A Ravel of Waters

By two bells in the middle watch – nine o'clock that night -the wind was blowing fresh from the east across the anchorage. Jetwind lay with her head to it. She tugged at her anchor cable as if eager to get going. I was in the crow's nest at the summit of No. 2 mast, directly overhead of the bridge, the mast I had visited with Kay. From my vantage-point, fifty-two metres above the deck, I could see the occasional surge from a white horse. The wind was building up; there was a lot more punch still to come. There couldn't be enough, for my business with the Almirante Storni.

I moved round to probe beyond The Narrows into the waters of Port William's outer anchorage. Where was the Almirante Storni? Any moment the warship should become visible. A cloud, fringed yellow along its edge by a track of reflected shore light, whipped at zero feet across the quartet of low hills separating us from the outer anchorage. These hills terminated at Navy Point, The Narrows' Western head-land. The cloud moved so fast that in no more than a couple of seconds it seemed to have blanketed the 300-metre passage, blacked out the navigation light on the opposite side at Engineer Point, and obscured a trio of further low hills on the eastern side of the entrance gap. Then the cloud blacked out the crow's nest itself. The wipers were ineffectual against the thick vapour.

I cursed the cloud. A visual sighting was the only way for me to spot the destroyer and give me the edge, since my eyrie was a few metres higher than the highest of the intervening hills. The warship's radar might indeed pick up the tops of Jetwind's masts but that would not be significant in a port with other ships about.

I put out the overhead light to extinguish any reflection from the crow's nest windows and peered into the darkness. If the destroyer came to anchor, she would -presumably – display normal anchor lights. Was the destroyer already in Port William? Was Captain Irizar playing possum with a blacked-out ship? I dismissed the idea. Captain Irizar had no reason to suspect anything on Jetwind's part. I was staking everything on the Almirante Storni navigating The Narrows in the small hours, based on Dawson's opinion that that would be the best time because of the local cloud peculiarity. If, on the other hand, Captain Irizar decided to anchor further out at sea, my break-out would abort because from that angle of approach he would spot Jetwind, and I was basing my entire plan on remaining invisible.

‘ had to get out tonight, and I had to prevent the Almirante Storni from pursuing me!

My nerves were too wrought-up to wait another hour for my council of war. I decided to summon the team now.

I picked up the phone, dialled Kay's cabin. 'Will you come to my quarters right away?' 'Is there anything wrong? You said ten o'clock.' 'I know. Nothing's wrong – yet.' ‘I’ll be right there.'

Brockton was not in his cabin but in the radio office with Arno. I decided to collect Tideman from the bridge en route to the meeting.

I found the bridge with its lighted consoles and static dial lights like a stage waiting for the players to enter. 'Everything okay?' I asked Tideman.

'Aye – just checking the hydraulics. All three diesels are operating.' ‘I’ve put the time of our meeting forward – it's now.'

He gave me a searching glance – perhaps I was showing more tension than I was aware of.

He said to the helmsman – one of his own sailor-paratroopers, ‘I’ll be in the captain's cabin. Call me if anything crops up.' 'Aye, aye, sir.'

My cabin, reached via the chartroom and navigation office, was beneath the starboard wing of the bridge. Kay and Brockton were waiting. The place was warm compared to the chill of the decks; wooden panelling made it additionally snug. It was quiet, too: no creak or murmur of the ship's fabric penetrated the rubber buffer strips on the doors and sound insulation behind the panelling. The accommodation was luxurious, if I'd had time to enjoy it.

I locked the door and waved the three of them into comfortable seats while I leaned against my big desk. Kay had shed her working rig in favour of navy slacks and pale mauve blouse under a jersey-knit waistcoat whose cut emphasized the line of her breasts, making her look twice as feminine.

‘I’m not going to beat about the bush,' I started off. 'I intend taking the ship out tonight.'

For a moment there was startled silence. Kay jumped up and hugged me spontaneously, and Brockton pump-handled my hand.

'I always knew you were a one-way guy, Peter!' he exclaimed delightedly.

However, my words seemed to produce most effect upon Tideman. He was looking directly at me when I made my announcement. There was a split-second fire burst behind his eyes; his face went taut like an instant face-lift.

'Now?' he jerked out. 'Now? I can be under way in ten minutes…'

I laughed and shook my head. Kay was still close enough for me to detect a trace of perfume.

She said enthusiastically, 'I thought I was keen to go, John! Ten minutes!'