The shadow of the eagle

'Do mind yourself on the thwarts, Mr Gilbert,' Ashton replied equivocally, waving the consul into the boat.

'After you, my dear fellow.'

'Convention demands you go first, Mr Gilbert.'

'Does it now. Well we had better not flout convention then, had we?'

Five minutes later, the launch was pulling clear of the reef, leaving the harbour in comparative peace, for the gulls had destroyed the loaves and only a few continued to quarrel over the last remnants. As for the watching fishermen, they shook their heads in incredulous wonder and resumed their work.

CHAPTER 12 A Matter of Discipline

May 1814

The recovery of the launch proved a tediously tricky business in the lively sea running off Flores, despite the lee made by the ship. While Marlowe and Birkbeck struggled with the heavy boat, Drinkwater surveyed his unexpected passenger who had scrambled up the ship's side after Ashton. Clearly Mr Gilbert, whatever else he was, was a nimble fellow, not unfamiliar with ships.

'You wish for a passage to Terceira, Mr Gilbert?' Drinkwater asked, after the ritual of introduction.

Gilbert nodded. 'In case word has arrived there concerning Bonaparte,' the British consul tersely replied.

'Yes, yes, I understand, sir, but my orders indicate he will be brought to Flores,' said Drinkwater, stretching the truth to buttress his argument, 'and I fear if I abandon this station,' he paused and shrugged, 'well, who knows?'

Gilbert frowned. 'But you are here to guard him, are you not?' and then Gilbert's quick intellect grasped the import of Ashton's questions about other men-of-war in the offing. Ah, you are expecting other ships, ships which might interfere with the arrangements for the accommodation of Boney'

It was said as a statement of fact and Drinkwater nodded. 'There is, I understand,' he replied, 'a conspiracy afoot in France to have him taken to Canada ...'

Gilbert's eyebrows rose in comprehension. 'Dear God!' he murmured.

'I see you are as apprehensive as I am.'

'Quite so ...'

Both men remained a moment in silence, then Drinkwater suggested, 'I can have you put ashore again here.'

Gilbert shook his head. 'I should really return to Angra.' He paused, then added, 'May I take your boat? She will make the passage under sail, I daresay?' he looked at the launch somewhat dubiously.

'It must be upwards of forty leagues . . .'

'No matter, your boat is up to it.' Drinkwater looked askance at Gilbert; he was clearly a man of resilience and resolution. In the waist the launch was swinging slowly across the ship to its chocks on the booms. 'Very well,' Drinkwater agreed, 'she is provisioned for two days, perhaps you will be kind enough to replenish her when you arrive; we are precious short of stores. Some fruit would be most welcome,' he said, and raising his voice he called, 'Mr Marlowe! Have the launch put back in the water!' Drinkwater ignored the moment's hesitation and the sudden irritated stares of the labouring seamen who were quickly ordered to reverse their efforts; he summoned Ashton.

'Mr Ashton, run down to my cabin and take a look at the chart on my desk. A course for Terceira; you may take Mr Gilbert back to Angra in the launch.'

'Sir, if I might suggest something.'

'Well, what is it?'

Ashton edged round to attempt to exclude Gilbert from his remark to the captain. 'I should like to lay a formal charge against Sergeant McCann.'

'Oh, for heaven's sake, Mr Ashton, now is hardly the moment. What has Sergeant McCann done?'

'Disobeyed my orders, sir,' Ashton hissed intensely.

Drinkwater felt a great weariness overcome him; he was tired of these minor problems, tired of Ashton and the whole confounded pack of these contentious and troublesome men. He was tempted to consign Ashton to the devil, but mastered this intemperate and dangerous instinct; instead he caught sight of Lieutenant Hyde and called him over.

'Mr Hyde, Mr Ashton here says that Sergeant McCann disobeyed his orders.' He turned to Ashton. 'Perhaps you would tell us how this occurred.'

'I left orders that no one was to leave the boat while I waited upon the Governor. Upon my return I found two men had defied me and been into the town ...'

'Two men, d'you say?' Drinkwater asked.

'Yes, and ...'

'To what purpose did these two men go into town?' Drinkwater persisted.

'That is the point, sir, they had been into town and purchased liquor.'

'What liquor?' Hyde asked.

'What does it matter what liquor? They had disobeyed my orders and left the boat...'

'Were sentries posted?' Hyde pressed.

'Yes, of course, under your Sergeant McCann ...'

'But Sergeant McCann was only in charge of the marines. Who commanded the boat?'

'Well, Midshipman Paine.'

'Then why isn't he in the soup?'

'I think we should have a word with Midshipman Paine,' broke in Drinkwater. 'Be so kind as to send for him.'

It took a few moments to fish Paine back out of the launch which was now bobbing alongside again. He reported to the trio of grave-faced officers on the quarterdeck and was asked for an explanation.

'Whilst you lay in Santa Cruz, Mr Paine, were you not aware that Mr Ashton had given orders to the effect that no one should go ashore?' Drinkwater asked.

'Well, sir,' Paine replied, 'yes and no ...'

'What the devil ... ?' began Ashton, but Drinkwater put out a hand to stop him going further.

'That is too equivocating, sir,' Drinkwater said, his voice hard and level. 'Kindly explain yourself

'Well, sir, I understood Mr Ashton to have said that the boat's crew were not to go ashore. When Shaw asked me if, on behalf of the men, he and Ticknell might not run up to the town to buy some fresh bread, I consulted Sergeant McCann and he felt that it would not be contrary to the spirit of your orders if just two men went. The boat's crew had a tarpaulin muster ...'

'What d'you mean ''would not be contrary to the spirit of my orders"?' demanded Ashton, 'you knew damned well I meant no one could go ashore.'

Paine stood his ground. 'I understood you did not want shore-leave granted, sir, but the men could not desert and had taken money on trust from their ship-mates. I did not see the harm ...'

'Very well, gentlemen.' Drinkwater silenced the midshipman and strove to keep the exasperation out of his voice. 'It is clear this matter cannot be resolved quickly. It is also clear that we cannot hang about here dithering. Have the launch swung inboard again; we will take Mr Gilbert to Angra ourselves, and the sooner the better. Do you pass word to Mr Marlowe, Mr Ashton; Mr Paine, I shall speak to you later. My Hyde, thank you.'

Ashton seemed to hesitate a moment, but then the officers broke away and Drinkwater crossed the deck to where Gilbert awaited his departure, masking his curiosity in a thinly veiled attempt at indifference.

'My apologies, Mr Gilbert, I have changed my mind; we shall run you to Terceira in the ship.'

'Thank you, Captain,' Gilbert replied, smiling, 'I cannot pretend that a long passage in an open boat is much to my liking, though I did not wish to inconvenience you.'

'That was most considerate of you.' Drinkwater returned the smile. 'My chief anxiety is that I do not miss any rendezvous of enemy ships by being absent from my station. The whole thing', he confessed, 'is something of a hazard.'

'Is such a rendezvous likely now the war is over?'

'Is the war over, Mr Gilbert? I wish I was so sure. Anyway, the die is cast.'

Both men watched while the tackles were hooked on to the launch again. Drinkwater intensely disliked giving orders and counter-orders, for nothing created distrust between officers and men more than such obvious uncertainty in the former.