"In your expert opinion, as ship handler and psychiatrist, that is? Very well. Are you aware that Captain Queeg has been pronounced perfectly rational by professional psychi-atrists?"
"Yes."
"Do you think these psychiatrists are also mentally ill, Lieutenant Keith?"
"They weren't on the bridge of the Caine during the typhoon."
"Were you a loyal officer?"
"I think I was."
"Were you wholeheartedly behind the captain, or antago-nistic to him, at all times prior to 18 December?"
Willie knew Queeg had appeared on the first day, but he had no idea of what the testimony had been. He calculated his answer carefully. "I was antagonistic to Captain Queeg at certain isolated times. Otherwise I maintained a loyal and respectful attitude."
"At what isolated times were you antagonistic?"
"Well, it was usually the same basic trouble. When Captain Queeg oppressed or maltreated the men I opposed him. Not very successfully."
"When did the captain ever maltreat the men?"
"Well, I don't know where to begin. Well, first he system-atically persecuted Gunner's Mate Second Class Stilwell."
"In what way?"
"First he restricted him to the ship for six months for read-ing on watch. He refused to grant him leave in the States when there was a grave crisis in Stilwell's family life. Maryk gave Stilwell a seventy-two-hour emergency leave and he re-turned a few hours over leave. And for all that the captain gave Stilwell a summary court."
"Wasn't Stilwell tried for sending a fraudulent telegram?"
"Yes, and acquitted."
"But the summary court was for fraud, not merely for being AOL?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, I spoke hastily."
"Take your time and be accurate. Do you think reading on watch in wartime is a negligible offense?"
"I don't think it warrants six months' restriction."
"Are you qualified to pass judgment on matters of naval discipline?"
"I'm a human being. In Stilwell's circumstances, the re-striction was inhuman."
Challee paused for a moment. "You say Maryk gave Stil-well a pass. Did Maryk know that the captain had denied leave to Stilwell?"
"Yes."
"Are you testifying, Mr. Keith," the judge advocate said, with the air of having stumbled on something unexpected and good, "that Maryk, as far back as December '43, deliberately violated his captain's orders?"
Willie became rattled. It hadn't occurred to him that he would be disclosing this injurious fact for the first time. "Well, I mean it was my fault actually. I begged him to. I was morale officer, and I thought the man's morale-in fact, I think his present mental collapse is due to the captain's persecution-"
Challee turned to Blakely. "I ask the court to warn this witness against answering with immaterial opinions."
"Stick to facts, Mr. Keith," growled Blakely. Willie shifted in his chair, and felt his clothes all clammy inside. Challee said, "We now have your testimony, Mr. Keith, that you and Maryk and Stilwell connived to circumvent an express order of your commanding officer, a whole year before the typhoon of 18 December-"
"I would do it again, given the same circumstances."
"Do you believe loyalty consists in obeying only such orders as you approve of, or all orders?"
"All orders, except irrational persecution."
"Do you think there is no recourse in the Navy against what you think is irrational persecution, except disobedience of orders?"
"I know you can forward a letter to higher authority--via the captain."
"Why didn't you do that in this case?"
"I had to sail with Queeg for another year. The important thing was to get Stilwell home."
"It's an unlucky coincidence, isn't it, that the same insubor-dinate trio-Maryk, Stilwell, and yourself-combined in the de-posing of your captain?"
"Stilwell and I just happened to be on duty when the captain went to pieces. Any other OOD and helmsman would have done the same."
"Maybe. Now, please tell the court any other instances of oppression and maltreatment that occur to you."
Willie hesitated for several seconds, feeling the weight of the court members' unfriendly looks like a pressure on his forehead. "Maybe you can make them all sound silly and trivial here, sir, but at the time they were serious. He cut off the movies for six months just because he wasn't invited to a showing by mistake-he cut off the water at the equator be-cause he was annoyed by the detachment of an officer-he called midnight conferences on insignificant details with de-partment heads who were standing a one-in-three deck watch. And he forbade sleeping by day so there was no chance to catch up on sleep-"
"We've had a lot of testimony on that sleep business. The officers of the Caine certainly wanted their sleep, war or no war, didn't they?"
"I said it's easy to poke fun at these things. But it isn't easy to conn a ship in formation in a rain squall when you've been up for seventy-two hours with maybe four hours' consecutive sleep."
"Mr. Keith, did Captain Queeg ever use physical torture on officers or men?"
"No."
"Did he starve them, beat them, or in any way cause any-body injury that will appear in the medical records of the Caine?"
"No."
"Did he ever issue punishments not allowed by regulations?"
"He never did anything not allowed by regulations, or if he did he backtracked immediately. He demonstrated how much can be done to oppress and maltreat within regulations."
"You didn't like Captain Queeg, did you, Lieutenant?"
"I did at first, very much. But I gradually realized that he was a petty tyrant and utterly incompetent."
"Did you think he was insane too?"
"Not until the day of the typhoon."
"Did Maryk ever show you his medical log on Queeg?"
"No."
"Did he ever discuss the captain's medical condition with you?"
"No. Mr. Maryk never permitted criticism of the captain in his presence."
"What! Despite the insubordination back in December '43?"
"He would walk out of the wardroom if anything derogatory was said of the captain."
"There were derogatory remarks about the captain in the wardroom? Who uttered them?"
"Every officer except Maryk."
"Would you say that Captain Queeg had a loyal wardroom of officers?"
"All his orders were carried out."
"Except those you thought ought to be circumvented.... Mr. Keith, you have stated you disliked the captain."
"That is the truth."
"Come to the morning of 18 December. Was your decision to obey Maryk based on your judgment that the captain had gone mad, or was it based on your dislike of Captain Queeg?"
Willie stared for long seconds at Challee's livid face. There were sharp steel teeth in the question. Willie knew what the true answer was; and he knew that it would probably destroy himself and Maryk. But he felt unable to carry off a lie. "I can't answer," he said at last, in a low voice.
"On what grounds, Lieutenant Keith?"
"Must I state grounds?"
"It is contempt of court to refuse to answer a question except on sufficient grounds, Lieutenant Keith."
Willie said thickly, "I'm not sure. I just don't remember my state of mind that long ago."
"No more questions," said Challee: He turned on his heel and sat down.
Willie was absolutely certain, in that instant, staring at the surgically cold faces of the court, that he had convicted Maryk and himself with his own mouth. He shook with boiling im-potent rage at the flummery of court routine which prevented him from breaking out and shouting his self-justification; and at the same time he realized that he could never quite justify himself in the Navy's eyes. In plain truth, he had obeyed Maryk for two reasons, first, because he thought the exec was more likely to save the ship, and second, because he hated Queeg. It had never occurred to him, until Maryk took command, that Queeg might be re
ally insane. And he knew, deep down, that he never had believed the captain was crazy. Stupid, mean, vicious, cowardly, incompetent, yes-but sane. The insanity of Queeg was Maryk's only possible plea (and Willie's too); and it was a false plea; and Challee knew it, and the court knew it; and now Willie knew it.
Greenwald rose to cross-examine. "Mr. Keith, you have stated you disliked Captain Queeg."
"I did dislike him."
"Did you state under direct examination all your reasons for disliking him?"
"Not at all. I wasn't given the chance to state half the reasons."
"Please state the rest of your reasons, now, if you will."
Words formed in Willie's mind which, he knew, would change the course of several lives and land him in trouble from which he might never extricate himself. He spoke; it was like punching his fist through a glass door. "My chief reason for disliking Captain Queeg was his cowardice in battle."
Challee started getting to his feet. Greenwald said quickly, "What cowardice?"
"He repeatedly ran from shore batteries-"
"Objection!" shouted the judge advocate. "Counsel is originating evidence beyond the scope of direct examination. He is leading the witness into irresponsible libels of an officer of the Navy. I request that the court admonish defense counsel and strike the cross-examination thus far from the record."
"Please the court," said Greenwald, facing into Blakely's glare, "the witness's dislike of Queeg was not only in the scope of the direct examination, it was the key fact brought out. The background of this dislike is of the utmost consequence. The witness has confessed ignorance of medicine and psychi-atry. Things Queeg did, which caused the witness in his ig-norance to dislike him, may in fact have been the helpless acts of a sick man. Defense will present material corroboration of all statements of the witness in this connection, and will in fact show that Queeg's acts stemmed from illness-"
Challee flared at Greenwald, "This is not the time for de-fense to present its case or make a closing argument-"
"The judge advocate has opened the question of Lieutenant Keith's admitted dislike of Captain Queeg," Greenwald shot back. "Evidence is tested as it arises-"
Blakely rapped his gavel. "Defense counsel and the judge advocate are admonished for unseemly personal exchanges. The court will be cleared."
When the parties of the trial came back into the room, Blakely had a copy of Navy Regulations open before him on the bench. He wore thick black-rimmed glasses which gave him an oddly peaceful professorial look. "For the benefit of all parties, court will read from Article 4, Sections 13 and 14 of the Articles for the Government of the Navy, before an-nouncing its ruling.
"The punishment of death, or such other punishment as a court-martial may adjudge, may be inflicted on any person in the naval service, who, in time of battle, displays cowardice, negligence, or disaffection, or withdraws from or keeps out of danger to which he should expose himself... or in time of battle, deserts his duty or station, or induces others to do so."
Blakely took off his glasses and closed the book. He went on in a grave, tired tone, "The court has said this is a delicate case. Defense counsel and the witness are warned that they are on the most dangerous possible ground. In charging an officer of the United States Navy with an offense punishable by death, and that the most odious offense in military life, equal to murder, they take on themselves the heaviest re-sponsibility, and face consequences the seriousness of which cannot be overstated. The court now asks defense counsel in view of the foregoing whether he desires to withdraw his ques-tions."
Greenwald said, "I do not so desire, sir."
"The court asks the witness to consider carefully the implications of his answers and state whether he desires to with-draw his answers."
Willie, his teeth chattering a little, said, "I do not so desire, sir."
"Subject to the foregoing," said Blakely, with an audible sigh, pushing aside the book, "the objection is overruled. De-fense counsel will proceed with his cross-examination."
Willie told about Queeg's running from the Saipan shore battery which had fired on the Stanfield. He narrated in detail the episode at Kwajalein which had resulted in Queeg's being nicknamed "Old Yellowstain." He saw for the first time a change in the expressions of the court as he spoke. The frigid solemnity with which they had peered at him gave way slowly, and instead there were seven faces of men listening with in-terest to an amazing tale. Challee, frowning bitterly, scribbled pages of notes.
"Mr. Keith, who coined this name, `Old Yellowstain'?" said Greenwald.
"I'm not sure, sir. It just sprang into existence."
"What did it imply?"
"Well, cowardice, of course. But it also referred to the yellow marker. It was one of those naturals. It stuck."
"Have you told all the incidents of cowardice that you re-call?"
"Well, in any combat situation Captain Queeg inevitably would be found on the side of the bridge away from the firing. When we were patrolling near a beach, every time the ship reversed course the captain changed wings. Everyone noticed it. It was a common joke. All the bridge personnel will cor-roborate what I say, if they're not afraid to talk."
Greenwald said, "Besides these incidents of cowardice, what further reasons had you for disliking Queeg?"
"Well-I guess I've told the characteristic ones-well, for one thing, he extorted a hundred dollars from me-"
Challee stood wearily. "Objection. How long will these ir-relevant unproven allegations be permitted by the court? The issue in this case is not whether Captain Queeg was a model officer, but whether he was insane on 18 December. Defense counsel has not even touched this issue. I suggest there is strong indication of collusion between defense counsel and witness to recklessly smear Commander Queeg and thus con-fuse the issue-"
Greenwald said, "The objection is identical with the last one court overruled. I repudiate the charge of collusion. Facts are facts, and need no collusion to be brought out. All these facts bear directly on the mental fitness of Captain Queeg to command a naval vessel, and as evidence they are nothing but clarification of Keith's dislike of his commanding officer, a fact established by the judge advocate at great pains in direct examination."
"The objection is identical," said Blakely, rubbing his eyes, "and it is overruled. Proceed with cross-examination."
"Describe this so-called extortion, Mr. Keith."
Willie told of the loss of the crate of liquor in San Francisco Bay. Captain Blakely began grimacing horribly. Greenwald said, "Did the captain order you to pay for the liquor?"
"Oh, no. He didn't order me. He made me admit that I was responsible for all acts of the working party because I was boat officer-although he had issued all the orders to the working party-and then he asked me to think over what I ought to do about it. That was all. But I was supposed to go on leave next day. My fianc‚e had flown out from New York to be with me. So I went to the captain. I apologized for my stupidity, and said I'd like to pay for the liquor. He took my money gladly, and signed my leave papers."
"No further questions," Greenwald said, and went to his seat. He felt a powerful grip on his knee under the table. He quickly sketched a revolting cross-eyed pig in a steaming caul-dron, labeled it "Queeg," showed it to Maryk, and shredded it into the wastebasket.
Challee re-examined Willie for twenty minutes, probing for contradictions and misstatements in his stories about Queeg; he got off a great deal of sarcasm at Willie's expense, but he did not manage to shake the testimony.
Willie looked at the clock as he left the stand. It was ten minutes of eleven. He was amazed, just as he had been on the morning of the typhoon, by the slow passage of time. He imagined he had been in the witness chair for four hours.
Challee called Captain Randolph P. Southard, a dapper, lean officer with a hard-bitten face and close-cropped head, whose ribbons and medals made three colorful rows over his breast pocket. The judge advocate quickly brought out that Southard was the commander of Destr
oyer Squadron Eight, and had commanded destroyers of several types, including World War I four-pipers, for ten years. He was Challee's expert witness on ship handling.
Southard testified that under typhoon conditions a destroyer rode just as well going down-wind as up-wind. In fact, he said, because of a destroyer's high freeboard forward it tended to back into the wind. Therefore, if anything, it was more manage-able with the wind astern. He asserted that Queeg's efforts to stay on the fleet's southerly course had been the soundest pos-sible procedure for getting out of the typhoon danger; and that Maryk's decision to turn north had been a dubious and danger-ous one, because it had kept the ship in the direct path of the storm.
Herman Wouk - The Caine Mutiny Page 57
