Come into my Parlour (40 page)

Gregory was torn between two emotions. Grauber's fear that the U-boat might meet with some mishap was so obvious that it was fun to see him baited. On the other hand, he himself felt a horrible paralysis grip at his heart each time the possibility of his being caught like a rat in a trap down there was mentioned.

Since the water was so shallow he wondered how the U-boat had managed to conceal herself during the daytime while she had lain off Kronstadt. Snow could not have been falling all the time, but probably her captain knew of a deep pocket somewhere along the north coast of the island where she could lay on the bottom and her outline would be concealed by the shadow of the cliffs. The knowledge that the U-boat was still cruising slowly on the surface with only a few fathoms of water below her was some comfort, but that would not be much help if a Russian destroyer found her and blew a hole in her side.

Kuporovitch appeared to suffer from none of these fears and was deriving so much enjoyment from seeing Grauber show funk that he would not let the matter drop. With a malicious grin he went on: “No amount of snow will protect you from mines, and we might easily run into one. There must be hundreds of them floating about here outside the lane that is kept clear for shipping.”

He had hardly finished speaking when an electric gong rang through the ship. There came the sound of running feet on the bare steel plates that floored the passage outside. Someone was shouting staccato orders in the distance. The cabin tilted on a forward angle and they felt the submarine going down in a smooth shallow dive.

Suddenly there came a dull, heavy thud. A second later the whole ship shuddered, heeled over a little and seemed to slide sideways to starboard.

Grauber had grabbed the edge of the table. His face was white as a sheet and his solitary human eye glared from it in unseeing panic. Gregory felt his own heart hammering wildly below his ribs, and for the first time in his life without having something disagree with his stomach, felt that he wanted to be sick

Kuporovitch had struggled to his feet. Reaching right out over Gregory, as far as he could stretch, he struck Grauber a resounding slap across the face, and shouted:

“That's for suggesting that I might be disloyal to my country! Now do what the hell you like!”

Grauber let go the table and grabbed up his gun. But at that instant there came a second terrific thump; this time much nearer. The U-boat had just flattened out, but as the concussion took her she seemed to heave right up in the water then almost turn over.

Kuporovitch was thrown violently back into his seat; Grauber was flung sprawling across the table; the brandy bottle and glasses flew up in the air then crashed to the floor.

For a few minutes the U-boat rocked wildly from side to side, but gradually she settled down on to an even keel. The engines, which had stopped, started again and, at increased speed, she pushed forward through the water. Back in their seats the three men waited with every muscle tensed for the next explosion.

The breath of both Gregory and Grauber was coming in gasps and the sweat was rolling down their faces. Kuporovitch, seated as he was beside Gregory, had not noticed his friend's distress, but he kept his eyes fixed on the
Gruppenführer
with demoniacal satisfaction. When the tension had eased a little and they were beginning to hope that, after all, a third detonation would not burst the vessel open, he said:

“Don't think you're going to get away with it now. That was
only the beginning. Those weren't mines. They were depth charges or bombs. We've been spotted by an aircraft or a ship. Whichever it was will have radioed Kronstadt by this time, and the whole antisubmarine flotilla will be turning out to hunt this U-boat down.”

“Shut up, damn you!” croaked Grauber. But Kuporovitch ignored him and went on:

“At the slow speed we've been going we can't have covered much more than ten miles since we came on board. Aircraft from Kronstadt will do that in about ten minutes, so you haven't got a dog's chance. They'll smash in the hull of this thing as though it were made of tissue paper and the ice-cold water will come pouring in. You're going to die here, choking out your life like the rat you are.”

Gregory closed his eyes and swayed slightly. Grauber began to curse feebly; then, with sudden resolution, he stretched out his hand and pressed the bell.

When the steward appeared he said: “Tell the
Kapitänleutnant
that I wish to see him. Now! At once!”

“Have you ever experienced what it is like to be choked?” Kuporovitch enquired in a conversational tone. “One feels as if one's head is going to burst and there is a drumming in one's ears. It goes on for a long time, and one also suffers from most appalling cramps. All that business about drowning being a pleasant form of death is sheer nonsense.”

“Silence!” Grauber roared, bringing his fist down with a crash on the table.

The fair-bearded
Kapitänleutnant
came through the narrow door. “You sent for me,
Herr Gruppenführer?
”

“Yes.” Grauber mopped his face with his handkerchief, and a whiff of the perfume he always used came strongly to them. “What happened just now?”

“We were spotted by a Soviet aircraft, and she let go the two bombs she was carrying at us.”

“But how could she spot us through the snow?”

“The snow ceased falling shortly after you came aboard,
Herr Gruppenführer.
”

“But in the darkness?”

“The moon is now up. You will remember that I sent ashore to warn you that you should not delay longer, when you postponed your departure two days ago.”

“Two days can hardly make all that difference.”

“They make a lot to the time of the rising of the moon,
Herr Gruppenführer;
and up above it is now almost as bright as day.”

“
Teufel nochmal!
” Grauber exclaimed, now white with fright
“Then, if they send other aircraft it is certain that we shall be spotted and bombed again.”

“The
Gruppenführer
does not like bombs,” announced Gregory, the sight of Grauber almost dithering with fear having temporarily restored his own nerve. “I was with him once in London when an air-raid siren went off by accident, and even that false alarm scared him out of his wits.”

The
Kapitänleutnant
gave him a swift sideglance, then replied to Grauber: “It will be more difficult to spot us than it was before, because we are now submerged; but there are only ten or twelve fathoms of water here so our chances of escaping detection are not very good. Also, I fear that they may send submarine chasers to co-operate with the aircraft.”

“How far are we from the shore?” asked Grauber.

“About a mile: not much more. I dare not go much further out from the coast or I may run into their minefield.”

“Get out the boat, then. I am going ashore.”

“But—but,” stammered the
Kapitänleutnant
, “the
Herr Gruppenführer
does not understand. To get out the boat I should have to surface—to lie still for ten minutes at the least. Other aircraft may arrive in the vicinity at any moment. What you ask would greatly increase the danger of our being spotted.”

Grauber shrugged. “I can't help that. I must get ashore.”

“
Nein!
” cried the bearded sailor with sudden anger. “
Das kann ich nicht machen!
I refuse to unnecessarily endanger my ship and the lives of my crew.”

Quite slowly Grauber stood up. He was terrified of bombs but he was not afraid of any man living, and there had been times when he had even faced up to Himmler. Huge, gorilla-like and menacing, his effeminate streak lending him an added, unnatural sinisterness, he now stepped up to the U-boat commander. Shooting out a great hand he seized him by the lapel of his uniform and shook him.

“You!” he sneered, his falsetto rising to a squeak in his anger. “How dare you tell me what you will or will not do! I am of more value to the
Führer
than ten U-boats, and if your ship is sunk through putting me ashore it will have been lost while employed on an important duty. If you refuse to obey me and I survive I will have you flogged in front of your crew for mutiny and I will send every single member of your family to a concentration camp. Now, surface your ship and get out that boat.”

The
Kapitänleutnant's
resistance collapsed like a pricked balloon. “
Jawohl, Herr Gruppenführer,
” he muttered. “I apologise for my outburst. I am not accustomed to having distinguished passengers, like
yourself, on board. I realise now, of course, that your life is more important than the safety of the ship. But the Esthonian coast, here, is in the hands of the Russians. Will you not almost certainly be captured if you land?”

“No,” snapped Grauber. “I speak Russian fluently, and it would need much more than a lot of
muzhiks
playing at soldiers to capture me.”

“The prisoners? Do you wish to take them with you?”

Grauber cast a malevolent glance at Gregory and Stefan. “No,” he answered, with marked reluctance. “I couldn't manage those two in a country infested with enemy soldiers. I must chance your being able to get them through for me. Confine them in your cells, and if you are forced to abandon ship on no account are you to release them. On the other hand, if you can bring them to a German controlled port, hand them over to the Gestapo, and I'll see that you get a Knight's Cross for it. Quick now; go and give your orders about that boat.”

“
Jawohl, Herr Gruppenführer!
”

As the
Kapitänleutnant
clicked his heels, Grauber added, “And send somebody to take charge of these two men.”

“
Sofort!
” rapped out the sailor, now endeavouring to live down his rash show of spirit by becoming once more an efficient automaton; and, turning, he hurried from the mess room.

Grauber hastily pulled on his furs, then glared again at the prisoners. “Having caught you at last, there are few things that I have ever hated to have to do so much as to leave you here.”

“Then take us with you,” urged Gregory, with a sudden wild hope that he might yet escape from these surroundings that caused such havoc to his nerves.

“
Himmel!
Is it likely? I have to make my way through the Russian lines, and before I could do that the two of you would find some way to murder me.”

Gregory felt prepared to agree to almost any terms if only it would enable him to get out once more into the open air.

“Let's do a deal,” he cried. “You're armed and we're not. We'll give you our parole not to harm you or attempt to escape until we sight the first German picket. With your pistol you'd still have the advantage of us and a good chance to bring us in.”

“
Morte Dieu!
you'll go alone then,” said Kuporovitch gruffly. ‘I'll be damned if I give him my parole.”

“You must, Stefan, you must! For God's sake don't refuse! I can't leave you behind. You know I wouldn't do that.”

“I wouldn't accept it, anyhow,” Grauber said, after a second. “Once ashore you'd find a way to twist me somehow. Then I'd lose
both you and the information you can give me. For me, to leave you here is a far better bet.
Kapitänleutnant
Bötticher is a skilful navigator. If his ship survives the next hour she will reach deep water, you will be delivered to me from a German port and I shall have lost nothing. If the submarine is sunk, well, you heard the order I gave him. You will go down with it, and at least be out of my way for good.”

As he had been speaking, the U-boat had tilted nose upwards. They heard the rush of waters cascading from her sides and knew that she had surfaced. A petty officer came hurrying in, saluted Grauber, and said:

“The
Hen Kapitänleutnant
says please to come at once,
Herr Gruppenführer
. The boat is now being got out.”

Without another glance at his prisoners, Grauber grabbed a small handbag from a rack, pushed past the P.O. and ran heavily down the passage.

“
Kommen Sie mit!
” said the petty officer, putting a hand on the pistol at his waist, and signing to the others to precede him.

Gregory and Kuporovitch picked up their furs and followed Grauber down the narrow corridor. As they reached the main operations room, in the middle of the ship, they saw that the conning-tower hatch was open. The lights had been switched off, in order that no beam should strike upwards through the hatch towards the sky. Instead, a shaft of moonlight filtered down, silvering the tubes and crosspiece at the observation end of the periscope.

The P.O. hurried them along to the extreme after-part of the ship. Right in the stern he called to a rating and, at his order, the man pulled up a trapdoor in the steel flooring from which a foot wide iron ladder led down into the bowels of the vessel.

“No!” gasped Gregory, “No!” now almost overcome with terror at the thought of being shut up in that dark abyss.

As he drew back the petty officer kicked him from behind. This act of physical violence provoked his normal courage for an instant, and he swung round to strike the man.

Kuporovitch grabbed his arm, and muttered tersely: “Don't be a fool. He'd only shoot you. While we have our lives we can always hope; and if it is ordained that we should die, what does it matter where we do so?”

“Thanks, Stefan,” Gregory breathed. The sweat was streaming down his face, but he had used that dictum so often himself that he could not now reject it. “All right, lead on then.”

At the bottom of the miniature companion-way there was another corridor even narrower than the one above, and so low that they could
not stand upright in it. On one side of it stood a row of six cupboard-like steel doors, each having a row of slits for ventilation in the upper part of their panels. They were the cells in which refractory members of the U-boat's crew were confined when necessary. The P.O. unlocked the two sternmost, pushed one of the prisoners into each, re-locked them and clattered away up the ladder.