Caine Mutiny, The - Herman Wouk [210]
“After everything I told you,” said Maryk, with childish appeal, “you don’t think Queeg was nuts?”
“No.”
“Then I get hung,” said Maryk shakily.
“Not necessarily. Tell me one more thing. How did it happen that they let you take the ship on to Lingayen Gulf?” Maryk wet his lips and looked away. “Is that important?”
“I don’t know until you tell me.”
“Well, it was goddamn strange.” The exec took another cigar from his breast pocket. “See, after the typhoon when we got back to Ulithi we were in pretty good shape. Boat stove in and a couple of paravanes gone and some topside stuff buckled and smashed. But we were operational. We could still sweep.” Greenwald held out a flaming match, and the exec puffed the cigar aglow. “Thanks- When we came in I reported right away to the beach there, to the commodore, I think he was ComServRon Five, and told him what had happened. Well, he got all excited and got Queeg on the beach that morning, and had the head doctor go over him. Well, the upshot of the doctor’s examination-he was an old fat four-striper with a real rummy nose-the doctor said he didn’t think Queeg was crazy at all. Said he seemed to be an intelligent normal officer, maybe a little fatigued. But he wouldn’t give Queeg clearance to go back on duty. Said he was no psychiatrist and Queeg had been four years at sea and the best thing was to fly him back to the States for a psychiatric checkup. Commodore was sore as hell at me. He had me in the office when the doctor made his report. He said the admiral had been building a fire under him for more sweepers for Lingayen because so many had been knocked out in the typhoon, and he’d be goddamned if he was going to pull the Caine out of the line-up. So after a lot of talk back and forth he got Queeg into the office, too, and he gave Queeg a big pitch about how bad the admiral needed sweepers. And he asked Queeg whether he thought I could take the Caine to Lingayen. He asked him to think of the good of the Navy and not his personal feelings, and he said he was sure I’d get everything that was coming to me after Lingayen. Well, Queeg really surprised me. He was calm and quiet. He said I’d been his exec for eleven months and after that much training he thought he had trained me up for ship handling even though I had a disloyal and mutinous character. He recommended that I take the ship to Lingayen. That’s how it happened.”
Greenwald was twirling a paper clip which he had twisted into the shape of a question mark. He sent it spinning out through the window. “Where’s Queeg now?”
“Down at his home in Phoenix. The doctors here discharged him and said he was fit for duty. He’s on temporary duty attached to Com Twelve, just sitting around waiting for the court-martial.”
“He made a mistake, recommending you for Lingayen-from the viewpoint of hanging you.”
“That’s what I think. Why do you suppose he did it?”
The pilot stood and stretched, baring his streaked, mutilated hands and wrists. The slick scar tissue ran up into his sleeves. “Well, maybe, like the commodore told him, he was thinking of the good of the Navy- I’ll go back to Com Twelve and start beating Jack Challee over the head-”
“What are we going to plead?” The exec looked up at his lanky counsel anxiously.
“Not guilty, of course. You’re really a great naval hero. I’ll be seeing you.”
CHAPTER 32
Willie’s Leave
Willie Keith was on his way to New York in a plane. Captain Breakstone had advised the new commanding officer of the Caine to let him go. “He can have ten days, anyway, before the court starts,” the legal officer had told Lieutenant White over the phone. “Send the poor beggar off while the sending is good. God knows when he’ll ever be in the clear again.” Willie