“Miss Scott, I salute you.” He clicked his heels. Instantly Sally was on her feet with a true sailor’s salute.
“They believe me,” she thought as the pair left the radio cabin. “By rights I should want to shout or burst into tears.” She wanted to do neither, just felt cold and numb, that was all.
Then, as red blood flooded back to her cheeks and she thought of fighting planes and destroyers shooting away before dawn, practically at her command, she suddenly felt like Joan of Arc or Helen of Troy.
Then a terrible thought assailed her. What if it were all a mistake? Only time could answer that question, time and the dawn. “They fly at dawn,” she whispered.
Just then someone entered the cabin. It was Nancy.
“Sally,” she exclaimed. “Why are you here? This is not your watch. I woke up and missed you. What have you been doing?”
“Plenty,” said Sally. “Sit down and I’ll tell you.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
AMONG THE MISSING
Presently Riggs came hurrying back. Nancy and Sally remained in the radio room, dividing their time between listening for messages from the outside world, and watching with awe the ever-narrowing circle being drawn about the convoy by the enemy sub pack.
Riggs busied himself getting off messages from station to station on the ship. All men were ordered to their posts. Planes not in readiness were prepared for flight. Some were hoisted from the lower deck to flight deck.