"Don't steal the grub," Jackson told him unsympathetically, "but if you do, keep your thieving hands off the garlic."
With everything prepared for the voyage to Jamaica, Ramage began to have misgivings. The risks were ones he accepted for himself and his men without a moment's thought; but with La Perla ready to sail, he found himself worrying more and more about the St Brieucs. Was he justified in taking chances with their lives, particularly since St Brieuc was a man valued by the British Government? The least he could do was warn them.
That evening he invited St Brieuc, St Cast and Yorke to his room for a talk, but when they arrived and sat down, looking at him expectantly, he found it hard to explain.
"The voyage we start tomorrow ..." he began lamely.
The three men waited, all attention.
"There are risks..."
St Brieuc sensed his discomfort and said lightly, "We are becoming accustomed to them. They add a zest to life!"
Yorke came to Ramage's help. "These are different. I think our 'Governor' has privateers in mind."
St Cast turned to St Brieuc and smiled. "I suspect he is more worried about us than the treasure - a flattering thought!"
"He is constantly preoccupied with our safety," St Brieuc said, as though Ramage was not in the room. "I think he should worry more about the treasure - I'm sure that would be the Admiralty's view."
Ramage wondered if St Brieuc had guessed his thoughts and given a subtle hint.
"Either way, the privateers concern me," Ramage said. "I want to be sure you understand the risks."
"I assume it is considerable," St Brieuc said, "since all the islands between here and Jamaica are held by the Spanish or French."
Ramage nodded. "It is considerable, but I'm damned if I know how to describe it. If I told you there were probably six privateers between here and Jamaica, you'd conclude it was dangerous. If I said a dozen, a score or a hundred, you'd reach the same conclusion..."
"The figures mean nothing," St Brieuc said, "since we have no standards to apply. Surely the point is, would you risk making the voyage with the treasure if we weren't here?"
"Yes, but that's not-"
"Yes, it is the point," St Brieuc interrupted quietly. "You worry unnecessarily about us. If we stayed here, I think it would be only a matter of time before Spanish soldiers arrived to hunt us down - don't you agree?"
Ramage nodded.
"So if we stay here, we are certain of ending up in a Spanish prison - or worse."
"Fairly certain." Ramage thought a moment, and corrected himself. "Absolutely certain."
"What are the chances of La Perla being captured by a privateer?"
Ramage shrugged his shoulders. "What was the chance of us being caught in a hurricane? One in a hundred, one in five ... hard to say."
"As far as privateers are concerned," Yorke commented, "I'd put my money on not more than one in ten."
St Brieuc smiled at Ramage, a friendly but worldly smile. "You think of yourself as a gambler, young man?"
"I suppose so. Not with money, but in action one has to..."
"Take an old man's advice, then - confine yourself to the odds in battle. Never go near the gambling tables!"
Ramage grinned. "You seem very certain I'd lose."
"I am, and you've just proved it. You say that if we stay on the island we will be captured. We are one hundred per cent certain of losing, in fact. But if we sail with you in La Perla, we face only a one in five chance of capture. Although I'm the most timid of gamblers, I know which I choose!"
"Although mathematics aren't the 'Governor's' strongest subject," Yorke said dryly, "I think he is being unfair to himself!"
"Yes," Ramage said ruefully. "I had in mind that if you stayed here and La Perla reached Jamaica safely, a frigate would come back and rescue you. I'd leave enough men to guard the Spaniards."
St Brieuc's eyes twinkled. "Your heart is ruling your head. Doing that increases the odds against us. If we stay here, and La Perla is captured by a privateer, we still end up in a Spanish prison. If she reaches Jamaica, we have to wait for the frigate to get back. Head winds all the way, and perhaps another hurricane ... What might the Spanish have done in the meantime? No, please take us in La Perla. I understand your concern, but quite apart from the mathematical aspect which shows the odds are in favour of making such a voyage, we have complete confidence in you."
Yorke nodded in agreement.
"Now that's been decided," St Cast said conversationally, "how long do you think it will take for the Spanish in San Juan to do something about Snake Island?"
"Three weeks at the outside," Ramage said. "Once a passing ship sights the wrecks on the reef and reports them in San Juan, the naval commander will send a frigate ... Apart from that, La Perla will be reported overdue at Ponce within a week. Since Snake Island was her first port, they'll start investigating here. Because of Lieutenant Colon's mission, they're probably sensitive about Snake Island anyway."
"The minute we leave," Yorke said, "Colon will try to raise the alarm. Some men could reach Puerto Rico in a fishing boat - it's not that far."
"Southwick has collected the boats and they are being burned in the morning, but if Colon has any sense, he'll set fire to the grass and bushes on the hills, and hope someone in Puerto Rico takes notice of the smoke."
"We're lucky to have La Perla," St Brieuc commented.
"Yes, we stand more chance of reaching Jamaica with her than if we had the Topaz" Ramage said. "Not so comfortable, admittedly, but safer."
St Brieuc looked puzzled.
"Ships," Ramage explained, "are rather like human beings: you can learn a lot about them from their appearance. La Perla's hull and rig is clearly Spanish. She could never have been built in England."
Yorke nodded in agreement as Ramage continued: "At first our main danger will be of capture by Spanish privateers or ships of war between Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo. Later there's a danger of French ships from the western end of Hispaniola and finally a slight risk of Spaniards from Cuba.
"A Spaniard seeing La Perla sailing close to his own coast and flying a Spanish ensign would assume she was Spanish. And so would a Frenchman. They'd have no reason to think anything else."
Yorke looked keenly at Ramage. "A few miles off the coast past Puerto Rico and all the way to the western end of Hispaniola, then a dash down to Jamaica?"
Ramage nodded. "As close to the coast as we dare."
"Supposing the French want to board us to check up?"
Ramage shrugged his shoulders. "Let them. We have all the ship's papers and unless the Frenchman commanding the boarding party spoke fluent Spanish, which is unlikely, I think I could pass myself off as a Spaniard. I might even do it with a Spanish privateer - the accents vary enormously from province to province."
St Brieuc nodded. "You could, I am sure. When you were talking to that wretched man Colon I remember thinking I would not have thought you were English."
"The point is," Ramage said with a grin, "would you have thought I was Spanish? Anyway, have either of you gentlemen any suggestions for improving my plan?"
All of them shook their heads.
"Right," Ramage said, standing up, "then we sail for Jamaica tomorrow morning as soon as the breeze starts."
After dinner Ramage felt Maxine's foot touching his under the table, and a moment later she said casually to her father, "Nicholas and I are going to have a last walk along the edge of the bay."