cutlery.
There is an officer missing/he said.
It's only the Trog, sir/Dave Allen explained.
The Trog?
The Radio Officer, sir. Speirs, sir. We call him the Troglodyte.
I'd like all the officers present.
He never comes out of his cave/Vinny Baker explained helpfully, All
right/ Nick nodded. I will speak to him later.
They waited now, five eager young men, even Vin Baker he could not
completely hide his interest behind the smeared lenses of his spectacles
and the tough Aussie veneer.
I wanted to explain to you the new set-up. The Chief has kindly read to
you this article, presumably for the benefit of those who were unable to
do so for themselves a year ago.
Nobody said anything, but Vin Baker fiddled with his porridge spoon.
So you are aware that I am no longer connected in any way with Christy
Marine. I have now acquired Christy Towage and Salvage. It becomes a
completely independent company. The name is being changed. Nicholas
had resisted the vanity of calling it Berg Towage and Salvage.
It will be known as Ocean Towage and Salvage.
He had paid dearly for it, perhaps too dearly. He had given up his
three million dollars worth of Christy shares for God alone knew what.
But he had been tired unto death.
We own two vessels. The Golden Warlock and her sister ship which is
almost ready for her sea trials, the Golden Witch.
He knew exactly how much the company owed on those two ships, he had
agonized over the figures through long and sleepless nights. On paper
the net worth of the company was around four million dollars; he had
made a paper profit of a million dollars on his bargain with Duncan
Alexander. But it was paper profit only, the company had debts of
nearly four million more. If he missed just one month's interest
payments on those debts - he dismissed the thought quickly, for on a
forced sale his residue in the company would be worth nothing. He would
be completely wiped out.
The names of both ships have been changed also. They will become simply
Warlock and Sea Witch. From now onwards 'Golden' is a dirty word around
Ocean Salvage. They laughed then, a release of tension, and Nick smiled
with them, and lit a thin black cheroot from the crocodileskin case
while they settled down.
I will be running this ship until Sea Witch is commissioned. It won't be
long, and there will be promotions then.
Nick superstitiously tapped the mahogany mess table as he said it. The
dockyard strike had been simmering for a long time. Sea Witch was still
on the ways, but costing interest, and further delay would prove him
mortal.
I have got a long oil-rig tow. Bight of Australia to South America. It
will give us all time to shake the ship down.
You are all tug men, I don't have to tell you when the big one comes up,
there will be no warning.
They stirred, and the eagerness was on them again. Even the oblique
