Richard Bolitho – Midshipman

He swung away, controlling his voice with obvious effort. 'Now tell someone to cast down a line and haul that corpse on deck. Then have 'em clean up the cabin, it stinks like a gallow's-tip down here! ' He touched the leg of his chair. There was dried blood on it, black in the filtered sunlight. Almost to himself he muttered, 'Probably yesterday.

Otherwise the rats would have found their way in here.' He jammed on his salt-stained hat and ducked out of the cabin. Later, while Bolitho and Dancer waited by the bulwark and watched the lieutenant being pulled across to Gorgon's side to make his report, Bolitho told his friend something of what had happened between them. Dancer eyed him sadly. Til wager he intends to put your ideas to the captain, Dick. It would be just like him.' Bolitho touched his arm, recalling Tregorren's last words before he had dropped into the boat. 'Keep steerage way until told what to do, and send a good lookout aloft.' He had pointed at the corpse by the wheel. 'And throw that overboard. It's how some of you'll end up, I shouldn't wonder.' Bolitho looked now at the empty space where the unknown man had lain. Callous and senseless. He said, Tve a few more ideas yet.' He smiled, trying to forget his anger. 'At least I know why he dislikes me.' Dancer followed his mood. 'Remember that poor cripple in the Blue Posts, Dick?' He gestured around the deck and at the handful of seamen. 'He said we would both be captains, and, by God, we have a ship of our own already! '

4. “Clear for Action!”