Van Someren was not deliberately talking in riddles; Ramage was sure of that. But what would he propose once he knew that La Perle was not coming to Amsterdam - could not come, Father? On the other hand, the flag of truce could be just a trick to get information. Perhaps La Perle was needed urgently, and this flag of truce and talk of 'business' was just an elaborate charade to find out Van Someren was deliberately staying silent, giving him time to think. Very well, think, Assume the Governor is speaking the truth when he says the French frigate was not expected, and the first the Dutch knew of her presence was sighting her off the west end of the island - from a lookout position on the slopes of Sint Christoffelberg, no doubt A French frigate in the offing and ten French privateers anchored in the harbour. Van Someren doesn't know that Duroc was making for Amsterdam to careen and mend the leak, and that his visit had nothing to do with the privateers. Yet . . . was Duroc speaking the truth?
Supposing van Someren expected the frigate because she was in fact bringing Frenchmen to help man the privateers? Duroc had boasted of having three hundred men on board - not a large number for a French frigate, but a hundred more than an equivalent British frigate would have. Duroc could have left a hundred men behind for the privateers and still had a strong crew for the voyage back to France. A hundred men, ten privateers. Ten men for each ship. That was nonsense, unless the ships had only nucleus crews, because each needed at least fifty or more.
Start again. Van Someren, alarmed at finding a British frigate and schooner arrive off Amsterdam and (as far as the Dutchmen knew) about to blockade Curacao for the next couple of months (and probably Bonaire and Aruba as well), was anxious to see the French frigate arrive to lift the blockade. That sounded much more likely - except for two things.
The first was that Duroc would not have been lying when he said he was going to Curacao only to careen, for the simple reason that Aruba was west of Curacao. Any frigate bringing reinforcements of any sort - men, powder, shot, provisions - from Martinique would go direct to Curacao, not sail past it for thirty miles in a leaky condition and have to beat back. The second was that van Someren had seemed both relieved and pleased when he thought that Ramage had disposed of La Perle. 'You talk of "business". What have you to offer?' Ramage asked bluntly.
'Did you capture or sink that French frigate?'
'Before I discuss her, I want to know what you want.'
'Stalemate,' van Someren said gloomily. 'We have reached a stalemate.'
Ramage shrugged his shoulders. 'I am sorry, but remember that our countries are at war.'
'Have you seen any fires burning on the island?'
Ramage glanced up, trying to keep the surprise from his voice. 'Yes. Quite large fires. And we've heard gunfire, too.'
Van Someren's eyes were narrowing now, the twinkle that accompanied his remark about doing business had gone.
Indeed, looking at that so very Dutch face, Ramage found it hard to visualize it ever smiling.
'You are a man of honour,' van Someren said suddenly. 'And you are a brave man. All this I hear from many ship captains who know what happens at sea. This very ship, for instance . . .'
Ramage again shrugged his shoulders: it was gratifying that the Governor of Curacao knew of him, but that same Governor had just used the word stalemate.
'Lord Ramage, I mentioned that we could do business together, providing you assured me you had captured or sunk that French frigate. You suspect a trap and I suppose I cannot blame you. You remind me we are enemies. However, stalemate helps neither of us.
'Therefore, young man —you will forgive me so addressing you; I am more than twice, nearly thrice, your age - I am going to tell you why I need to know if you have sunk that French frigate. But before I do, I must warn you that my life could be forfeit if you betray what I am going to tell you. I am going to show you my hand of cards without knowing if you will then show me yours. But I rely on your honour.'
Ramage said nothing. The Governor sounded sincere, but the fact was that he commanded an island thirty - eight miles long by seven miles wide, must have sufficient troops, had an excellent and impregnable port as a capital, and as such was the most powerful representative of the Batavian Republic in the Caribbean - in the New World, in fact. Why, then, was he out here under a flag of truce trying 'to do business' with the captain of a British frigate?
The man was sincere, Ramage suddenly felt sure of that, and as he waited he felt a tingling of excitement. Whatever it was would be a challenge. He raised his eyebrows, feigning only idle curiosity: 'Well, Your Excellency?'
'I want to surrender the island of Curacao to you,' van Someren said quietly and added, 'to you as the representative of His Britannic Majesty.'
Ramage stared at him in surprise. 'Why?'
CHAPTER TWELVE
Amsterdam as a harbour was excellent for any ship wanting to unload cargo at one of the quays lining each side of the channel, or for other vessels, including privateers, needing to pass through and anchor at the far end or in the Schottegat For a frigate wanting to anchor across the channel to block it, to be outside the arcs of fire of the guns of Riffort and Waterfort, and also to be able to swing herself round far enough to fire into the Punda side of the port in case of emergency, it presented difficulties, with only a couple of hundred yards in which to anchor.
Governor van Someren, Ramage realized, now regarded the island's surrender as an accepted fact, with only the actual document, the 'instrument of surrender', to be drawn up, signed and sealed. He did not realize that Ramage still had no guarantee of good faith, no hostages to make sure the Dutch kept their word, and had no explanation of the sudden surrender. Van Someren, on the other hand, had a British frigate in the harbour and would, within an hour or two, have her captain sitting down with him in Government House, a guest or a hostage.
As the Calypso sailed in towards Waterfort and Riffort, the Governor and his two aides had stood beside Ramage on the quarterdeck, commenting, explaining and exclaiming at the sight of Amsterdam from seaward on a sparkling, sunny day. Their boat was towing astern; their crew was in the waist, keeping out of the way of the British seamen as they hurried back and forth, trimming yards and sails. Southwick had a party preparing the anchor, Aitken bad the topmen standing by to furl the topsails, and Ramage, acting the role of host, was thankful none of the Dutch trio enquired why lieutenants Wagstaffe, Baker and Kenton remained with groups of men who, while not ostentatiously standing by each gun, would be recognized by trained eyes as being the guns' crews. If the Dutchmen had asked why the guns were left run out, and why a few men swilled water over the deck from time to time and sprinkled more sand, Ramage was prepared to say with a straight face that this was the way in wartime that ships of the Royal Navy always entered port The thunder of 12 - pounder guns firing at five - second intervals would echo up the channel and carry for miles across the fiat countryside, advertising the Calypso's presence, so Ramage had avoided the question whether or not to fire a salute by explaining, again with a straight face, that Admiralty regulations forbade him saluting anyone who was actually on board the ship. His Excellency thought this a splendid joke and, revealing a lively mind and a good memory of peacetime routines, commented that Ramage would not in fact fire a salute anyway without first sending an officer on shore to satisfy himself that a salute would be returned 'in due form'. (No one pointed out that a salute was also to a place, as well as an individual, a point covered by paragraph fifteen in the 'Of Salutes' section in the Regulations and Instructions.) Ramage had laughed politely at the phrase but it was difficult to maintain polite conversation while judging distances, calculating how much way the ship would carry in the channel with a backed foretopsail, and where to drop the anchor because the Calypso would end up with her stern very dose to the Otrabanda side. More important, he had to see the arcs of fire of Waterfort and Riffort. One thing was dear now that the Calypso was only a cable or so away - they were not so much forts as walled batteries facing seaward.