Caine Mutiny, The - Herman Wouk [251]
Challee said, “Objection to this entire interminable irrelevancy about the crate, and request it be stricken from the record.”
Greenwald said, “The credibility of the witness is being established. I submit to the court that nothing could be more relevant to this trial.”
Challee was overruled. The question was repeated. Queeg said, “Well, it’s a question which crate Langhorne nailed up. I had two crates, as I recall now.”
“Oh?” Greenwald paused for a long time. “Well! This is a new angle, not mentioned by Keith. Did Langhorne make both crates, sir?”
“Well, I don’t recall whether I had both crates on that occasion or two crates on two different occasions. It’s all very trivial and happened a long time ago and I’ve had a year of combat steaming in between and a typhoon and all this hospital business and I’m not too clear. As I recall now on two different occasions there were two crates.”
“What was the other occasion?”
“I don’t recall. It might even have been back in peacetime, for all I know.”
“Did you lose both crates in San Francisco Bay?”
“As I say, I’m not clear on all this, I don’t recall.”
“Commander, there are many points in this trial which turn on the issue of credibility between yourself and other officers. If you wish I will request a five-minute recess while you clear your mind as well as you can on the matter of these crates.”
“That won’t be necessary. Just let me think for a moment, please.” In the silence Blakely’s pencil made a thin rattling noise as he rolled it under his palm on the bench. Queeg sat staring from under his eyebrows. “Kay. I have it straight now. I made a misstatement. I lost a crate in San Diego Harbor back in ’38 or ’39 I think it was, under similar circumstances. That was the one containing clothes. The crate Keith lost did contain liquor.”
“Thirty-one bottles?”
“Something like that.”
“How did you obtain thirty-one bottles of-”
Challee said, “May it please the court, Courts and Boards requires evidence to be developed briefly, materially, and relevantly. It is useless for me to stall this trial indefinitely with objections. I question defense’s entire tactic of expanding on irrelevancies which confuse the issue.”
Blakely said, “Court is aware of requirements of evidence and thanks the judge advocate for emphasizing them. Defense will proceed.”
“How did you obtain thirty-one bottles of whisky, Commander, in wartime?” said Greenwald.
“Bought up the rations of my officers at the wine mess in Pearl.”
“You transported this liquor from Pearl to the States in your ship? Do you know the regulations-”
Queeg broke in, “I’m aware of regulations. The crate was sealed prior to getting under way. I gave it the same locked stowage I gave the medicinal brandy. Liquor wasn’t obtainable in the States, and was at Pearl. I’d had three years of steady combat duty. I gave myself this leeway as captain of the Caine and it was a common practice and I believe rank has its privileges, as they say. I had no intention of concealing it from the court and I’m not ashamed of it. I simply mixed up the two crates in my mind.”
“Keith testified, Commander, that you gave all the orders to the boat crew which caused the loss of the crate.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Also that you refused to sign his leave papers until he paid for the loss.”
“That’s another lie.”
“It seems to be the issue of credibility again, sir-this time your word against Keith’s. Correct?”
“You’ll hear nothing but lies about me from Keith. He has an insane hatred for me.”
“Do you know why, sir?”
“I can’t say, unless it’s his resentment against fancied injuries to his crony, this sailor Stilwell. Those two were mighty affectionate.”
“Affectionate, sir?”
“Well, it seems to me every time Keith thought I looked cross-eyed at Stilwell there was all kinds of screeching and hollering from Keith as though I were picking on his wife or something. I don’t know how else to explain the two of them ganging up so fast to back Maryk when he relieved me unless they were pretty sweet on each other