Evening star., 1940-01-14
Il Short Story Complete in This Issue


APrAIN RAHLEE awoke suddenly IN the
pitch darkness. without apparent cause.
~ Worn out with days of tight vigil ever
since the big passenger -freighter Cynthia had
left New York, he had lain down fully dressed
on the chartroom settee, and unless an
emergency came he had expected to sleep until
dawn. He wanted to be freshly alert when the
ship entered the Channel in the morning.
The eye-aching tension of watching through
naked daylight for hint of periscope or stray
smoke, coupled with the tight, appalling strain
of running in crowded waters after dark. all
lights doused and the dangers of collision
looming large was enough to hasten the gray
hairs in any masters head.
He lay still in the darkness for moment.
testing the ships movements with his body.
He could feel her lifting to the sea-lunge,
giving an easy roll away from it, and he could
feel the engines pulsing steadily below; he
knew all was we'll - except that there was a
curious gnawing worry inside him, premoni-
ton of disaster He remembered the same
queer feeling just before the Ivanhoe had been
hit and gone down in the last war; and he got
up with an irritable exclamation, calling him.
self an over strung old fool
He switched on the light and saw that it
was Just five bells, two thirty. Common sense
told him to lie down again. His mates were
competent men and would call him on any
suspicion of danger. But he knew it was no
use. He had three hundred passengers below
and the mine -strewn. war-ridden Channel
opening before him. With sigh he reached
for his oilskins and SOU 'wester.
He put them on with sort OF methodical
haste, being one of those men who cannot be
really hurried, even in moments of acute
stress and anxiety He even. as was his custom
each morning, took the cover off the cage OF
his pet canary which hung over the flag rack,
Forgetting for moment that it was not morn
ing vet. Running his fingers across the cage
wires he said absently, I'm afraid we'll have
trouble, Tommy Trouble. Tommy boy It's
inmy bones After that he went on the bridge.
The Cynthia was snoring steadily through
long lunging seas that came whte-topped
across the night, the wind lifting water
smoke from the uests, and the moon, riding
behind veil of driven scud, casting occasional
steely glints along the breaking foam.
For all her movement, the Cynthia seemed
dead ship, Captain Rahlee thought. A ghost
ship. Not light showing save for the shaded
pin-point that was the binnacle; every port
screwed shut; such men as were about, speak
ing instinctively in whispers.
twas the tension that caused it; the knowl-
edge that somewhere in the waste of tossing.
night hung water there might be watchers
waiting for a hint of the Cynthias presence.
No need to caution the lookouts in wartime
to keep their eyes skinned, the captain
thought ironically. You couldn't even stop
half the watch below from coming up now
and then to give nervous looks around. And
if the men were poised, waiting as it were,
for the roar of destruction tearing the plates
beneath them, what could be expected of the
master? He was lucky he'd been able to sleep
for the few hours he had.
Sparks got couple of flashes while
back, SIR" said the second mate. He joined
the captain at the for ard rail. NASTY night
for anything to crack"
Pretty cold for open boats. agreed the
captain. What were the aashes?"
Bengal Pride lost yesterday afternoon off
the east coast of Scotland. Ten men missing.
And the Santhia got one right in the CUTS OFT