"(dramatic theme playing)" "(wood creaking)" "(bottle clatters)" "(whistles)" "Cook." "Cook." "(whistles)" "Brendensen." "Brendensen!" "Who's on the bridge?" "Sparks." "(foghorn blowing)" "Man adrift!" "Where?" "Two points off the starboard bow, sir." "Captain." "Captain." "What is it?" "There's some wreckage there." "There's a man clinging to it." "Reverse the engines, full speed astern." "Stand by to man the starboard lifeboat." "His papers tell you anything?" "Nothing, they're water-soaked." "He could be a victim of the storm of two days ago, but we got no call for assistance." "Well, no matter." "That's a nasty head wound." "He needs more than emergency attention." "There's a doctor at the mission on Tamura Island." "It isn't far off our course." "Well, we'll put him ashore there." "And have the radio inform Singapore of our actions." "Yes, sir." "Give me your kit." "Very good, sir." "Get a bottle of water." "Yes, sir." "(soft theme playing)" "Doctor, doctor, come quick!" "Come quick, doctor!" "Doctor, doctor!" "Just lie back down." "That's it." "Please don't exert yourself, captain." "What place is this?" "Mission Settlement, Tamura Island." "Tamura?" "How long have I been here?" "Ten days." "Ten days?" "I got to get out of here." "I got to report to my ship." "You couldn't do that even if you were well enough." "There isn't another ship for at least two months." "Then I'll send the report by wireless." "Take the message." "Gladly, if I could." "But it is impossible." "There isn't a wireless on Tamura." "The only contact we have with the rest of the world is the ships that stop here occasionally to pick up blubber." "Two months." "The books are closed as far as I'm concerned, China." "There's a transcript of the testimony presented before the Board of Inquiry by your first officer Brendensen." "Also gave the same account to the newspaper." "You're through, washed up." "Now wait a minute." "Nobody called on me to testify." "You were presumed lost." "What am I supposed to do?" "Get lost to make the books come out even?" "I don't care what you do." "We have no place in our fleet for a drunken skipper." "Take your beef up with the board." "Now get out." "I'm sorry, captain." "It's all here in black and white, just as Brendensen testified before me." "He claims you set the course he followed when the Honan went on the reef." "Then he lied." "If there was a change in course, he made it." "A captain's word still comes first, doesn't it?" "Of course." "We can subpoena Brendensen to appear before this board again." "And we will." "The question is, will he change his testimony?" "I'll make it my business to see that he does." "Oh, by the way, where is Captain Brendensen now?" "He commands the Crosswind on the Manila-Paipan run." "Her next stop is, uh, Tailing." "I'll be back." "There you are." "Thank you." "Hey, Panama." "Thanks." "(man whistling)" "MAN:" "* Oh, Brandy, Leave me alone *" "Trigonometry." "Sine D." "Hi, sailor." "Hi." "You buy me a drink?" "Huh?" "How about you buy me a drink maybe?" "Yeah, sure." "I'll buy you a drink." "But first will you tell me something?" "Yes." "Do you know anything about trigonometry?" "* Leave me alone *" "* Oh, Brandy, Leave me alone *" "* Remember, I must go home *" "* Oh, Brandy, Leave me alone *" "That's him there." "Thanks." "* Oh, Brandy, Leave me alone *" "Are you Mr. Chinnough, the passenger for the Crosswind?" "Yeah." "Time to go aboard." "Come on, Trask, let's go." "Get away." "I'll go when I get ready." "You'd better come now, and quietly." "If Brendensen catches you drunk again it'll mean your ticket." "Who cares about the stinkin' ticket?" "Or the stinkin' sea." "You want this man aboard?" "You know what it means if he jumps ship." "Hi." "Hi." "This may hurt you a little." "Thanks a lot." "* Oh, Brandy, Leave me alone *" "* Remember, I must go home *" "(soft theme playing)" "(bell clanging)" "Where's Trask?" "Sick." "I'll stay on his watch." "If you mean drunk, Albert, say drunk." "The course is 73." "Seventy-three." "Oh, and what's for breakfast?" "Prune juice and boiled mush?" "Uh-uh." "Prune juice and fried mush." "Course is 73." "Course, 73." "Mush." "So I heard." "Good morning, gentlemen." "Good morning." "Oh, Papa look, orchids." "Just like we have at home in Java." "Good morning, good morning." "Good morning." "Oh, don't get up please." "I haven't much time really." "Excuse me." "Excuse me." "Oh, flowers, what a delightful change." "I was afraid we'd have mush again." "Oh, waiter, waiter." "I think I'll have two four minute eggs." "And hurry them along, please." "I only have a couple minutes to spare." "I must get back to the vicar." "Oh, the poor dear." "I left him submerged in the bath." "You know, it took 20 bricks to weigh him down." "There's so much buoyancy to the old boy." "Oh, that's very clever." "Buoyancy to the old boy." "You know, in all the books I've written," "I've never hated to part with a character so much as I do the vicar." "You say that like a man who's said it before," "Captain Brendensen." "No, I mean it, really." "Oh, don't bother, please." "Good morning, everyone." "ALL:" "Good morning." "Thank you." "Oh, how lovely, George." "Captain Brendensen." "Orchids." "You're very thoughtful." "Mr. Keegan here picked them up for me last night." "Bought them from the natives in Tailing." "Not my idea, miss." "Just following orders." "I understand you picked up a new passenger, Mr. Keegan." "KEEGAN:" "Yes, sir." "Here you are, ma'am." "Two four minute eggs." "Oh." "Two minutes each." "Thank you." "You'll excuse me, won't you?" "I must get back to the vicar." "The vicar?" "I thought you'd suffocated him in a clothes press." "Oh, gracious, no." "Not the vicar." "That's entirely too undignified." "The vicar has never been in a clothes press." "And how are you this morning, Mr. Haasvelt?" "Oh, I'm fine, thank you." "But Mama's not so good, thank you." "I don't sleep a wink." "Those bells." "BRENDENSEN:" "The bells bother you?" "Yeah, eight bells." "Ding, ding, ding, ding." "And what is it, noon?" "Eight o'clock the morning, or the night?" "Or 4:00 the night or the morning?" "And midnight, Mama." "Yeah, or midnight?" "Always eight bells." "How do you tell what time it is?" "Very simple." "You look at your watch." "That's good." "Look at your watch, Mama." "Look at your watch." "Yeah." "You see, Mrs. Haasvelt, if the last time it rang eight bells it was 8:00, the next time it rings eight bells it must be 12:00." "Yeah, but noon or midnight?" "Well, if it's daylight it's noon." "If it's dark, it's midnight." "Yes." "I see, thank you." "The new passenger, sir, ought I to serve him now?" "Better have a look in on him, Geech." "He might not be a good sailor." "Speaking of the new passenger, Mr. Keegan, did he look like a good card player?" "I'm becoming a little bored with three-handed pinochle." "I wouldn't know about that, miss." "All I know is, his name is Chinnough." "Charles S. Chinnough." "Captain China they call him." "(cup clatters)" "WOMAN:" "Chinnough, Chinnough." "It's an odd name, isn't it?" "Well, I must get back to the vicar." "You know, I've never murdered a man in a bathtub before." "You know, I'm rather sorry to see you do away with the old boy, Miss Endicott." "I was becoming rather fond of the vicar." "All the characters in my books are delightful." "I..." "I get them from real life, you know?" "After all, where else does one meet such interesting people?" "Excuse me." "The captain looks funny, no?" "All of a sudden like he's got the seasickness." "Are you sure the name was Chinnough?" "You don't think I'd mistake a name like that, do you?" "Stop gabbing and give me the coffee." "Yes, sir." "(dramatic theme playing)" "(harmonica playing)" "Red, they'll hang us." "You said he was dead, but he ain't." "He's here." "He's a passenger." "What are you talking about?" "Captain China." "He's here on board, and he'll turn us in just like he said he would." "The minute we dock." "You should have croaked him, Red." "You should have been sure." "Did you see him?" "No, but I saw Brendensen's face when he heard the name." "He looked like somebody kicked him in the stomach." "What cabin is he in?" "Four." "Come in, captain." "So it is you." "I thought you were dead." "CHINA:" "I heard an old crack once that only the good die young." "It's him, all right." "Captain Brendensen, fourth striper." "How does it feel, captain?" "All right, I guess." "It's a little soon, I've only had my command a month." "What happened, China?" "You don't know?" "You were reported missing." "Naturally, I was sorry." "Oh, sure." "I'll bet you were all broken up about it." "You're still wearing crepe on that fancy new uniform." "Why shouldn't I?" "It was a break for me having you gone." "You were dead as far as anyone knew." "Why shouldn't I take advantage of it?" "Now you're talking a language I understand." "You couldn't save your skipper, but you could save a phonied-up log book." "I didn't." "You're lying!" "Take it easy." "You're not talking to your mate." "You're talking to the skipper." "A skipper who still has his stripes and his ship." "Don't forget that." "I won't." "I keep thinking about it all the time." "Wondering how you'll stand up under the responsibilities of command." "You were a good mate, George." "You could chart a course real good." "Oh, you can skip all that, China." "I know it by heart." "You told me too many times I'd never get a command." "That I didn't have what it takes to be a skipper." "Well, you were wrong, China." "I've got a command." "And what's more, I'm going to keep it." "I'll take care of myself all right." "You certainly did a bang-up job of taking care of yourself before that Board of Inquiry." "It's all here, in case you'd like to refresh your memory." "Six hours out of Fuchao, big blow, skipper drunk." "Ship founders on reef." "Yeah, it's all there." "Captain Charles S. Chinnough, master of the Honan, is believed to be washed overboard while drunk." "First officer Brendensen handled the abandoning of ship in a heroic manner." "And without loss of life, with the exception of Charles Chinnough." "More familiarly known as Captain China." "What's the point of all this, China?" "Just this." "There's nothing in there about a change of course." "Change of course?" "You know what I mean." "I set a course, you changed it." "I did not." "Don't lie to me!" "I know the China seas like the inside of my hand." "If you hadn't changed that course," "I'd still be captain and you'd still be mate." "You were drunk, China." "I did what I had to do under the circumstances." "Did you have to lock me in my cabin?" "Did those four stripes mean that much to you?" "Locked you in?" "But I was nowhere near you." "I sent Geech and Red Lynch." "They couldn't find you." "Reported you missing, washed overboard." "Well, the seas were wild, and you were drunk." "China, you got to believe that." "Geech, huh?" "And Lynch." "Well, that figures." "Could it be the three of you together on this?" "I tell you I had nothing to do with it." "He'll get us for sure now knowing we locked him in that cabin." "When we get to Manila..." "Shut up." "We ain't to Manila yet." "Stop beating around the bush, China." "What do you want?" "I want my job back." "A ship." "And you're going to get it for me." "When we dock at Manila, you're going before the board and tell them the truth." "You're crazy." "I'll tell them nothing." "You will." "It's your word against mine, China." "You haven't got a leg to stand on." "And another thing, this is my ship." "You're just along for the ride, remember that." "Keegan?" "Yes, sir." "See that..." "Yes, sir." "Why aren't the men chipping the decks?" "I'll take care of it at once, sir." "I tell you, it is China." "Captain China on this ship?" "Yes." "Oh, you're crazy." "He went down with the Honan." "No, he didn't." "He's aboard." "I just heard him talking to the skipper." "All he's got to do is give me a piece of his lip, and I'll tell him plenty." "I was on the Honan." "Oh, you heard him, he's just a passenger." "So, what's the beef then as long as he keeps to himself?" "I don't want any part of him, that's all." "A skipper is a guy you've got to trust." "So what?" "He's a sailor." "That's more than you can say for Brendensen." "Wilson, why aren't you on deck?" "I was awaiting orders from the third." "Mr. Trask is sick." "Get out there, start chipping the well deck." "May I?" "Oh, hello there." "I hope you don't mind my coming up here." "Not at all." "In fact, you're the nicest thing that's happened to this old bridge in a long while." "Good." "I had to get away from Miss Endicott." "The woman is driving me mad." "What's the latest development with the vicar?" "Dead yet?" "Oh, dear, no." "She's given up the whole project of drowning the vicar in the bathtub." "Entirely too messy, she said." "Especially since she couldn't wash him down the drain." "No, at this moment a poisonous East Indian reptile is the favorite, with cyanide running a close second." "(both laughing)" "You, uh, you didn't finish your breakfast." "Don't you feel well?" "I wasn't hungry." "Orchids suit you perfectly, Kim." "Delicate, but not fragile." "Cool and vital without being cold." "Exotic." "I wanted to select them myself, but at that hour of night..." "Anyway, it was Keegan's watch." "He..." "The new passenger?" "Yes." "Like Miss Endicott said, it's an odd name, Chinnough." "I don't believe I've ever heard it before." "Have you?" "As it happens, yes." "Let's have coffee in my quarters this morning." "Don't bother, we can skip it if you're busy." "Busy?" "Haven't you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?" "(hammering)" "Remember me?" "Sure." "Sure, you're the great Captain China, ain't you?" "What's the matter, captain, where are your stripes?" "Forget to sew them on?" "Oh, I lost them, didn't you hear?" "Six hours out of Fuchao." "Oh, yeah, now that you mention it I do." "I thought you'd remember if you tried real hard." "Fuchao ought to stand out clearly in your mind." "Let's see, that's the place you lost your shirt to a one-armed poker player, isn't it?" "What you know about that you better keep to yourself." "In case you're interested, the police are still curious about that one." "They're trying to figure out who belongs to the knife they found in the guy's back." "Shut up!" "Why keep it a secret?" "When we dock at Manila, everybody is going to know, including the police." "This time you're not going to lock me in a sinking ship." "(grunting)" "Oof!" "(coughs, gasping)" "Kill me!" "Do it!" "MAN:" "Mr. Alberts!" "Yes?" "MAN:" "There's a fight on the well deck." "ALBERTS:" "Bosun, get back to work!" "Stop that fighting!" "(groans)" "Break it up, men!" "(grunts)" "MAN:" "Get up, Red!" "(grunting)" "Hit him, Red!" "ALBERTS:" "Bosun, stop that fighting." "Break it up, men!" "Get back to work!" "(grunting)" "(grunting, yelling indistinctly)" "Get down and stop it." "CHINA:" "Let me go!" "Stop it, Lynch." "Get in there, fellas, break it up." "Break it up, captain's orders." "(grunting)" "(grunts)" "(gun cocks)" "(both grunting)" "(panting)" "China." "China!" "All right, men, pull 'em apart." "Lynch, go to your quarters and stay there till I send for you." "That goes for you too, China." "(panting)" "Oof!" "Stop it, China." "Lynch, I said go to your quarters." "Any more trouble out of you, China, and you'll be confined to your cabin." "(dramatic theme playing)" "BRENDENSEN:" "Take Alberts to his cabin." "I'll be there right away." "BRENDENSEN:" "Be with you in a minute, Kim." "(water splashes)" "(knock on door)" "Come in." "(door opens)" "Match?" "Thank you." "Anything to drink in here?" "Glass?" "(water splashes)" "What do they call you?" "Depends on who's calling." "I started out with Kim Mitchell." "I still like that best." "Where are you from?" "Rangoon, Honolulu, Mexico City, Chicago and..." "Council Bluffs, Iowa, originally." "You don't look like the Council Bluffs type." "I said originally." "This will hurt." "Where are you bound?" "There's a man in Manila." "There's a lot of men in Manila." "(chuckling):" "Ah." "You've got it all wrong." "One man in particular." "He came all the way from Council Bluffs, Iowa to meet me." "Oh." "A solid citizen, huh?" "Very." "He's lived in one house all his life." "That sounds a little too solid." "You'd get awfully tired of one house and one man all your life." "You'd better think it over." "Oh, I have." "I have for five years." "You wouldn't call that acting on impulse, would you?" "Just think, one house all your life." "You gonna live in it?" "Well, that's customary in marriage, isn't it?" "You sound more interested in the house than you do in the guy." "Well, there are some things more important than..." "Than other things." "I see what you mean." "What about Brendensen?" "He's very charming." "More charming than the guy in Manila?" "Perhaps." "And... you're not in Manila yet." "Is that it?" "That could be it." "(tender theme playing)" "To the guy in Manila." "I'm afraid he wouldn't approve." "So let's be selfish." "To us." "(knocking on wall)" "You wanna see me?" "Yes." "Why did you and Geech lock Captain China in his cabin the night the Honan went down?" "Why did you say he was washed overboard?" "I didn't ask you why you changed the course, did I?" "I was at the wheel that night, remember?" "As first officer with a drunken skipper," "I did what I felt was justified." "What you did comes under the heading of murder." "That's something for you and China to settle between yourselves, but not aboard my ship." "I think it would be better for everybody, even you, if we settle this thing before we land." "I won't make any deals with you, Lynch." "Get back to work." "If you have grudges to settle with China, settle them ashore." "Do you understand?" "Sure, Captain." "Sure." "I understand." "(bell rings)" "It ain't like a man to stay unconscious so long on account of a little bump on the head, Captain." "He's hurt bad, ain't he?" "Yes, it's a concussion." "He needs medical attention quickly." "If he dies, China will get the blame, won't he?" "I suppose so." "It would be murder, wouldn't it?" "It don't make no difference how you kill a man, it's still murder, ain't it?" "What are you driving at?" "Well, if, uh, if Alberts dies," "China will get the blame, and we'll all be in the clear." "That's enough of that." "I know what you and Lynch have in mind, and I don't want any part of it." "Now clear out." "Tell Sparks to contact a ship with a doctor." "We've got to transfer Alberts." "(dramatic theme playing)" "TRASK:" "Get off the bridge." "MAN:" "Get out of the way." "MAN:" "You don't want the skipper to hear you." "TRASK:" "Let him hear." "This is my watch." "MAN:" "You're drunk, Trask." "TRASK:" "Well, drunk or not, I'm still standing my watch." "Go below, Trask." "I don't want to see you on this bridge again." "You're through." "So I'm through, am I?" "Well, who cares?" "What's so special about the sea?" "What did the sea ever do for me?" "Third mate on a stinking tramp." "I said go below." "Sure." "Sure, Captain." "Thirteen years and he says, "You're through, Trask."" "Just like that." "Thirteen years, and you're all washed up." "(dramatic theme playing)" "It's not good, is it?" "What?" "The swells." "They're running heavy, aren't they?" "What do you know about swells?" "I've been watching you." "There's a storm brewing, isn't there?" "Maybe." "You can't always go by the signs." "How come you know so much?" "I've been on a lot of ships." "For instance, you can always tell a seaman by the way he stands." "And you pulled those stripes off in a hurry, didn't you?" "How did you lose them?" "A bottle of gin." "What was her name?" "Anne." "We'd planned to get married for two, maybe three years." "She was a consul's daughter." "I was gonna get a shore job to please her." "But every time we'd set a date, something would come up." "I'd get sailing orders or..." "She never understood." "I think I do." "Yeah." "I kept promising her I'd quit the sea." "When I sailed on the Honan, it was gonna be my last trip." "And she knew." "The wire said she died of fever." "I was ashore at Fuchao when I got word." "So you got drunk." "It wouldn't do for a skipper to go aboard crying." "So I took my ship out of Fuchao harbor, and we pile up on a reef six hours later." "Here I am a passenger for the first time in my life." "No cares, no responsibilities." "A beautiful woman to talk to." "You know, Kim, I kind of like it." "You hate it." "Yes." "What was she like?" "She?" "Anne." "Was she tall and slim or cute and cuddly?" "I'd like to know." "Is it important?" "Mm-hmm." "Very." "She was... more lovely than beautiful." "She was a lady." "And it wasn't fever, Kim." "It was broken promises." "She couldn't take it any longer." "Thanks for telling me." "What about the solid citizen?" "I'm afraid you wouldn't understand him either, China." "He's a lot like Anne." "How about some coffee?" "I think the snack bar's open." "Sugar?" "No." "Cream?" "Black." "Too much of that will cost you your ticket, mister." "Well, look at who's talking." "Take it easy." "I speak from experience." "My name's Chinnough." "Yeah." "Yeah, I know." "The great Captain China himself, huh?" "Now, this is really funny." "It is?" "Sure, sure." "Meet a fellow passenger, Mr. Chinnough." "I've been relieved of duty too." ""You're drunk, Mr. Trask," he said." ""You're through, you're washed up."" "Kicked me off the bridge, he did." "A man doesn't need an excuse to get drunk, but it makes more sense if he has one." "What's your sad story?" "Mr. Chinnough, I got three problems." "Trigonometry, geometry, and logarithms." "Now, can you tell me what logarithms has got to do with being a good seaman?" "I can't get it through my thick skull." "So I read and I pound and I study for years." "And for what?" ""You're through, Mr. Trask, you're washed up." "Get off the bridge."" "Well, you wanna know something?" "I'm glad I'm through." "Maybe now I'll go ashore and find myself a decent job." "Maybe I might find some peace." "Peace doesn't come in a bottle, mister." "I know." "Oh, why should I eat, Papa?" "It's a waste of money." "But it's paid for, Mama." "And no rebates." "It says so on the ticket." "All right, Papa." "For you, I eat it." "Even should it make me sick." "Poor Mama." "Oh, hello folks." "It's a lovely day, isn't it?" "Oh, hello everybody." "Am I late?" "Please sit down." "Uh, Miss Endicott, uh, Mr. Chinnough." "How do you do?" "Miss Endicott writes." "Oh." "(speaking indistinctly)" "Good afternoon, everybody." "Hello." "Good afternoon." "My, what a lovely looking meat cleaver." "Yes, isn't it?" "Cook was most reluctant to part with it." "It took a bit of doing to convince him that I merely wanted to prove that a very small woman like Lady Heathmire..." "You know, she's in delicate health." "Well, could she throw such a cleaver as this 30 paces and kill the vicar?" "I thought you were going to use cyanide." "Ugh, It's too common, too gauche, too banal." "That's what one would expect from an ordinary author." "After all, this is a two dollar edition." "And my readers will expect something more original." "More exciting, more..." "gory, shall I say?" "CHINA:" "Why not?" "Gory." "What are you calling your book?" "The DebonairDecapitation, or Ten Ways to Snuff out a Vicar?" "The Debonair Decapitation." "Oh, that's not bad." "That's very good." "You ought to write, Miss Mitchell." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "Hello, Kim." "Hello..." "Captain." "You know Mr. Chinnough, of course." "Captain Brendensen and I are old acquaintances." "Aren't we, Captain?" "Geech." "GEECH:" "Yes, sir." "Have Cook fix some broth for Mr. Alberts." "Yes, sir." "How is Alberts?" "Still out of his head." "Mr. Chinnough, Mr. Michaels, our chief engineer, and Sparks, our radio operator." "We've met." "Glad to see you again." "And I know you're glad to see me." "That's what's so nice about shipboard." "Everybody's so friendly." "I didn't realize what I'd been missing all these years by not being a passenger." "Good food." "Pleasant surroundings." "Wholesome atmosphere." "Charming companions." "Yes, sir." "Being a passenger certainly has its advantages." "You may get an opportunity to find out what I mean soon, Captain." "There." "Now all I have to do is to find out if Lady Heathmire can sink this in the vicar's neck at 30 paces." "I" " I must be technically correct, you know?" "Come Papa, we go back to the cabin before the sea gets rougher yet." "(whispers indistinctly)" "It is getting worse, isn't it?" "Yes." "Sparks, see if you can get the weather bureau in Manila." "Right, sir." "Don't be alarmed, Miss Mitchell." "With Captain Brendensen at the helm," "The Crosswind wouldn't be bothered by a little storm." "Not even a typhoon." "Too early in the season for a typhoon." "Is it?" "Then we won't worry about it, will we?" "If you'll excuse me, Kim, I'll relieve my first officer." "There are just the two of us." "You don't like Brendensen, do you?" "No." "But why?" "He's..." "Charming." "Yes, you told me before." "But it takes more than charm to run a ship, Miss Mitchell." "A while ago on deck I thought I understood you, but now..." "Now, what?" "Well, you're not the same person when you're around Brendensen." "You keep knifing him." "Why?" "Well, let's just say I'm trying to settle an old score, and let it go at that." "Let's let it go at that, Mr. Chinnough." "I don't like being used to settle old scores." "(men chattering indistinctly)" "Wedge." "You got nothing better to do?" "Check the wedges on the forward hatch." "Drive them home." "Damn wedges, it's all right." "Come on below." "Did you hear me, bosun?" "Check those wedges." "George." "So it's George again." "Baby, you do blow hot and cold." "Or did you suddenly decide that a skipper without a ship hasn't much to offer." "Maybe I could answer that better if I knew what happened." "What does China mean to you?" "I was about to ask you the same question." "You don't have to answer, of course." "He's all washed up, Kim." "I hate to kick a man when he's down, but as long as you ask..." "Where did you know him?" "I was first officer aboard the Honan." "When she was lost?" "Yes." "He came aboard blind drunk at Fuchao and set a course that put us directly across a reef." "I knew he was wrong and told him so." "I did everything I could to make him change it, but he wouldn't listen to me." "So he lost his ship." "That's something you can't live down, Kim." "You'll never get another command." "Thanks, that's all I wanted to know." "KEEGAN:" "Captain Brendensen." "Yes?" "Come up here a minute, sir." "Right away, mister." "Excuse me, Kim." "I'll see you at dinner." "What do you make of it?" "What's the barometer say?" "Down to 28.80." "28.80?" "I just checked it." "I know it's early for typhoons, but..." "This isn't typhoon season." "Just the same, we ought to be prepared for it." "Rig up lifelines fore and aft." "Secure the derricks with double lashing." "Yes, sir." "(door closing)" "KEEGAN:" "Scotty." "SCOTTY:" "Yes, sir?" "KEEGAN:" "Tell the boatswain to rig the lifelines fore and aft." "Secure the derricks with double lashing." "SCOTTY:" "Right." "(soft string theme playing)" "Kim, give me a hand." "Steady his head." "Gotta see Sparks." "Take it easy, mister." "Another fall like that won't help you any." "Got to see Sparks." "Gotta send a message." "I'll send your message for you." "Here." "Who is it going to?" "My wife, Martha." ""Your letter waiting for me in Tailing."" ""Can't tell you what a relief"" ""to know you are well, dear."" ""This is my last trip."" "That all?" "I'm on my way home, darling." "That's all." "More broken promises." "CHINA:" "You'll probably want this." "A solid citizen?" "Yes." "I better get this to Sparks." "BILL:" ""Kim, dear," ""It was only by chance that I learned" ""that you were in Hong Kong," ""so I'm forwarding this letter to the embassy there" ""in the hope that it will still reach you." ""If it does, I want you to know this" ""and to remember it always." ""I do understand, Kim, darling," ""and I still love you." ""Nothing can ever change my feelings for you." ""Believe me, I have nothing but admiration" ""with perhaps a tinge of jealousy" ""for your wonderful courage in living your own life." ""You were young, eager, and restless." ""You wanted to see and experience" ""all that life had to offer." ""My only regret is that Council Bluffs and I" ""didn't have the color and excitement" ""you were looking for." ""And we haven't changed much either." ""We're still pretty dull, I guess," ""but we rather like it." ""We're comfortable in our dullness." ""But to quote an old saying, 'There's no place like home.'" ""This is your home, Kim." ""Whenever the going gets tough," ""whenever the excitement wears off," ""come home." ""I'll be waiting." ""With all my love, dear." "Bill."" "(wind gusting)" "(thunder crashing)" "Wind velocity's increasing, sir." "The storm is coming toward us." "Any suggestions, Mr. Keegan?" "Yes." "Change your course." "Go around it." "Get out of its track." "How can you go around something you can't see?" "If you can tell me that, Mr. Keegan," "I'll be glad to go around it." "Slacken your speed." "You're running much too fast in this sea." "I'll be the judge of that, Keegan." "Watch her close." "Get through to Manila yet?" "No, sir." "Too much static." "It's so thick and noisy it sounds like a 4th of July celebration." "Keep trying." "Make contact with some ships in this area." "Maybe if we can get some weather reports, we can chart the path of the storm." "Looks like one nice old rampaging typhoon, doesn't it, sir?" "All right, so it's typhoon." "That's nothing new in this area." "Bring me those reports." "Geech." "Yes, sir?" "Have all the passengers assemble in the dining saloon." "Is it that bad, sir?" "Just as a safety measure." "Hop to it now." "Yes, sir." "Come in, come in." "All passengers are to go to the dining saloon right away." "Captain's orders." "It's getting worse, no?" "It's getting worse, yes." "You better hurry up, folks." "No telling how long this old tub can take it." "Old tub?" "Why, sure." "The Crosswind's a crate." "Now he tells us." "When we buy our tickets, it's a first class ship." "Now it's a tub and a crate." "Papa, if the worst should come to the worst," "I want you to know I've been a good wife to you." "I've always been faithful, Papa." "Ja, Margarita, you're a good wife." "And you, Papa?" "You've been faithful too?" "At a time like this you ask." "You know of a better time, Papa?" "So close to a watery grave?" "We are with one foot already in the ocean." "Maybe you're right." "Well, it was in Singapore once." "There was a woman." "Papita, that was her name." "She was a wiggle dancer in the tea shop." "I gave her a shawl." "You bought a shawl for a wiggle dancer?" "No, no, Mama." "I bought a present for you." "I just gave it to her." "Don't ask me why." "She wasn't even a good wiggle dancer." "I guess it was the heat." "It is good that you should confess and make your peace, Papa." "Now we get dressed." "We get dressed, Mama?" "Ja." "You want we should face the good Lord in our nightgowns?" "It wouldn't be decent." "I guess you're right, Mama." "(knock at door)" "(knocking persists)" "Come in, come in." "Well, what do you want, young man?" "Captain's orders, ma'am." "All passengers are to gather in the dining saloon right away." "Oh, nonsense." "I'm too busy." "Run along, run along." "Yoo-hoo!" "Yoo-hoo!" "Young man, I don't like to complain about the service, but I must insist that you handle this boat a little more carefully." "Is that why you called me back?" "Well, I didn't ask you back here to dance the quadrille." "Oh!" "Oh, that's clever, very clever." "I must use that." "Thank you!" "(wind gusting)" "How's it going down there?" "It's like going over Niagara Falls in a barrel every time one of those babies smash." "Coffee?" "Thanks." "How about a cup of that?" "Help yourself." "Such a waste of money." "We buy a ticket all the way to Amsterdam, and now we'll sink before we get to Manila." "Do you think we got time for a cup of coffee before we go to Davy Jones's capper?" "Davy Jones's locker, Mama." "Locker." "I wouldn't know, Mrs. Haasvelt." "This is my first experience." "You better ask Mr. Chinnough." "He's been on sinking ships before." "I'm only a passenger, Mrs. Haasvelt, but I'll be glad to ask the captain for you." "Oh, thank you." "Thank you." "Now, you sit down, Papa." "I'll fix a cup of coffee for you so you don't catch your death of cold." "Colder water, Mama." "What's the difference if we got to die?" "(wind gusting)" "Books, theories." "They tell you everything but what you want to know." "Well?" "Sparks just heard from the Bigelow." "She's 150 miles due east, being hit as hard as we are." "What about Manila?" "Can't get through." "Too much static." "We'll have to dope it out for ourselves." "The wind was northwest, force 10." "(rings)" "Brendensen." "Yes, Sparks." "Oil tanker, huh?" "Good." "Take this down." "What's their position?" "1430 north, 116 east." "Check." "Twenty-nine even, force 9." "Got it." "1430 north... 116 east." "There she is." "Here's thetanker, here's the Bigelow, and here we are here." "Now, the way I figure it out, the center of the storm is somewhere near here, and travelling toward us in this direction from the east-southeast." "Stay on course at full speed." "Not rudder." "I wasn't trying to do that." "Steady as she goes." "(bell ringing)" "(whistling)" "Yes?" "I'll take responsibility, Michaels." "Full speed." "I didn't think Mr. Michaels would like that." "These seas, top speed is two knots." "The center of that typhoon is travelling towards you ten times that fast." "Even you ought to be able to figure that one out, Captain." "Passengers are not allowed on the bridge, Mr. Chinnough." "Sorry." "Force of habit, I guess." "We should alter course and get out of its track." "If you're lucky." "But if you get caught smack in the center of a..." "You know what it's like to handle a ship in a typhoon?" "You really gotta think fast." "Waves come at you so big you don't even believe them when you see them." "They come from all directions." "Screaming winds carry away your hatch covers, lifeboats." "Wash your men overboard." "We know all that." "Get out!" "Of course you can stand out there with the howling wind trying to rip you loose." "You can keep an eye out for the big ones if you can see them in the dark." "You can yell orders at your helmsman and hope he hears you." "You can try and keep your bow just off the seas." "But if you get caught in the trough or one of those big babies smacks you broadside, your ship's buried." "And she flounders." "For the last time, China, get out." "Okay." "You're off your course, sailor." "(door closes)" "I'm handing it to you straight." "We're square in the path of a typhoon." "I heard China tell him." "Typhoon?" "You heard him." "What's China doing on the bridge?" "That's what I'd like to know." "Look what he did to the Honan." "What are you waiting for?" "Nobody would miss him in this storm." "I said I'd take care of him, didn't I?" "(wind gusting)" "Right rudder!" "Right rudder!" "Left rudder!" "Left rudder!" "Hard!" "Hard left!" "We've got to get around faster!" "(man screams)" "Unlock the hatch on number one!" "Release!" "Put the searchlight on number one hold!" "BRENDENSEN:" "There go the hatches!" "She's wide open." "Back to your post, Captain." "Hold the rudder!" "Michaels, hook up all your pumps on number one hold." "Keep them going." "(wind gusting)" "All hands on deck." "Bring an emergency hatch for number one hold." "Whose orders, Keegan?" "China's?" "You're taking orders from me, bosun." "Get on deck." "(indistinct chattering)" "Stop!" "Together, boys!" "Come on, men." "Come on, pull that out." "Get it out there." "Take it away!" "You're against it!" "MAN:" "Pull!" "Come on, men." "Pull together!" "(wind gusting)" "(man shouting indistinctly)" "MAN:" "Aim for the right, boys!" "What you trying to do?" "Sink us?" "Why doesn't he watch that helm?" "Right rudder!" "Right rudder!" "Steady." "You're slow, helmsman." "Get a little bit faster." "I'm sorry, Captain." "She don't give me a chance to come around." "BRENDENSEN:" "Do as I tell you!" "MAN:" "All right, let's try it again." "Cargo's broken loose!" "What in the blazes...?" "Get back on that trough, men!" "Steady!" "Captain, I got to talk to you." "Take over." "Right, Captain." "Winds are close." "What is it, Keegan?" "We're in trouble, Captain." "What happened below?" "The lashings got carried away on that machine in the forward hold." "Secure it." "Take some men down there." "The men can't stand on their feet." "We're shipping too much water." "Won't do any good unless you get her around quicker." "Why, every time one of those big ones hit us..." "That's enough." "I don't need advice." "Maybe not, Captain." "But let's face it." "There's ten ton of loose steel snapping around in that hold down there." "We got to do something and do it quick." "What are you suggesting?" "I'm suggesting you ask." "Captain China to give us his help." "He's an old hand in weather like this." "I know there's no love lost between you two, but you got to think of your ship now." "We can't afford to make another mistake, Captain." "(hold rumbling)" "(loud banging)" "All right, Keegan, tell China to come up here." "Yes, sir." "(wind howling)" "(loud banging)" "What was that?" "A piece of cargo loose in the forward hold doing its best to knock our plates out." "If Brendensen doesn't cut our speed soon, I will." "Fill her up with coffee, matey." "Mr. Chinnough," "Captain Brendensen wants to see you in the bridge." "You tell Brendensen if he wants me he knows where to find me." "Don't you care at all about the rest of us?" "Should I?" "You couldn't go up there, could you?" "And tell him you'd rather see his ship at the bottom before you'd help him." "Oh, no." "You have to make him humiliate himself." "Make him come down here and ask you." "Well, I hope he doesn't come." "Those are my sentiments too in case you're interested." "CHINA:" "How about you, Mr. Haasvelt?" "Haven't you got an opinion too?" "Please." "Leave me out of this." "I was hoping you'd make it unanimous." "Does anybody care what I think?" "We're in trouble, China." "We need your help." "Our radio wasn't able to contact Manila." "We've had no way of checking the path of the storm." "I've made a mistake in my calculations." "I'm asking you for my ship, China." "I won." "I beat it." "Come on, mate." "Let's go." "That's all we need." "Boilers carrying full head of steam and getting no place." "Alberts with a busted head." "You left me out." "Typhoon all but knocking us silly." "And he asks that guy's advice." "Him who put his last ship on the rocks." "Oh, Papa!" "The rocks!" "If he needed help so bad, why didn't he ask you?" "Why didn't he?" "Haven't you heard, Michaels?" "I'm unreliable." "I'm all washed up." "I'm through." "They kicked me off the bridge." "Why don't you two shut up?" "If you're so worried about your ship, why don't you do something about it?" "You think Mr. Chinnough can help us?" "Do you?" "I have a feeling Mr. Chinnough can do just about anything he sets his mind to." "What are you waiting for, Trask?" "Huh?" "This isn't logarithms." "It's seamanship." "Yes, sir, captain." "Michaels, you better get below." "We'll cut the speed to slow and we're changing course." "Well, it's about time." "I've been waiting all day for somebody to say that!" "Price!" "You and him take four men and go below!" "Who's giving orders on this ship?" "I am!" "Now do what I said!" "Get a block and pull this thing across." "Look out!" "Go below or I'll bring you!" "Hop to it, Trask!" "Yes, sir." "All right, we'll give it a whirl!" "Nosey, get that light." "Put this one in." "The rest of you latch onto those timbers." "Keegan, you and Charlie come with me." "The rest of you take the stock." "(man speaks indistinctly)" "What was your last report from the tankers, Sparks?" "1430 north, 116 east." "She can't get through the middle either." "According to dead reckoning that should put us about here." "That's exactly the way I figured it." "I always said you're a good man at charting courses, Brendensen." "Your error was in calculating the direction of the storm." "That's a natural mistake at a typhoon." "A curve changes quickly." "Then what direction is she travelling?" "Have a look." "Seventy-three." "You're heading right into the center of it, skipper." "She's not coming from the east-southeast." "She's coming from the northeast." "You'll have to keep your speed on slow and alter your course to 135 degrees." "That'll give us a chance to cover that hatch and secure the cargo." "Whatever you say, China." "Sparks, keep in touch with the tanker and the Bigelow." "Right." "I'll go below." "Stand by the telegraph, Keegan." "Ready to alter course." "Ready to alter course, sir." "Right rudder, five degrees." "Right rudder, five degrees." "(men shouting)" "Pull on it!" "Get on the top there!" "Put some beef into it!" "(all shouting)" "Stretch the cover!" "Pull together!" "Good work, Trask." "When you're through, come below." "Push it!" "Where are you going?" "I'm going above!" "Nobody can stop that thing!" "It's gonna be stopped." "Get back in there and grab those timbers." "You two, get over there." "Steady, boys, here she comes!" "Brace to the rig!" "You men all right?" "Jonesy got a splinter!" "Bad!" "Our shorings won't hold!" "We'll have to tie it off with cables." "Come on!" "Go above and get that taken care of." "Ridge, Geech, grab those cables." "We'll have to tie off the portside first." "Get some of those pins." "Come on, hurry!" "Oh, Miss Mitchell!" "Miss Mitchell, do you know where I can find a man?" "What?" "I need a man so desperately." "To fasten down my..." "There I am typing away and what happened?" "What?" "A man!" "I need a man with a hammer!" "I'm afraid they're all busy, Miss Endicott, trying to save the ship." "Oh." "Oh, thank you very much." "Throw me a pin!" "Clear those cables!" "The other end!" "Get those other cables!" "Look out!" "(screams)" "All right, boys, let's go below." "You men, Trask, that end." "MAN:" "Right." "(man shouts indistinctly)" "Stand through." "Stand clear!" "Didn't take long, did it?" "Everybody on deck!" "Steady!" "KEEGAN:" "Steady!" "Everything's tied off below." "We shipped a lot of water but the pumps are making headway." "Fine." "Anybody hurt?" "Jonesy." "He got his arm torn up a little bit." "And Lynch." "He's dead." "What?" "He got tangled up in the machine." "Why don't you and Keegan go below and get yourself a cup of coffee?" "Trask and I will take over." "Thanks, China." "Trask, send a telegraph." "We're changing course." "Yes, sir." "Half speed." "Half speed!" "Left, five degrees." "Thanks." "Yes, I lied about China and the Honan." "He's in the clear." "He'll get his stripes back." "Easy!" "Right rudder!" "Hold it steady!" "Steady!" "(dramatic theme playing)" "Steady." "Now hold it there." "Steady." "Morning." "Morning." "Keep your pressure up, Michaels." "You don't know when you'll need those pumps again." "Hello." "Hello." "You shouldn't come up here in a weather like this." "But I'm glad you did." "Keegan thought you might like some hot coffee." "That was very good of Mr. Keegan." "He even remembered I liked it black." "When did you decide I wasn't 100 percent evil?" "A few minutes ago when Brendensen admitted he lied about the Hunan." "You know, China," "I think he was only trying to prove something to himself." "Could be." "I rode him for years." "Called him a college boy seaman." "Told him he'd never make the grade." "I feel kind of sorry for the guy." "You know, I think you do at that." "Kim." "Yes?" "You said you understood." "It's because you're like that sea out there." "She storms and rages and gives you a beating just to shake your faith." "But that's all a show." "It just makes you want to tame her more." "Underneath, she's pretty basic." "If she loves you, she'll wait for you to come back no matter how long it takes." "She will?" "We understand each other, Kim." "We're the same kind of people." "I'm listening." "Wait." "Don't move." "Up another two tenths, do you know what that means?" "Yes, sir." "The worst is over." "We're out of it." "I contacted the Bigelow, only 50 miles away." "She reports it's as calm as a duck pond." "Good." "I got through to Manila." "They'll have an ambulance for Alberts." "Fine." "Go take a look at him." "Be sure he's ready to be moved." "How does she feel?" "Steady as a rock, sir." "It's good to feel it that way again." "CHINA:" "You said it." "Go tell Brendensen he can have his ship now." "MAN:" "Yes, sir." "So long, China." "See you around sometime." "Where are you going?" "Competition's too keen." "I know when I'm outclassed." "No, darling, I want the whole show this time." "Bring it all or nothing." "I don't get it." "You're married." "To the sea." "You've got saltwater in your veins, sweetheart." "You'd go barnacles on land." "No, if I took you I'd have to take you just as you are." "I'm much too young to die of broken promises." "Then it's..." "Solid citizen then." "It's best, isn't it?" "One house, like you said." "No worries, no cares, no packing, no..." "No disappointment when the excitement's worn off." "It does wear off, doesn't it, China?" "Yeah, I guess so." "You're doing the right thing, Kim." "(romantic theme playing)" "Thanks for the ride." "She's all right, sir." "She's better than that, mate." "She's swell." "I wanna thank you for taking over, China." "It's okay, mate." "Sorry." "Force of habit, captain." "That's all right." "Mate's the way it'll be after we dock in Manila." "That is, if anybody will sign me on again." "Then you'll tell the truth about the Hunan?" "What do you think?" "They'll put you ashore for a while." "Maybe for keeps." "I'll do the best I can but you'll lose the stripe." "What's one more or less?" "Besides it's too much responsibility sitting at the head of the table." "A fellow runs out of nice things to say to the passengers." "(majestic theme playing)" "Well, Miss Endicott, did you enjoy your trip?" "Oh, yes." "It was lovely." "Lovely." "I suppose now you'd be writing a sea story." "Oh, gracious, no!" "Nothing exciting ever happens on the sea." "Bye-bye!" "Wiggle dancer, was it?" "I'll never trust you out of my sight again!" "Ja, mama." "Ja, ja." "Wiggle dancer." "Bought her a shawl!" "Better for me the ship went down." "(all chattering)" "Bye, miss." "Goodbye." "CHINA:" "Kim!" "Kim!" "(horn blares)" "(upbeat romantic theme playing)" "(majestic theme playing)"