After a pause the man strutted from the room, calling loudly to the corporal that he was leaving.
As the door slammed, Ramage opened one of the letters. It was Rear-Admiral Goddard's report to Sir Pilcher, dated two weeks earlier, soon after the Lion arrived. He began reading, underlining with his pen the words which were taken directly from the various Articles of War.
"I beg leave to inform you that Lieutenant Nicholas Ramage, commanding officer of His Majesty's brig Triton while escorting ships of a convoy under my command, on the occasion of one of the ships being attacked on the night of the 18th of July last, by a French privateer, did not make the necessary preparations for fight, and did not in his own person, and according to his place, encourage the inferior officers and men to fight courageously; and furthermore the said Lt Ramage upon the same occasion did withdraw or keep back and did not do his utmost to take or destroythe enemy ship which it was his duty to engage; and furthermore the said Lt Ramage upon the same occasion, being the commanding officer of the ship appointed for convoy and guard of merchant ships, did not diligently attend upon that charge according to his instructions to defend the ships in the convoy, and did neglect to fight in their defence: in consequence of which I am to request you will apply for a court martial on the said Lt Ramage for the said crimes,
I am,&c,"
By the time he finished reading Ramage felt coldly angry. The moment Admiral Goddard had mentioned the numbers of the Articles of War he'd guessed the charges would revolve round the Peacock attack. It hadn't been clear - since the Articles ranged widely - that he was in fact accused of one thing only: cowardice in the face of the enemy. Charges arising from the loss of the Triton were presumably being kept in reserve.
Ramage gave a bitter laugh. At least once a month, on a Sunday, during the whole of the time he had been at sea, he had heard the Articles of War read to the ship's company. For the past year or two, as commanding officer, he had read them out himself, noting the fact in the log to show that the regulations had been carried out. In his imagination he could hear himself reading loudly, trying to make his voice heard above the noise of wind and sea...
"Article ten ... shall not encourage ... officers and men to fight courageously ... shall suffer death ... Article twelve ... Every person in the Fleet who through cowardice, negligence or disaffection, shall in time of action ... not do his utmost to take or destroy every ship ... shall suffer death ... Article seventeen ... running away cowardly, and submitting the ships in their convoy to peril ... be punished ... by pains of death, or other punishment, according as shall be adjudged by the court martial..."
There was a devilish skill about it all. As far as Admiral Goddard knew, the Topaz, and presumably the Greyhound frigate, had been sunk in the hurricane, so the only surviving witnesses to the Peacock's attack were the Lion's officers and Ramage's own men. It wouldn't be hard to guess which a court would believe.
It was difficult to guess precisely what Goddard was going to accuse him of doing to constitute the actual act of cowardice. Yet the limits were solely the limits of Goddard's imagination and ingenuity, since as far as he knew Ramage was the only person who could challenge him. Few courts would believe a young lieutenant's pleas of innocence against the charges of a Rear-Admiral who was also second in-command on the station, especially when the charges were ones of cowardice.
Well if the heat of Jamaica made him feel drowsy, or he began to get bored with the trial, he had something to make him concentrate. All he need remember was that if the court did find him guilty under either of the first two Articles, it had no alternative but to sentence him to death. Articles ten and twelve were among the few which presented a court with a nice, simple equation: guilt equals a sentence of death. The third one, Article seventeen, gave a "death or" choice.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door and the cheerful voice of the Marine corporal.
"Mr Southwick to see you, sir, with your lawyer."
"Bring them in."
Thoughtful of Southwick to find a lawyer, but at a court martial one was better off without one. The "five or more" captains forming the court usually knew little or nothing of the law, and were often antagonized by lawyers.
It was Yorke who came in with Southwick. He was dressed in a drab black suit, had his shoulders hunched and was carrying a stove-pipe hat and a large leather briefcase. His hair was combed diagonally across his brow and the whole effect was to age him ten years and make him look convincingly like an attorney.
Southwick grinned and said, "I've brought you a lawyer, sir; he says he'll be happy to conduct your defence for one hundred guineas!"
"Too much!" Ramage said, "offer him fifty!" By then the door was shut and locked again.
Ramage waved the two men to the chairs round the tiny table, and Southwick said: "What are they trying to prove against you, sir?"
"I don't know the details, but cowardice is the main charge."
"Cowardice..." Yorke repeated quietly. "It's a wicked charge. Cowardice is one of those words that - well, you can be found not guilty of murder and that's the end of it; but if you're found not guilty of cowardice there's always a - well, a stigma. Cowardice over what?"
"The Peacock business."
"The Peacock?" Yorke was genuinely dumbfounded. "But how can they?"
Ramage shrugged his shoulders. "Probably blaming me for the attack on the Topaz."
"But you prevented it! No harm was done to the St Brieucs! Everyone knows what happened. You gave the Admiral a written report, didn't you?"
Ramage decided that the time had come to tell Yorke the facts of life where people like Goddard were concerned. He tapped the table with the quill pen.
"The court reminds you, sir, that your claim that no harm was done to the St Brieucs can't be substantiated. As far as this court is aware, they were drowned in a hurricane. The Topaz was lost in the hurricane, with no survivors. The three frigates and the Lark lugger were lost too. The Admiral has given evidence on oath that he received no written report from the accused. The Admiral has produced evidence from among his own officers that the Triton held back because the accused was safeguarding his own skin."
"It's wicked!" Yorke said.
"It's almost as ruthless as business," Southwick said unexpectedly. "All this gammon goes on because men are struggling to get power, which means struggling for promotion and interest. To a serving officer, promotion means profit, more pay and more opportunity. It's the same for a businessman," he continued as patiently as a vicar talking to his flock. "A businessman's profit isn't promotion and interest, it's money. But he's often just as ruthless in trying to get it."
"I suppose you're right," Yorke finally admitted. "It's just that business seems more subtle and less cruel - less blatant!"
"It might seem like that to a businessman," Ramage said, "but not to a naval officer! Southwick was just comparing the two so that you'd understand. He's crediting you with sharp business instincts and thinks that if you can see how getting promotion in the Service and making a profit in business are alike, you'll be better able to look into the Admiral's mind. It's the same - perhaps worse - in politics."
Yorke nodded "I do understand. But Goddard can't really hope to prove any of this."
"Why not?" Ramage asked.
"My evidence alone would ..."
Ramage shook his head, knowing it was absolutely vital that Yorke fully understood the significance of what he was about to say. "Your evidence might never be given! That's why Goddard is in an almost perfect position. He has the rope all ready to drop round my neck!"