condensed master

23
The Reluctant Agent
A Compelling Story of Espionage
"I sure would Wes, it will be a change of scene for me, I'll look forward to
that."
"I thought so. Just be on "D" deck by the gun port door, about one hour after
we anchor."
No one was allowed ashore in Algiers, so the trip across to visit another ship
was a pleasant surprise. The uninitiated would tend to think that one ship would
be just like another, but that is far from the truth. Even sister ships develop their
own individual attributes and peculiarities, consequently, Will was eager to look
the ship over.
It was a superb evening as the boat traveled between the ships, and everyone
was in high spirits. Will looked across the harbour to the old stone-walled buildings
that looked so tightly packed together. From that distance, it appeared as if no
roadways existed, with the afternoon sun making everything crystal clear. It
seemed an eternity since he was at home on leave and it crossed his mind how he
would have loved his mother to be with him right at that moment, just to see the
sight.
Once on board the "Orangi" Wes made his way to the deck where he knew
everyone would be gathered. He had served on this ship before so he knew his
way around. The boat party soon merged into the crowd as men got reacquainted.
Will stood back out of the way next to the entrance, observing the scene.
Groups of seamen were seated at tables playing various games, or just chatting.
The noise level was deafening, with an occasional round of raucous laughter.
Finding a seat nearby Will settled down to enjoy the evening, until Wes and the
others were ready to return to their ship.
After awhile he became conscious of someone staring at him very intently from
a nearby table, where a card game was in progress. He was a gaunt faced man
who Will instantly recognized, also the person sitting next to him.
Whilst on standby duty about a year ago, in Victoria docks in London, he had
been given the responsibility of supervising them both for the day, loading medical
stores. They were homosexuals and using the term of that era "really bent" What
a day that had been, especially during the loading of the mattresses. Did they ever
have fun and games! Will was constantly reprimanding them, but being the types
they were, the more aggressive Will became, the more they enjoyed it.
"Don't I know you?" he called out, in a high pitched female like voice, which