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irreverent.
    â€˜You are lost, Mr Kennet?’ Bowen said. Bowen had long ago abandoned the old habit of addressing a Chief Officer as ‘Mister’.
    â€˜When the hour strikes, sir, Kennet is there. I hear of alarms and excursions from young Jamie here.’ ‘Young Jamie’ was Third Officer Batesman. ‘Something sinister afoot, I gather.’
    â€˜You gather rightly. Just how sinister I don’t know.’ He described what little had happened. ‘So, two electrical breakdowns, if you could call them that, and a third in the process of being investigated.’
    â€˜And it would be naïve to think that the third is not connected with the other two?’
    â€˜Very naïve.’
    â€˜This presages something ominous.’
    â€˜Don’t they teach you English in those Welsh schools.’
    â€˜No, sir. I mean, yes, sir. You have reached a conclusion, not, perhaps, a very nice one?’
    The phone rang. Batesman took it and handed the phone to Bowen who listened briefly, thanked the caller and hung up.
    â€˜Jamieson. In the cold room, this time. How could anyone get into the cold room? Cook’s got the only key.’
    â€˜Easily,’ Kennet said. ‘If a man was a saboteur, trained in his art – if that’s the word I want – one would expect him to be an expert picklock or at least to carry a set of skeleton keys around with him. With respect, sir, I hardly think that’s the point. When will this villain strike again?’
    â€˜When indeed. Flannelfoot – that’s Jamieson’s term for him – seems to be a villain of some resource and foresight. It is more than likely that he has some further surprises. Jamieson is of the same mind. If there’s another power failure when they switch on again he says he’s going to go over every inch of wiring with his bridge-megger, whatever that is.’
    â€˜Some sort of instrument for detecting voltage leaks – you know, breaks in a circuit. It’s occurred to me –’
    Chief Radio Officer Spenser appeared at the hatchway of his wireless office, paper in hand. ‘Message from the Andover , sir.’
    Bowen read out: ‘Continued absence of lights very serious. Essential expedite matters. Has saboteur been apprehended?’
    Kennet said: ‘Cue, I think for angry spluttering.’
    â€˜Man’s a fool,’ Bowen said. ‘Commander Warrington, I mean, captain of the frigate. Spenser, send: “If you have any members of the Special Branch or CID with you they are welcome aboard. If not, kindly refrain from sending pointless signals. What the hell do you think we’re trying to do?” ’
    Kennet said: ‘In the circumstances, sir, a very restrained signal. As I was about to say –’
    The phone rang again. Batesman took the call, listened, acknowledged, hung up and turned to the Captain.
    â€˜Engine-room, sir. Another malfunction. Both Jamieson and Third Engineer Ralson are on their way up with meggers.’
    Bowen brought out his pipe and said nothing. He gave the impression of a man temporarily bereft of words. Kennet wasn’t, but then, Kennet never was.
    â€˜Man never gets to finish a sentence on this bridge. Have you arrived at any conclusion, sir, however unpleasant?’
    â€˜Conclusion, no. Hunch, suspicion, yes. Unpleasant, yes. I would take odds that by or at dawn someone is going to have a go at us.’
    â€˜Fortunately,’ Kennet said, ‘I am not a betting man. In any event I wouldn’t bet against my own convictions. Which are the same as yours, sir.’
    â€˜We’re a hospital ship, sir,’ Batesman said. He didn’t even sound hopeful.
    Bowen favoured him with a morose glance. ‘If you are immune to the sufferings of the sick anddying and care to exercise a certain cold-blooded and twisted logic, then we are a man-of-war even though we are completely defenceless. For what do we