Dennis Wheatley - Black August

'Oh, the War Office had nothing to do with it,' said Gregory mildly. 'I'm acting entirely on my own initiative.'

'What! You had no orders about proceeding somewhere in this ship!'

’No none at all.'

’But damn it, man, you boarded her and ordered the ship to sea; do you mean you had no authority to do that?'

'None, my dear boy. None whatever, I assure you.'

'Good God, Sallust! You can't be serious!'

'I was never more serious in my life.'

The eyes of the whole party were riveted on Gregory's face in amazement, anger and alarm, then Kenyon suddenly burst out: 'But you can't do this sort of thing, you simply can't. Using your own initiative is one thing, but this is nothing less than running away. You're a soldier, and if you've no right here you ought to be on duty somewhere else.'

The General sipped his port, then the furrows round his mouth deepened a little as he smiled: 'Dear me, no. When I got out of the Army last time I determined that nothing should ever induce me to enter it again. This outfit ' he patted his buttoned tunic 'and Rudd's were supplied by my old friend the theatrical costumier Willie Clarkson.'

12

Piracy

For a moment there was absolute silence while they all stared a little stupidly at Gregory, dumbfounded by this staggering revelation, and endeavouring to assess what effect his criminal proceedings might have upon themselves. Kenyon was the first to recover. 'This is piracy,' he announced abruptly, getting to his feet.

'Is it? Yes, I suppose it is.' Gregory calmly lit another cigarette.

'And you can be hanged for it; do you realise that?' 'Perhaps; but they've got to catch me first.' 'That won't take long directly Fanshawe learns the truth.' 'Oh! You seem to have forgotten the presence of my troops.'

'Yes, I've been wondering about that,' said Ann softly. 'How did you get hold of them, Gregory?'

'Would it amuse you to hear?' Sallust grinned openly with a certain pride in his achievement.

'I think it's more important that we should get this situation cleared up without delay.' Kenyon spoke sharply.

'Why worry?' the American cut in lazily. 'The ship's only cruising round has been for hours, so we're not going further away, and this sounds like a great story to me. 'Let's have it er General.'

'All right.'

Kenyon sat down again reluctantly.

'Well, if Fane can bottle up his desire to have me hanged for five minutes, I'll tell you.' Gregory puffed at his cigarette and smiled round at them. 'You see I made up my mind years ago that in the event of a real break up, the only road to safety lay in assuming the outward trappings of authority. Of course there was the sporting chance that the mob might single me out for an immediate hanging but if I could once get going the world was mine or at all events everything which happened to be left of it.'

Harker grinned appreciatively, as Sallust went on: 'Having planned the whole show so far in advance it wasn't difficult really. Rudd and I knew of a small garage in Elvaston Place that housed several lorries. We knew too that the owner lived down at Brighton, and he couldn't get up to London. We snaffled three of them in the afternoon and made a few alterations with a couple of pots of paint. Some of you saw one of them I think loaded up outside Gloucester Road. After that we changed into our uniforms, took one of the empties up to some barracks that I had in mind and parked it a little way down the street. We had to wait there for nearly three hours, but at last some troops marched out a company, as luck would have it, although I only needed a platoon. I tackled the Captain. Told him I had to have a certain number of his men immediately. Naturally he was a bit doubtful what to do at first, just like our friend who is taking his exercise up on the bridge, but you know what it was like in London last night everybody a bit excited and pulling too quick a stroke. I utilised the name of his own Colonel which I made it my business to find out and of course he imagined that I was a full blown Brigadier, so after a very short discussion he gave way and I went off with the boys crammed like sardines in the lorry. At Elvaston Place we distributed them among the other two vans, then we proceeded in accordance with plan to advance on Chatham.'

'Good God!' Kenyon sat back suddenly. 'But wasn't there an officer with the platoon? What happened to him?'

'Oh, certainly.' Gregory gave a chuckle of enjoyment. 'I kept him with me for half an hour, and then packed him off with an urgent message to the War Office he's still there, for all I know.'

Silas nodded. 'It was a great performance, but I wonder at you being able to pull the same bluff twice.'

'What, Chatham you mean? Yes, that was the crucial point of the whole campaign, but as a journalist I got myself taken round the Dockyard some time ago, and the visit gave me a knowledge of the regulations which are observed before a ship is allowed to put to sea, so I had half a dozen different lines of bluff ready to meet the most probable emergencies. I banked very largely upon their being in a state of chaotic muddle, the appearance of troops giving weight to my request which it could never have had from a single man and the staff at Admiralty House being dead tired after such a night. That's one reason why I delayed my arrival until this morning.'

'I wonder we haven't been recalled by wireless by this time though,' Kenyon remarked.

Gregory laughed suddenly. 'No, it's not working. That was a really masterly touch. I managed to remove some of the essential parts within ten minutes of coming on board.'

'Fanshawe must have thought that pretty queer when it was reported.'

'He did, but I persuaded him that it must have been one of the mutineers last night, or a sympathiser early this morning.'

Two bright spots of colour had appeared in Veronica's usually pale cheeks. After a moment's silence she said suddenly: 'And you have the face to sit there and tell us quite calmly that you have taken all these men away from their duty when the country's on the verge of revolution?'

'I have, dear lady. These troops and this destroyer are at the present time engaged solely upon the very important duty of securing the safety of Brigadier General Gregory Sallust ' he paused for a moment with his chin stuck out as he looked challengingly round the table ' and that of those friends whom he delights to honour.',

'My hat, what a party!' Veronica flung her hands above her head and did an excellent imitation of a faint.

'I wish to God you'd told me this before,' said Kenyon seriously.

'Why?'

'Well, naturally I should never have dreamt of lending myself to such a scheme. It's not only criminal it's treason. Nothing less than stabbing the Government in 'the back when they need every man they've got to keep order.'

'Stop talking hot air and be honest with yourself, Fane. The Government has ceased to exist already. How could they hope to survive with the machinery of supply and control cracking up in every direction? Surely you don't suggest that a few thousand troops could keep a population of fifty million starving people permanently in subjection, do you? And as a matter of fact, the troops themselves are starting to give trouble. There was a mutiny at Aldershot yesterday. That was the last piece of authentic news I had from old Jolliat, the editor, before I left the office of my paper. Actually this particular platoon should thank their stars that I've got them out of it along with myself.'

'Perhaps but even if you're right there is such a thing as principle.'

I see, and so, my noble squire of dames, you think I should have taken my chances of starvation or death with the rest of the fools, and have left these poor devils of soldiers to turn into a gang of bandits roaming the countryside and adding to the general misery, eh? I wonder where you would be now if I had.'