"Was there such a garrison?"
"Oh yes, a dozen men, and a lieutenant."
"And the brig wasn't destroyed for fear of a dozen Spanish soldiers?"
"Well, not exactly," Yorke said vaguely. "We captured the soldiers. But the smoke might have been seen from Puerto Rico where I assume there are a few thousand soldiers. It was the treasure as much as anything else that made us think the Spanish would be vigilant."
"The treasure?"
"Yes, you see, the garrison was digging these holes all over the place."
"Holes?"
"Well, trenches, really," Yorke said in an offhand voice. "They looked like graves. There was one big grave, too. Lots of skeletons."
"Skeletons, Mr Yorke?"
"Yes. Dead people. They'd been murdered, you know. I found it all most depressing - you would have too, I'm sure. All shot in the back of the head. A bullet makes a frightful mess of the cranium, you know."
"But who were they?" Goddard stammered.
"No idea, I'm afraid. All in a circle, like signs of the zodiac. Pirates ... slaves ... who knows? Their hands had been tied together. Perhaps to stop them dipping into the treasure."
"The treasure!" Goddard exclaimed, as if suddenly remembering it after being diverted by the skeletons. "What is this nonsense about treasure?"
Napier interrupted: "Pray, what has all this to do with the charges against the accused?"
"Dunno!" Yorke said blithely. "The accused went off on a treasure hunt, and I thought Admiral Goddard seemed interested."
Napier looked at Goddard. "Do you think this forms part of the prosecution's case?"
"How do I know!" Goddard said angrily. "If it pleases the court, I think the matter should be investigated."
"Very well ... The court will inquire. Mr Yorke, what led you to think there was treasure on the island?"
"Not me, Mr Ramage."
"Describe the events in your own words."
Yorke glanced at Ramage, who gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"The Spanish soldiers were guarding slaves who were digging trenches all over the island. Lieutenant Ramage, who speaks Spanish, discovered they were looking for treasure."
"Did they have some sort of chart showing where it might be?"
"No, there was just a poem, a sort of riddle, which was supposed to give clues to its whereabouts."
"Did you manage to solve the riddle?"
"Mr Ramage did."
"And then what happened?"
"We set the men to work digging."
"With no success, it would seem?"
"Oh no," Yorke said languidly, "I think it was quite productive really. We found various boxes of treasure: old Spanish coins, metal ornaments and plates - that sort of thing."
"Of no great value, then?"
"They seemed valuable to me, but then I'm a poor man! It weighs very many hundredweights and was mostly gold."
There was a silence in the cabin until Napier asked, in an awed voice: "Where is it now?"
"On board La Perla, a Spanish schooner."
"I assumed you had removed it from Snake Island," Napier said.
"Lieutenant Ramage did."
"But you said it was on board La Perla."
"La Perla is at anchor half a mile from here: Lieutenant Ramage captured her and sailed her here as a prize."
"Clear the court," Napier snapped. "The court stands adjourned. The prisoner will remain behind."
When everyone but Ramage, Syme and the seven captains had left the cabin, Napier said harshly: "See here, Ramage, the court doesn't take kindly to you turning the proceedings into a circus."
"I'm on trial for my life, sir."
"I know that, dammit; but this treasure business. Is it as much as this fellow makes out?"
"More, sir. About five tons. With gold at three pounds, seventeen and sixpence a fine ounce, I estimate it as worth well over a million pounds."
Napier held his hands palm upwards. "You don't help your own case, doing this sort of thing. Good God!" he exclaimed, "We must get a Marine guard on it!"
"There are a hundred seamen and Marines guarding it now, sir."
"But - who's in command of La Perla? Your master is on board here as a witness."
"The Master's mate, sir."
"Tons of gold and silver, and a master's mate in charge! You're mad, Ramage! The whole damn ship's company could rise on him and sail out of the anchorage!"
"With respect, sir, these men helped find the treasure, dug it up, crated it, captured La Perla, loaded the treasure on board, and sailed the ship several hundred miles to here. They could have killed myself, the master, master's mate, Yorke and the Duke and his entourage at any point along the route and got away with it more easily than they could now."
"All right, don't be so blasted touchy. Why didn't you report this before now?"
"I have my reports here, sir." He waved the papers he was holding.
"Why didn't you deliver them when you first arrived?"
"I went at once to Admiral Goddard. I gave him the report on the loss of the Triton, sir, and was put under close arrest, before I had the chance to deliver the others, and was marched off with a Marine escort."
"You could have still delivered the report on the treasure."
"I could have done, sir," Ramage said flatly.
"But you were going to use the treasure to bargain with, eh?"
"Indeed not!" Ramage said angrily. "How could I bargain with it, sir, even if I'd wanted to?"
"Why didn't you put in the report, then?"
"Because without even reading my first report and without asking me one question, the Admiral told me he was bringing me to a trial under Articles ten, twelve and seventeen. That could only mean charges of cowardice, sir."
"Damnation!" Napier exclaimed. "Why am I appointed president of such a court! What have these gentlemen done" - he waved towards the other captains - "that they should be mixed up in all this?"
"With respect, sir," Ramage said, blinking rapidly, "what have I done to be accused of cowardice?"
Captain Robinson said: "Boy's got a point, Napier; nasty business, the whole thing. Wash our hands of it, I say; special report to Sir Pilcher. You prepare it; all the court sign it. Minutes of the trial so far can go with it. Ought to vote on it; damn silly of us to do anything else. That's my view."
"Mine, too," said Innes, and the others nodded in agreement.
"See here, young Ramage," Napier said suddenly, "you're not supposed to be hearing any of this. Go and give your escort a hail and take a turn on deck. Keep away from everyone else."
As Ramage walked to the door he heard an exasperated Napier growclass="underline" "Syme, you are the most bloody useless deputy judge advocate I've ever seen!"
Half an hour later the court was thrown open and Ramage and Goddard were called in. Syme was flushed and jumpy; Ramage guessed he had had an unpleasant time trying to provide precedents, laws, rules and regulations for the morning's events. The small pile of legal volumes that had been stacked in front of him were now an untidy heap, with many slips of paper marking various pages.
Napier looked up at Goddard.
"The court has decided that all the previous witness's evidence concerning finding the treasure shall be removed from the record."
Removed? Ramage felt the word had been spoken deliberately: "struck" or "deleted" would have been more usual. Removed in toto, to be sent to the Commander-in-Chief? It was all evidence given on oath...
"However, in view of the gravity of the charges," Napier went on, "the court has decided that the trial shall continue. Has the prosecution any more questions to put to the last witness?"