A Twist Of Sand

"Now tell the court, when Lieutenant-Commander Peace heard it for the first time, what was his reaction?"

"He seemed interested, but puzzled, like I was, sir."

"Was there anything — er — abnormal about him at that stage?"

Bissett's face grew red.

"There ain't anything wrong with the captain," he broke out. "He's the best bloody skipper I ever sailed with…"

"Bissett!" growled the gold lace in the middle.

Bissett swung and faced him. "It's true, sir. Ask any of the crew. He's on the mat because young Elton here got what he deserved. We still dunno what he was up to, but any of us would go to sea tomorrow with him if you asked us."

The judicial captain said ironically: "A very fine spontaneous tribute and I hope it was not too quick for the record. We want facts, Bissett. The court will ask for your opinion if it requires it. Meanwhile you can save it."

"He saved us often enough," said Bissett rather wildly.

The lieutenant stepped into the breach.

"Now, Bissett," he said. "You had been following this strange noise on a steady bearing for two hours, correct? Then what happened?"

"Lieutenant-Commander Peace rushed in, excited-like and told me to switch off everything."

"What was he excited about?"

"I don't know, sir. He don't usually consult me about an attack. I'm only a rating."

A heavy frown split the Commander-in-Chief's face at this uncalled for sarcasm. But he kept quiet.

"And then?"

"After I had switched off, he told me not to use the hydrophones again without his express permission, sir."

"What would you deduce from that?"

"That Trout was in danger — in big danger, sir. He knew what he was doing."

"The court will decide that," said the lieutenant grimly.

"And when did you next use the hydrophones?"

"Next day, when we went to action stations."

"What did you hear?"

"No transmissions, sir," said Bissett woodenly.

"Until when?"

"After he knocked Elton out, sir. The transmissions was the same. Lieutenant-Commander Peace was with me at the time."

"Same as what?"

"As the previous night, sir. No mistaking it. Regular, gurgling. Not H.E, sir."

"And Lieutenant-Commander Peace intended to fire a torpedo salvo on this bearing?"

"I dunno what the skipper was going to do, sir. All I know is that the noises were the same."

The prosecuting officer sighed. Bissett was certainly no help to him.

"Was Lieutenant-Commander Peace quite normal when he heard the transmissions again?"

"Yes, sir, quite normal. We were both pleased."

"Why were you pleased?"

Bissett looked at him contemptuously. "We'd found the enemy again, that's why."

The judicial captain leaned forward.

"You say ' enemy,' Bissett. What makes you say that?"

"It was the enemy all right, sir," muttered Bissett, neatly caught.

There was a short silence.

"You must think over this next question very carefully before answering," said the captain. The way he said it sent a thrill through the court. Bissett felt it, too. I hoped he wouldn't be stupid and try and cover up for me again.

"You say enemy. That means what you heard was — machinery?"

Bissett looked across at me, hopelessly. There was a long pause. Bissett shuffled and then looked up suddenly.

"Yes, sir, it was machinery."

The tension broke.

"But not H.E?"

"No, not H.E, sir."

The rear-admiral smiled frostily at my counsel.

Bissett went, with a last appealing glance at me.

The prosecuting officer fumbled with his papers for a moment, producing the necessary air of drama before the entrance of his key witness.

"Lieutenant John Garland," he called.

Someone at the door repeated it and I heard it again down the corridor. Since the moment I had "frozen "John on Trout's bridge that night, we might have been strangers.

John came in and made his way, smartly uniformed, to the witness box. He was sworn and looked aloofly round the court. His preliminary answers were dry, clipped, official. He looked as cool as he always was under fire.

Then came the questions about what had happened after Bissett had first heard NP I. I would have to cure myself of thinking of the noise as NP I, in case it should slip out, I thought grimly to myself.

The prosecutor consulted his notes.

"On orders from Lieutenant-Commander Peace, you altered course sharply, did you not, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, sir, I did," replied John.

"Why?"

"Because I was ordered to do so."

"That's no answer, Lieutenant — what was the reason for the sharp alteration — it was nearly right about face, wasn't it?"

"There was a suspicious noise on the hydrophones and Lieutenant-Commander Peace decided to follow it."

The prosecutor scanned his notes. "Did not Lieutenant-Commander Peace use these words: ' I'm sick of this bloody square-search and I'm trailing a whale with alimentary ailments?'"

John looked him in the eyes, lying magnificently.

"Those words were never used to me, sir."

"Are you sure, Lieutenant? Confirmation might be in Lieutenant-Commander Peace's favour when his mental state comes to be considered."

John wouldn't fall for that sort of blandishment. "They were never used to me," he repeated.