Free Roses of Winter by Murdo Morrison Page B

 
    “Ah’m OK, ah’m OK,” he protested. But when he tried to stand unaided he teetered on his feet. They grabbed him.
    “C’mon,” Harry insisted, “ye’ve had a terrible dunt on yer heid. Let us help ye.”  
    With Charlie leading and Harry supporting from behind, they managed to get him up the ladders. They emerged on the port side after deck where they found Tierney and Stokes. “Whit are you two daeing still on board?” Charlie asked.  
    Captain Tierney smiled. “Did you think we would leave the ship without you and your men, Chief?” He turned to John. “That’s the last of them?”  
    “Aye Sir, all except for the three dead for’ard.”  
    Tierney led them to the ladder. Charlie stuck his head over the side and saw a lifeboat with several crewmembers. Two other boats filled with men were starting out for the dock entrance.   He turned to Harry. “You go doon first and help Tam. I’ll haud on tae him from above.” Harry climbed over the rail and balanced on the ladder. “Easy noo Tam,” Charlie told him. “Don’t look down, we’ll get ye oot o’ this.”  
    Swaying precariously, Tam managed to get one leg over the rail. He sat there for a moment looking dazed. Then, feeling Charlie and Harry’s firm grip, he stiffened with determination and swung his other leg over. When they were safely in the boat, John climbed down followed by Tierney.
    They pushed away from the Jasper . The shrill squeal of a steam whistle made them look around. Jean Langlois waved from the pilot boat. They shipped their oars as it slowed and maneuvered carefully alongside. “Bon jour, Capitaine. I am afraid, once again, our hospitality leaves something to be desired.”  
    “On the contrary,” responded the captain. “We find your company most welcome.”  
    Jean Langlois shrugged and smiled. “We will take you to a more suitable place, yes?” Charlie threw a rope to a crewman on the pilot boat. “We will collect your other boats on the way out,” Langlois said.  
    The pilot boat moved off.   Their faces smarted with the radiant heat from the fires. A warehouse collapsed, spilling debris on to the quayside. The other boats were brought in tow. They worked their way out of the dock mouth into the wider reaches of the harbor. From this vantage point they could see the extent of the damage being inflicted on the docks. The pilot boat pulled them away from the fires. Langlois brought them to an area that had escaped serious damage. He indicated to the men in the boats that his plan was to bring them to steps leading up to the quay.  
    Hopping clear of the pilot boat, Langlois ascended to the top of the steps and waited for Tierney. “We will do our best to find some accommodation for you and your men until we can find a way to help you leave, Capitaine. It will be difficult. The situation in Dunkirk is -   how do you say -   unsettled.”  
    That’s putting it mildly , Tierney thought. Instead he said, “What do you know of the situation?”  
    The Frenchman shrugged and pursed his lips. “There is much rumor but little real information. Things are going badly for our armies, that much is clear. They have been evacuating many wounded of course. Now they are sending home those not directly involved in the fighting. There are even rumors that the armies themselves may be evacuated.” He shrugged again as if to say, who knows?
    Tierney turned to Stokes. “Gather the men together, John, would you?”  
    “Aye Sir.” Collecting the last few stragglers, he assembled the group near the head of the steps.  
    The captain addressed them. “It’s clear we have been thrown into a difficult situation. Our best bet is to stay together while we find out what is going on. There will almost certainly be rough times ahead, but we will do our best to get you all out of here as soon as we can.”  
    Despite the bombing they had seen in the harbor, they were unprepared for the extent of the damage in Dunkirk.