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"Son, no need to worry about the old Cyclops. She'll be sailing the seas long after you and me are gone."
Church's apprehension was not soothed by the captain's unconcern. If anything, his sense of foreboding deepened.
After Church turned over the next watch to a fellow officer, he left the bridge and stopped by the radio room to have a cup of coffee with the operator on duty.Sparks, as every wireless man aboard every ship at sea was called, looked up as he entered.
"Mornin', Lieutenant."
"Any interesting news from nearby vessels?"
Sparkslifted his headset from one ear. "Sorry?"
Church repeated the question.
"Only a couple of radiomen on a pair of merchant ships exchanging chess moves."
"You should join in to avoid the monotony."
"Checkers is my game," saidSparks.
"How close are those two merchantmen?"
"Their signals are pretty weak. . . probably a good hundred miles away."
Church straddled a chair and leaned his arms and chin on the backrest. "Give them a call and ask what sort of sea they're encountering."
Sparksgave a helpless shrug. "I can't."
"Your transmitter acting up?"
"She's fit as a sixteen-year-oldHavanawhore."
"I don't understand."
"Captain Worley's orders," answeredSparks. "When we leftRio, he called me to his quarters and said not to transmit any messages without his direct order before we dock inBaltimore."
"He give a reason?"
"No, sir."
"Damned odd."
"My hunch is
it has something to do with that bigwig we took on as a passenger inRio."
"The consul general?"
"I received my orders right after he came on board=Sparksbroke off and pressed the headset to his ears. Then he began scribbling an incoming message on a pad of paper. After a few moments he turned, his face grim.
"A distress signal."
Church stood up. "What position?"
"Twenty miles southeast of the Anguilla Cays."
Church mentally calculated. "That puts them about fifty miles off our bow. What else?"
"Name of vessel,CroganCastle. Prow stove in. Superstructure heavily damaged. Taking on water.
