"I am its Governor," retorted Roger"And, if God so wills, I would rather see it lost to the British Crown through the action that I propose to take, than stand by while His Majesty's troops are so reduced by death from fever that there are no longer enough of them to man its batteries."
"You fool!" stormed Gunston. "Have you never heard of such a thing as reinforcements. I have already written home urging their despatch. It is true that Whitehall always leaves such requests in abeyance until the last moment. But our people there are not quite such numbskulls as to risk losing Martinique for the lack of another few companies. If you are determined upon this mad scheme of yours, you must wait to enter upon it until reinforcements have reached us."
Roger too now stood up. His long lashes almost veiled the anger that was in his blue eyes, but his jaw stuck out, as he said harshly: "I'll not wait a day to start upon it You have heard the orders that I intend to give. Should you attempt to thwart them you shall face a court-martial."
"I'll not be bullied into criminal complaisance!" bellowed Gunston. "Your infatuation with the lousy French has induced you to plan a means of selling us out to them. This is treason! Nothing less! Tis my duty to resist the measures you contemplate to the limit of my powers. Tomorrow I'll despatch an officer to General Williamson. I'll warn him of what's afoot, and urge him to use his powers as Commander-in-Chief to suspend you."
Roger's eyes opened wide with a disconcerting suddenness. He had now got Gunston where he wanted him, and his voice held a new sinister silkiness, as he said: "Oh no, you won't. Instead you will leave tomorrow yourself, carrying a despatch from me to General Williamson setting forth the reasons for our difference of opinion. You see, I am fair enough to recognize that yours is an honest one, and by making you my messenger I give you a better opportunity than myself to convince him that you are right."
Gunston's plump cheeks turned almost purple. "You swine!" he cried. "You're gambling on the General being too chicken-hearted to interfere with a political appointment, and mean to rob me of my command by refusing to have me back."
Roger nodded. "That is so. For once you are proving quite intelligent."
"Damn it, I won't go!" Gunston roared. "I refuse to walk into this dirty trap that you have laid for me."
"Should you do so," Roger shrugged, "I shall be compelled to regard such flagrant disobedience in time of war as open mutiny. For that I can have you shot" His eyes seemed to become entirely soulless as he added: "A while back I deliberately took occasion to inform you that I have often watched firing squads carry out my orders; and, believe me, the sight of your dead body would not give me a single qualm."
Gunston had no doubt that Roger meant what he said. He almost felt the icy hand of death closing round his heart. Slowly his mouth fell open in sheer horror; then, turning, his sabre-tache no longer banging on a gallantly swung thigh, he walked from the room.
Sitting down, Roger calmly began to write the despatch that his defeated enemy was to carry to General Williamson.
With Gunston's departure Roger's affairs soon took a turn for the better. He appointed a sound-minded middle-aged Colonel of Artillery, named Thurgood, as the new Garrison Commander. Then, he wrote to Colonel Penruddock informing him of his plans to send the greater part of the troops in Fort Royal for a fortnight's cruise. He added that should the experiment prove successful he meant to do the same with those at St. Pierre; but that for the time being they were to be held in a state of readiness; so that should the French in the capital attempt a rising they could swiftly be marched upon it
Two days later he took Amanda and Clarissa out to meet Madame de Kay. She welcomed Amanda with delight and, after exclaiming at Clarissa's beauty, declared that she would find a rich husband for her from among the nobility of Martinique.
As they again sat over the tea-cups, she told Roger of a plan she had formed for bettering his relations with the colonists. She meant to give a garden party where he could meet all her influential friends, and the invitations to it had already gone out But they said nothing of his being the Governor, stating only that her young kinsman had recently arrived in the island and she wished to present him to them. It was decided that Amanda and Clarissa should not attend the party, as should they do so they would either have to prevaricate when asked about themselves or give away Roger's official position, and the intention was for him to avoid doing that for as long as possible.
The party was held a week later and as none of the guests had previously seen Roger, apart from a few who had caught a distant sight of him while driving through the town, it was over an hour before a rumour began to run round that he was the new Governor. Up till then he had met all enquiries by a casual statement that he was in the Government service; but upon being openly challenged on his identity by an elderly Marquis, he laughed and admitted it.
Meanwhile, by his frank smile, perfect French and polished manners, he had charmed half a hundred people. When they learned that he was the Governor a few of the most bitter Anglophobes showed some resentment at the trick that had been played upon them, and left soon afterwards. But the majority were people of sense, who realized that they owed the preservation of their lives and properties from the terrorists Victor Hugues had sent there to the intervention of the British. It was Gunston's insults and his needlessly repressive measures that had antagonized them, and now that they had met Roger they were quite prepared to give him a fair chance to redress matters.
Among them were a number of deputies who congratulated him upon the skilful way in which he had passed off as a joke their nonappearance when summoned to the Assembly. From them he learned that he had been right in his surmise that Gunston knew what would happen. On the last occasion when they had met he had brought drummer boys into the chamber with him, and each time the deputies had begun a protest on any point he had had their voices drowned by ordering a roll of drums; so they had publicly announced their intention of ignoring any further summonses to attend. But now they said they would talk to their fellow deputies, and that Roger could be sure of a good attendance whenever he chose to summon them again.
He did so a week later with most satisfactory results. Having delivered the King's message, and announced the repeal of numerous edicts which gave offence, he spoke to them of conditions in Guadalupe, which had been retaken from the British, before they had had time to fully establish themselves there, and how Victor Hugues had since butchered every priest and person of property in that island. ThejQ he told them of his own experiences m Saint-Domingue, and how that colony had been brought to utter ruin by the dissensions of its inhabitants. Finally he pointed out that in Martinique they had been spared from the fate which had overtaken the colonists in other French territories only because the British had arrived there before the Terror in France had reached its height. But, he added, the danger was not yet past. If the French inhabitants continued to bear ill-will to the British Authorities, evil men would take advantage of their differences and, perhaps, stir up a new and greater slave rebellion, which, owing to his. garrison having been so weakened by sickness, it might prove beyond his powers to put down. Therefore, the two nationalities must stand shoulder to shoulder, and the colonists must give loyal obedience' to such new decrees as he might issue in the name of His Majesty King George JH who had sent them this message of goodwill.
He had hardly ceased speaking before he knew that he had succeeded beyond his most sanguine hopes. The difficulty they had had in putting down the first slave revolts was still fresh in their minds, and they lived in constant fear of fresh outbreaks. His frank confession about the weakness of his garrison, and his plea for unity among the white population, had gone straight to their hearts. For ten minutes on end they gave him a tremendous ovation.