Read Online Attack Alarm by Hammond Innes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Hammond Innes
Ads: Link
unpleasant feeling of loneliness. “I regard this matter very seriously.” His voice was cold, distant. “The reasons for your suspicions seem to me quite inadequate. Apart from that, however, your communication with your newshound friend might have had very unfortunate repercussions. Mr. Vayle, though of British nationality, was for a number of years lecturer at a Berlin University. Being of Jewish extraction, he was forced to leave in 1934. As I have said, we think very highly of him at this station. Had your wire not been intercepted, I can well imagine what a stunt article your friend would have written.”
He got up abruptly. “I leave you to deal with this man, Mr. Ogilvie. You know my wishes. I want no repetition of this at my station.”
Ogilvie got his feet. “I’ll see that it does not occur again, sir.”
I hesitated.
But as the C.O. moved to the door, I said: “Excuse me, sir.”
He paused with his hand on the door. “What is it?” he said, and his tone was not inviting.
“In the first place,” I said, “Trent would never have used any information he obtained without my permission. Secondly, because I have joined the Army I have not forfeited my right as a citizen to take any steps I think proper in the interests of my country. My suspicions were flimsy, I knew that. It was out of the question at that stage to raise the matter with any one in authority. I took the only course open to me to attempt to satisfy those suspicions one way or the other.”
“The interests of your country would have been best served by your bringing your suspicions to me,not to a newspaper.” He still spoke quietly, but there was a tremor of anger in his voice.
I suppose it was foolish of me to pursue the matter. But I said: “Had I done that, without first seeing whether there were any grounds for my suspicions, I could hardly expect the matter to be taken any more seriously than my views about the information of a plan for immobilising our fighter ’dromes given me by the German pilot.”
“The headquarters staff of the station is better able to judge the importance of information than you are. I think it would be wise if you forgot that you’d ever been a journalist and remembered only that you’re a gunner in the British Army.” He turned to Ogilvie. “Whatever you decide, I look to you to see that this sort of thing does not occur again.”
“Very good, sir.” Ogilvie opened the door for him. When he had left, Ogilvie went back to his desk and lit his pipe. “You haven’t made it any easier for me by taking the line you did, Hanson,” he said. “Wing-Commander Winton expressed a desire that I should have you transferred to another troop or even another battery, so long as you did not remain at this camp any longer than necessary. However, I am not prepared to go as far as that.” He took his pipe from his mouth. “You will be confined to your site for twenty-eight days, and you will only leave it to get your meals and to wash. All letters and other communications during that period will be delivered to this office for me to censor. I will instruct Sergeant Langdon accordingly. All right. Dismiss!”
CHAPTER FOUR
NOT SINGLE SPIES
I THINK I was very near to tears as I came out of the office. The sense of frustration was strong in me. I felt lonely and dispirited. I was cut off from the outside world. I felt like a prisoner who wants to tell the world he didn’t do it, but can’t. Thorby was a prison and the barbed-wire bars had closed with a vengeance.
Seated on a bench outside the office building were Fuller and Mason. They fell silent as I emerged. I did not speak to them. I felt so remote from them, as they sat there enjoying the pleasant warmth of the gathering dusk, that I could think of nothing to say. I wandered slowly up the road and across the asphalt in front of the hangars. The peace of a late August evening had settled on the place. The revving of engines, symbol of war in a
He got up abruptly. “I leave you to deal with this man, Mr. Ogilvie. You know my wishes. I want no repetition of this at my station.”
Ogilvie got his feet. “I’ll see that it does not occur again, sir.”
I hesitated.
But as the C.O. moved to the door, I said: “Excuse me, sir.”
He paused with his hand on the door. “What is it?” he said, and his tone was not inviting.
“In the first place,” I said, “Trent would never have used any information he obtained without my permission. Secondly, because I have joined the Army I have not forfeited my right as a citizen to take any steps I think proper in the interests of my country. My suspicions were flimsy, I knew that. It was out of the question at that stage to raise the matter with any one in authority. I took the only course open to me to attempt to satisfy those suspicions one way or the other.”
“The interests of your country would have been best served by your bringing your suspicions to me,not to a newspaper.” He still spoke quietly, but there was a tremor of anger in his voice.
I suppose it was foolish of me to pursue the matter. But I said: “Had I done that, without first seeing whether there were any grounds for my suspicions, I could hardly expect the matter to be taken any more seriously than my views about the information of a plan for immobilising our fighter ’dromes given me by the German pilot.”
“The headquarters staff of the station is better able to judge the importance of information than you are. I think it would be wise if you forgot that you’d ever been a journalist and remembered only that you’re a gunner in the British Army.” He turned to Ogilvie. “Whatever you decide, I look to you to see that this sort of thing does not occur again.”
“Very good, sir.” Ogilvie opened the door for him. When he had left, Ogilvie went back to his desk and lit his pipe. “You haven’t made it any easier for me by taking the line you did, Hanson,” he said. “Wing-Commander Winton expressed a desire that I should have you transferred to another troop or even another battery, so long as you did not remain at this camp any longer than necessary. However, I am not prepared to go as far as that.” He took his pipe from his mouth. “You will be confined to your site for twenty-eight days, and you will only leave it to get your meals and to wash. All letters and other communications during that period will be delivered to this office for me to censor. I will instruct Sergeant Langdon accordingly. All right. Dismiss!”
CHAPTER FOUR
NOT SINGLE SPIES
I THINK I was very near to tears as I came out of the office. The sense of frustration was strong in me. I felt lonely and dispirited. I was cut off from the outside world. I felt like a prisoner who wants to tell the world he didn’t do it, but can’t. Thorby was a prison and the barbed-wire bars had closed with a vengeance.
Seated on a bench outside the office building were Fuller and Mason. They fell silent as I emerged. I did not speak to them. I felt so remote from them, as they sat there enjoying the pleasant warmth of the gathering dusk, that I could think of nothing to say. I wandered slowly up the road and across the asphalt in front of the hangars. The peace of a late August evening had settled on the place. The revving of engines, symbol of war in a
Similar Books
