James Benn - Billy Boyle

“We don’t really need to worry about big logs?”

“Only if worrying would help. Otherwise it’s best not to think about it.”

Harry gave me a grin and a quick wink. The more I tried not to think about logs in the water, the more I imagined them bobbing along in front of us. I looked up instead. I could see the top of the mast.

“Harry…”

“I know, Billy.” It was getting even lighter and warmer as the sun gained on the fog and started to burn it away. I could feel the humidity in the air now; the breeze wasn’t as cold.

“Action stations!” yelled Harry. Men donned helmets and those without life jackets put them on. Someone handed me a life jacket and one of those flat British helmets. I thought of a picture of my dad and uncles from the First World War. I tried not to think about their brother wearing one of these helmets, who hadn’t made it back, or about those boys who’d been on the destroyer with Diana.

Several crewmen came up bringing two Bren guns and a box of ammo. They made their way to the stern, past the 20mm Oerlikons mounted amidships, and settled into each corner above the engines with their machine guns.

“We like to discourage pursuit as much as possible,” said Harry. “You’d better get ready, Billy. There may not be much time if things heat up.”

He didn’t need to tell me twice. I went below and put on the winter parka I’d been issued at Southwold. I got my gear and the Thompson and then headed back above deck. With the life jacket on over the parka, I could barely move through the narrow passageway. But I was relying on the life jacket to keep me afloat if it came to that.

Back on deck, it was a lot brighter still. I put a clip into the Thompson and worked the bolt. I didn’t know if the Jerries would get close enough for me to use it. It was probably useless, but I didn’t have much else to offer.

“If I’m right,” said Harry, “we’ve about fifteen minutes more cruising time. Then we turn due east and head in for Tomma. That will keep the island between the mainland and us. We’ll have to slow down to muffle the motors. When we get close enough, we’ll launch one of the surfboats, and two of the lads will paddle you in. You may have to get your feet wet. I’ve told them to toss you over as soon as they see bottom.” He was smiling, but he wasn’t kidding. I looked up and didn’t blame him. The sky was blue.

“OK.”

Fog was still rising off the water. Maybe we wouldn’t be visible from the air, maybe we would. Anyway, we wouldn’t have the fog much longer. By the time Harry turned east, visibility was about fifty yards. He slowed and the engines went from a roar to a low throaty growl. We churned up less of a wake as we cut across the water, and I guessed not announcing ourselves so clearly was worth the reduction in speed.

“Almost there, Billy. Enjoy the ride so far?”

“It’s been more than I bargained for,” I said, which certainly was true in more ways than one. “I’m going out by sub and-”

“Shut up, Billy! Don’t tell me how you’re getting back, you damned fool! What if we’re captured? Haven’t you heard that line ‘Ve half vays of making you talk?’ It’s true, you know. Drugs, torture, whatever it takes. Don’t the Yanks teach their agents how to keep their bloody mouths shut?”

“Sorry, it slipped out,” I said. “It was just a cover story anyway. Santa Claus is really coming down from the North Pole to airlift me out.”

“Saint Nick himself, eh? Not bad.”

Harry smiled readily, but I thought I detected a worried look on his face as he studied me. I could tell he was comparing me to previous British agents he had brought in. Experienced agents who knew how to keep their stiff upper lips firmly pressed against their lower ones. I knew the comparison wasn’t favorable.

“Ship! Two o’clock!” Higgins yelled as he pointed to the right. Moving away from us was the gray form of a small ship, maybe a trawler. As we drew closer and the fog thinned, several men at once spotted two more small craft, a larger one in front and another smaller one, behind. For a second all guns swiveled toward the three ships.

“Keep a good lookout there!” Harry yelled angrily. “This isn’t a sight-seeing cruise!” The gun crews and lookouts returned to scanning the horizon in all directions.

“Think they’ll spot us?” I asked.

“Too soon to tell. We’re very low in the water and they are moving away from us. Maybe not.”

“Is that a V-boat?”

“Yes. Being escorted by two E-boats. German patrol craft, much like ours.”

“Not as good as ours though?” I asked hopefully.

“Goes without saying, old boy!”

Harry was doing his best to keep everyone’s morale up. It worked until the line of three German vessels abruptly turned simultaneously, at about a forty-five-degree angle.

“Jesus! Did they spot us?” I really needed another morale boost.

“Damn!” Harry muttered. “No, but they soon might. It looks like they’re on maneuvers. Simultaneous changes of course under low-visibility conditions. Good practice for not bumping into each other. Very practical, those sodding Teutons!”

“What’s the problem with that?”

“They won’t keep moving away from us. If their next movement is an about angle to starboard, they’ll be heading straight toward us and we’ll be spotted for sure.”

It was cold and windy, but I started to sweat. Harry kept on the same course and speed.

“Should we make a run for it?” I asked, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice.

“Worst thing we could do,” he answered. “We’d kick up a bigger wake, and the movement might catch their eye. We’ve got to count on steady movement, distance, and a low profile. Plus the fact that they shouldn’t be expecting anyone to appear out of this fog.”

“Meaning no one in their right mind would have come through that storm?”

“Exactly, Billy! See, there’s nothing-”

Harry snapped his head toward the enemy ships. He’d seen something. By the time I saw the tracers, they were halfway to our boat, and I heard the sound of firing catching up across the distance. Sparkles of brightness appeared on the bigger ship, and now all three were turning, heading straight for us. Harry jammed the throttle forward and I grabbed onto the rail as all guns aimed at the Germans.

“Hang on!” Harry yelled as he turned the boat to port and geysers of foam exploded in front of us, whole rows of them.

“Why aren’t we shooting back?” I yelled, gesturing with my Thompson.

“Don’t worry, Billy, they’ll be close enough very quickly. That’s the heavy 40mm stuff from the V-boat. Pretty inaccurate at this range. The E-boats can close on us, though. We’ll have to deal with them before we put you ashore.”

As Harry hollered back at me he was zigging and zagging, still keeping on the same general course.

“Won’t they trap you inshore? Shouldn’t you abort the landing?”

“Billy, this is what they pay us for. Not much, but it is our job. We’ll land you and then dart in and out of these little islands. They’ll either think we were just trying to throw them off the scent, or that we landed a dozen agents. They won’t know where to look for you. If I were you, though, I’d get off Tomma before they close in and search it.”

I didn’t answer him. I was thinking about the Norwegian Underground Army contacts waiting on Tomma to pick me up. I added them to my list of possible lives lost in my pursuit of Rolf Kayser. Then I added myself.

I watched as the bright tracer rounds arced lazily through the sky toward us, looking more like fireworks than cannon fire. Then I remembered that usually for every one tracer round there were ten regular rounds, and realized that the sky was actually full of more lead than I could see. Again the geysers sprouted around us.