Caine Mutiny, The - Herman Wouk [73]
“Yes, sir.”
“Pass the word to your relief that while we’re in Pearl the gangway watch will be stood in undress whites.”
This was the uniform of the watch on the Moulton, and on most of the destroyers Willie had seen. The order pleased him. The Caine was being restored to the Navy, with no time lost. “Aye aye, sir,” he snapped.
Queeg resumed his scrutiny of the ship, ceaselessly rolling the balls, his shoulders lowered, his head moving to and fro. “Okay,” he said. “Pass the word. Meeting of all officers in the wardroom at 1630.”
“Aye aye, sir. Shall I get a chief to stand by for me? I’ll still have the watch then-”
“Have chiefs been standing OOD watches in port?”
“Well, yes, sir-”
“Never mind getting a chief. You’re excused from the meeting.” The new commanding officer of the Caine walked off toward the port passageway. “Get a couple of your prisoners-at-large with some turpentine,” he said over his shoulder to Willie, “and have this mess cleaned up.” He pointed to the remains of the morning’s oil stain.
“We have no prisoners-at-large, sir.”
“Oh? ... Well, then, the deck force. Get it cleaned up.” Captain Queeg went forward.
CHAPTER 12
The New Order
At four-thirty the officers of the Caine were all seated around the wardroom table, except for Keith, Gorton, and the captain. Keefer and Maryk were drinking coffee. The others smoked or drummed their fingers on the green baize. Nobody spoke. The room was unnaturally tidy for that time of day. The magazines and paper-bound novels were racked, and the coding devices usually scattered on the table were absent.
“This is known in literature,” Keefer remarked in a low tone, stirring his coffee, “as a pregnant pause.”
“Go easy on the smart talk for a while, Tom,” murmured Adams.
“I’m simply observing,” said Keefer, “that our new captain has a sense of drama. I thoroughly approve.”
“Knock it off,” whispered Maryk, as the knob of the captain’s door turned. Gorton came out and looked around the table. “All present, Captain,” he called through the open door. Queeg entered the wardroom. With a scrape of chair legs the officers stood. The Caine officers had not performed this courtesy in a year; several of them had never done it; but they all rose instinctively.
“Sit down, sit down, gentlemen,” said Queeg in a light, joking tone. He sat in his chair, laid a fresh pack of cigarettes and a packet of matches in front of him, and looked around with a smile as his officers took their seats. He tore open the pack deliberately, lit a cigarette, and took the two steel balls out of his pocket. Rubbing them softly back and forth in his fingers, he began to speak. Occasionally he glanced up at their faces; otherwise he kept his eyes on the cigarette or the steel balls.
“Well, gentlemen, I just thought we ought to get acquainted. We’re going to be shipmates for a long time. You’re probably wondering about me, and I confess I’m a little curious about you, though I’ve formed some pretty good, first impressions. I think this is a fine ship with a splendid wardroom of officers. I think we’re going to have a good cruise, and, I hope, as Captain de Vriess put it, some good hunting. I intend to give you every co-operation, and I expect the same in return. There is such a thing as loyalty upward, and such a thing as loyalty downward. I desire and expect to get absolute loyalty upward. If I do, you’ll get loyalty downward. If I don’t-well, I’ll find out why, and I’ll see to it that I do.” He laughed, indicating that this was a joke, and the officers nearest him smiled.
“Now, there are four ways of doing a thing aboard ship-the right way, the wrong way, the Navy way, and my way. I want things on this ship done my way. Don’t worry about the other ways. Do things my way, and we’ll get along- Okay. Now, are there any questions?”
He looked around. There were no questions. He nodded with smiling satisfaction. “Now, I’m a book man, as anyone who knows me will tell you. I believe the book