The Gentleman Cadet Part 11

"It's the exam, you have to pa.s.s at the end of a year. If you don't pa.s.s that satisfactorily, you are sent away from here."

I then inquired of Smart whether, on his joining, he had met with the same rough treatment that I had, and he informed me he had experienced much the same. The head of his room was a very good fellow, and not at all a bully; but that two cadets who had been smashed from corporals were in his division, and were "awful bullies." He also informed me that Timpson and Snipson had the reputation of being the greatest bullies in the Academy.

Smart had to leave me, as he had to go down town for the head of his room, and, on leaving, recommended me to get my uniform as soon as I could, for as long as I was in plain clothes I was a mark to be bullied.

Nothing remarkable happened during the remainder of the day. At half-past nine an officer came round the rooms, and received from the senior cadet a report to the effect that all were present, that no lights were concealed in the room, and that he had no intention of procuring a light.

The fire was then raked out and the candles carried off by a servant who accompanied the officer, and we were left to get into bed in the dark.

I now missed the luxury I had enjoyed at Rouse's, viz, of a room to myself, for my two companions were talking so that I could not go to sleep; and tired as I was, and bruised with the blows I had received, I longed to get to sleep.

As I lay thinking over all the strange events of the day, and what a world of itself the Academy was, Snipson shouted out, "Shepard! call me at five to-morrow morning--not a minute later, mind, or I'll break your head for you!"

I was wondering how I was possibly to wake at five, when I heard a knock at the door, and on Holms calling, "Come in!" a cadet said, "The fourth of the room is to go to No. 16."

I did not at first realise that this had anything to do with me, till Snipson shouted, "Shepard, you'd better look sharp, or Foxey will half kill you?"

"What am I to do?" I inquired. "Do, you donkey? why, dress--and sharp too--and go to No. 16! Foxey will soon show you what to do!"

I got up and groped for my clothes, and dressed as well as I could in the dark. I then inquired of Snipson which was No. 16.

"Why, you've been here all day, and do you mean to say you don't know which 16 is yet? You must go and find out; and I'd advise you to be sharp, for Foxey isn't to be trifled with!"

I went out of the room, and tried to remember whether I had noticed 16 on any particular door. I could not recall that I had done so, and, hearing some talking at the end of the pa.s.sage, I went to a door and knocked. I was told to "Come in!" and, on entering, was asked who I was.

I replied, "Shepard; and I was told to come to Foxey in No. 16." There was a shout of laughter from two cadets in the room as I said this, whilst the cadet I first spoke to said,--

"Come here, sir! Who told you to come to Foxey?"

"Snipson, the second in my room."

"Take that for your impertinence, now; and, when you go back, tell Snipson I will kick him to-morrow!"

The article which I was to take was a boot that was hurled at me by this cadet, whose nickname I afterwards ascertained was Foxey--a t.i.tle that gave him great offence.

After having served as a target for a pair of boots, which I had after each shot to bring back to the cadet, I was asked if I could sing. Now it happened that one of our men-servants had been a sailor, and had learnt some of the popular sea-songs of the times. These I had heard him sing when I was quite a boy, and soon learnt the words, and also to sing them. Among these were "The Bay of Biscay," "Tom Bowline," "The Admiral," "The Arethusa," "'Twas in Trafalgar's Bay," etc. In answer to the inquiry whether I could sing, I replied that I thought I knew a song.

"Then we'll have it presently," said the cadet. "Now, snooker of No.

10!" he continued, "have you made out that ode to the moon yet? I'll give you another licking if you tell me again you can't!"

I now found there were several other cadets in the room, all last-joined, like myself; and, from the remarks made, I found that they had some task set them. The cadet addressed replied in a half-blubbering manner, "I'll try to say something now."

"Get onto the table, then," said the cadet, "so that I may have a fair shot at you if you break down! And now go on, sir! You can't sing, so you must make an ode to the moon! Now then, sir, commence!"

The cadet, who had now mounted on the table, had evidently had a rough time of it. He was a little fellow, whom I had seen belonged to our division, and who was very fat, and looked very stupid. As he stood on the table he was crying, either from fear or from the punishment he had received, or from both combined.

"Now, sir, will you commence?" said the cadet who was the head of the room.

In a tremulous voice that made the words uttered sound more ridiculous than they otherwise would, the cadet on the table said, "O moon, how splendid you are! How beautiful you look! And you light up the night!

You are full sometimes, and then you s.h.i.+ne bright!"

"Any fool knows that," interrupted the head of the room, whom I had called Foxey. "Don't tell us what we know; tell us something original!"

"O moon?" continued the cadet in the same tremulous voice; "with a face in you, you are not made of green cheese! And you s.h.i.+ne by night, and are not seen by day!"

"That's a lie!" said Foxey. "The moon can be seen by day, and you are trying to deceive us poor mortals! I'm not going to remain quiet, and hear the moon slandered in that way! You must have a boot at your head for that!"

A boot was here hurled at the cadet by Foxey, which seemed by the sound to have struck the mark, and also, from certain sniffling sounds, to have added to the grief of the orator. "Go on!" said Foxey. "O moon!--"

"If you commence 'O moon!' again, I'll hurl another boot at you!" said Foxey.

"Lovely moon!" continued the cadet. "Lovely moon!--I don't know what more to say, please."

"You're an idiot!" said Foxey; "and if you don't write out an ode for to-morrow night, I'll give you another licking! Now where's the last-joined neux, Shepard? Now then, up on the table and sing a song!"

I climbed onto the table, and hesitated a moment as to which song I should sing.

"Look sharp, sir," said Foxey, "or you'll have a boot at you! I'm going to teach you manners."

At this warning I at once commenced the "Bay of Biscay," and sang it through without a mistake.

"Very well sung," said Foxey; "now give us another!"

I now sang the "Arethusa," when Foxey exclaimed, "That's a stunning song! You must write me out the words of that by to-morrow night. Now, as you've sung so well, you may go, but mind, I must have some more songs from you."

I thanked Foxey for letting me go, and crept into my room, and went to bed as quietly as I could.

Before going to sleep I thought over the events of the day; it seemed to me an age since the morning, and not a few hours only. I had pa.s.sed through so many different scenes, and had experienced so much anxiety, that each event seemed to have occurred a very long time after its predecessor. The thought uppermost in my mind was, how little the general world knew what a neux had to go through on joining the Academy, and how trying an ordeal it was for a sensitive and delicate boy.

I remembered my father saying to me on one occasion, that on joining the Academy I should be f.a.g to an old cadet, and should have to run messages for him, and f.a.g at cricket, but that I was not to mind this, as it was almost a recognised system at all the large public schools, and was supposed to teach a boy the respect due to his seniors.

I little imagined at the time, and my father would not have believed, the extent to which f.a.gging had degenerated into bullying, in consequence of its being left in the hands of those totally unfitted to exercise it.

That some boys are benefited by being brought under a rigid discipline, and "kept down," as we may term it, by a system of f.a.gging, and thus brought to respect their seniors in a school, there is no doubt; for an "unlicked cub" is undoubtedly a most obnoxious youth, and grows into a disagreeable man. But where f.a.gging is now only winked at by the authorities, it ought to be recognised, and to a great extent be under their surveillance. If such power is left entirely to boys or youths from fifteen to eighteen, it not unusually becomes a system of tyranny, that damages alike the exerciser of the power and the victim of it.

At the time of which we write, bullying was at its height at the Woolwich Academy. It was winked at by the authorities, for it was known to exist, and no endeavour was made to put it down. If, however, a case of bullying came so prominently before the officers that they could not avoid taking notice of it, then a rigid inquiry was made, and the cadet found guilty of the offence was severely punished.

These examples, however, had little or no effect in checking those who delighted in exercising the power they possessed, and so for several years the same system prevailed, until an entire reorganisation of the establishment occurred.

On awaking, on the following morning, there was a feeling of anxiety came over me that something was wrong. I did not at first realise where I was, but soon the events of the preceding day were recalled, and I antic.i.p.ated with dread what might happen to me on this day. Any feeling of pride or satisfaction at having pa.s.sed my examination so well had been entirely knocked out of me, and occasionally I believe I regretted that I had pa.s.sed, for I knew that there were many months of f.a.gging before me, and if each day was like the last, I doubted whether I could endure it.

The rule established by the old cadets at that time was that a cadet remained a neux or f.a.g for three half years, and on the fourth became an old cadet, when he could exercise the power of f.a.gging others. It was considered that a third-half cadet should not be f.a.gged except under exceptional circ.u.mstances, such as being very unpopular or there being no first or second-half cadet available. Those who had the hardest time of it were of coa.r.s.e the last-joined, but second-half cadets were often as much bullied as the last-joined. To give an idea of the bad spirit that sometimes was shown by certain individuals at that time, the following fact may be related:--A cadet, whose father was a distinguished officer, but who was considered a Tartar in discipline, was f.a.gged to the end of his third half, because the elder brothers of some of the old cadets had suffered at the hands of the disciplinarian.

Another similar case was where a young cadet had had a brother at the Academy, who, as an old cadet, had f.a.gged an individual who now happened to be an old cadet, and who used to boast that he had paid back on the younger brother the thras.h.i.+ngs he had received from the elder, with one hundred per cent, interest.

My meditations were interrupted by the sound of a bugle which sounded in front of the Academy, and at the same time Snipson called out, "Hullo!

what's that? Why, that's _reveille_! Shepard?" he shouted, "I'll lick you to within an inch of your life! Didn't I order you to call me at five o'clock? and now it's half-past six! Now come here!"

I got up and was going to put on some clothes, but Snipson made me come to him as I was, when, taking down a racket that was on the wall, he belaboured me with this till I howled. Holms here interfered, and threatened Snipson with a thras.h.i.+ng if he did not desist--a threat that seemed to produce its effect on Snipson, who, warning me never to forget to call him again, told me to get up and dress so as to be ready to hand him the various things he required whilst performing his toilet.