Black August

'Where's your Commanding Officer?' asked the General.

'He's ashore sir; shall I fetch the officer of the watch?'

'Yes, General Sallust's compliments and he would like to see him at once.'

The sailor disappeared and returned with a short, fair, square faced naval lieutenant.

'This is the Shark, isn't it?' Gregory questioned, although the name was inscribed in bold letters on the lifebuoys.

'Yes, sir.'

'Your Commander is ashore, I understand, but how soon can you be prepared to sail?'

'Sail? Well, I don't know, I'll ask the Executive Officer to speak to you.' The N.O. turned, and sent a messenger for his superior, and a few moments later a Lieutenant Commander came on deck.

'This is Brigadier General Sallust,' the Lieutenant introduced Gregory.

The new comer smiled as they exchanged salutes. 'My name is Fanshawe. What can I do for you, sir?'

'I was inquiring when you will be ready to sail?'

'Sail, sir! But why, may I ask?'

Gregory frowned. 'Didn't you know that you were to act as transport for my men?'

The Lieutenant Commander looked a little astonished. 'No, I've had no instructions, and the Owner's ashore at present, so is our Engineer Officer. Of course, we are more or less standing by expecting to be ordered up to London, but we were told we should have a couple of hours' warning, and they may not be back for some time.'

'I see, but the matter is of the gravest urgency.'

'We are to take you up the river with us, I suppose?'

'I've no idea.' Gregory drew the bulky packet from his pocket and showed it to the sailor. 'OFFICIAL SECRET Not to Be Opened Until Out of Harbour' was scrawled across it under the bold lettering, 'O.H.M.S.'

'Sealed orders, eh? Well, sir, the crew is complete, so we could get under way in half an hour, but we must wait for the return of the Captain.'

Gregory frowned. 'That's awkward I thought you would be expecting us and ready to leave immediately. Any how, I'd better get my men on board at once that will save a little time.'

'We've had no instructions about you here,' demurred Fanshawe, 'but as you say it's so urgent perhaps that would be best.'

'I've got some stores, too mostly tinned stuff I wonder if one of your people would be good enough to show my men where to stow them?'

'Certainly, sir Mr. Broughton!' The Lieutenant Commander turned to the officer of the watch. 'Show the troops where to stow their stores, please better use the foremost mess deck.'

Gregory stepped over the gangway and beckoned Harker to him. 'Tell the men to unload the lorry, and get the stores on board, will you?'

Harker grinned: 'What's the big idea, General? Are you standing us all a Mediterranean cruise?'

'In the interests of discipline, Mr. Harker,' said Gregory with studied coldness, 'I should be glad if you would confine yourself to a prompt execution of orders when on parade. In the Mess, of course, you can express any opinion that you wish.'

A queer look came into Silas Gonderport Harker's eyes. First anger, then surprise, and finally amusement tinged with a flicker of respect. 'As you say, sir.' He brought his heels together with a click and marched back to the waiting men.

The lorry was speedily unloaded, and the supplies carried on board, the sailors giving every assistance. Veronica with Ann behind her came up the gangway.

'Er excuse me,' the Lieutenant Commander spoke in a rapid, low voiced aside to Gregory, 'these ladies are they er to be in the party?'

'Yes, worse luck,' Gregory's tone was bitter and the stare with which he regarded the women left no doubt in the naval officer's mind as to his extreme disapproval of their presence.

'It's a bit irregular, isn't it, sir?' he hazarded.

'Damnably so, but instructions were passed from M.I.5 to take them along, so I had to lump it better send 'em below somewhere, hadn't we?'

The sailor accepted the glib lie with an understanding nod and cocked an appreciative eye at Ann. He did not appear to share Gregory's apparent misogyny. 'I'll take them below to the wardroom,' he volunteered.

As Fanshawe turned away Gregory gave a swift glance along the jetty. No sign of the Captain yet Broughton was busy with the stores and troops the quarter deck free of officers for the moment. He caught the eye of Rudd, who was standing near, and strolled casually up to the starboard ladder to the bridge. Rudd followed.

For two very fully occupied minutes Gregory was in the wireless room, while Rudd lolled close to its entrance. By the time the Lieutenant Commander returned from below, the General was standing once more by the rail on the quarter deck watching the approaches to the lock.

'Look here,' he addressed the sailor anxiously 'how soon can we move off?'

'I've got to wait for my Captain, sir.'

'Yes, yes, I know, but you don't seem to appreciate the urgency of the situation. This ship should have been ready and waiting to take me and my men to sea at once. If you've had no instructions someone's made a bloomer at the Admiralty and they will get it in the neck.'

Fanshawe smiled: That's hardly my fault, sir.'

'Of course not, but I must carry out my instructions can’t you get her ready to move off directly the Captain does turn up?'

'Yes, there's no reason we shouldn't do that.' He turned to his petty officer: 'Quartermaster, call the hands, stations for getting under way ask the engine room to tell me how soon they will be ready it's urgent, so skip!'

Broughton, who was standing near them hurried forward. Gregory kept an anxious eye on the jetty while preparations were being made but there was still no sign of the Captain, when, some twenty minutes later, the Lieutenant reported to the Lieutenant Commander that the ship was ready to proceed.

Gregory, who was standing near shook his head with a worried frown: 'If that Captain of yours doesn't turn up soon,' he observed quietly, 'we shall have to leave without him.'

'But we can't possibly do that, sir,' said the Lieutenant Commander in a shocked voice.

'Why?' asked Gregory, 'surely you can navigate the ship yourself?'

'Oh, yes, Broughton and my other lieutenant and I can do that between us, it's not that.'

'I see, but of course your Engineer Officer is ashore as well, isn't he? Is that the trouble?'

'No, not exactly, but '

'Well, what is it then?' Sallust cut him short impatiently. 'I understand you to say that you had a complete crew.'

'Yes, nearly eighteen of them are in irons at the moment, we had rather a bother with them last night demonstration in sympathy with those bad eggs in the Battle Squadron; normally they would be in prison on shore, but instructions were to keep them here for the time being. We had a bit of bad luck with our Gunner this morning too the front wheel of his push bike got in a tramline and he went over the handlebars they've detained him in hospital on shore, but of course I could manage easily with the rest.'

'Then for goodness' sake let me get on with my job.'

'I'm sorry, but I've already told you, sir I can't sail until my Captain turns up. I have no official order unless you've got one you can show me from a Naval Authority?'

'Of course I haven't.' Sallust spoke with unusual heat. 'I received my orders verbally from Eastern Command when they handed me the packet I showed you, but you should have had your instructions from the Naval people here in the early hours of the morning.'

'Quite, sir, but you do see my position, don't you?'

'Now look here, Commander,' Gregory had suddenly become very amiable again, 'I quite appreciate that it is an awkward situation for you, but there's a war on you know or its equivalent at all events. The Government seems to have got the country into a ghastly mess and now it's looking to the Services to pull it out. It's my job to get my troops wherever they're ordered at the earliest possible moment you must understand the urgency of the matter. I appeal to you as a brother officer to get this ship under way without any further delay.'