Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-07-17
SWAMI SHIPS

lOl VI 1tllIldIiS OF llolllS
under the magic Sov'Nt insig-
MIA. for they had brought
playcards and banners bear
ing the inscription: Greetings
TO the builders OF Socialism"
All the same. we had fine
time. l organized an 'interna-
tional fraternity meeting,
opened our cognac and cigar
rette stores, harangued the
Norwegian comrades on the
success OF The Piatiletka
(Five-Year-Plan). and toward
evening | left Comrade Lau-
sen in charge of a crowd OF
jewellers aboard the ships and,
together with Firelei and the
Party Committee of Trond-
helm, l was driven to address
workers meeting.
1t was a meeting Of strik-
ers. They cheered loudly when
l was introduced % them as
the Russian skipper of Rus
sian ships.
RETURNED AT 2 A. NJ.
returned TO Muruviken
at two in the morning. Many
of the portfolios of the Pioneer
and LoSosi still Showed light,
and weird noises came from
the inSideS of the ships. The
decks were Uttered with
drunken Norwegians, sprawled
among empty bottles and
broken glass. Aboard the
LoSoSi. a few couples were
dancing TO the tunes Of a
balalaika played by one OF my
Russian sailors.
Firelei. tipsy herself, re-
membered the fire hose she
had used against the Kultur
KommiSsar in Bremerhaven.
She tied a pail 10 a lanyard,
filed il with the brine Of
Trondheim Fjord, and kept
dashing the brine into every
bunk until the irate Comrade
Lausen seized her and threw
her overheard. jumped over
board after her.
That was a signal. Soon
every man able to swim fol-
lowed me into the water for
A merry time in the gentle
light of the northland night.
AT dawn / commandeered all
the taXiS that could be found
in Muruviken. and bundled
my Norwegian guests pell-
nell into them. Instead of
money, each taxi driver re-
ceived a bottle Of cognaC.
Quiet began 10 settle on the
Pioneer and Lososl
STOWAWAYS
Next afternoon. with the
woodpulp aboard. | conducted
a thorough search of both
ships before we put out TO sea.
My suspicious were verified.
Four male and two female
Norwegian Communists were
dragged from their hiding
places and hustled ashore.
With the motors hammering
as sound as ever. and the coast
pilot aboard Pioneer headed
seward. dragging the Lososi
with 200 tons of woodpulp in
her wake.
The Norwegian coast pilot
was in charge of the ships.
and caught up with my
sleep. We proceeded north
ward along the inland passage.
between the coast and the
maze of rock-bound islands.
and the nights became SO light
that newspapers could be read
under the eerily flaming mid
night sky.
We passed Boervik and
BADGE. wound our way through
the SinuouS channels east of
the Lofot Islands. left Narvlk,
TTomSoe and HammerfeSt-
said to be the northernmost
town on earth-aStcrn. At
GioeSvaer Island, close TO the
North Cape. | discharged the
pilot. cleared the Cape and
pointed the Pioneers prov
eastward into the Arctic
Ocean. We were now in a
luminous, mirTor-like sea, 300
miles north of the Arctic
Circle. At midnight the sun
hung. like a glowing orange,
low over the northern horizon.
HOVE INTO SIGHT
| navigated with the great
est caution. Nordkyn and the
Vardoc promontory hove into
sight and vanished a school
of whales gamboled in the vel
vety sea. | shaped a course
for kildin Island. which lies
lust east OF the entrance TO
kola Bay
Seventeen days after leaving
kiel We entered kola Bay.
The low shores were Shrouded
IN fog. and made the Pioner 5