Shout at the Devil (22 page)
Read Shout at the Devil Online
Authors: Wilbur Smith
â
T
here she goes!' whispered Charles Little without lowering his glasses. Upon the black turrets of
Blücher
the gun-fire gleamed and sparkled without sound. Quickly he traversed his glasses across the surface of the sea until he found
Orion.
She was plunging in eagerly, narrowing the gap very rapidly between herself and
Blücher
. In another seven minutes she would be able to return the German's fire.
T
here she goes!' whispered Charles Little without lowering his glasses. Upon the black turrets of
Blücher
the gun-fire gleamed and sparkled without sound. Quickly he traversed his glasses across the surface of the sea until he found
Orion.
She was plunging in eagerly, narrowing the gap very rapidly between herself and
Blücher
. In another seven minutes she would be able to return the German's fire.
Suddenly, a quarter of a mile ahead of her, there rose from the sea a series of tall columns, stately as the columns
of a Greek temple, slender and beautiful, shining like white marble in the sun. Then slowly they dropped back.
of a Greek temple, slender and beautiful, shining like white marble in the sun. Then slowly they dropped back.
âShort,' grunted the navigating lieutenant.
âHer guns are still cold,' Charles commented. âPlease God let old
Orion
get within range.'
Orion
get within range.'
Again
Blücher'
s shells fell short, and short again, but each time they were closer to the low bulk of
Orion,
and the next broadside dropped all around her, partially screening her with spray, and
Orion
started to zigzag.
Blücher'
s shells fell short, and short again, but each time they were closer to the low bulk of
Orion,
and the next broadside dropped all around her, partially screening her with spray, and
Orion
started to zigzag.
âAnother three minutes,' the navigating lieutenant spoke with tension making his voice husky.
At regular intervals of fifteen seconds the German salvos fell around
Orion
â once within fifty feet of her bows so that as she tore into the standing columns of spray, they blew back over her and mingled with the black smoke of her funnels.
Orion
â once within fifty feet of her bows so that as she tore into the standing columns of spray, they blew back over her and mingled with the black smoke of her funnels.
âCome on, old girl! Go in and get her. Go on! Go on!' Charles was gripping the rail in front of him and cheering like a maniac, all the dignity of his rank and his thirty-five years gone in the tense excitement of the battle. It had infected all of them on the bridge of the destroyer, and they capered and shouted with him.
âThere she blows!' howled the lieutenant.
âShe's opened fire!'
âGo it,
Orion,
go it!'
Orion,
go it!'
On
Orion
's forward turrets gun-fire sparkled, then again and again. The harsh roll of the broadsides carried to them against the light wind.
Orion
's forward turrets gun-fire sparkled, then again and again. The harsh roll of the broadsides carried to them against the light wind.
âShort,' groaned Charles. âShe's still out of range.'
âShort again!'
âStill short.'
Each time the call of shot was signalled by the chief yeoman at the Aldis lamp, and briefly acknowledged from
Orion'
s bridge-works.
Orion'
s bridge-works.
âOh my God,' moaned Charles.
âShe's hit!' echoed his lieutenant.
A flat yellow glare, like sheet lightning on a summer's day, lit
Orion
's afterdeck, and almost immediately a ball of yellowish grey smoke enveloped her. Through it Charles saw her after-funnel sag drunkenly and hang back at an unnatural angle.
Orion
's afterdeck, and almost immediately a ball of yellowish grey smoke enveloped her. Through it Charles saw her after-funnel sag drunkenly and hang back at an unnatural angle.
âShe's holding on!'
Orion
emerged from the shell smoke and dragged it after her like a funeral cloak, but her speed seemed unabated, and the regular salvos burned briefly and brightly on her forward turrets.
emerged from the shell smoke and dragged it after her like a funeral cloak, but her speed seemed unabated, and the regular salvos burned briefly and brightly on her forward turrets.
âNow she's hitting,' exulted the lieutenant, and Charles turned quickly to see shell-fire burst on
Blücher,
and his wide grin split his face.
Blücher,
and his wide grin split his face.
âKill her! Kill her!' he roared; knowing that though
Blücher
was better armed yet she was as vulnerable as
Orion
. Her plating was egg-shell thin and the six-inch shells that crashed through it would be doing her terrible damage.
Blücher
was better armed yet she was as vulnerable as
Orion
. Her plating was egg-shell thin and the six-inch shells that crashed through it would be doing her terrible damage.
Now the two cruisers were pounding each other. The range was closing so rapidly that soon they must hit with every broadside. This was a contest from which only one ship, or neither of them, would emerge.
Charles was trying to estimate the damage that had been inflicted upon
Blücher
during the last few minutes. She was on fire forward. Sulphur-yellow flames poured from her, her upperworks were riven into a grotesque sculpture of destruction, and a pall of smoke enveloped her, so her profile was shadowy and vague, yet every fifteen seconds her turrets lit with those deadly little flashes.
Blücher
during the last few minutes. She was on fire forward. Sulphur-yellow flames poured from her, her upperworks were riven into a grotesque sculpture of destruction, and a pall of smoke enveloped her, so her profile was shadowy and vague, yet every fifteen seconds her turrets lit with those deadly little flashes.
Charles turned to assess the relative damage that
Orion
had suffered. He found and held her with his binoculars â and at that moment
Orion
ceased to exist.
Orion
had suffered. He found and held her with his binoculars â and at that moment
Orion
ceased to exist.
Her boilers, pierced by high explosive shell, burst and tore her in half. A cloud of white steam spurted five hundred feet into the air, completely blanketing her. The steam
hung for thirty seconds, then sagged wearily, and rolled aside.
Orion
was gone. A wide circle of oil slick and floating debris marked her grave. The speed of her charge had run her clean under.
hung for thirty seconds, then sagged wearily, and rolled aside.
Orion
was gone. A wide circle of oil slick and floating debris marked her grave. The speed of her charge had run her clean under.
On the bridge of
Bloodhound
, the cheering strangled into deathly silence. The silence was not spoiled but rather accentuated by the mournful note of the wind in her rigging and the muted throb of her engines.
Bloodhound
, the cheering strangled into deathly silence. The silence was not spoiled but rather accentuated by the mournful note of the wind in her rigging and the muted throb of her engines.
F
or eight long hours Charles Little had ridden his anger and his hatred, using the curb to hold it on the right side of madness, resisting the consuming and suicidal urge to hurl his ship at the German cruiser and die as
Orion
had died.
or eight long hours Charles Little had ridden his anger and his hatred, using the curb to hold it on the right side of madness, resisting the consuming and suicidal urge to hurl his ship at the German cruiser and die as
Orion
had died.
Immediately after the sinking of
Orion,
the
Blücher
had reduced speed sharply and turned due south. With her fires still raging, she had limped along like a gun-shot lion. The battle ensigns at her masthead were tattered by shrapnel and blackened by smoke.
Orion,
the
Blücher
had reduced speed sharply and turned due south. With her fires still raging, she had limped along like a gun-shot lion. The battle ensigns at her masthead were tattered by shrapnel and blackened by smoke.
As soon as she had passed,
Bloodhound
altered course and cruised slowly over the area of water that was still rainbowed by floating oil and speckled with wreckage. There were no survivors from
Orion
; all of them had died with her.
Bloodhound
altered course and cruised slowly over the area of water that was still rainbowed by floating oil and speckled with wreckage. There were no survivors from
Orion
; all of them had died with her.
Bloohound
turned and trailed after the crippled German cruiser, and the hatred that emanated from the destroyer was of such strength that it should have reached out across the sea as a physical force and destroyed
Blücher
.
turned and trailed after the crippled German cruiser, and the hatred that emanated from the destroyer was of such strength that it should have reached out across the sea as a physical force and destroyed
Blücher
.
But as Charles Little stood at the rail of his bridge, he saw the smoke and flame upon
Blücher'
s decks reduce perceptibly every minute as her damage control teams fought it to a standstill. The last wisp of smoke from her shrivelled.
Blücher'
s decks reduce perceptibly every minute as her damage control teams fought it to a standstill. The last wisp of smoke from her shrivelled.
âFire's out,' said the pilot, and Charles made no answer. He had hoped that the flames would eat their way into one of
Blücher's
magazines and blow her into the same oblivion into which she had sent
Orion.
Blücher's
magazines and blow her into the same oblivion into which she had sent
Orion.
âBut she isn't making more than six knots.
Orion
must have hit her in the engine room.' Hopefully the navigating lieutenant went on, âMy bet is that she's got major damage below. At this speed we can expect
Pegasus
and
Renounce
to catch up with us by midday tomorrow. The
Blücher
will stand no chance!'
Orion
must have hit her in the engine room.' Hopefully the navigating lieutenant went on, âMy bet is that she's got major damage below. At this speed we can expect
Pegasus
and
Renounce
to catch up with us by midday tomorrow. The
Blücher
will stand no chance!'
âYes,' agreed Charles softly.
Summoned by
Bloodhound's
frantic radio transmissions,
Pegasus
and
Renounce,
the two heavy cruisers of the northern squadron, were racing down the East African coast, cutting through the five hundred miles of water that separated them.
Bloodhound's
frantic radio transmissions,
Pegasus
and
Renounce,
the two heavy cruisers of the northern squadron, were racing down the East African coast, cutting through the five hundred miles of water that separated them.
â
K
yller. Ask the chief how he's making out.' Von Kleine was fretting beneath the calm set of his features. Night was closing, and in the darkness, even the frail little English destroyer was a danger to him. There was danger all around, danger must each minute be approaching from every quarter of the sea. He must have power on his port side engine before nightfall; it was a matter of survival; he must have speed to carry him south through the hunting packs of the British â south to where
Esther
waited to give him succour, to replace the shell he had fired away, to replenish his coal bunkers which were now dangerously depleted. Then once more
Blücher
would be a force to reckon with. But first he must have speed.
K
yller. Ask the chief how he's making out.' Von Kleine was fretting beneath the calm set of his features. Night was closing, and in the darkness, even the frail little English destroyer was a danger to him. There was danger all around, danger must each minute be approaching from every quarter of the sea. He must have power on his port side engine before nightfall; it was a matter of survival; he must have speed to carry him south through the hunting packs of the British â south to where
Esther
waited to give him succour, to replace the shell he had fired away, to replenish his coal bunkers which were now dangerously depleted. Then once more
Blücher
would be a force to reckon with. But first he must have speed.
âCaptain.' Kyller was beside him again. âCommander Lochtkamper reports they have cleared the oil line to the
main bearing. They have stripped the bearing and there is no damage to the shaft. He is fitting new half shells. The work is well advanced, sir.'
main bearing. They have stripped the bearing and there is no damage to the shaft. He is fitting new half shells. The work is well advanced, sir.'
The words conjured up for von Kleine a picture of half-naked men, smeared to the elbows with black grease, sweating in the confined heat of the drive shaft tunnel as they worked. âHow much longer?' he asked.
âHe promised full power on both engines within two hours, sir.'
Von Kleine sighed with relief, and glanced over his stern at the British destroyer that was shadowing him. He began to smile.
âI hope, my friend, that you are a brave man. I hope that when you see me increase speed, you will not be able to control your disappointment. I hope tonight you will try with your torpedoes, so that I can crush you, for your eyes always on me are a dangerous embarrassment.' He spoke so softly that his lips barely moved, then he turned back to Kyller. âI want all the battle lights checked and reported.'
âAye, aye, sir.'
Von Kleine crossed to the voice-tubes. âGunnery officer,' he said. âI want “X” turret guns loaded with star shell and trained to maximum elevation â¦' He went on listing his preparations for night action and then he ended, â ⦠stand all your gun crews down. Let them eat and rest. From dusk action stations onwards they will be held in the first degree of readiness.'
Â
Â
âCommander, sir!'
The urgent call startled Commander Charles Little, and he spilled his mug of cocoa. This was the first period of rest he had allowed himself all day, and now it was interrupted within ten minutes. âWhat is it?' He flung open the door of the chart room, and ran out on to the bridge.
âBlücher
is increasing speed rapidly.'
is increasing speed rapidly.'
âNo!' It was too cruel a blow, and the exclamation of protest was wrung from Charles. He darted to the voice-pipe.
âGunnery officer. Report your target.'
A moment's delay, and then the reply. âBearing mark, green oh-oh. Range, one-five-oh-five-oh. Speed, seventeen knots.'
It was true.
Blücher
was under full power again, with all her guns still operable.
Orion
had died in vain.
Blücher
was under full power again, with all her guns still operable.
Orion
had died in vain.
Charles wiped his mouth with the open palm of his hand, and felt the brittle stubble of his new beard rasp under his fingers. Beneath the tan, his face was sickly pale with strain and fatigue. There were smears of dark blue beneath his eyes, and in their corners were tiny lumps of yellow mucus. His eyes were bloodshot, and the wisp of hair that escaped from under the brim of his cap was matted on to his forehead by the salt spray, as he peered into the gathering dusk.
The fighting madness which had threatened all that day to overwhelm him, rose slowly from the depth of his belly and his loins. He no longer struggled to suppress it.
âTurn two points to starboard, pilot. All engines full ahead together.' The engine telegraph clanged, and
Bloodhound
pivoted like a polo pony. It would take her thirty minutes to work up to full speed, and by that time it would be dark.
Bloodhound
pivoted like a polo pony. It would take her thirty minutes to work up to full speed, and by that time it would be dark.
âSound action stations.' Charles wanted to attack in the hour of darkness before the moon came up. Through the ship the alarm bells thrilled, and without taking his eyes from the dark dot on the darkening horizon, Charles listened to-the reports coming into the bridge, until the one for which he waited, âTorpedo party closed up, sir!'
Now he turned and went to the voice-tube. âTorps,' he said, âI hope to give you a chance at
Blücher
with both port
and starboard tubes. I am going to take you in as close as possible.'
Blücher
with both port
and starboard tubes. I am going to take you in as close as possible.'
The men grouped around Charles on the bridge listened to him say âas close as possible', and knew that he had pronounced sentence of death upon them.
Henry Sargent, the navigating lieutenant, was afraid. Stealthily he groped in the pocket of his overcoat until he found the little silver crucifix that Lynette had given him. It was warm from his own body heat. He held it tightly.
He remembered it hanging between her breasts on its silver chain, and the way she had lifted both hands to the back of her neck as she unclasped it. The chain had caught in the shiny cascade of hair as she had tried to free it, kneeling on the bed facing him. He had leaned forward to help her, and she had clung to him, pressing the warm smooth bulge of her pregnant stomach against him.
âGod protect you, my darling husband,' she had whispered. âPlease God bring you back safely to us.'
And now he was afraid for her and the daughter he had never seen.
âHold your course, damn you!' he snapped at Herbert Cryer, the helmsman.
âAye, aye, sir,' Herbert Cryer replied with just a trace of injured innocence in his tone. No man could hold
Bloodhound
true when she hurled herself from swell to swell with such abandoned violence, she must yaw and throw her head that fraction before the helm could correct her. The reprimand was unjustified, uttered in fear and tension. âGive it a flipping break, mate,' Herbert retorted silently. âYou're not the only one who is going to catch it. Tighten up the old arsehole like a bloody officer and a ruddy gentleman.'
Bloodhound
true when she hurled herself from swell to swell with such abandoned violence, she must yaw and throw her head that fraction before the helm could correct her. The reprimand was unjustified, uttered in fear and tension. âGive it a flipping break, mate,' Herbert retorted silently. âYou're not the only one who is going to catch it. Tighten up the old arsehole like a bloody officer and a ruddy gentleman.'
In these wordless exchanges of repartee with his officers, Herbert Cryer was never bested. They were wonderful
release for resentments and pent-up emotion, and now because he was also afraid, he became silently lyrical.
release for resentments and pent-up emotion, and now because he was also afraid, he became silently lyrical.
âClimb-aboard-Romeo's one-way express to flipping glory.' Commander Little's reputation with the ladies had resulted in him being irreverently but affectionately baptized by his crew. âCome along with us. We're off to shout at the devil, while Charlie kisses his daughter.'
Herbert glanced sideways at his commander and grinned. Fear made the grin wolfish, and Charles Little saw it and misinterpreted it. He read it as a mark of the same berserk fury that possessed him. The two of them grinned at each other for an instant in complete misunderstanding, before Herbert refocused his attention on
Bloodhound'
s next wild crabbing lunge.
Bloodhound'
s next wild crabbing lunge.
Charles was afraid as well. He was afraid of finding a weakness in himself â but this was the fear that had walked at his right hand all his life, close beside him, whispering to him, âHarder, try harder. You must do it better, you must do it quicker, or bigger than they do, or they'll laugh at you. You mustn't fail â not in one thing, not for one moment, you mustn't fail. You mustn't fail!' This fear was the eternal companion and partner in every venture on which he embarked.
It had stood beside the thirteen-year-old Charles in a duck blind, while he fired a twelve-gauge shotgun, and wept slow fat tears of agony every time the recoil smashed into his bruised bicep and shoulder.
It had stooped over him as he lay in the mud hugging a broken collar bone. âGet up!' it hissed at him. âGet up!' It had forced him to his feet and led him back to the unbroken colt to mount again, and again, and again.
So conditioned was he to respond to its voice that when it crouched beside him now, twisted and misshapen on the footplates of the bridge, its presence almost tangible, and croaked so Charles alone could hear it, âProve it!' Prove it!'
there was only one course open to Charles Little; a peregrine stooping at a golden eagle, he took his ship in against the
Blücher
.
there was only one course open to Charles Little; a peregrine stooping at a golden eagle, he took his ship in against the
Blücher
.
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