“You were one of the victims of a hazing, were you not?” demanded the
officer, regarding Jack, keenly.

“Why, could you call it that, sir?” asked Jack, a look of innocent
surprise settling on his face. “We called it a demonstration—an
explanation.”

“Demonstration? Explanation?” repeated the officer, astonished in his
turn. “What do you mean, Mr.—er—?”

“Benson,” Jack supplied, quietly.

“I think you would better tell me a little more, Mr. Benson,” pursued the
unknown naval officer.

“Why, it was like this, sir,” Jack continued. “My two friends—Hastings and
Somers—and myself were talking about the West Point and Annapolis hazings,
of which we had heard and read. We were talking about the subject when a
cadet came along. I suggested to Somers that we ask the cadet about
hazing. Well, sir, to make a long story short, some of the cadets
undertook to show us just how hazing is—or used to be—done at Annapolis.”

“Oh! Then it was all thoroughly good-natured, all in the way of a joke, to
show you something you wanted to know?” asked the naval officer, slowly.

“That’s the way I took it,” replied Jack. “So did Hastings and Somers.
We’ve enjoyed ourselves more than anyone else here has.”

This was truth surely enough, for, in the last two minutes, not one of the
cadet midshipmen present could have been accused of _enjoying_ himself.