half-hour and an even number marks an hour.

“And if what an old Navy Chief friend of mine says is true, the Navy uses the bells to mark the beginning and end of 'watches' such as 'dog' watch. A twenty-four-hour day is divided into seven watches. These are: midnight to 4 a.m. [0000-0400], the mid-watch; 4 to 8 a.m. [0400-0800], morning watch; 8 a.m. to noon [0800-1200], forenoon watch; noon to 4 p.m. [1200-1600], afternoon watch; 4 to 6 p.m. [1600-1800] first dog watch; 6 to 8 p.m. [1800-2000], second dog watch; and, 8 p.m. to midnight [2000-2400], evening watch. The half hours of the watch are marked by the striking the bell an appropriate number of times.”

At the mention of the word "dog," Dog sat up and yawned. Pappy thought for a minute that he may have been wrong about dog being his look out.

“And you ladies DO know that a lot of our jargon comes from the Navy right?

“The expression, 'cup of Joe' for a cup of coffee started with our sea faring brothers. Josephus Daniels was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913. Among his reforms of the Navy were inaugurating the practice of making 100 Sailors from the Fleet eligible for entrance into the Naval Academy, the introduction of women into the service, and the abolishment of the officers' wine mess. From that time on, the strongest drink aboard Navy ships could only be coffee and over the years, a cup of coffee became known as 'a cup of Joe.'"

“Ha. I bet the Navy loved that guy for taking away their booze!” one said.

Pappy ignored the comment and continued. “And how about scuttlebutt? The origin of the word 'scuttlebutt,' which means rumor, comes from a combination of 'scuttle' which means to make a hole in the ship's hull and thereby causing her to sink - and 'butt' a cask used in the days of wooden ships to hold drinking water. The cask from which the ship's crew took their drinking water was the 'scuttlebutt.'

“Even in today's Navy that’s what they call a drinking fountain. But, since the crew used to congregate around the 'scuttlebutt,' that is where the rumors about the ship or voyage would begin. Thus, then and now, rumors are talk from the 'scuttlebutt' or just 'scuttlebutt.'

“Now. Does that answer all your Navy questions? Would you all like to transfer to our brother sea going service?”

“Uh, not me, Pappy.” one said. “You know I get sea sick.”

“Fine. Now could you all PLEASE leave me alone?”

As they all started to file away Pappy murmured:

“I was just dreaming about an ocean cruise.”

By:

Steve Newton

Write Pappy at:

stevenewton69@hotmail.com