"Do You Want Yes, Or Do You Want No?"

The UBXV is still in dock. The boat has been mostly repaired but the full-keel has not arrived yet. That means we have nothing to do. We pass the time by playing cards and some other entertainment that we can think of. But this is something that the new Boatsman of the Panonia cannot stand. He is a very ambitious man and cannot look on that we do nothing while his men are busy. Even though the submarine crew is none of his business, he keeps coming over trying to give us some jobs that we have nothing to do with. Especially when his men are trying to avoid his orders he just comes over to us. A few times we did help him out but it can not just go on.

After all, the station is not our responsibility. We belong to the boat and that is all. Nobody helps us when sometimes we have to work day and night. Then the Boatsman usually comes around and asks, "Have hard work today, yes?" We just answer with "Aida Krago" and with a funny grin he departs.

Then, one day he comes around again. We were just practicing fencing at the time. "Hello! You all come over here. I have a job for you." he said. He wanted us to dig up the garden but we had absolutely no hunger for that kind of work. We left the spades stuck in the ground where they were and went back to what we were doing. Now he got angry and started to scold us with any bad words he could think of. We laughed him in the face, turned away and started to leave. Now he runs after us and grabs me by the sleeve. "Do you want yes? Or do you want no?" he blurts out. "Otherwise will I give you the order for it." I tell him that he can go ahead and give me the order but that I do not have to obey it and I am not going to carry it out. Finally he gave up and said "You…Begone!"