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Editor's note. The papers that will be revealed here are subject to further historical verification and are made available with the normal caveat emptor that the reader takes all that is included within as subject to verification. Nonetheless the contents will shed light on the Great Pacific War, often referred to as the DaBabes War. They have recently been made available to myself and I open them up to other scholars in the hope that they inform and entertain........

The papers would seem to be those of Colonel Harry Inkerman Paget Flashman (Hip) , whose illustrious ancestor was the hero of many of the wars of the 19th century - Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC KCB KCIE (1822-1915) - more information on him can be found at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Paget_Flashman

December 7th 1941.

Today has been most instructive as my old Latin master would have said. He used to always say that experience was a great instructor..... well I wish the old b*****er was here instead of me. Trouble is when uncle said he'd wangle me a staff post and did I fancy the States or Singers I reckoned there was no contest and the opportunities for a young, exceedingly handsome captain with all the colonial totty bored in the heat was far better than all those prissy Yanks women. Guess I yet again let my baser instincts lead me into a mess!

Ok I have got to report to HQ but the rumour mill seems to be suggesting that the balloon has gone up and no mistake.

Ok what have I learned from today?

1. Don't trust slant eyed little men
2. Find a posting as far away from any trouble as possible
3. Keep your feet on dry land - we seem to have 'lost' a destroyer somewhere off Hong Kong.

Ok better call it a day now, got to do some staff work and I need to find out what the hell is actually going on.

Flashman rides again! Hurrah!

Ha ha. Excellent! Subscribed [:)]

December 8th 1941

The normally polished and serene HQ is a total bloody shambles. Everywhere there is either a lot of shouting, or a stunned silence - and it changes by the room and the minute. Never seen Malaya Army in this state. I mean I know Percival is a duffer, but in Singers there's not a problem having a duffer in control - in fact for a chap like me its very useful. I'd hate to have a boss who knew what they were doing. On the other hand I hope that the lads at Kota Bharu are led by someone who knows one end of a rifle from the other..... reports are coming in of the slant eyes landing here in some force, supported by at least one Battleship - apparently our bombs bounced off the beast!

Further afield I gather that DD Thracian ran into a Jap surface squadron near Hong Kong - no radio since their captain announced he was going to attack a CA, CL and 3 DDs...... rather one sided I'd say.

I almost feel sorry for the Yanks, almost. Apparently they have lost every one of their battleships in a devastating strike on Pearl Harbour. Got to say that its not the way to do things, but if ever i have to fight I get my kick in where it hurts while the other guy isn't looking. It aint the Marquess of Queensbury, but the guy seldom recovers. Well they've been dragging their heels about joining us, but if they are now on our side properly I'd have preferred them to have all their ships to play with!

The Yanks do seem to have been caught with their pants down.... reports of loads of their airfields in the Philippines devastated with their planes wrecked on the runways.

All in all not a very good day for the Allies - frankly not that upset about what's going on, but I do have the sense of the hairs on the back of my neck...... No,no, this bunch of rice farmers will have no chance when they come up against our boys......

My job is to make sure I'm always in a valuable rear position while that is sorted. Flashy to the rear is my motto. Fortress Singers - made a good choice really didn't I?

Things I learned today:

1. If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs you can probably do ok
2. Don't get into aircraft, they get shot down and you die
3. Don't get on RN ships - they like to fight..... and sink

Great stuff Roger!

'The ever victorious Imperial Japanese Navy wishes to announce that it has won a great victory in the waters off Hong Kong'

I'm afraid that you will be hearing this message, and similar ones on a regular basis from now on Mr Colonel Harry Inkerman Paget Flashman.

But being a fair-minded JFB, I must wish you good luck in our war.

Well now, I'm a bit tired. Last night at the old club was good. Lots of people out 'celebrating' -or drowning their sorrows. Had a few too many G&Ts and then those blasted Nips started air raids on Singers - no rest for the wicked!

Briefing this morning by Percival, all fine, stiff upper lips, minor reverse at Khota Bahru - I gather the FMSV Brigade and the 8th indian folded their cards and left early, whilst the 3rd ISF Base Force weren't tipped off in time and got wiped out. So Johnny Jap has a base with a secure landing and a nice airfield..... hmmm Still I am sure we will throw them back at Temuloh and then drive them back to the sea, this time its our own troops who will fight and not these colonial levies!

Aside from that, and one nice piece of news, the Japs seem to be flying everywhere, bombing anything that looks at all nasty to them and sinking unarmed merchant ships galore. Remind me to stay on dry land!

One great reversal however was the Yanks - when they get annoyed they get annoyed - as my ancestors will tell you! So they all jump into the ships at Pearl Harbour, sortie out at high speed and go a hunting the Jap carriers. And one group finds them - who knows how much damage was done but I guess their Admiral had a bad night. Their screening tactics did not succeed, they scored only minor damage on the Yank ships and at one point one of their CVs ran over the CA Tone which promptly sank.






Things I learned today:

1. Where Guam is - and its now Japanese
2. Where Batan is - and its now Japanese
3. Some of our troops are badly trained and have distinctly low moral fibre - unlike me!

Well done! [:)]

We are kindred spirits! I raise a glass to you:

See post #14 or so for the restart, post #20 and after for the planning and intercept. It looks like you did more damage to KB than I did.

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2754161

Indeed there are a lot of similarities, but as yet the oilers are not 'discovered'.

Roger

Well now its all pretty ordinary here really, though not everywhere. Suits me, I can live with ordinary. Mind you it is getting annoying the night bombing - its not as if they hit anything, but then that's a problem. I mean at night I'm far away from anywhere that the Japs might want to bomb, so if they played fair then I'd be safe, but given they can't hit what they are aiming for they run a good chance of getting me. maybe I ought to sleep out on the middle of the runways? Anyway I have decided that one thing this war will provide is opportunity - the promotion ladder may well me a little more easy to climb while the war is on, and I'd prefer to get higher up the pole before it ends. Another part to that is the ability of a Genreal - why not I ask myself- to do quite nicely on his memoirs. So as well as getting there I need to keep stuff ready for my memoirs - hence notes from today's briefings and tittle tattle round the bar at the HQ.



1. In a night Time Surface Combat, near Cam Ranh Bay DDs Scout and Thanet intercepted two Japanese transports and sunk them both with no damage to themselves.

2. In submarine attacks AMC Manoora, sustained 2 torpedo hits 2, and subsequently sank with all hands. TK Merula, took a torpedo hit and laden with fuel was lost. CL Danae, suffered 3 torpedo hits and was also lost.

3. Nauru Island has been invaded and taken by the enemy, Landings have begun at Laoag.

4. Hong Kong is coming under enemy assault.

5. Airfields in the Philippines are bombed and strafed.

6. Georgetown is attacked by Lily bombers escorted by Oscars and two ships are hit by bombs: AMc Medusa, xAP Kelantan

7. Near Laoag B17s spot the Heavy cruisers Maya and Chokai but fail to hit them with their bombs.

8. AS Canopus, air dropped torpedo hits 2, and is sun near Davao. HQ reckons there's another Carrier group operating round there.

9. Nells supported by the ever present Zeros atatcked shipping in Manila and:
xAP President Madison, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damagee
xAKL Dos Hermanos, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk
xAKL Don Jose, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage

10. SS Pompano launches 4 torpedoes at CV Shokaku - none of them explode.......... I guess the language on that sub was choice after that!

11. In hot pursuit of the KB the Yanks missed their targets at night and were left open to attacks by the flyboys from the carriers. Ooops!

DD Phelps, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk,
DD Farragut, Bomb hits 4,heavy fires, sunk.
DD Worden, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk. .
CL Raleigh, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Shaw, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Henley, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CA New Orleans, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Ralph Talbot, Bomb hits 1
DD Bagley, Bomb hits 3, and is sunk
DD Helm, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Dale, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Monaghan, Bomb hits 4, and is sunk
DD Aylwin, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Cummings, Bomb hits 1
DD Downes, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Henley, heavy fires, heavy damage

All in all a not very good day for our somewhat Gung-ho transatlantic cousins.



Things I have learned today......

1. Planes can easily sink ships - stay off ships
2. Don't ever expect the Yanks to use discretion
3. Opportunity knocks for the person who looks after number one.

Y’know when I first arrived in the tropics I went out on a fishing boat..... the guys threw some disgusting raw fish stew stuff over the side and within a minute the sea was boiling with sharks...... can’t stand the beasts!

Well it would seem that the Japanese sharks are around the waters off Singers. We have a ‘tally board’ at HQ and it makes grim reading....

Submarine attacks:

xAKL Marudu, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 2,  on fire,  heavy damage
xAK Neleus, Torpedo hits 1,  on fire
xAK Silverbeech, Torpedo hits 1,  heavy damage
xAP Kota Gede, Torpedo hits 1,  on fire,  heavy damage
xAK Demodocus, Torpedo hits 1,  on fire,  heavy damage
xAP Boschfontein, Torpedo hits 1,  on fire,  heavy damage
AVP Merel, Torpedo hits 2,  on fire,  heavy damage
xAP Kota Gede, Torpedo hits 1,  on fire,  heavy damage
xAKL Sibolga, Shell hits 10,  heavy fires,  heavy damage
xAK Tai Sang, Torpedo hits 2,  heavy fires,  heavy damage

Anyway, it would seem that anyone trying to get out of Singers had better b a good swimmer, or else be able to befriend a shark pretty damn fast! We presume they have all sunk - no further communications have been heard from them since their last status updates.

I am getting tired of my sleep being disturbed. Its about time the boys in blue put in an appearance and bloodied Johnny Jap’s nose!

It would seem the Yanks have not let all their ships sink. In a night surface encounter, near Manus the enemy were somewhat bested: CL Kashima, Shell hits 4,  heavy fires - seemed to be losing headway and lots of smoke. A patrol boat got hit four times - heavy fires,  heavy damage - seemed to be sinking. A further PB and two troopships escaped into the night. THe CA Houston took two hits on her armour that will need some repainting apparently. The enemy must have called for help as the CL Yubari with two destroyer consorts appeared. Yubari also took a punishing hit to her superstructure and a series of explosions followed. The Houston was not hit.
 
Elsewhere we hear that the Japs have begun landing at Davao, though their landings at Laoag was disrupted by a PT boats raid..... we lost 2 of the three PT boats though. We also have reports from Yank recce flying boats that the Jap Carriers are heading home......

Things I learned today:

1.Getting out of Singers - not that it will ever be a need - is going to be tricky.
2.The Japs are a pretty cowardly bunch - sneaky is their only game - obviously didn’t go to the right schools.
3.There’s a rather nice set of ‘dancing girls’ at the local nightclub.........

Given the easy life to date I've been rather busy. This is not why I joined the services. An endless round of dinners and cocktails and a chance to rise up to a reasonable pensionable rank with all that goes with it was my plan - and hopefully some seat in the Lords. Hmmm, not used to all this rushing around, and in the heat of Singers it gets a bit much dontcha know?

Anyway my current assignment is to pull together the fragments of 'intel' and present this to Percival for his rumination. I will have to make this a 'read easy' version so he can understand it! What it does give me is a car and driver and a 'roving commission' - so there may be opportunities. Carpe Diem as they say.

In our backyard the enemy would appear to be feeling their way from both Singora and Kota Bahru. Reports are coming in of their arrival at Alor Star. The flyboys are apparently 'challenging' the advance and providing close support. Yes, apart form the fact they can't seem tio hit anything and we have lost a load of planes now - the Jap planes would seem to be highly advanced - fast and well flown compared to the barns our boys have to get airborne. On the other hand I have been to the site of a downed Jap bomber (still bloody noisy every night) and it looked a decidedly fragile thing.

Our navy claims its killing Jap subs in the Singapore Straits I'll believe it when I see them bring in some evidence.

I'm told that there are masses of ships arriving in Rangoon with forces embarking to drive south and sort out the Japs at Bangkok and French Indo China. Apparently it will all be over by Xmas. The esteemed General doesn't think its worth spending much energy on erecting defences at Singapore as its a waste of resources (you'd hink he had to pay for them himself) and it would give the wrong message to the natives.

Elsewhere the enemy continue to bring the 'kitchen sink' to Laoag, and every night the Yanks and their assorted balsa wood navy charge in amongst the shipping. Over two nights they claim a Cruiser and a Destroyer sunk by torpedoes and at least one collision between merchant ships in their chaos of upping anchor and moving out to sea. Whatever I'm sure these nightly forays are putting the Jap plans back in their timing. Its going to be a bit like sticking a stick into a hornets nest mind you - they are going to be mighty annoyed when they finally move towards the Yanks in their defences.

We think Davao has fallen, the Jap CVs that were spotted there are no longer seen anywhere though subs on the approaches to Davao have reported heavy escort anti sub activity.

The Japs seem very desirous of taking a load of smelly, hot and worthless bases that were not even defended - on the coast of New Guinea. CL Achilles interrupted a landing at Manus and sunk an escort there but for some reason the captain did not press home the attack and the two ships unloading troops were left to continue this work! Maybe we need another Admiral Byng? [editors note - Admiral Byng was shot for cowardice 'to encourage others']

At HQ those with some brains - eg not the High Command - think that what we are seeing so far is not the main Jap effort. They are predicting that suddenly a load of nasty will happen and not where we are expecting. Time will tell, for me the supply of gin and totty remains so its all good! [editors note - Gin and Totty is not a drink concoction, totty is a very rude expression for ladies who might.....we will pass over this for the delicate reader]

I once went hunting with old ‘Sniffy’ Forbes-Mainwearing at his country seat. Never again I tell you - its damn dangerous, riding round on a horse, across fields and jumping hedges - I mean a fella could fall off and break his neck. The argument is that we need to keep the foxes down as they are verminous and once they get into a killing area like a chicken house they won’t stop until they have created total mayhem. On the other hand, riding and the chase did have an ‘effect upon Sniffy’s younger sister I recall with fondness - Hip Hip Hooray there - so riding to hounds had its compensations.

Anyway, where was I ? Oh yes foxes. Events around this Laoag place (strange spelling dontcha know) put me in mind of foxes, though they don’t seem to swim in the sea. For two nights the Yank MTBs have been setting out from Subic Bay and getting in amongst a veritable armada of Jap boats at Laoag. Each time they get in close, the Japs get the terrible funk, up anchor and try to make headway. Result is the odd torpedo hit, some shooting up and general fireworks, and several of their transport ramming each other. A bit like Drake’s fireships I guess. Anyway HQ d quite delighted by the results, though they are saying its a shame for the ‘gallant crews’.
Score to date:

DMS W-17, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Azuma Maru, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage 3 other ships (unidentified) in serious ramming incidents.
MTB 7, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
MTB 10, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
MTB 11, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
MTB 9, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
MTB 12, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
MTB 26, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
MTB 27, Shell hits 1, and is sunk

Apparently one hit by enemy guns and its obliteration for the MTBs...... Glad I ‘m not on this detail! Our Intel guys (never trust them they all wear glasses and smell of University Common Rooms) say its playing hell with the Jap unloading plans. We shall see.

Elsewhere a Jap surface force turned up at Rabaul - we think they were looking for a CL Raiding force of ours - long gone - and took their spite out on a small craft sitting in harbour. A bit uneven this fight: CA Aoba, CA Kinugasa, CA Furutaka, CA Kako, DD Oboro, DD Sazanami, DD Ushio verus the AM Penguin, Shell hits 2, and is sunk

Japanese forces have taken Alor Star.

The sub war:

TK Juno, Torpedoed
xAP Van Imhoff, Torpedoed
AMC Kanimlba, Torpedoed


Rangoon got its first night air raid with some damage sustained to the airfield. The enemy’s main efforts would appear to be over Georgetown where an assortment of Sallies, Oscars, Nates, Nells, Betties persistently visited and managed to sink the xAKL Elout with torpedoes. They have also cratered the runway quite badly!


Wake Island was attacked by carrier borne aircraft - we guess its the Kido Butai on its way home for patch up and Saki celebrations. The raid was only by around a third of the numbers of planes used to attack Pearl - make of that what you will. Some airfield damage but nothing to write home about.

The Japs are plugging away at Hong Kong and have apparently done some damage to our ‘world class defences’ there. The guys pursuing our forces after they lost Khota Bahru ran into a road block SW of there and were stopped in their tracks by the FMSV Brigade and 8th Indian Brigade. Intel reports that three Jap regiments attacked and tried to force them away - well done our brave lads. Now we will show them!

General Percival is finally thinking maybe we ought to put a bit of barbed wire or something to the landward side of Singers. I ‘ve been asked to do some surveys of the best spots. Great idea. Off I go in my car - my driver doesn’t complain if we make a few stopovers and he gets to put his feet up and smoke a few. I am currently surveying the areas where the married quarters are located. Been checking the defences of some of the deserted wives. Some have nasty defences - the occasional slapped face - but others have a smile that says come back another time and just maybe we will have weakened a bit. All have gone in my little black book. Hip HIp! Tally Ho, I see some foxes of my own to hunt!

Well things look different very quickly in life don't they? My Grandfather, the old rogue, dabbled a bit in the Opium Wars and HongKong was seen as the Gibraltar of the East..... and the treacherous little yellow men have gone and smashed it in a few days. They seem to have been hardly held up by our defences there.....

Its all supposed to be need to know only at the present time, but the streets of Singapore area live with the rumour - and the mood here has changed. Suddenly people are finding pressing reasons to take a holiday back in Britain and the port is a very busy place with lots of civilians looking for berths out. There's a sudden realisation - shared by yours truly - that just maybe if HK can fall then so can Singers...... Things could get ugly as all the shipping in the port is being used by our forces and there's lots of comings and goings. Problems:
1. If the civilians get windy then we may have to impose martial law, not good for morale at all
2. So far the Jap air raids have been on the airfield - when they hit it [see previous diary entry editor)
3. Last but by no means least - how does Flashy get out of this place safely?

Its been a couple of days since we lost a ship to the enemy subs round here. I gather that they are appearing off the US West Coast now and have sunk an oiler and a merchantman.

Elsewhere Georgetown seems to be getting a hammering from the enemy air, with quite a lot of our troops gathering there, any ships in the port have been sunk. The 8th Indian Brigade that was blocking the Jap advance near Khota Bharu has been routed and the Japs are rushing down the peninsula. The Jap landing at Laoag is still being disrupted nightly by PT boats - but I gather that the Yanks are running out of them - they don't survive any hits at all!

Soooo, some problems.... need solutions.

1. Do I stay or do I go?
2. If I go where is best - and how do i get Percival to send me there - or get my orders sufficiently flexible to make sane choices?
3. Looks like any overland 'escape' is not possible, and sea (subs) or air (Jap fighters) are both perilous.



Needs some thinking about.

[editor's note - many of us are puzzled by HIP's chronology here, we all know that Hong Kong did not fall on the 16th December. We can only hazard that maybe Flashman is going more by the rumour mill than hard intelligence on this one - the more we read of this diary the more we are having to rethink the nature of this hero. Some unkind readers have evn suggested that we are seeing a side to Flashman that is far from heroic]

Well I have to complain its all very confusing this war. I'm told on good authority that Hong Kong has fallen, then next day we are assured it has not, then yet again its gone.

Well whether it has or not is of no great concern to me, as far as Flashy is concerned its only a matter of time!

Talking to Percival he reckons all is good, that the Japs have shot their bolt and are about as much use as a blown mare after a brisk canter....... I must say that over the last few days, apart from the sub attacks there's been little to worry about. The enemy has even stopped its air raids so I've had a decent night's sleep. They seem to be inclined to take over the Philippines - and they can have them as far as I am concerned - and maybe their cutting off of northern Malaya is a bargaining counter in the peace talks that are bound to start soon. I gather their planes have been appearing over Rangoon though.

I also am told 'on good authority; that Winnie has had to promise the Aussies some help 'down under' - I gather they are a little 'miffed' that their boys are out in the desert and not defending their 'sheilas' and their sheep..........

Almost Christmas, the decorations ate still going up and the full traditional turkey and stuffing in regimentals is the order of the day on the 25th.

I did get in a conversation with 'Creeper Jenkins' at the mess the other day. Never liked the man - way too swotty for me, went off and did some double first at Oxford it turns out. Anyway he's in some 'intel' group - all very hush hush dontcha know. he did say after a few G&Ts that he had a special pass that in the event of a real problem he could use it to override any orders for any unit and that he had to be got to safety given what was in his head. Well I reckoned it was all a load of guff, but he no longer has the pass, it seems to have slipped into my pocket.

Anyway Jenkins let me in on the thinking of the intel boys. He says that Percival won't listen to them. They think that the Japs are 'up to something' - they can't trace lots of their forces and have a feeling that they will suddenly appear in some totally unexpected place and then there will be hell to pay.

Whatever, time will tell. Meanwhile I have been doing some copies of the special pass, though this time with my name on it, just in case, dontcha know?

They have stopped night bombing thankfully. Instead they come in over the harbour - low down and barreling along to drop their torpedoes and sink the many ships in the harbour. Our folk all blaze away and one after another they Betties get ripped apart or head off trailing smoke. So far only one or two ships have been hit which given the number of ships arriving is quite surprising. No sign of the brylcreem boys though.

The war seems pretty languorous here, somewhere up around Georgetown the enemy is probing forward and while this is going on our forces here have finally started to improvise some defences. No need to worry about things at the moment, plenty of time to attend soirees and comfort the little wives.

Elsewhere I gather a couple of bases on the north coast of Sarawak have been attacked and Miri has been taken. Don’t mean anything to me of course. Just names on a map.

The Yanks are a bit upset, apparently one of their many islands - Wake - was attacked yesterday by a large force of the Japs including carrier based planes, and they kind of walked into the base and took it.

Well its seems The Andrew has finally done something. Pallister’s squadron based out of Kuching had word of the Japs landing at Brunei. So up anchor and aweigh…..

They arrived with the Japs still unloading and made a pretty mess of every Jap ship - all left ablaze and wrecked. None were seen to sink, but all were well on fire and not returning any salvoes by the end of the engagement. Pallister has now made off in need of some rearming and reports all the ships are fine with minor damage though the DD Pilsbury is in a bad way and has been detached with DD Ford as escort to try and get back here to Singers and a repair yard. A good innings for us! I’m sure the base force there would have enjoyed the sight - though not for long as the Japs had already landed enough to take the base. They are getting closer.

Apparently we have these queer coves, called Coastwachers…. they elect to stay behind and with a radio and some tribesmen will tip us off about the Japs movements. Rather them than me I have to say. Sounds deuced dangerous stuff and I am sure that Johnnie Jap will not invite them in for a civilised cup of tea and a chat over cakes if they are ever captured. Anyway one of them reports that Jap ships have been spotted off Rabaul - personally not quite sure where that is - somewhere in the Yank Aussie bailiwick - but HQ wallahs are quite worried.

We have lost another base up north, the Japanese Imperial Guard - sounds very grand dontcha know - stormed across into Georgetown and took it with little opposition. I’m surprised that Percival is not more down about the whole thing, but he didn’t explain too much to us at the briefing - seems like some hush hush operation has gone on there, must find out what….

Editor's note - Flashman is using a slang term for the Senior Service when he calls them The Andrew. - its origins are lost in obscurity. Reading the above entry we get a sense of just how top secret Operation Madness was at the time.

Just a note to say that Flashman wrote his diary in a very entertaining manner, dont'cha think? The papers should be a boon to modern day socialogists. However I do feel he is pre judging Percival without being fully appraised of all the relevant facts, dont'cha think?

Am particularly looking forward to when Flashman uses that pass to get off Singapore island. Wonder whether he will be able to assist any of those deserving wives he is comforting in these difficult times to get out at the same time.

Alfred

Editor's response.

It is very pleasing to see such an eminent student of the war reading these diaries. From my ability to look ahead at them I am sure there will be lots of things answered as I make them available.

I do fear that the popular view of the 'hero' Flashman is going to become slightly tarnished by some of the actions that appear in the diary.

Sometimes I turn the page and shudder at what he might be about to do.