DEPARTURE
Sounds of railway wagons being shunted pene trated
the walls of the dining'saloon as Mr Anderson, the First
Officer, sat silently eating his fried eggs and bacon. The
steward was likewise deep in thought, together with
the Chief Engineer, who refused all food but porridge
which he ate mechanically and without relish.
A filthy morning, ' was his only comment to the others.
This was so true that the First Officer did not trouble
to ^,agree. Again came the clash of railway buffeS, this
time accompanied by the noise of a ship's electric
winch, whining and thump ing, as it lifted another sling
of cargo over the side.
Not finished yet ?' asked the Chief Engineer.
Just loading into Number Three Hold, ' said the
Mate. The bo'sun is singling up on the mooring wires
now '
Over the sounds of the docks came the continuous hum
of the ship's machinery which came with the warm air
through the ventilators over their heads.
The lights glowed with bright comfort, illuminating the
mural painting which covered one wall of the saloon.
Mr Anderson stood reluctantly, pulled on his heavy
greatcoat, and carefully adjusted his peaked cap which
bore his company's crest em broidered with gold
thread. He ran expertly down the steel steps to the
main deck and emerged abruptly into the freezing wind.
Harsh, powerful lights hung everywhere, driving back
the dark night. He took in at one swift glance the
yellow masts and derrick poles, the white paint of the
ship's upperworks, the squalid confusion of the
quayside and the towering, black skeletons of the
dockside cranes. Above his head the great red and
black funnel stood out in the glare of flood lights. He
strode along the deck to the open Num ber Three
hatch, noted that the Third Officer was there checking
the final items of cargo, and was surprised to see the
new Fourth Officer, a young man of twenty, with him.
* Keen, ' said Anderson to himself, an enthusias tic lad '
He nodded to them and walked on, making sure that
the other hatches were thoroughly battened down,
and that the derrick poles were rigged down ready for
the open sea. On the fo'c'stle head the bo'sun and six
members of the deck crew hauled in the heavy manilla
mooring ropes to leave a single line holding the ship's
bow to the quay. Anderson looked ahead at the stern
of the next ship in line – the Yoshinosan Maru of
Tokyo. Big white Japanese characters were painted
above the Roman letters of the name.
Thank goodness it's stopped snowing, ' he thought.
The Third Mate climbed the ladder to meet him.
Captain's aboard, ' he reported, the two tugs are
coming up the dock; the pilot's coming round the
corner of the shed now, and the last fifteen tons is in
Number Three. Shall I close up now?'
Have the six cases come aboard, the Singapore lot?'
No sign of them, and it's five to eight '
Give them another five minutes '
They saw the pilot climb aboard, and the Second
Officer conduct him to the bridge. The tugs moved
gently nearer, waiting for the lines to be thrown and
the wire hawser? to be passed to them.
We can't wait any longer, ' said the First Officer, Get
that hold closed up '
Wait a minute!' said the young Fourth Officer, Here's a
lorry now, sir '
Round the end of the warehouse came an eight wheeled
lorry, caked here and there with lumps of frozen snow.
Slowly it approached the ship, cracking ice on puddles
which had been undisturbed during the night.



For Departure 2
www.veracious.com.ng/2018/05/departure-2.html