7:30 p.m.
`` All work and no play , etc. , '' was part of our code aboard the `` Yankee , '' and goodness knows we had worked hard enough getting the ship ready for sailing to be permitted a little sport . Then , again , any badgering of young Potter would be innocent amusement , so I laid by and waited , keeping my eye on `` Bill . '' `` Bill , '' by the way , was the captain of our mess , a jolly good fellow , popular , and always in evidence when there was any skylarking on foot . Hammocks were piped down at seven bells -LRB- 7:30 p.m. -RRB- , and , as it was our first experience on board the `` Yankee , '' there was some confusion . A number of new recruits had joined that afternoon , and their efforts to master the mysteries of the sailor 's sleeping outfit were amusing . A naval hammock differs largely from those used ashore . A hammock aboard ship is of canvas , seven feet long , with holes a few inches apart at each end , through which are reeved pieces of strong cord .