Richard Bolitho – Midshipman

Conway turned slowly and studied the group by the bulkhead. Tregorren, massive and red-eyed, his body swaying to the heavy motion, his face still the colour of ashes. The three midshipmen, and the master's mate, t Mr Starkie, standing slighly apart.; Verling, the first lieutenant, was also present, his nose disapproving as the captain's servant filled glasses of madeira for the crumpled and dishevelled visitors. The captain took a beautifully cut glass from a tray and held it to the filtered sunlight. 'Your health, gentlemen.' He regarded each of them in turn. 'I do not have to say how gratified I am that Sandpiper is again with the fleet.' He turned to listen to the distant tap of hammers across the water as work continued to put right the damage from Pegaso's cannon fire. 'Eventually I will be sending her to report to the admiral at Gibraltar with my despatches.' His gaze rested momentarily on Tregorren. 'To cut out a vessel at anchor is never easy. To do it, and to find the extra agility and skill to run an enemy frigate to ground, is worthy of their lordships' attention.' Tregorren stared at some point above the captain's shoulder. 'Thank you, sir.' The captain's eyes moved to the midshipmen. 'To have survived all this will give you scope for putting the experience to work, both for your own advancement and for the Navy in general.' Bolitho darted a quick glance at Tregorren. The man was still staring at the deckhead, and he looked close to another violent attack of vomiting. The captain said in the same matter-of-fact tone, 'At first light, while you were entering the reefs, I was searching to the south'rd. Quite by chance we came on a heavy dhow, loaded to the gunwales with black ivory.' Starkie exclaimed, 'Slaves, sir?' The captain regarded him coldly. 'Slaves.' He gestured with his glass. 'I put a boarding party into the vessel, and she is now anchored around the next headland.' He gave a thin smile. 'The slaves I put ashore, although I know not if I have done them a favour.' The smile vanished. 'We have wasted too much time, and lost too many good men. It would take an army to lay siege to the island, and even then it is doubtful how the attack would go.' He paused as the marine sentry beyond the door shouted, 'Surgeon, sir! ' The servant hurried to open the door as Laidlaw entered, wiping his hands carefully on a scrap of cloth. 'Yes?' The captain sounded sharp. 'You wished to know, sir. Mr Hope is sleeping. I took out the ball, and although I doubt if he'll ever be rid of discomfort, he'll not lose an arm.' Bolitho looked at Dancer and Eden and smiled. It was something. The rest was over, part of a nightmare which even Tregorren's failure to admit that he had had no hand in the final action could not spoil. He glanced at Starkie, who was studying Tregorren with something like hatred. The captain added, 'At dusk, provided the wind returns, which Mr Turnbull assures me will, we will make contact with our new prize. At dawn I intend to send Sandpiper to chase the dhow towards the 5 fortress. Gorgon will, of course, supply full support.' Bolitho swallowed another glass of madeira, barely realizing that the cabin servant had refilled it more than once. His stomach was quite empty, and, the wine was making him feel light-headed and dizzy. One fact stood out. The captain had no intention of giving in to the pirates who occupied the island. By retaking Sandpiper they had added another arm to their reach, and the watchers on the fortress's battery would have been able to see quite clearly how the brig had lured their one major vessel on to the reefs. Verling snapped, 'Understood?' Bolitho exclaimed, 'They'll think we're chasing a cargo of slaves, and be too busy firing at Sandpiper to watch the dhow, sir?' The captain looked at him and then glanced across at Tregorren. 'What d'joa think, Mr Tregorren?' The lieutenant seemed to come out of a trance. 'Yes, sir. That is…' The captain nodded. 'Quite.' He walked aft again and studied the brig for some time. 'Mr Starkie will return to his ship and be prepared to assist whichever officers I appoint to take charge, and to sail eventually with my despatches.' He swung round, his eyes hard in the light. 'Had I thought that you had any part in losing Sandpiper in the first place, by negligence or lack of courage, I can assure you that you would not be here now, and your chances of advancement would have been smashed.' He smiled, the effort making him older rather than the opposite. 'You did very well, Mr Starkie. I only wish I could keep you in my cornmand.