The Black Tide

It was the first of a number of times I would be called upon to repeat my story in the next few days. And when Saltley had finished describing the meeting of the tankers and how they had nearly run us down in the dark, the Admiral said, ‘I think what I would do in the circumstances is keep a very close watch on them after they enter the Channel and alert other nations of our suspicions. As soon as they enter territorial waters, then it’s up to the nation concerned to take whatever action is considered appropriate.’

‘Will you be advising the MoD to that effect?’ Saltley asked.

‘I’ll be making a report, certainly.’

‘That wasn’t what I asked, Admiral.’ Saltley was leaning across the table, his voice urgent. ‘At twenty knots the Western Approaches are only three days’ steaming from where we last saw them, just west of Selvagem Grande. This time tomorrow they could be

into the Channel. They could be into Le Havre, Southampton, Portsmouth even, by first light the following morning. That’s how urgent it is.’ And he added, ‘If it were Brest now…’

There was a tap on the doghouse roof and a naval lieutenant peered down through the hatch to say there was only one seat vacant on the first plane out in the morning, which was a TAP scheduled flight via Lisbon. He had booked that and also a seat on a tourist charter plane to Gatwick later in the day.

‘No flights tonight?’ Saltley asked.

‘None, sir. The next flight out is the one to Lisbon.’ And he went on to tell us that the captain of the Portuguese tug had to meet a freighter coming in and required us to shift our berth immediately.

We did this as soon as the Admiral had left, moving our warps to the submarine, which now had a queue of Portuguese sightseers entering by the for’ard hatch and coming out at the stern, some of the bulkier ladies severely testing the serious demeanour of the sailors detailed to assist them. As soon as we were tied up, Saltley and I packed our bags and we all went ashore to the Casino Park, the big circular concrete and glass hotel built on the high ground overlooking the old town and the harbour. Our first priority was hot baths, and having booked two rooms and checked that there was no way we could reach London any quicker, Saltley got on the phone to Michael Stewart while Pamela bathed in his room and the rest of us shared my bathroom and shower.

I came down to find the night outside the

glassed-in reception area very still and studded with stars. I ordered a glass of sercial and stood at the window sipping the fortified wine and looking up to the floodlit castle and all the myriad lights twinkling on the slopes high above. Pamela joined me and we took our drinks outside, strolling through the lawned gardens to the stone parapet overlooking the harbour. The water below us was oily calm, the lights of the ships along the jetty reflected in the flat black surface. We stood there for a time, talking quietly, both of us strangely relaxed and at ease. But then, as we finished our drinks and began to walk slowly back, Pamela suddenly said, ‘I think I should warn you, about Salt. He’s quite ruthless, you know. He’ll use you. He’s good at his job, you see.’ She looked up at me, smiling a little hesitantly. ‘Some day I’ll probably marry him, so I do know the sort of man he is, how single-minded he can be. Right now he has only one interest, and it’s not the same as yours. He’s not really concerned with the damage those tankers could do, except incidentally as a potential insurance claim. He just wants to prove their true identity. That lets my father’s syndicates out and chalks up another success for him. Do you understand?’ She had stopped by a rose bed, her blunt fingers toying with a dark red bloom as she leaned down to smell it. ‘Where there’s fraud involved he’s like a bloodhound. He’ll follow the scent quite regardless of anybody else.’

‘Yes, but anything I say can only support his case.’

She nodded, her eyes large and luminous in the

dim light. ‘I expect you’re right, but we won’t be alone

again after this and I felt I should warn you. On board you’ve seen perhaps his nicest side. But on the job, remember he’s a real professional and determined to be accepted as the best there is. Anyway, good luck when you reach London.’ She smiled abruptly, then went on into the hotel to join the others who were now standing at the bar.