Beneath Gray Skies (21 page)

“That’s right, sir,” replied David. “May I go now, sir?” to Major LeHay.

“Take this with you,” scribbling on a piece of paper.

“Sir.” David took the note, and saluted.

“Stay with that boy until he’s been treated, Sergeant,” said the Major. “And then we’ll see those Germans.”

David led Sammy to the sick call. There were a few mutterings among the soldiers waiting there, but David, despite his youth, was a sergeant, after all, and he was armed with Major LeHay’s note if things ever started to get bad, so he stood his ground and pretended not to hear the words “Nigra-lover” and “son of a bitch” which were spat surreptitiously in his direction. When they got to the head of the line, the doctor wanted to throw them straight out, but his face changed when he read Major LeHay’s note, and he grudgingly attended to Sammy.

“Thank you, sir,” said Sammy to David as they left the office.

David was embarrassed about being thanked. “Just remember, Sammy, if anyone asks you to do any work today, just you send them along to me or Major LeHay.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” Sammy said again.

“All right, just leave it be for now, and get back to your quarters,” said David. Now I’ve got to look after these Germans.”

He rehearsed in his mind what he was going to say when he came across Major Weisstal. Though he said it himself, he said to his friends later, it came out sounding pretty darn good, with something of what he remembered of Brian’s way of speaking.

“Major LeHay’s compliments, and he requests that you and Lieutenant Spitz join him in his office immediately, sir,” he recited, while fixing his gaze firmly on a point somewhere over Weisstal’s left shoulder.

“Certainly,” replied Major Weisstal, glancing at his wristwatch. “In about twenty minutes?”

“Major LeHay’s orders to me, sir, were to make sure that you and the Lieutenant returned with me. Immediately. Sir.” David’s voice hardened and his back, already at attention, stiffened still further.

Weisstal sighed. “You seem very determined, Sergeant. May I ask why we should go with you?”

“That’s for Major LeHay to say, sir.” David was damned if he was going to lose his temper with this stuck-up German with a piece of glass stuck in one eye.

Weisstal sighed wearily. “If we must, we must.” He shouted for Spitz, who arrived, buttoning the top buttons of his tunic, and said something to him in German. Spitz shrugged and nodded. Both German officers picked up their caps from the hooks by the door.

“We’re ready, Sergeant,” Weisstal told David. “Please lead the way.”

-o-

N
ot a word was spoken between the three men on the walk across the parade ground. The morning sun was starting to get hot, and David, for one, was sweating by the time they reached Major LeHay’s office. He knocked on the door, waiting for an answer this time.

“Enter,” came the voice. David flung wide the door, and held it open with his left hand, saluting smartly at attention as the two Germans filed past him.

“Come inside and close the door, Sergeant. I want you in here. At ease, Sergeant.” He turned to Major Weisstal. “Major Weisstal, Lieutenant Spitz, I would like you to meet my colleague, Colonel Vickers.”

“We’ve already met,” said Vickers coldly, looking at Spitz.

“You have the advantage of me,” replied Spitz in heavily accented English.

“Long may it continue that way,” responded Vickers in an icy tone. “I would hate to think there was any way you had any advantage over me.” Spitz bristled visibly, but Weisstal put a hand on his sleeve, in the manner of a man calming a horse, thought David, who was watching them, and Spitz seemed to relax slightly.

“You wished to see us, Major?” asked Weisstal.

“I certainly do. My sergeant here told me that your man here,” pointing at Spitz, “had deliberately and willfully damaged valuable Confederate government property.”

Weisstal sputtered. “I am sure that none of my officers or men would ever do such a thing. Spitz, is there any basis for this wild accusation?” Spitz shook his head, but avoided the eyes of everyone else in the room.

“I refer, Major, to Lieutenant Spitz’s handling of one of our Army slaves yesterday. My sergeant here tells me that apparently the Lieutenant was not satisfied with the work that had been done by the slave, and beat him after insulting him grossly, with the result that the slave is now unable to work for at least two days.”

“I see,” replied a rather subdued Weisstal. “
Ist es wahr?
” he snapped at Spitz.

“Yes, Major, the American is telling the truth, as far as it goes,” replied Spitz, somewhat defiantly. “The black was not working properly, so I try to teach him a lesson by telling the
Untermensch
that he must clean the toilets with his mouth, since he will not use his hands to do it properly. When he refuses to learn this simple lesson, I hit him to teach him who is the master. He falls down, so I kick him again, and then I kick his black
Arsch
out of the door. That is all.” Weisstal looked horrified.

LeHay did not reply directly, but turned to David. “Yesterday, I trust you told Major Weisstal that he was to come to you if any problems occurred with the colored boys? And that he reminded you that they are Confederate government property?”

“Yes, sir. I did that, sir.”

Weisstal nodded. “Yes, he did tell me that, I remember. Along with a lot of what I quite frankly regarded as sentimental nonsense about your blacks. But since I am a guest in a foreign land, I happily go along with your customs. I know that we Germans also have our funny little ways which are sometimes strange to foreigners, so I am tolerant in these matters.”

“Did you repeat these instructions to your brother officers?” LeHay asked Weisstal.

“Yes, Major, I did. And I very much regret what has happened. It is truly an unpardonable insult to our hosts. If you will excuse me, gentlemen.” He turned to face Spitz, and shouted a stream of German into his face. Spitz answered angrily in German.

“I regret, gentlemen, that Lieutenant Spitz refuses to apologize.”

“He said a good deal more than that,” remarked Vickers with a cold smile. Weisstal looked at him. “I speak a little German, Major,” he explained, still smiling.

“With your permission, gentlemen, I would like to send Lieutenant Spitz back to Germany. I think we will all be a little more comfortable. Including you,” turning to Spitz and letting fly with some more German.

“I am sure the Colonel can translate, but to save him the trouble, Lieutenant Spitz is confined to barracks as of now and will return to Germany at the earliest possible opportunity. I have asked him to start packing his kit.
Sofort!
” he screamed at Spitz, who sullenly brought his hand up and saluted Weisstal using the “German greeting” which had been adopted as the army salute following the Nazi seizure of power. No salute or formality was offered to the Confederates as he walked out of the door that David opened for him.

“I do apologize once again,” said Weisstal. “I would have you know that not all Germans are like that. We may be a proud race, and we may even be seen as over-particular by others,” he turned and smiled at David. “Yes, I saw your face yesterday, Sergeant, when you were showing us round and I was complaining, but don’t worry about that. I always complain. It is my nature, and you will find that I am not such a bad fellow after all. But we Germans are not all cruel barbarians.”

“Your Nazis are not typical, then?” sneered Vickers.

“Not my Nazis, Colonel,” shot back Weisstal. “I am an officer of the Wehrmacht. Some, like Spitz, are Nazis first and then soldiers second. I am a soldier first.”

“And a Nazi second?” suggested Vickers, with more than a touch of malice.

“No, Colonel,” emphatically. “Not second. Or third. Or fourth. I cannot count to a number big enough to tell you where I put the Nazis in my life.”

Major LeHay coughed. “Excuse me, Major Weisstal. May I thank you for your fine work in handling this situation so promptly and smoothly.”

“Actually, Major,” said Weisstal, “I think our thanks are due to the young sergeant here who did not hesitate to bring this matter to your attention, and who told me quite forcefully that I was to talk to you about it immediately. Well done, Sergeant,” smiling at David. “I do hope, Sergeant, that you will bear me and my men no ill-will for what has happened?”

“Yes, sir. I mean no, sir,” replied David, blushing.

“Well, gentlemen, as I said earlier, I shall make sure that Lieutenant Spitz is out of this camp and out of the Confederacy as soon as is practical. I bid you all good day.” He saluted them all, and marched stiffly out.

“Well done, Sergeant,” said Vickers. “Not many soldiers in the Army of the Confederacy can claim they’ve driven out a German invader.” He laughed.

“Reckon you can still work with them, Sergeant?” asked Major LeHay. “I guess they’re not all like that Spitz. Weisstal might end up being a good guy after all. Maybe he plays poker?”

“
Do you realize what this means? This means that the Confederacy has the ability, together with Germany, to make airships that could bomb the heart out of this city.”

“
A
nother batch of Germans just arrived, then, Christopher?” said Henry Dowling. It wasn’t really a question, but just a confirmation of the facts as given by the US agent in place at Savannah.

“Yes, they have. Only a few of them in this lot who came in on the 12th, but Berlin tells us there’s more to follow. Specialist engineers, a lot of them, coming from Friedrichshafen.” Christopher pronounced the name of the German town with a commendable accent. Henry had been teaching him the basics of German pronunciation with considerable success.

“What’s at Friedrichshafen, then, Christopher?” Henry already knew, but he wanted to be sure that Christopher was on the ball.

“Airships. Zeppelins, of course,” answered Christopher. “Do you think that they’re going to start building airships in the Confederacy?”

“Didn’t Berlin tell us that they’re due to meet up with the Confederate Army’s First Airship Support Regiment?” asked Henry.

“Oh, that’s right. A support unit doesn’t sound like they’re going to build them in the Confederacy, does it? But they could build them over in Germany, couldn’t they, and deliver them to the Confederacy?”

“They’re not supposed to be building them in Germany, according to the agreements signed after the last war,” replied Henry. “Mind you, that never seems to stop the blighters, does it? They’re not meant to be building any ships of any size, either. And their motorcar industry is meant to be closely watched, too, but those bloody Nazis have already set up factories in Austria and Czechoslovakia. It wouldn’t surprise me if they started building Zeppelins down in the Confederacy, though they might have a few problems. Anyway, do we know where these Germans are headed?”

“Not yet. Henry, I’ve discovered something interesting. Can I tell you something you might not know about airships?”

“Go on.” Henry settled back in his chair. He was more than pleased with the way that Christopher was making himself useful in so many ways.

“What are Zeppelins filled with?”

“I thought you were meant to be telling me, not asking me questions, Christopher. All right, then, I’ll bite. Hydrogen, of course.”

“And what’s the big disadvantage of hydrogen?”

“It burns. We saw that in London when the Zeppelins came over and bombed us. When they got shot down by our guns and the boys who went up in airplanes at night, they fell out of the sky like fireworks. Hell of a sight, that was meant to be. You could see it all over London, they say.”

“What if I was to tell you of a gas that didn’t burn that could be used in airships instead of hydrogen?”

“Go on.”

“It’s called helium, and although it’s not quite as good as hydrogen at lifting airships, it’s a lot safer. It doesn’t burn.”

“So why don’t German Zeppelins use it, then?”

“Because almost the whole of the world’s supply seems to be in the Confederacy.” Christopher grinned.