"
I expressed my opinion that the Captain must be feeling sea-sick and
was ashamed to say so. I also suggested to the navigator that he should
take the Captain a little brandy in case he was not feeling well, but
the navigator declared he was going to stay down in the warmth till he
was sent for. Alten is a great coarse brute. Fancy allowing a material
substance such as alcohol to grip one's mentality.
Thank Heaven I have nerves of iron; nothing would affect me!
And now to bed, though I must just read my account of our day in the
forest. Darling girl, may I dream of thee.
* * * * *
We laid our mines without trouble at 5 a.m. this morning, though at
midnight we had a most unpleasant experience.
I was asleep, as it was my morning watch, when I was awakened by the
harsh rattle of the diving alarms.
The Diesel subsided with a few spasmodic coughs into silence, and as I
jumped out of my bunk and groped for my short sea boots, the navigator
and helmsman came tumbling down the conning tower, with the navigator
shouting, "Take her down," as hard as you like.
The men at the planes had them "hard-to-dive" in an instant.
The vents had been opened as the hooters sounded, and Alten, who had
jumped into the control room, immediately rang down, "All out on the
electric motors."
In thirty seconds from the original alarm we were at an angle of twenty
degrees down by the bow, and I had sat down heavily on the battery
boards, completely surprised by the sudden tilt of the deck.
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