Black August

'Very good, sir.'

'I'll rough out some sort of plan this evening for the day's routine, then we must put our heads together as to how to vary it a bit. The men must be kept busy, interested and amused during the voyage. That will keep them fit, help to preserve discipline and enable all of us to get to know each of them personally. Besides, regular healthy occupation is the strongest antidote against discontent.'

Harker gave his slow smile. 'You certainly have the right idea how to handle a job like this.'

'Then amusements,' Gregory went on with a little nod. 'We'll arrange a sing song for tomorrow night I think. You might attend to that, Harker. Find out what local talent we've got amongst our own men, then get Fanshawe or Broughton to cooperate and rope in some of the tars as well excellent way of getting the two lots on a friendly footing. We might try and fix a gymkhana for the following afternoon, high jumps, obstacle race round the deck and all that sort of thing then a boxing contest the following night.'

'Thank goodness I'm not a man,' Ann murmured to Veronica.

'I know, darling, I detest organised games.'

Harker's curiously musical accent covered the aside. 'When do you mean to open these marvellous secret orders officially General?'

'After nine o'clock inspection. All my men will be on deck and under arms then.'

'You've a feeling that the naval bird may not stand for it, eh?'

Gregory smiled slightly. 'Well, as Fane said a little time ago, it's hardly rational that the Government should send troops to the West Indies with a Revolution going on at home and if they did it's not usual to send them in a destroyer. However, I've got quite a good story in my head for Fanshawe because I thought this whole party out a very long time ago. I only hope for his own sake that it convinces him.'

'Himmel!' cried Veronica suddenly.

'What is it?' came a chorus of surprised exclamations.

'I've just thought, darlings, what in the world shall we do for clothes?'

With the exception of Gregory they all burst out laughing, but he eyed her gravely. 'I thought you told me this afternoon that you were a devil with a needle.'

'So I am, what of it?'

'Well, we can't afford to carry passengers on a trip like this; everyone must earn their keep in some way. Ann's quite a useful cook, so with Rudd's assistance and a couple of orderlies to do the dirty work she'll be able to pull her weight, but your only accomplishment being sewing I'd thought of you as seamstress for the party; there will be several score socks to mend.'

'Take him away somebody or I shall faint,' Veronica covered her eyes with her hands as though to shut out this nightmare vision, but they only laughed the more as Gregory went on: 'When the socks give out you shall make a sweet little grass skirt for each of us; decency, like discipline, must be maintained.'

As the laughter subsided Kenyon found Ann smiling at him for the first time since she had visited Grosvenor Square.

'You know,' she said, 'I'm looking forward to life on an island. I think it's all going to be wonderful fun.'

'Do you, Ann. I ' but his sentence was cut short by the sudden entrance of Lieutenant Commander Fanshawe. He looked more square jawed than ever and there was an angry light in his eyes as he flung at Sallust:

'I've been busy on the wireless and now we've got it going again.'

'Have you? that's splendid.' Gregory's tone was mild as milk but his eyes suddenly narrowed and his hand fell casually to his belt, just above the pistol holster. Mr. Rudd appeared, silent and watchful in the doorway of the wardroom, behind the Lieutenant Commander. His hand slipped under a newly acquired apron.

'Yes,' said Fanshawe harshly, 'and we've picked up Chatham. They say that no orders have been passed to C. in C. Nore, and that they've never heard of Brigadier General Sallust. My instructions are to return to port at once.' As he finished speaking they felt the engines beginning to throb. The destroyer had leapt from cruising to full speed ahead.

13

The Bluff is Called

'I gather that you have already given the necessary orders,' said Gregory.

'Yes.'

'Without consulting me?'

'I don't have to.' The Lieutenant Commander's voice was grim.

Sallust nodded. 'All right. Still, I want to talk to you and it might as well be now; sit down and join me in a glass of port.'

'Thank you, no! I have to return to the bridge.'

'Why; is there no one up there now?'

'Yes, the officer of the watch, Broughton.'

'Then there is no need for you to return at once; sit down for a minute.'

Fanshawe regarded Gregory with an angry stare, his chin thrust out, his bushy eyebrows drawn together. 'Look here,' he replied, I don't know what your game is. A Brigadier in charge of a platoon, with a couple of officers who aren't officers at all and two ladies attached; but one thing's clear you've got no right on board this ship. You jollied me into leaving port against my better judgment and I'll be lucky if I'm not court martialed for this trip; anyhow you'll have the chance of explaining to the authorities directly we arrive, but in the meantime I and the officers under me do not propose to hold any further communications with you at all. Understand?'

'That's a pity,' said Gregory affably; 'because we are going to be cooped up in this ship together for quite a little time.'

'What the devil do you mean?'

'Simply this. We are going to adhere to our first instructions and if you think it over you will see why.'

'I'm hanged if I do!'

'Don't you? Then it has obviously not occurred to you that these orders you have just received by wireless may be faked. It is highly probable that the Communists have taken over at Chatham by now.'

The sailor made an angry noise; half grunt, half laugh. 'What rot! Besides they wouldn't be able to use the Admiralty code even if they had!'

'Oh? What about the mutineers in the fleet?'

'We're not all fools, you know; they will have been dealt with by now.'

'All right then; in that case your new orders can only be the result of some blunder on the part of Higher Command.'

'Thank you, they are quite plain, and in these waters it would be difficult to get higher authority than C. in C. Nore.'

'Perhaps.' Gregory rose slowly to his feet and stood, passing the tip of his tongue backwards and forwards between his lips while he eyed the sailor with a queer meditative look; then he added suddenly: 'But he's not quite high enough for me. I don't want trouble but I intend to carry out my mission.'

'Trouble?' the Lieutenant Commander picked him up: 'I shouldn't advise you to start it! I left instructions with the officer of the watch exactly what to do if I failed to return to the bridge ten minutes after I left him.'

'Did you? How thoughtful.' Gregory was almost purring now. 'Well, time is nearly up so you had better beat it, hadn't you?'

'I'm going all right but you and your party will kindly remain here until we get in.'

'Am I to understand that you are placing us under arrest?'

'Understand what you like, but I am in command of this ship and those are my orders.'

'All right; Rudd!' Gregory's voice was curt. 'The door, for the Commander.

'Yes, sir.' Rudd's eyes had never left Sallust's face, now he forced his way quickly in front of Fanshawe and gripped the knob of the wardroom door; as the sailor turned he was between them.

The whole thing was over so quickly that the others, seated at the table behind Gregory, hardly saw what happened. His arm seemed to shoot out with a vicious jab, his fist thudded on the flesh below the naval officer's ear, and Rudd, with a muttered 'easy now,' caught the body as it fell.