"No, sir, I wasn't within a mile of it. I was coming here, just climbing up to the fo'c'sle deck, when that first hit threw me back down to the main deck... How are you, sir?"
"Thank God!
Thank God!
I don't know how I am. My legs...
What in the name of heaven is that?"
His eyes focusing normally again, widened in baffled disbelief.
Just above Turner's head, angling for'ard and upward to port, a great white tree trunk stretched as far as he could see in either direction.
Reaching up, he could just touch the massive bole with his hand.
"The foremast, sir," Turner explained. "It was sheared clean off by that last shell, just above the lower yardarm.
The back blast flung it on to the bridge.
Took most of the A.A. tower with it, I'm afraid-and caved in the Main Tower.
I don't think young Courtney could have had much chance... Davies saw it coming, I was just below him at the time.
He was very quick-----"
"Davies!" Tyndall's dazed mind had forgotten all about him.
"Of course! Davies!"
It must be Davies who was pinioning his legs.
He craned his neck forward, saw the huddled figure at his feet, the great weight of the mast lying across his back.
"For God's sake, Commander, get him out of that!"
"Just lie down, sir, till Brooks gets here.
Davies is all right."
"All right?
All right!" Tyndall was almost screaming, oblivious to the silent figures who were gathering around him. "Are you mad, Turner?
The poor bastard must be in agony!"
He struggled frantically to rise, but several pairs of hands held him down, firmly, carefully.
"He's all right, sir." Turner's voice was surprisingly gentle. "Really he is, sir. He's all right.
Davies doesn't feel a thing.
Not any more."
And all at once the Admiral knew and he fell back limply to the deck, his eyes closed in shocked understanding.
His eyes were still shut when Brooks appeared, doubly welcome in his confidence and competence.
Within seconds, almost, the Admiral was on his feet, shocked, badly bruised, but otherwise unharmed.
Doggedly, and in open defiance of Brooks, Tyndall demanded that he be assisted back to the bridge.
His eyes lit up momentarily as he saw Vallery standing shakily on his feet, a white towel to his mouth.
But fie said nothing.
His head bowed, he hoisted himself painfully into his chair.
"W.T.-bridge.
W.T.-bridge.
Please acknowledge signal."
"Is that bloody idiot still there?" Tyndall demanded querulously. "Why doesn't someone-----?"
"You've only been gone a couple of minutes, sir," the Kapok Kid ventured.
"Two minutes!" Tyndall stared at him, lapsed into silence.
He glanced down at Brooks, busy bandaging his right hand.
"Have you nothing better to do, Brooks?" he asked harshly.
"No, I haven't," Brooks replied truculently. "When shells explode inside four walls, there isn't much work left for a doctor... except signing death certificates," he added brutally.
Vallery and Turner exchanged glances.
Vallery wondered if Brooks had any idea how far through Tyndall was.
"W.T.-bridge.
W.T.-bridge.
Vectra repeats request for instruction.
Urgent.
Urgent."