seven o'clock
Thence they had traveled , briefly , by trolley , to Odenton . There , after a wait of some minutes , they had boarded another trolley car , and were now bowling along through the open country of that part of Maryland . At the end of their journey lay the historic little town of Annapolis . It was now after seven o'clock ; still daylight , the fag end of a beautiful June day in Maryland . Dave Darrin and Dan Dalzell had been appointed as midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy . If they should succeed in passing the four years ' course in the big government school at Annapolis , they would then be sent to sea for two years , as midshipmen , after which they would return to Annapolis for their final examinations . Passing these last examinations , they would then be commissioned as ensigns in the United States Navy , with the possibility of some day becoming full-fledged admirals .