 He was popular with team @-@ mates and opponents alike , with a weakness for practical jokes . On board a ship travelling to England , Trumble offered to coach unsuspecting fellow travellers in various deck sports such as quoits . Accepting Trumble 's advice , they were made to contort themselves into a number of ludicrous positions to the amusement of his team @-@ mates and other onlookers in the know . To prolong the joke , in his own games Trumble would adopt the same peculiar stance and method he advocated . 
