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Authors: John Christopher
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stomach, but the rest of his body is in no danger.’
Nadya said: ‘You look tired, Niels. You have been on duty?’
‘Yes. Soon I am going to bed.’
‘Poor Niels. You have a hard time. So much duty, so little sleep.’
She looked at him, her face not quite innocent. Mouritzen smiled at her.
‘I am grateful for your sympathy, Nadya.’
Simanyi said: ‘Think what it must be like on the little fishing boats in such weather as this.’
Olsen laughed. ‘You must keep your fishing for the harbours, Mr Simanyi. A catch is more certain there, too.’
Nadya said to Mouritzen in a low voice: ‘I am most sympathetic to you, Niels. Surely you have not forgotten that?’
Mouritzen looked away, embarrassed. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I have not forgotten.’
‘I am patient,’ Nadya said, ‘and I am forgiving. Do you not think I am an excellent woman, Niels?’
He nodded. ‘Yes, excellent.’
She smiled. ‘Eat your breakfast. You look hungry.’
----
The gale strengthened during the morning, and the wind grew colder; there were frequent showers of sleet and hail. With the wind in the south-west, the
Kreya
continued to run before it. The heavy seas broke over her stern and bows, but she was fairly dry amidships.
Returning to the bridge at two o’clock, Mouritzen was surprised to find their course still steady on north-east. He mentioned this to Olsen.
Olsen said: ‘I tried her on an easterly tack during the morning. She takes a poor grip; we’re too light.’
‘So?’
‘I would sooner beat into a storm like this than cross it. If we change course about seven we can head south to the Wadenzee.’
‘What’s the forecast?’
‘Bad.’
Mouritzen looked at the chart. ‘About fifty miles north-west of Hook. We could still make Den Helder.’
‘East by north-east,’ Olsen said. ‘Nearly broadside on to it, and loaded with air instead of ballast. No, we shall do better by staying on our course.’
The ship shuddered, plunging her bows into a high cliff of water. They felt her go down, steady, begin the upward surge.
‘When she does turn,’ Mouritzen said, ‘it will be more than ninety degrees. She will be broadside to it then, all right.’
‘For minutes,’ Olsen said, ‘not for hours. Keep her steady on course, Niels. I think I will take a nap.’
----
All round the north-west coasts of Europe the winds were ravaging, like packs of hunting wolves. When Olsen took over again, Mouritzen reported to him a still bleaker weather outlook, and three distress signals already picked up.
‘Anything near us?’
‘One in the Irish Sea, one off the Hebrides, the other north of Bergen.’
‘Good.’ He smiled with a cold humour. ‘This is no weather for rescue operations. Have they made contact?’
‘Yes. But the one north of Bergen has little chance, I think. She is taking a lot of water in her engine room. The lifeboats have gone out from Bergen, but they’ll be hard put to reach her in time.’
‘What is she?’
‘The
Firkar
. German – eleven hundred tons.’
‘God help them,’ Olsen said, ‘if there is a God. I would not like to swim in this. We’re in a foolish trade, Niels.’
Mouritzen said: ‘I’ve never known you admit to folly before.’
‘Nor do I now. If the trade is foolish, the tradesman need not be a fool.’
‘Then why choose the trade?’
‘In my case, it was not a choice. My father was a sea captain. He was a big man, and by being small I disappointed him. I did not wish to disappoint him altogether. So I took up his trade.’
‘You’ve done well at it.’
Olsen smiled again. ‘I would have been a good doctor, too. A better doctor than a sea captain, maybe.’
Before dinner, Mouritzen went to see Mary and Annabel. He knocked at the door, and she called him in. She had put Annabel into the bottom bunk, and was sitting beside her reading a book. She put it down as Mouritzen entered the cabin. She looked pale, but she smiled at him.
‘How does it go?’
Nadya said: ‘You look tired, Niels. You have been on duty?’
‘Yes. Soon I am going to bed.’
‘Poor Niels. You have a hard time. So much duty, so little sleep.’
She looked at him, her face not quite innocent. Mouritzen smiled at her.
‘I am grateful for your sympathy, Nadya.’
Simanyi said: ‘Think what it must be like on the little fishing boats in such weather as this.’
Olsen laughed. ‘You must keep your fishing for the harbours, Mr Simanyi. A catch is more certain there, too.’
Nadya said to Mouritzen in a low voice: ‘I am most sympathetic to you, Niels. Surely you have not forgotten that?’
Mouritzen looked away, embarrassed. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I have not forgotten.’
‘I am patient,’ Nadya said, ‘and I am forgiving. Do you not think I am an excellent woman, Niels?’
He nodded. ‘Yes, excellent.’
She smiled. ‘Eat your breakfast. You look hungry.’
----
The gale strengthened during the morning, and the wind grew colder; there were frequent showers of sleet and hail. With the wind in the south-west, the
Kreya
continued to run before it. The heavy seas broke over her stern and bows, but she was fairly dry amidships.
Returning to the bridge at two o’clock, Mouritzen was surprised to find their course still steady on north-east. He mentioned this to Olsen.
Olsen said: ‘I tried her on an easterly tack during the morning. She takes a poor grip; we’re too light.’
‘So?’
‘I would sooner beat into a storm like this than cross it. If we change course about seven we can head south to the Wadenzee.’
‘What’s the forecast?’
‘Bad.’
Mouritzen looked at the chart. ‘About fifty miles north-west of Hook. We could still make Den Helder.’
‘East by north-east,’ Olsen said. ‘Nearly broadside on to it, and loaded with air instead of ballast. No, we shall do better by staying on our course.’
The ship shuddered, plunging her bows into a high cliff of water. They felt her go down, steady, begin the upward surge.
‘When she does turn,’ Mouritzen said, ‘it will be more than ninety degrees. She will be broadside to it then, all right.’
‘For minutes,’ Olsen said, ‘not for hours. Keep her steady on course, Niels. I think I will take a nap.’
----
All round the north-west coasts of Europe the winds were ravaging, like packs of hunting wolves. When Olsen took over again, Mouritzen reported to him a still bleaker weather outlook, and three distress signals already picked up.
‘Anything near us?’
‘One in the Irish Sea, one off the Hebrides, the other north of Bergen.’
‘Good.’ He smiled with a cold humour. ‘This is no weather for rescue operations. Have they made contact?’
‘Yes. But the one north of Bergen has little chance, I think. She is taking a lot of water in her engine room. The lifeboats have gone out from Bergen, but they’ll be hard put to reach her in time.’
‘What is she?’
‘The
Firkar
. German – eleven hundred tons.’
‘God help them,’ Olsen said, ‘if there is a God. I would not like to swim in this. We’re in a foolish trade, Niels.’
Mouritzen said: ‘I’ve never known you admit to folly before.’
‘Nor do I now. If the trade is foolish, the tradesman need not be a fool.’
‘Then why choose the trade?’
‘In my case, it was not a choice. My father was a sea captain. He was a big man, and by being small I disappointed him. I did not wish to disappoint him altogether. So I took up his trade.’
‘You’ve done well at it.’
Olsen smiled again. ‘I would have been a good doctor, too. A better doctor than a sea captain, maybe.’
Before dinner, Mouritzen went to see Mary and Annabel. He knocked at the door, and she called him in. She had put Annabel into the bottom bunk, and was sitting beside her reading a book. She put it down as Mouritzen entered the cabin. She looked pale, but she smiled at him.
‘How does it go?’
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