The general walked to the window and dragged away the blind as he groped for a brass telescope nearby.
He said, "She's coming about. The officer-of-the-guard has ordered her to anchor." He extended the telescope very carefully. "She's been raked, by the look of her! "
He handed it to Bolitho and said sharply, "Get down there, Rupert, at the double. Use my horse if you like. Send out some men if there's any trouble."
As the door closed Drummond said angrily, "I've got the Fifty-Eighth Regiment of Foot here, but the rest? Yeomanry and the York Fusiliers, so your convoy had better make haste! "
When he looked from the window Bolitho saw that the transport had anchored and was already hemmed in by guard-boats and water lighters, while other harbour craft idled about at a safe distance.
Why would any privateer or man-of-war interfere with an old transport and a cargo of convicts? It would be like putting your hand into a ferret's lair.
He touched his eye as the savage glare probed at it like a hot ember.
It was late afternoon by the time Avery returned to the headquarters building.
He placed the leather telescope case on the table and said, "This was found in the cabin, Sir Richard."
Bolitho picked it up and thought of Herrick's dying wife, and Catherine, who had nursed her.
Avery watched him. "The master of the Prince Henry was boarded by armed men under the command of a French lieutenant. They took Rear-Admiral Herrick prisoner, then allowed the ship to proceed. Captain Williams decided to turn back, so that we should know what happened. His mate was killed and some of his men badly injured."
The room was quite silent, as if not even the distant soldiers wanted to intrude on Bolitho's thoughts. Afterwards Avery realised that Bolitho had already guessed what had happened, had known the reason for the attack.
Bolitho opened the leather case and found the piece of paper inside. He held it to the sunlight and saw Herrick's familiar sloping handwriting. She is the Tndente, brigantine, under Brazilian colours. But she is an American privateer. I have seen her before. Herrick had not signed it or made any other comment. He must have known, too, that they were coming for him. Baratte's hand again: to make the conflict as personal as it was deadly.
Drummond asked, "What will you do?"
"There is little enough I can do until my ships discover something that might lead us to the enemy."
Drummond said, "Rear-Admiral Herrick was once a friend of yours, I believe."
"Baratte obviously believes it too." He smiled, and his face seemed suddenly more grave because of it. "He is my friend, Sir Patrick."
Drummond glared at his charts. "It means they know more of our intentions than I would have wished."
Bolitho recalled Adam's information concerning the big American frigate Unity. A coincidence? Unlikely. Involvement then? If so, it could erupt into open war at a time when the
French needed more than anything for England 's blockade to be broken, and her victorious armies divided by an unexpected ally.
Bolitho looked up, his mind suddenly clear.
"Find Yovell and direct him to be ready to draft some orders for me." He was seeing it in his mind like a chart. "I want Valkyrie and Laertes to return here at once, and Anemone to remain on patrol and search duties. I shall order one of the schooners to find Trevenen with all haste. Jenour's Orcadia and the other brig are due any day now." He looked around the room as though he felt trapped. "I must get to sea." He paused as if surprised by something, perhaps himself. "We will send word to Freetown by the first available packet. I want James Tyacke with me. And as someone observed recently, I am the senior naval officer here." He looked into the shadows as if he expected to see all those other lost faces watching him. "We may no longer be a band of brothers, or We Happy Few, but we'll show Baratte something this time, and there will be no exchange at the end of it! "
After Bolitho and his flag lieutenant had departed the major-general thought of what he had just witnessed.
He was a soldier, and a good one, not only in his own opinion. He had never had many dealings with the King's navy, and when he had he had usually found them to be unsatisfactory. There was no better thing than the army's tradition and discipline, no matter what scum you were expected to train and lead for the honour of the regiment.
He had heard of Bolitho's behaviour in England where his blatant affair with the Somervell woman had turned society against him. He had heard too of that lady's courage when the Golden Plover had been lost on the reef.
The charisma had been here in this room and he had seen and felt it for himself. Watched the fire in the man, the anguish over his friend, who had perhaps been one of his happy few.
Later that day when Yovell had at last laid down his pen, and Avery had been allowed to carry the orders to the schooner, and Ozzard could be heard humming quietly as he laid the table for supper, Bolitho considered his course of action. Impetuous, yes. Dangerous, probably. But there was no other option. He looked around. Gleaming brightly in the candlelight, Herrick's telescope lay near the window of his borrowed quarters as a reminder, if one were needed.
Aloud he said, "Do not fret, Thomas. I shall find you, and there will be no bad blood between us."
Close-hauled under topsails and jib His Britannic Majesty's frigate Anemone appeared to drift easily on the deep blue water, her reflection hardly marred by the long ocean swells.
In his cabin, Captain Adam Bolitho had spread a chart on his table beside the litter of a late midday meal, and as he studied it his ear was following the muted shipboard noises.
It had been just a week since the courier schooner from Cape Town and the other frigates Valkyrie and Laertes had parted company with him. It seemed much longer, and Adam had pondered several times on the reason for his uncle's brief letter, written in his own hand and attached to the orders separating Anemone from the others. Perhaps he did not trust Trevenen. Adam's face stiffened with dislike. Whenever his ship had sailed in close company with the senior frigate there had always been a stream of signals, and even when within earshot it had been all he could do to hold his temper as Trevenen had bellowed across the clear water through his speaking trumpet. Dissatisfaction about a lack of reports and sightings, complaints about his station-keeping: almost anything. The schooner's arrival had seemed like a blessing. Then.
He stared hard at the chart. To the north lay the great island of Madagascar, and to the north-east the French islands of Mauritius and Bourbon. They were certainly well-placed to prey on the busy trade-routes. And nobody knew how many ships the enemy was using, let alone where they were based.
He heard shouts on deck and knew the watch was preparing to lay the ship on her next tack. And so it had been since their arrival in this area: each day the same, with nothing to break the monotony but drills and more drills. But no floggings. That had been the only reward for the patience his officers had shown.
Unlike Trevenen's command, he thought. In retrospect it seemed that each time the ships had moved closer together he had seen somebody being punished at the gratings. Without Bolitho aboard it was as if Trevenen was making up for lost opportunities.
He thought about Herrick's capture by the enemy privateer, as related in his uncle's message. Letters of marque meant very little in these waters. Mercenaries were only a short step from pirates.
He was surprised that he had few feelings about what had happened. He had always respected Herrick but they had never been close, and Adam could never forgive him for his treatment of Bolitho, although he could imagine what anguish his uncle was still suffering for the sake of one who had once been his friend.
His thoughts strayed back to the courier schooner, although he had tried to put it from his mind. He had done wrong, very wrong, and no good could come of it. But I did do it. The words seemed to mock him. He had written the letter much earlier, as Anemone had left the African mainland astern and the oceans had changed from one to another.