Judy: The Unforgettable Story of the Dog Who Went to War and Became a True Hero by Damien Lewis

yelled order of “Repel boarders! Repel boarders!” would mean trouble was at hand. China’s nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek was locked in a struggle with a relatively new adversary—the Soviet-backed Chinese communist revolutionaries. Parts of the country were in a state of virtual civil war, and amid the conflict and insecurity warlords and banditry thrived.
    The communist rebels resented the foreign “imperialist” powers that plied the Yangtze, and they were yet another force to be reckoned with. At the order of “Repel boarders,” carbines would be broken out of the ship’s armory and the Maxim machine guns brought to bear as men lined whichever side of the ship the threat was coming from. But the first line of defense was to use the ship’s steam hose—the scalding hot water being a nonlethal means to drive back any aggressors.
    As with all British gunboats, the captain of the Gnat was under orders to minimize casualties wherever possible. China was a powder keg waiting to blow, and a massacre of locals could prove the spark that would light the fuse. If there was an “incident”—and there were always incidents when out on the Yangtze—Lieutenant Commander Waldegrave was to avoid deaths wherever possible unless Her Majesty’s subjects or property were directly threatened.
    Thankfully, the night of Judy’s shock christening in the Yangtze proved entirely peaceful, which was just what she needed to aid her recovery. At the crack of dawn—the start of day two of their journey upriver—the ship’s bugler blew a sharp blast to awaken the crew. It was 0600 hours and time to ready the vessel for another day’s journey up the Yangtze.
    In the officers’ quarters, set in the bows forward of the galley and the ship’s bridge, Chief Petty Officer Jefferey was woken by one of the Chinese boat boys bringing him a mug of tea. Sharing a little of the hot, sweet brew with the handsome beast curled up at his side, Jefferey wondered what the day might bring. There would, he hoped, be no further misadventures by one thoroughly irrepressible ship’s dog.
    As soon as he opened his cabin door a crack Judy pushed through and scampered onto the deck, head down and nose sniffing as she caught the scent of food from the galley. Ah, eggs. Scrambled to perfection, just as I like them .
    She padded past the caged chickens, giving them a good long sniff as she went. Jefferey hoped that Judy’s keen interest in the ship’s poultry—taken aboard at Shanghai to provide some fresh meat for the journey—reflected the natural affinity she had for game and the performance of her duties as a gundog in the weeks ahead.
    Tankey Cooper, Official Keeper of the Ship’s Dog, took early morning custody of Judy so that he could serve her breakfast. Like Jefferey, Tankey was a keen huntsman, and once Judy was fed he decided to give her hunting prowess its first real test. Getting down to eye level with the lithe dog, he proceeded to explain to her in great detail and with seemingly boundless patience what was required of an English pointer when out on the hunt.
    Gazing into her eyes—which under the dawn light filtering through the canvas awning seemed less coal-like and more asparkle with eager fire—he felt as if she understood his every word. With her long, floppy ears framing her face, there seemed to be something slightly mournful and intensely serious about her expression—and then she’d ruin it all by curling one lip in a lopsided smile or flopping out that long pink tongue of hers for a goofy bout of panting.
    Still, she wasn’t yet fully grown, and Tankey reckoned she had plenty of time to prove her worth as a gundog. Deciding a spot of practical demonstration was in order, he proceeded to “point” at the caged chickens, which were the nearest thing to game aboard the Gnat .
    Judy stared at him for a long second, head cocked quizzically to one side. She knew from Tankey’s body language that he was up to