The Choice
At a quarter to eight on the following morning the officers of the
Sableridge depot forgathered, according to custom, in the ante-room
of the mess before proceeding to breakfast.
Some were busy with their correspondence, for the morning post had
just arrived. Others were studiously scanning the official notices on
the board; while the majority were engaged in conversation on various
topics.
"Hasn't that young blighter Daventry telegraphed?" enquired the
Major. "Wonder what stunt he's on? In any case he ought to have
landed before dark last evening."
"Nothing come through from him, sir," replied the Officer of the
Watch. "Here's a report from Scantlebury announcing the arrival of
R.A.F. 23 at Harwich. Jephson wires that No. 19 is detained at
Falmouth owing to heavy weather."
"Heavy weather!" echoed the Major. "It's been perfectly calm here.
What was the meteorological report for South-west England yesterday,
Captain Wells? H'm! 'Heavy squalls; wind attaining a velocity of
sixty miles an hour.' Hope Daventry didn't strike that and get into
trouble."
"Aeroplane somewhere!" announced one of the junior officers.
There was a rush to the windows. Since the armistice there had been
few air-craft in the vicinity of Sableridge, and when one did put in
an appearance it attracted more attention than in those seemingly
far-off days when the world was at war.
A deep bass hum, momentarily growing louder and louder, proclaimed
the fact that a super-powerful aeroplane was approaching.
"A triplane--there she is!" exclaimed the Officer of the Watch. "By
Jove, she's coming down! I'll have to turn out the duty-boat's crew."
He hurried off to the telephone, while the rest of his brother
officers, many of them capless, raced out of the ante-room to the
water's edge.
"Some bird that!" remarked one. "I believe it's a Yankee just across
for the trans-Atlantic flight."
"Yankee my grandmother!" interrupted another contemptuously. "That
chap knows his job, and he knows where he's landing. Look! He's
making straight for the pier-head, against wind and tide."
Like an enormous hawk the triplane swooped down, coming in contact
with the water with little more than a double "plop" and a small
cloud of foam. Then, disdaining the assistance of a motor-boat, the
giant sea-plane glided on the surface, coming to a stop within ten
feet of the now crowded pier-head.
A coil of rope was dexterously flung and the end made fast; then, to
everyone's surprise, the window of the pilot's cabin was lowered, and
the head and shoulders of Lieutenant Derek Daventry were revealed.
"What have you been up to, old bird?" enquired Kaye, as his chum
ascended the pier steps.
"Keeping late hours," replied Derek, with a prodigious yawn. "An' now
I'm going to sleep the clock round."
It is one thing to make a resolution and quite another to keep it.
Derek, having reported himself, promptly retreated to his quarters,
bolted the door, undressed, and turned in.
Three hours later--it was a few minutes after the morning papers had
arrived--he was aroused by a tremendous hubbub outside. The door
rattled and shook under the hammer-like blows of half a dozen lusty
officers.
"Open the door!" they bawled.
"Push off!" replied Derek. "Rag someone else; but for goodness sake
let me alone!"
But with an utter disregard for official warnings concerning the care
and maintenance of private buildings appropriated for official use,
the boisterous crew without promptly charged the door with their
shoulders. Locks and hinges were not proof against the onslaught,
and, with a crash, the woodwork was burst, and a swarm of officers
poured in, headed by Kaye, who was brandishing a copy of _The Times_.
"Here you are!" exclaimed Kaye, when the uproar had somewhat
subsided. "From last night's _Gazette_: 'Awarded the D.S.O.:
Lieutenant Derek Daventry, R.A.F., for valuable services rendered
under heavy hostile fire whilst engaged upon machine-gunning and
bombing enemy trenches; also for good work performed in the
destruction of enemy air-craft both at home and on the Western
Front'."
"Are you fellows trying to pull my leg?" enquired Derek grimly, as he
ostentatiously handled the water-jug. "If so----"
"Kamerad! kamerad!" exclaimed the deputation in mock dismay. "Put up
your lethal weapon, Daventry, old sport. It's a fact! No hoax! It's
drinks all round the mess at your expense, my lad!"
In the midst of the torrent of congratulations, mingled with
good-natured banter, an orderly announced that the Colonel wished to
see Mr. Daventry. Promptly Derek bundled the deputation out of the
room, and dressed with the utmost haste.
"Congratulations, Mr. Daventry!" began the Colonel. "It is gratifying
to know that honours do come our way, although, in your case, you won
them before you entered this branch of the service. And now, another
point. Your application for a permanent commission has been granted
--here is the approval. You are required to state whether you wish to
remain in the Marine Branch or re-transfer to the Flying Section, as
I understand that you are again passed medically fit for aerial work.
Well, have you come to any decision? or, perhaps, you might like to
have time to consider the question?"
Derek did not require time. For weeks he had debated with himself
upon the subject of his choice.
"I prefer the life afloat, sir," he replied.
"Good man!" rejoined the Colonel warmly, for, born and bred to the
sea himself, he understood.
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
_By Blackie & Son, Limited, Glasgow_
[Transcriber's Notes:
This book contains a number of misprints.
The following misprints have been corrected:
[past the struts and tension-aires] ->
[past the struts and tension-wires]
[objected Davantry,] ->
[objected Daventry,]
[the Chinese compond] ->
[the Chinese compound]
[he swung it vigourously] ->
[he swung it vigorously]
[vigourously] could have been correct, as
a now obsolete spelling. This is not the case here, because
there are several instances of [vigorously] in this book.
[the flash, and distintcly] ->
[the flash, and distinctly]
[the general concensus] ->
[the general consensus]
A few cases of punctuation errors were corrected, but are
not mentioned here.
]