The Caine Mutiny (59 page)

“Well,” said Queeg calmly, “it was a rather serious situation. The wind was force 10 to 12, the waves were mountainous, and the ship naturally was laboring very badly. Mr. Maryk had shown evidences of growing nervousness and instability all morning. I think when we took that last bad roll he simply went into panic and proceeded to act irrationally. He acted under the delusion that he and he alone could save the ship. His worst weakness was conceit about his seamanship.”

“Was the
Caine
in grave danger at that moment?”

“I wouldn’t say so, no sir. Of course a typhoon is an extreme hazard at all times, but the ship had ridden well up to that moment and continued to ride well afterward.”

“Have you ever been mentally ill, sir?”

“No, sir.”

“Were you ill in any way when Mr. Maryk relieved you?”

“I was not.”

“Did you protest the relief?”

“As forcefully as I could.”

“Did you attempt to resume command?”

“Repeatedly.”

“Did you warn your executive officer of the consequences of his act?”

“I told him he was performing a mutinous act.”

“What was his reply?”

“That he expected to be court-martialed, but was going to retain command anyway.”

“What was the attitude of Lieutenant Junior Grade Keith, the officer of the deck?”

“He was in a state of panic as bad as Maryk’s or worse. He consistently backed up Maryk.”

“What was the attitude of the rest of the officers?”

“They were perplexed and submissive. Under the circumstances I don’t suppose they had any alternative.”

“What was the attitude of the helmsman?”

“Stilwell I considered the worst troublemaker on the ship. He was emotionally unbalanced, and for some reason was very devoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade Keith. He gladly participated in defying my orders.”

“Where is Stilwell at present?”

“I understand he is in the psychiatric ward of the hospital here, with a diagnosis of acute melancholia.”

Challee glanced at the court. “Is there anything else, Commander Queeg, that you care to state in connection with the events of 18 December aboard the
Caine
?”

“Well, I have thought a lot about it all, of course. It’s the gravest occurrence in my career, and the only questionable one that I’m aware of. It was an unfortunate freak accident. If the OOD had been anyone but Keith, and the helmsman anyone but Stilwell, it would not have happened. Keefer or Harding or Paynter would have repudiated Maryk’s orders and probably snapped him out of it in a hurry. A normal sailor at the helm would have disregarded both officers and obeyed me. It was just bad luck that those three men-Maryk, Keith, and Stilwell-were combined against me at a crucial time. Bad luck for me, and worse luck for them.”

Maryk took the crayon from Greenwald’s hand as Queeg spoke and scribbled on the pad,
I can prove I wasn’t panicky
. The lawyer wrote underneath,
Okay. May not be necessary
, and around both statements he drew a large pig.

“The court would like to question the witness,” said Blakely. “Commander Queeg, how long have you been in the naval service?”

“I am completing my fourteenth year, sir.”

“In that time you have taken all the prescribed physical and mental examinations incident to entrance to the Academy, graduation, commissioning, promotion, and so forth?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Does your medical record contain any entry reflecting in any way any history of illness, mental or physical?”

“It does not, sir. My tonsils were removed in the fall of 1938. That is the only entry that isn’t routine.”

“Have you ever had an unsatisfactory fitness report, or any letter of reprimand or admonishment, Commander Queeg?”

“Negative, sir. I have one letter of commendation in my jacket.”

“Now Commander, the court would like you to account if you can for Lieutenant Maryk’s opinion that you were mentally ill, in view of your background and service record.” Challee looked quickly at Greenwald, expecting an objection to the question. The defense counsel sat head down, drawing on the pad. He was left-handed; his scarred wrist and hand curved around the moving crayon.

“Well, sir, I will have to point out that I assumed the command of an extremely disorganized and dirty ship. I saw I was in for a long tough grind. I was determined to bring that ship up to snuff, no matter how unpleasant the process might be. I took many stern measures. Lieutenant Maryk, I may say, from the first opposed my will in this regard. He didn’t see eye to eye with me at all on this idea of bringing the ship up to snuff, and maybe he thought I was crazy to keep trying. His questionable loyalty and slackness forced me to bear down, all the harder, of course, and-well, I guess that’s the picture, sir. And as I say, I’ll stand on the
Caine
’s battle record under my command, despite all the trouble Maryk gave me.”

There was an exchange of looks among the president, Challee, and Greenwald. The defense counsel rose for cross-examination. “Commander Queeg,” he said respectfully, looking down at the crayon in his hand, “I should like to ask you whether you have ever heard the expression, ‘Old Yellowstain.’

“In what connection?” Queeg looked genuinely puzzled.

“In any connection.”

“Old Yellowstone?”

“Old Yellowstain, sir.”

“I have not.”

“You aren’t aware, then, that all the officers of the
Caine
habitually referred to you as Old Yellowstain?”

The judge advocate jumped to his feet. “I object to the question! It is impertinent badgering of the witness.”

Blakely said frostily, “How does defense counsel justify this line of questioning?”

“If the court please, it is the assigned duty of defense counsel to disprove the words in the specification-I quote-
without authority, and without justifiable cause
. It will be the contention of the defense that the authority of Lieutenant Maryk was Articles 184, 185, and 186 of the
Navy Regulations
, and that his justifiable cause was the conduct, demeanor, and decisions of Commander Queeg during his command of the
Caine
. The sobriquet ‘Old Yellowstain’ used by the officers of the
Caine
, and the facts out of which that sobriquet arose, will be extremely relevant. I quote Article 185:
the conclusion to relieve his commanding officer must be one which a reasonable, prudent and experienced officer would regard as necessary from the facts thus determined to exist
.”

The president of the court worked his eyebrows while Greenwald spoke. “The court will be cleared,” he said.

In the corridor, Greenwald lounged against the wall and remarked to Maryk, “Captain Blakely doesn’t like Jews. Intonations on the name ‘Greenwald.’ I have absolute pitch for those harmonies.”

“Jesus,” said Maryk miserably.

“It won’t make any difference. You’re not supposed to love Jews necessarily, just to give them a fair shake. I’ve always had a fair shake in the Navy, and I’ll get it from Blakely, too, despite the eyebrows.”

“I don’t think I have a chance at this point,” mourned the exec.

“Queeg’s doing nobly,” said Greenwald. The orderly summoned them back to the courtroom.

“Before ruling, the court wishes to caution defense counsel,” Blakely said, staring very hard at Greenwald. “This is a most unusual and delicate case. The honor and career of an officer with an unblemished military record of fourteen years’ standing, including long combatant duty, is involved. The court recognizes that the defense is compelled to try to challenge the competence of that officer. Nevertheless, all requirements of legal ethics and military respect and subordination remain in force. The defense counsel will have to bear full responsibility for the conduct of his case, including indiscretions and abuses of his cross-examination privileges.” The president halted, and intensified his stare at Greenwald, who stood behind his desk, looking down at his array of pigs. “Subject to the foregoing comment, the judge advocate’s objection is overruled. Court stenographer will repeat the question.”

The little yeoman in whites said tonelessly, “You aren’t aware then that all the officers of the
Caine
habitually referred to you as Old Yellowstain?”

Queeg’s head was down between his shoulders, and he squinted up at the air in front of him. He suddenly looked much more familiar to Maryk. “I am not aware of it.”

“Commander,” said Greenwald, “how many fitness reports did you write on Lieutenant Maryk, disregarding the one after he relieved you?”

“Two, I believe.”

“One in January, and one in July?”

“That is correct.”

“Do you remember their contents?”

“Well, they weren’t bad fitness reports, as I recall.”

“Did you give him the highest classification-Outstanding-in both of them?”

“Well, that was at the beginning. I may have.”

“Photostats of the reports are available to refresh your memory, Commander.”

“I can say definitely, yes, I was still classifying him as outstanding that early in the game.”

“Isn’t that inconsistent with your statement that from the first he opposed your wishes regarding the
Caine
?”

“No, there’s no inconsistency, it’s all how you interpret it. I don’t use fitness reports to revenge myself on officers who disagree with me, and Maryk did know his job and-maybe I shouldn’t have said from the first. In fact he started off at first like a house afire but he funked off very fast. That morning-glory type is quite common and I’m not the first captain who was fooled at first.”

“Did you state in your report of 1 July that he was qualified for command?”

“Well, as I say, he started off like a house afire. If you want to know how he ended up why don’t you bring up his last fitness report?”

“You wrote that report, Commander, did you not, after he relieved you on the grounds of mental illness?”

“That made no difference at all,” exclaimed Queeg; with a touch of the old nasal voice. “The fitness report is not an instrument of retaliation or revenge-not in my hands, it isn’t!”

“No further questions at this time.” Greenwald turned to the court. “Commander Queeg will be called as a witness for the defense.” The eyebrows of the president signaled astonishment followed by resignation. Queeg was excused. He walked out of the room hurriedly.

“Call Lieutenant Thomas Keefer,” said Challee. The novelist came marching in, shoulders thrown back, head tilted a little to one side, his eyes looking blankly ahead. After being sworn he sat in the witness chair and crossed his gangling legs. His elbows lay on the arm rests and his fingers were laced across his stomach. His foot danced slightly all the time he testified.

Challee brushed through the opening questions in a monotone, then said, “Now, Lieutenant Keefer, coming to the morning of 18 December-where were you at the time Captain Queeg was relieved?”

“In the charthouse on the bridge.”

“What were you doing?”

“Well, the weather was pretty terrible. Several of us were there, officers and men. We wanted to be on hand in case an emergency arose, but naturally we stayed out of the pilothouse, not wanting to clutter it up.”

“Describe how you learned that the captain had been relieved.”

“Mr. Maryk passed the word for all officers to lay up to the wheelhouse. When we got there he told us that the captain was sick and he had assumed command.”

“Where was Commander Queeg at the time?”

“In the wheelhouse.”

“Did he concur with Maryk’s statement?”

“He did not. He continually protested and warned us that if we complied with Maryk’s orders we’d be guilty of collusion in mutiny.”

“Did Captain Queeg show any external signs of being sick?”

“Well-” Keefer shifted in his seat and for a moment encountered Maryk’s painfully intense glance. Maryk looked away angrily. “Well, I have to say that at the height of typhoon nobody aboard a four-piper looks very well. He was wet, and tired, and very tense-looking-”

“Was he raving, or foaming, or giving any other common indications of insanity?”

“No.”

“Did he speak incoherently or gibberingly when he protested being relieved?”

“No, he spoke clearly.”

“Did he look any worse than, say, Lieutenant Keith?”

“No, sir.”

“Or Maryk?”

“I guess not. We were all tired, dripping, and knocked about.”

“What was your response to Maryk’s announcement?”

“Well, things were happening very fast and in a confused way. Captain Queeg was talking to us when the capsized
George Black
was sighted. Maryk began to maneuver to pick up survivors and for an hour that was all anyone thought about.”