DIEU ET MON DROIT

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 March 1932, Page 10

DIEU ET MON DROIT

EERW TALE OF MIPPLE WATCH 1 Darkness still lay on the face of the waters, and ja._s yet the east had not signalled the coming of the dawn to the anchored Ship (writes E. A. Aujard). EvenWduXy watt*, weary with Jong watchkeeping, slept. The officer of the watch breathed uneasily in a deck-chair on the bridge as destroyer P 39 swung to the murmuring, flowing tide. — Nearby, facing the .dimly .jMfflJMSated dial of the ship’s clock, the quartermaster slept on his feet as he leaned against the little desk <m which the light breeze ruffled the pages ,of the logbook. Twice a page of the logbook turned over and brushed the nose of the quartermaster, making his face twitch sleepily. It was a big, porous nose, the keynote of the expression of the quartermaster’s weather-beaten -face.’ Three hundred yards away,, in the blackness of the harbour, £ tiny tongue of flame licked up into the night and was withdrawn again. Then came another, and another, and another —little flames preceding the burst of fire which enwrapped the old hulk of the storeship, and threw its yellow glory across the ruffled sea. Out of the night came the rattle of rowlocks, and a voice from a naval whaleboat, "Ship ahoy.” Half a dozen'pages stirred by the light breeze flicked the nose of the quartermaster again. He blinked himself- .awake, thinking that the world w.as afire.”

“Ship ahoy, ship afioy, D 39 ahoy.”' Thoroughly roused the quartermaster stared at the flaming hulk as the voice from the boat ordered: "Four men for the fire party.” "Aye, aye, sir,” replied the quartermaster. "They’ll be here in a minute.” "Haven’t you called them yet?” *"Yes, sir,” lied the quartermaster,rushing away. After hurriedly awakening four of the crew he gently shook the recumbent form of Lieutenant Burleigh, the duty officer of the ...watch, who was still soundly asleep in the deck chair on the bridge. “Did you call me before?” asked the? surprised youthful officer, as soon .as he had learned the reason for the hub-bub. 7

"Yes, sir, I did,” said the quartermaster. His hard face showed no sign of the ready lie that came so .easily to his sailor’s iips ? • “You did call me?”, the -ynuthfui face seemed to gropp uncertainly in an endeavoui 1 to remember having been called. “Are yqu sure, quartermaster?” He gazed up at the quartermaster critically, quizzically."searching the blank, expres.sionlesS face of the older' man of the sea.

“Quite, sir. .. .You told me. to call the fir.e party.” The quartermaster looked round as the men emerged from the hatchway, pulling on their jackets and caps. “Here they come, sir, now.” TO THE RESCUE Lieutenant Burleigh leaned on the bridge rail, watching the four sailors tumble into the boat alongside to join the fire-fighting party. Together the quartermaster and the officer watched the whaleboat move off toward the blazing ship. Other little boats were converging on the huge flower of flame blazing up into the on the light breeze. Ail thoughts of the fire seemed to have left the mind of the but his face remained puzzled. He turned again to the quartermaster, and hesitated slightly before he asked: “Are you sure you called?” “Quite, sir. You .were a bit hard to w.ke at first.” z “That’s funny,” sai.d ;tfee officer. “I haven’t the slightest recpllection of having beep called.” “You just answered me and went" to sleep again, sir.” ' • ■ “Went to sleep again?” "Yes, sir.” “Went to sleep again.” The youjgg. officer did not seem to be able Jp grasp the significance ci the statement of the qaartermastpr. He could not remember oyer having been jbotired as to go to sleep again after having been called in an emergency. “That’S funny,” he mused. “Yes, sir,” replied the quartermaster politely. ' ..

“What’s that?” snapped the officer. “What you said, sir. Funny.” “But it’s not funny,” “No, sir,” stumbled the quartermaster, ready to be polite .either way. Anyway, service was service, and ‘he had to be polite. “What do you mean?” ■ “It’s not funny, sir.” ' It certainly js not. It’s damned serious. Did you ever know me 'to do that before?” ’ . .1. “No, never sir. This is the first time.” “The first time,” repeated the officer, dazedly, as if trying to analyse, himself and his reactions on being awakened in times past. “That wiH do, quartermaster.” '

Very good, sir.” The quartermaster saluted sharply and walked slowly to the end .of the-bridge, where he looked out into the night at the dying fires of the doomed "ship still throwing fitful- flames-into,the night, anrid the cloudy, of ..steam that belched -up from the streamer of water playing' on' the great hulk.

TOWARDS -THE EAST Two hours later Destroyer D 39 was under way, steering jpward the east, where the first break of dawn was pouring a faint light across the loping seas. A shadowy tramp steamer showed up in silhouette against the watery skyline. .Standing at the bridge rail Lieu tenant/ Burleigh ® CI , ?l£aight ahead, fixedly, withaihc looking fe right or left.— At the wheel ‘-he quartermaster divided his attend tion between the compass and the tramp -steamer * speeding at right angles to the course'of the destroyer? eveial minutes passed, and the quar-tei-master grew restless as he waited loi the officer to give orders to alter the course of the destroyer. Somewhere ahead those two ships wofild ™ aet ; ~W lt, h hls sa * ,or ’ s ey.e the quartet master became increasingly appfe-" hensive of the certainty of a collision. “Steamer on the port bow sir.” c er Cant 1 See lt? ” snappe( 2 * he offi-

The quartermaster was silent He stroked his lofig nose wisely, and pulied his cap down over his eyes, gaz.j.ing again at the tramp -steamer Only ,a few hundred yards now separated

the approaching vessel. The quartermaster was more keenly alive to the odds against missing a collision. But he was also well disciplined, and he awaited the order to change the course of the destroyer, wondering how long it would be before the officer became alive to the danger.. In his time he had known officers to wait till the last minute before altering course. Perhaps Burleigh had guessed that he had not been called, and wished to get a little of his own back. Even that thought fled from the mind of the quartermaster as the ships neared each other.

J alter course, .sir?” There was a world of arrogance in Burleigh’s voice as he snapped out: “When j[ Ml you ” ' The quartermaster .now told himself that the destroyer would hit the tramp exactly amidships. Discipline and epmjgpon sense fought its long battle in the mind of the quartgrma.ster—apd discipline won. Straight ahead steamed the destroyer, the seas purling'gently from her tow. ■-There would be a collision all right. Nothing surer.. One .more effort to arouse his superior. “£hall I alter course, air?” “Who’s in charge?” snapped the officer. He tur.ngd round and stared savagely at the man at the wheel. .“Who’s in charge?” he repeated. “You are, sir.” “Well, wait for it,” roared the officer, shaking. “It’s coming, sir,” replied the quartermaster. “Right amidships.” And in that moment it came. The how of the destroyer bent like a piece of tin as she crashed into the lumbering tramp. Both ships shuddered on the still, dawnlit sea. A shout went up/ and men poured out to the two decks to learn what had happened. The' engines stopped amid the din of tele-; graph beHs. - Pulling on his dressing-.; gown as he came, the captain rushed on to the bridge of the destroyer. “How did this happen?” he asked, looking from the quartermaster ,to the officer. “I gave the order io' alter course/’ said Burleigh, with a troubled look on his face. §o that was it, thought the quartermaster. He was going to blame him.. One must be very cpol now, or one would, be sure to go under. A man had not much chance against an offi/ cer. When the captain bent a curious? gaze on .the quartermaster he replied with: “I’d like to be relieved to explain/’ He did explain to the captain’s satisfaction. At the next port Burleigh went ashore to an. inquiry, and he did not join the ship again. Jn the middle watches op many Ships the quartermaster sometimes told the story of the fire .and the collision. “You see,” he would say, “he couldn’t get oyer bein’ called and goin’ to sleep pgain without knowiri’' it. It got bn his mind, mates/ And he got so flummoxed he didn’t knojv to do when he saw that tramp,because he didn’t like me tillin’ him what t.Q do. The quacks said he had a touch o’ -nerves. Too much of the North Sea.” ■

“But you didn’t call him for the fire?” someone would always pipe up. The quartermaster would only smile at this. “A man must save himself. It was him- or me. We were both asleep. I won. . That’s all.” The quartermaster gazed at the' French words on the gun. “Dipp "ef mon droit,” and nodded his head. “There it is—the navy's-motter: ■■’Hang you, Jack, I’m all right/ I woulda lost me job if he’d found put. He was such a nice young feller-me-lad, too. -rifaT' hJEahy a' good man tracked -up-4b the Dover patrol./’ Reminiscently he would add: “Many a~goibbr ma.tes.”