Caine Mutiny, The - Herman Wouk [236]
“I know you can forward a letter to higher authority-via the captain.”
“Why didn’t you do that in this case?”
“I had to sail with Queeg for another year. The important thing was to get Stilwell home.”
“It’s an unlucky coincidence, isn’t it, that the same insubordinate trio-Maryk, Stilwell, and yourself-combined in the deposing of your captain?”
“Stilwell and I just happened to be on duty when the captain went to pieces. Any other OOD and helmsman would have done the same.”
“Maybe. Now, please tell the court any other instances of oppression and maltreatment that occur to you.”
Willie hesitated for several seconds, feeling the weight of the court members’ unfriendly looks like a pressure on his forehead. “Maybe you can make them all sound silly and trivial here, sir, but at the time they were serious. He cut off the movies for six months just because he wasn’t invited to a showing by mistake-he cut off the water at the equator because he was annoyed by the detachment of an officer-he called midnight conferences on insignificant details with department heads who were standing a one-in-three deck watch. And he forbade sleeping by day so there was no chance to catch up on sleep-”
“We’ve had a lot of testimony on that sleep business. The officers of the Caine certainly wanted their sleep, war or no war, didn’t they?”
“I said it’s easy to poke fun at these things. But it isn’t easy to conn a ship in formation in a rain squall when you’ve been up for seventy-two hours with maybe four hours’ consecutive sleep.”
“Mr. Keith, did Captain Queeg ever use physical torture on officers or men?”
“No.”
“Did he starve them, beat them, or in any way cause anybody injury that will appear in the medical records of the Caine?”
“No.”
“Did he ever issue punishments not allowed by regulations?”
“He never did anything not allowed by regulations, or if he did he backtracked immediately. He demonstrated how much can be done to oppress and maltreat within regulations.”
“You didn’t like Captain Queeg, did you, Lieutenant?”
“I did at first, very much. But I gradually realized that he was a petty tyrant and utterly incompetent.”
“Did you think he was insane too?”
“Not until the day of the typhoon.”
“Did Maryk ever show you his medical log on Queeg?”
“No.”
“Did he ever discuss the captain’s medical condition with you?”
“No. Mr. Maryk never permitted criticism of the captain in his presence.”
“What! Despite the insubordination back in December ’43?”
“He would walk out of the wardroom if anything derogatory was said of the captain.”
“There were derogatory remarks about the captain in the wardroom? Who uttered them?”
“Every officer except Maryk.”
“Would you say that Captain Queeg had a loyal wardroom of officers?”
“All his orders were carried out.”
“Except those you thought ought to be circumvented. ... Mr. Keith, you have stated you disliked the captain.”
“That is the truth.”
“Come to the morning of 18 December. Was your decision to obey Maryk based on your judgment that the captain had gone mad, or was it based on your dislike of Captain Queeg?”
Willie stared for long seconds at Challee’s livid face. There were sharp steel teeth in the question. Willie knew what the true answer was; and he knew that it would probably destroy himself and Maryk. But he felt unable to carry off a lie. “I can’t answer,” he said at last, in a low voice.
“On what grounds, Lieutenant Keith?”
“Must I state grounds?”
“It is contempt of court to refuse to answer a question except on sufficient grounds, Lieutenant Keith.”
Willie said thickly, “I’m not sure. I just don’t remember my state of mind that long ago.”
“No more questions,” said Challee: He turned on his heel and sat down.
Willie was absolutely certain, in that instant, staring at the surgically cold faces of the court, that he had convicted Maryk and himself with his own mouth. He shook with boiling impotent rage at the flummery of court routine which prevented him from breaking out and shouting his self-justification; and at the same time he realized