He was leaning back in his swing chair, looking at me with a kind of amused contempt which needled me further, '

This outfit is called Silvermine.

'I've already heard.' .. It's probably the most modern naval operational headquarters in the world. Just behind me, through there-' he gestured – 'is the operations room. Top secret. Utmost top secret, in fact. So is this office. The whole place is bugged, monitored, lousy with devices, hidden beams and so on.'

'I didn't come here to listen to all this bull.'

He let go the chair and it came forward with a bump against the desk.

`You didn't come here: you were brought. But you're an unauthorized civilian on top secret premises for which you can be locked away for a long, long time, simply at my say-so,'

He grinned and I didn't care for it.

`You couldn't go, even if you wanted to. Now shut up and sit down and listen to me.'

I sat down. I also took a cigarette.

'I had you shanghaied at the airport. I sent you the faked cable to bring you to Cape Town-with your mother's consent, I might add?

`Why the devil couldn't you leave me alone?'

'See here. A couple of months ago one of my officers was on holiday in Santorin.'

'If I'd known I'd have given him a sail for old times' sake? '

Spare the sarcasm. He was a junior in your day. You did meet him but you were too drunk to recognize him?

– '

It has happened.'

'It did happen, and pretty often, I'm told.'

`Why kidnap me to Naval Headquarters? Alcoholics Anonymous is the place you want?

`Don't over-dramatize. Snap that defence mechanism of yours out of top gear. Drinking may be a part of your lui- lekkerlewe (sweet life) but you're not a drunk.'

`Thanks for those few kind words.'

'My man overheard you using an Afrikaans expression in some dive on a jetty. That put him on to you.'