The
coxswain, Schmitt by name, is a splendid old petty officer who has been
in the U-boat service since 1911.
His favourite enjoyment is to spin yarns to the younger members of the
crew, who know of his weakness and play up to it.
He has a favourite expression which runs thus:
"His Majesty the Kaiser said Germany's future lies on the sea; I say
Germany's future lies under the sea."
He is inordinately fond of this statement, and the youngsters
continually say: "What made you take to U-boat work, Schmitt?" and the
invariable reply is as above. When he has been asked the question about
half a dozen times in the course of a day, he is liable to become
suspicious, and if his questioner is within range Schmitt stares at him
for a few seconds in an absent-minded way, then an arm like that of a
gorilla shoots out, and the quizzer (_Untersucher_) receives a
resounding box on the ears to the huge delight of his companions. The
old man then permits his iron-lipped mouth to relax into a caustic
smile, after which he is left in peace for some time.
At the wheel he is an artist, for he seems to divine what the next
order is going to be, or if he is steering her on a course he predicts
the direction of the next wave even as a skilful chess player works out
the moves ahead.
* * * * *
I am rather weary and ought to go to bed, but before I lose the savour
I must record the splendid fun I had with Alten at dinner.
We were dining alone, as the navigator was on the bridge, and the
engineer was busy with a slight leak in the cooking water service.
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