A STORY WITH A HORAL:

Down the Hatch, Issue 1, 19 January 1944, Page 4

A STORY WITH A HORAL:

A, orop-teated soman enterod a cabin in Moat; 999 and s'Sister’ smartly» ■ '■ ? -'.’ “ * "Ein Bhglisohouigarottobutt, Hdrr U-Boat into U-lgoMoffigior." " . "Acte dank you, Saamn Sohso-inhund.. . At what tine and plate have you this found?" . . ■■ "On dor water floating,--a lament ng'©." ■ ■ '■©■ ■ "Hoot, Heil Hitler." A- : - .. ■'■ "Heil Hitler." The so mm respectfully saluted .and backed out. • Tito fewlligonco offices ucppod the olgarotie butt in & tost tube contaming an miter liquid. ■_ The liquid turned ochre, ter aided u few drbns of a camino fluid, ora n&rtura turn© 1 ultr marine, with -a cram sown. Ho *" drew the to Wto a burette and road off the graduations. ■He than scanned a book ox tables. n brief calculation and te turned to a&obtef-nffickm ■.nt extciplo •cl tus ul±iuloi±oy o£ v ur sorvlcQ, Herr Xoiitiinnt. .This cigarette butt wasmoarely three minutes ago found, a--How w© know that a Now 2te’-' . land troop ship pasted thia point fourteen hours ; .;ng©, heading south south oast at 20 knot g." . ■'. ’ "Miraculous." . ' V "Hot at all. ’fcf&ly, soiontifio. b arc additionally . sure ■of our facts tecaus© tbps© litjurou oteek with an analysis of a gobbet of shin’s stow xound in tao water. I© lifted a telephone reteivor and spoke briefly. Tlx; U-Boat /changed course. .. ■ Sono hours later,.the sutexxrlno surfaced. floating on th© water wore Qharrsa ©oops, poops, spars, huwsori, binnaolos, aaxflin spites and otter se-af&xta' tackle, .There wore no survivors to naohino gun.- FIRE: had been tterp first. "I wonter." said tho intelligonoo of floor, "whether ■it was .th© s?xte caroloss snoKor this, tine? Obviously, his oigarette butt has teen carried ’by the wind through a porthole and has set fire to the papers in the Ship’s Orctorly Ro®, ■ There has teen a panto, probably booms© the fools did not teepmho 'right in opw)nte4n--~w<.’y!j. n -■ MCMhi Cl) Cigarette butts should net bo thrown ovorboard? - . Cd) If you aunt wilt, wilt in the scuppers, :- - '.a) .Koop to tte right. ''" tt.w.g.

did not wu«J? 5” & dlnnigwlntnont to tho troops to find that oitounstance? tho 4 31 Ft 11 P lO » 4 our first xwt of call. Mererthnt Mm-tn T i- - * out! too -a Irxncl, after an ck-oto veyagu* 'was a steiit 9 3 w»' J n™ t'nd’’;?,'V 1 many sufiorors' on *a»J. and -probably everyone. yx we vujd up at the wharf. oajoyod the sen«»*xm, if it can be< oaiw Mto of a motionless ship bona his foot. ,rf the visit removed no re*trinf?&£ on our liberty, it was still a happy experience - a break in a'iournav tto+' ' we sust expect to to of white, top to that point, we could 4? no more- then top 2 111 . the words of the song, We Saw the Sea.” If the Snn&» expression oi noy on sighting c.it.isons of a nation other than our own"'w^ S sovocifor ous -chat an appeal had to to made for silence 'so that'the «thib?s officero could hear the captains carders, that was. perhaps, mrlbotlv uncVrstandable and excusable. a Ttoxe was, however, less understanding ainohw aei troops fraa the Scottish South of the action -of so many of our number'fed showered coin and cigala ties on the wharf as unsolicited aifts for whoevercared to stoop to pick then up. A private from Dunedin who, to his exuberance, parted with nail a crown in mistake for a renny relates ttot toto he. .later realised tee enormity of this departure fra his nojSl cXte to ‘ caught a shilling throw by a shipmate and so cut his losses to l/6d. . .. Little activity on snore in daylight hours escaped the attention of the men who crowded into every vantage point on the ship. The inevitable lady in .the- red hat-must have been flattered by the attention she ivnnwt? end a perfect example of feminine opportunism was provided by the "ffreh” " who, with an assurance bom of a knowledge of safety, in ter dis tan re from hem benefactors, smiled sweetly on all. and pocketed their gifts of "smoky o The happy thought that brought a local military ' band to'the wharf to entertain us was appreciated, but perhaps the., only ■incifUnt, whi of excitement occurred when a hat'blew ovei’board' and. local-lads attempted a long, swim to retrieve it. Two failed, and a. third bore it proudly, ashore as a souvenir. > ■ Probably all on board have carried away in their memories, some picture that will remind them of a. visit which narked the first nilo stone on a journey promising a wealth of new experience. J.L.to