The Lost Flying Boat by Alan Silltoe Page B

the same in depth-charges,’ Rose said to me as he opened a stubby tin of Flowerdew’s Cut Golden Bar and refilled his pipe. He smoked contentedly, but to puff such twist in the same room as Wilcox seemed inconsiderate, though I don’t suppose he would have coughed much less without it. Bennett advised him to sit by the open window, but he didn’t bother, saying his cough was sure to go as soon as the old kite got above the clouds.
    Appleyard, one of the gunners, wanted to know how much airborne time we’d need before reaching Freemantle. He had a cousin there. Rose nodded, the scarred side of his face towards the skipper: ‘Thirty-eight hours, give or take a day or two!’
    Bennett came out of his reverie. ‘How long we stay at Kerguelen depends on all of you. Intelligent co-operation is what I want, like in the good old days. We’re a bit rusty, but we’ll shine up. As captain of this enterprise – and God help me with such a shower – even I may have to lend a hand when it comes to picking up the goods at Kerguelen.’
    â€˜What goods?’
    â€˜That’s between me and the company. Till we get on board, it’s classified gen.’
    I asked if there was a W/T met. station on the island.
    â€˜You’ll be briefed on that later. But the short answer is no.’
    â€˜We’ll hope for calm weather,’ Rose said, ‘and a good anchorage.’
    â€˜I’ll pray fervently for both,’ said Nash.
    It all sounded, Appleyard observed, that a few prayers might not be out of order.
    â€˜Prayers never did an air gunner any harm,’ Bennett said. ‘As for myself, I muttered a quick one to the old God every time I had to get you lot off the ground. And gave special thanks when I got back.’
    Armatage, another gunner, sat upright in the heavily upholstered chair. He had fair wavy hair and a handlebar moustache, as if he had always hoped to be taken from a distance for a pilot or navigator, which would at least have given a short burst of glory before whoever it was got close enough to see the badge on his battledress. He had worked in the office of an insurance company, but his spare time was given to running a youth club from which he led expeditions across Dartmoor at Easter ‘when conditions can be fair to Arctic’ and summer ‘when it wasn’t so good either.’ Nash told me he had lost his job after something he’d done had got into the newspapers.
    â€˜Whoever thought up this stunt must have been round the bend,’ he shouted. ‘If I don’t do a bunk it’s only because I’m half way up the zig-zags already.’ Then he laughed, a bray without humour, and lay back with irritation that would not let him say more.
    Maybe he had spoken for more than himself, but before anyone could say so Bennett put in that if he lacked moral fibre he had better go now, and that if he didn’t he had better shut up.
    â€˜He was often like that,’ Rose said. ‘Don’t you remember?’
    â€˜Too bloody well,’ said Nash.
    â€˜He was all right at the first upshot of flak, though.’
    Armatage didn’t answer.
    â€˜In view of the circumstances,’ Bennett said, ‘you can say goodbye to any celebratory booze-up, or aircrew hanky-panky the night before we go on board for take-off. Have your party, if you must, but make it at least twenty-four hours prior to getting your clearance chits signed from this hotel. In which case I might join you. You’ll collect more than soldiers’ pay when this operation is over, and you can go to pieces then if you care to. But for the trip, you’ll be like teetotal parsons – if they ever existed – keeping an eye on each other to make sure there’s no flouting that one. I want no hymn singing, though, on your part, nor any need for the riot act to be read on mine. We’ve got a tricky job, I don’t mind telling you,