"MacDonnell, J E - 125 - Blind Into Doom UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (MacDonnell J E)

the ship's side behind it he found what he expected, and in the dust,
with his finger, he wrote the date. A brief wordless glance at Ogilvie
and then he was through the watertight door into the next
compartment, and let loose his grin. That paintwork would be spotless
before next captain's rounds; before, in fact, two minutes had passed.
And Ogilvie's self-esteem had been reduced a peg.
Here, at the head of the ladder leading down to the stokers' mess,
a happier memory for Duncan. It had been last Christmas Day, the
messdecks decorated with gubbins ranging from old Christmas cards
to fresh toilet paper. Across the hatchway he was now about to
descend through had been stretched a cord: it supported half a dozen
rubber condoms, extended, and a crudely lettered sign which
proclaimed BOOM DEFENCE.
Blake had frowned uneasily. The engineer-commander had glared
blue bloody murder. Duncan had chuckled, then unhooked the cord
and gone down to wish his stokers a merry Christmas. Now he came
up again from the black-gangers' domain, back to the foretop
messdeck, and noticed a stirring amongst his entourage. The bosun's
mate broke through, momentarily more important than the lot of
them combined. Duncan read the expression in his young face-urgent
but not alarmed.
"Yes, lad?"
"From the officer of the watch, sir. It's started to rain."
"Visibility?"
"Still good, sir, and the convoy's still in sight."
"Very well. "Duncan hesitated. He knew all eyes were on him,
but was used to that sort of attention. His mind worked swiftly. Instinct
urged him to get back up there, where he could see, and judge for
himself. But the officer of the watch knew his business-visibility
still good-and there was only the foc's'le messdeck left. They'd been
scrubbing woodwork and washing paintwork and tidying-up all
morning; it would be bad to disappoint them, so close to the area of
their toil.
"Tell the officer of the watch I shall be up in five minutes," Duncan
said, and moved on round the big steel barbette of B-turret, its
nourishing tooth which reached down to the shell-handling room.
- J.E. Macdonnell: Blind Into Doom Page 14 -



He stepped over the hatch coaming and saw a familiar face
waiting.
"Foc's'le messdeck ready for inspection, sir," said Leading-
Seaman Lusby.
Duncan had enjoyed his perambulations. Lord knows his
movements in this hostile area were circumscribed enough, consisting
mainly of journeying between his sea-cabin and the bridge. He felt
contented, almost happy, and so he said:
"You were wrong, y'know."
"Come again? Ah...beg pardon, sir?"