Under the guise of using his telescope to examine the house which Major Lausser described as his, Ramage was able to see that the guns of Riffort on Otrabanda could cover only the entrance to seaward; there was no way they could fire inland, down the channel. Once inside, a ship was safe. The same went for Punda's guns: Waterfort was a reversed replica of Riffort He saw exactly where he wanted to anchor the Calypso — half - way along the channel. A single anchor to the eastward would keep her head to wind and with springs to the cable he would be able to haul the Calypso round far enough to fire into each side of the town, should it become necessary.
The temptation to take command, to give all the orders direct through the speaking trumpet, was very strong, but he knew it was also the sign of a weak and an unfair captain. Weak because it showed he was uncertain of his ship's company (and probably of himself as well) and unfair to the first lieutenant, particularly one of Aitken's ability, became it deprived him of responsibility for handling the ship at just the time when it would do the most good: at a time when no mistakes could be made. Few captains, Ramage reckoned, were as cold - blooded as himself: if Aitken sailed the Calypso on to the rocks in front of either fort, or let the ship get into stays so that she drifted on to one of the sandbanks inside, the captain would get the blame anyway: courts - martial rarely departed from the tradition that captains might not have much work to do, but they carried all the responsibility at all times. So Aitken might just as well have the experience.
'Mr Aitken,' he said, 'you see the long house with the pink walls and red roof to starboard, and the grey warehouse to larboard?'
'Aye, sir."
"Well anchor between the two, about a third of the way to the eastward.'
'Aye aye, sir.'
'I was thinking of springs,' Ramage said casually, to make sure Aitken left enough room for the ship to swing, and warning the young Scot without the Dutch knowing that the Calypso might end up having to open fire on the town.
'Aye, sir.' Aitken let his accent become so pronounced that even Ramage could only just understand him when he said, ' 'Tis a bonny spot for clapping a spring on the cable.'
Ramage watched the walls of the batteries pass the Calypso, with the channel narrowing so that he felt a couple of good men could throw heaving lines to the shore on each side. Van Someren turned and said anxiously: 'You will not go too far in, I hope: it gets shallow towards Schottegat, where the privateers are anchored.'
Did it really get shallow or was His Excellency worrying about the privateers? It was hard to be sure. Ramage had no chart of the inside of Amsterdam, but it seemed likely the channel would get shallow that far in. Until those signatures were on the instrument of surrender, he thought to himself, it is wiser to be suspicious and wary.
Then suddenly he realized what Southwick had meant A few minutes after he had come back on to the quarterdeck with the Governor, Southwick had been fussing round taking compass bearings of various points in Amsterdam, and as Ramage had passed him the old master had muttered, rather loudly: 'Numbers three, five and six.'
Ramage had not paid much attention. Obviously they weren't bearings, but the numbers had no significance, until now. Southwick knew nothing of what was going on with the Dutch; there had not been time or opportunity to tell him anything. But Southwick, in his own wise way, was trying to remind his captain.
The Articles of War were unambiguous on the question of dealing with the enemy. It was one thing for one of the King's officers to capture an enemy ship or island in battle; it was quite another to be involved - as he now was - in negotiations.
While Aitken gave the order to clew up the maintopsail, Ramage recalled the wording of Article number three: 'If any Officer, Mariner, Soldier or other Person of the Fleet, shall give, hold or entertain Intelligence to or with any Enemy or Rebel, without leave from the King's Majesty, or the Lord High Admiral or the Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral, Commander - in - Chief, or his commanding officer, every such Person so offending, and being thereof convicted by the Sentence of a Court - martial, shall be punished with Death.' Death with a capital 'D'. Well, Captain Ramage did not have leave from anyone, least of all Admiral Foxe-Foote.
Neither Articles five nor six specified death - with a capital 'D' (it meant in fact that if a court found you guilty it had to sentence you to death). No, they laid down death or whatever punishment 'the nature or degree of the offence shall deserve'.
Five dealt with 'all spies, and all persons whatsoever' who came as spies 'to bring or deliver any seducing letters or messages from any Enemy or Rebel', or try to corrupt any captain or anyone in the Fleet 'to betray his Trust'. That could cover His Excellency and his aides.
Number six would catch Ramage if he so much as offered His Excellency a drink. He had already done that, he reflected grimly, and was not guilty because His Excellency had not accepted it. If he had accepted a rum punch, though, then Captain Ramage would have been guilty - 'No person in the Fleet shall relieve an Enemy or Rebel with Money, Victuals, Shot, Arms, Ammunition, or any other supplies whatsoever, directly or indirectly . . .'
The phrase 'directly or indirectly' took on a new meaning: at this moment the Calypso is coming bead to wind, foretopsail backed, and ready to drop an anchor. If she goes aground - indeed, if the whole thing is a trap - Captain Ramage will have provided the Governor of Curacao with all the items, and a few score tons of 'any other supplies'.
Like most laws passed by Parliament in its infinite wisdom, the Articles of War were a fine - meshed fishnet which caught without discrimination everything from sprats and sharks to waterlogged tree - trunks. And splash went the bower anchor, just where he wanted it, and the smell of burning drifted aft as friction scorched the hemp rope as it raced out of the hawse. Now the Calypso had sternway, pushed by the backed foretopsail, putting a strain on the cable and digging the anchor in. Later when the Governor and his aides had gone on shore, the springs would be put on the cable, and the Calypso's broadsides would be able to rake both sides of the town, if necessary.
The Dutchmen had been chattering to each other and Ramage cursed his lack of knowledge of the language. Van Someren turned to him: 'If I may borrow an English expression and "give credit where credit is due", I must congratulate you and your men: I have never seen anchoring so well done with a ship of this size, even by captains who have been in a hundred times. You have visited here before?'
Ramage grinned and shook his head. /None of us has. But perhaps you would repeat your kind remarks to my first lieutenant: you saw he was handling the ship.'
Van Someren nodded and Ramage called Aitken. It would do no harm to make the point to these Dutchmen that, in the Calypso anyway, the captain was not the only man who could handle the ship in a confined space. Aitken showed sufficient surprise at the Governor's congratulations that Ramage sensed that His Excellency had in mind that the junior lieutenant would probably be handling the ship when she left . . .