Ramage

 Finally Captain Croucher's restlessness became obvious even to the willing Blackman, who stopped questioning Lloyd.

'Has the court anything else to ask this witness?' asked Croucher. 'Very well, the prisoner may cross-examine.'

There were only two points to make - purely for the record.

‘You definitely remember my estimate of the length of time before the ship sank, with the damage there then was and the pumps out of action?'

 'Yes, sir, quite clearly: particularly as you said it in minutes, and not "between an hour and an hour and a quarter".'

 'How long, in your estimation, passed between my making that estimate and the French setting the ship on fire after we had left?'

'More than half an hour, sir.'

'Why do you think they set her on fire?'

 Captain Croucher interrupted: 'Opinion is not evidence, Mr Ramage.'

 'If you'll forgive me, sir, I am questioning the beliefs of a professional man about his own subject, not asking his opinion.'

'Don't argue with the court.'

 Ramage bowed and turned back to the Carpenter's Mate: the question was perfectly in order, but it was unnecessary to argue with Croucher since it could be asked in another way.

 'If I had ordered you to lay a fuse to blow up the ship at that time after I made the estimate, could you have obeyed?'

'No, sir.'

‘Why not?'

'The magazine and powder room would have been under water, sir.'

'But if instead I had given you orders to destroy the ship, what would you have done ?'

'I could only have set her on fire, sir, like the French did.'

‘Now, given that you had an unlimited number of men to help with repairs and that the pumps were working, could you, from the time I took over command, have saved the ship from sinking?'

'No, sir, most definitely not'

 'I have no more questions to put to this witness, sir,' he said to Croucher.

'Very welL The court has nothing else to ask, so call the next witness.'

'Call Count Pisano,' said the Deputy Judge Advocate.

 Ramage had been waiting for this moment: so far the trial seemed to be going his way: he'd bluffed Croucher into leaving Gianna's speech in the trial minutes; thwarted his attempt to drop the whole case once the interruption was made; and the Bosun and Carpenter's Mate had given favourable evidence. Now all he had to do was prevent Croucher bringing in Pisano as a witness.

 Ramage said to Captain Croucher: ‘Would you wait a moment, sir: this gentleman's name does not appear on the list of witnesses in support of the charge which the Deputy Judge Advocate sent to me.'

 Croucher gave such a disarming smile that Ramage knew he'd made a mistake: he was not sure what it was, but Croucher was about to checkmate him.

 'The Deputy Judge Advocate,' Croucher said politely, 'will explain the position to you.'

 Ramage needed time, so he quickly stood up. 'Perhaps the court should be cleared while the point is argued.'

'There is nothing to argue about,' Croucher said sharply. 'Carry on,' he told Barrow.

The man stood up and adjusted his spectacles.

'A similar circumstance arose in a court martial in January of last year,' he said pompously. 'A court martial held, incidentally, here in Bastia. The court referred the question to the authorities in London. The Judge Advocate General gave his opinion on it, in a letter dated May 22, 1795, of which I have an attested copy here, saying: "If any person at hand, and who can without delay be called upon, is supposed to be capable of giving material testimony, I have not a doubt that the court may require his attendance and examine him."'

Ramage leapt to his feet just as Ferris was about to speak.

'Judge Advocate General, did you say?'

‘Yes," Barrow said smugly.

‘What has he got to do with it?'

'I do not understand you,' interrupted Croucher.

'The Judge Advocate General, sir,' said Ramage, 'is concerned only with Army affairs. I hardly need remind you that legal matters concerning the Navy would be the responsibility of the Judge Advocate to the Fleet. Am I to conclude the opinion was given on an Army court martial?'

 Croucher glanced at the Deputy Judge Advocate, and Barrow said sheepishly, 'Well yes, sir; but we have no reason to suppose the Judge Advocate to the Fleet would differ in opinion.'

'That is a matter of opinion, and opinion is not evidence,' said Ramage. 'However, my point is that it's the custom of our Service to notify an accused person of the witnesses being called against him.'

But he knew they'd over-rule him, so he decided to forestall Croucher's little victory.

'However, I'm not objecting to any particular witness, because I am sure the court' - Ramage could not keep the irony out of his voice - 'is anxious to arrive at the truth.'

 'Very well,' Croucher said impatiently, and told Barrow to call Pisano, who strode in through the door with an expression on his face as if he regarded himself as the most important guest arriving at a gala ball. He ducked under each beam, although his head would have cleared it by a couple of inches -clearly he had banged himself so much in the smaller Lively that he was taking no chances - but, thought Ramage, instead of making an entrance da grande signore, he looked more like a puffed-up pigeon strutting jerkily across a piazza.

'Would you stand here, please,' Barrow said deferentially. ‘You are Luigi Vittorio Umberto Giacomo, Count Pisano?'

 'I have several other names, but they will be sufficient to identify me.'

 Croucher interrupted: 'You feel sufficiently recovered to give evidence?'

 'Yes, thank you,' Pisano replied stiffly, clearly wishing to forget the episode.

'You will forgive me for certain questions I have to ask you,' said Barrow. 'You are of the Roman Catholic faith?'

'I am.'

'And you are - eh - not under excommunication?'

'Indeed not!'

 Barrow put the Crucifix on the Bible and placed them nearer Pisano.

'Would you please place your right hand on the Crucifix and repeat the following oath after me.'

 Pisano repeated each phrase, eyes uplifted in what he must have thought was a reverent attitude, and sat down.

 'Your English is so good I have no need to offer you the services of an interpreter!' Croucher remarked with an ingratiating smile.

Ramage knew exactly how Pisano would react.

'Interpreter? Interpreter? Am I entitled to one?'

 'Of course,' said Croucher proudly, 'anyone whose native language is not English is entitled to an interpreter in a British court of law.'

'Then I wish to have an interpreter,' announced Pisano, crossing his legs and folding his arms, as if to indicate he would not speak another word until an interpreter was produced.

'Oh - ah - well, certainly,' said Croucher lamely. 'Send for an interpreter, Barrow.'

The Deputy Judge Advocate gave Captain Croucher what Ramage took to be a warning look, but said: 'Of course, sir.'

'Send for my clerk,' said Croucher. ‘He can find one.'

The clerk was brought into the court, instructed to find a translator, told to shut up and look when he began to make some protest, and hurried out again, pursued by Croucher's 'And get a move on!'

 Croucher sat back, a self-satisfied smile on his face. Barrow looked wretched — obviously he sensed a squall just over the horizon. Croucher's smile began to dissolve when Captain Blackman whispered something, and he turned and spoke to Captain Herbert, sitting on his left. Herbert shook his head and in turn questioned the captain next to him. He, too, shook his  head, while Blackman had in the meantime been whispering to the captain on his right, who shrugged his shoulders and spoke to Ferris, who also shook his head.