Chapter Four

Trials

Peter Robinson: August 1937

‘You, Mister Parnell, are a horrible little man. What are you?’

Warrant Officer Drake bellowed this statement directly into Danny Parnell's ear. Danny cringed before dutifully replying, ‘I am a horrible little man, warrant officer.’

Warrant Officer Drake was the living embodiment of the vicious drill sergeant. His job was to break new recruits until they jumped to his tune. Poor Danny was typical of those victimized by men such as Drake, being unsure of himself, as well as chronically disorganized. ‘Ten laps of the oval, now!’

Danny jogged off with his awkward gait. I breathed a sigh of relief. Now Drake had selected a victim he was likely to ease up on the rest of us. ‘Mister Robinson! If you're going to be so cocky you can join him! Ten laps, now!’

‘Yes Warrant Officer.’

I kicked myself for allowing the trace of expression that must have given me away. I hurried to catch up to Danny. He panted at me ‘It's beastly unfair, I wasn't late for parade.’

‘No, but you were the last onto the ground, that’s enough for him.’

‘I shall punch him on the nose if he picks on me again.’

I felt a sense of alarm. He sounded just about desperate enough to be serious. ‘You will not! You'd end up in the Glasshouse. Besides you only have to put up with him for another two weeks and we move on to flying school.’

‘I don't know if I can endure him, even for two weeks.’

‘Of course you can, look on it as a test of character. You know, once more into the breach, stiff upper lip and all that.’

He focused on running for a moment before puffing again, ‘Thanks Pete, I don't know how I'd survive OCTU without you.’

‘Rubbish, you'd cope just like the rest of us, because you want to get through to flying training.’

He did not reply, perhaps because he needed his breath for running.

Ebert Gausel: August 1937

As the wind got up, our little sailing dingy leapt across the deep blue of the Bodensee. It heeled over as I turned to run with the wind, foam splashing and chattering around the bows. Katharina laughed with the joy of the day and leant right out over the side, to counter the heeling boat. Arching her back she let one hand trail in the water, her golden hair streaming out in the wind like a glorious banner.

For two days now we had been learning to sail. At last, after turning the dingy over again and again we were beginning to find the trick of balancing wind, water and wood. Now with growing confidence, I took us arching away from the Lindau harbor venturing further out toward the distant Swiss mountains, beyond the far shore.

Katharina turned to me, and still laughing, shouted something that was snatched away in the breeze. Somehow she leant back still further and dipped her hair into the flashing water. Up she came and flicked her hair.

A rainbow shone briefly in the spray of droplets before blowing away in the wind. She laughed again and leant back further, then with a squeal of laughter, she was off and into the water.

With a cry of alarm I turned to look back. Katharina's still laughing face surfaced behind me. I swung the tiller over and turned to begin dropping the sail. With the sail half down I realized I would need it to tack back toward Katharina. I looked back again and to my horror saw her head was just a golden blob on the water already several hundred meters away. I turned the boat fully into the wind and began pulling up the sail again, all the time looking at Katharina.

With the sail up again, I began a slow tack towards her. With relief, I saw she was swimming strongly in my direction. A couple of short tacks and I drew level with her.

She was still laughing as she climbed into the boat. ‘Well, that was one swim I didn't intend to take.’

I was not yet over my fright. ‘I don't think you realize how much danger you were in.’

Her reproach was gentle, ‘Oh Ebi, you sound like my father.’

‘What would you have done if I couldn't have got back to you?’

‘I would swim to the shore.’

I stated with a growing sense of alarm, ‘It must be five kilometers.’

‘I doubt it, it is only about five kilometers due south from Lindau to the Austrian shore and ten south west to Switzerland, and we are closer to home here than either of those.’

‘Even if it is two or three you could drown.’

She was scornful at this, her brow cocked quizzically, ‘Why would I drown? I've swum over twenty kilometers in a pool, to see how far I could go.’

Now I made a mistake, I attempted to be the mature voice of reason. ‘Yes, yes, I know you’re an athlete, but you're a runner not a swimmer, and a pool is very different from open water.’

‘I know my limits better than you do Ebi, and I don't like being treated like a child.’

‘I'm sorry, but I think you’re being foolish.’

She flared up at that, flushing red, her eyes blazing. ‘I'm being foolish am I? Why don't we see? I'll swim to Altenrhein in Switzerland right now. It's only ten kilometers, I bet I get there before you do in this silly boat! You'll probably tip over and drown yourself without my help!’

‘Now you really are being childish. Stop it! You're frightening me, what you’re suggesting is dangerous.’

She drew breath to shout again, then she saw my anxious expression and shut her mouth with a snap. She very pointedly sat down with her back to me and said coldly, ‘You can take me back to the harbor now. I am going back to the hotel, and if you think you’re sharing my room tonight, then think again.’

I felt a real sense of anguish, as she no doubt intended. ‘Don't be like that, I just snapped because you frightened me.’

She turned halfway back to me, ‘So you're sorry you were cruel?’

I put on a puppy dog expression, ‘Very sorry.’

‘And you apologize without reservation?’

I slid down to the bottom of the boat, ‘I apologize on bended knee.’

She swung around and hugged my head to her chest, kissing me on the hair. ‘My Ebi, I love you.’

‘I love you as well, even if you do make me look at your sweet little nipple through your wet blouse.’

She pushed me away with mock disgust, ‘Ebi, you really are horrible.’

I rolled over and woke up. Katharina was not in the bed next to me. Almost every morning, no matter how late we went to sleep she went out in the early light for a run. If I woke in time to get ready I would run with her, but she never deliberately woke me. I looked at my watch, it was after seven, I really had slept in. Katharina would probably be back for her shower and breakfast any moment.

I showered, dressed and made my way down to the dining room where I decided to have a coffee while I waited. I drank my coffee and a second, but Katharina had still not appeared. ‘Herr Gausel?’

‘Yes, that’s me.’

‘There is a telephone call for you.’

‘Gausel speaking.’

‘Ebi, is that you?’

‘Katharina, where are you? I was just beginning to wonder what had happened to you.’

‘The very nice Swiss police inspector says he will have to arrest me if you can't bring me my passport.’

‘The… what did you say?’

‘I said the very nice Swiss policeman wants you to bring me my passport.’

‘What does a Swiss policeman have to do with anything?’

‘Well, I was angry with you again this morning, so I decided to swim over to Switzerland instead of going for my run.’

‘You swam to Switzerland.’

‘You aren't cross with me are you?’

‘You swam to Switzerland!’

‘You are cross with me.’

‘No I'm not cross, I just can't believe you've swum all the way to Switzerland.’

‘Well you didn't believe me yesterday, so I thought I should just prove you wrong.’

Sometimes there seems to be no option other than capitulation, ‘Where is your passport?’

‘Just in my small leather valise. And Ebi, the inspector says the next ferry is at nine o'clock. And Ebi, you should bring me some clothes to wear back on the ferry, I don't think the inspector wants me to swim home.’