The Sultan's Daughter

There were more bows and the elderly Prince smiled at Roger. ' I fear, Mr. MacElfic, you have chosen a most unfortunate time to visit our beautiful city.' Then he added, with the unfailing hospitality of the Italians, * Nevertheless, if I can assist you to see something of it I shall be most happy to do so.'

As Roger thanked him, Nelson asked with his usual impetuosity, ^' Where are you from, Mr. MacElfic, and how long is it since you arrived here? '

'I have been in Naples a week, sir, and have come from Crete.'

' Ah, Crete! ' exclaimed the Admiral. ^' You are just the man I wish to see, then. Now the Turks have become our allies I am anxious to know how their preparations for war are going forward in that island.'

'Come, Prince.' Emma tactfully laid her hand on Pignatelli's arm. ^' Pray take me to the buffet and find me a glass of wine.'

As they moved away, Nelson said to Roger, ^' We'll be less likely to be interrupted in one of the smaller rooms.' Then he turned abruptly and, with Roger beside him, walked quickly through a doorway into a drawing room panelled in yellow satin.

Halting in front of the marble mantelpiece, he turned, his drawn features flashed into an enchanting smile and he said, ^' Now, Mr. Brook, my thanks and heartiest congratulations. You see how right I was to persuade you to return to Cairo? The despatches you secured for us are invaluable.'

Roger returned the smile. ^'1 am glad, sir, though my obtaining of them was largely due to luck.'

^' Luck, maybe; but courage and resource must also have been needed to get away with them. My old friend Chris must be proud to have such a son. Your long report, too, I read with the greatest interest, although I must admit that I was very disappointed by it.'

^' In what way, sir? '

^' Why, I had hoped that a good half of those atheist dogs in Cairo were by now dead of starvation, the Arab pox or the plague. Instead, you tell us they are erecting windmills to grind the corn, planting vineyards and even amusing themselves by opening cafes like those they have in Paris.'

^'1 would I had better news for you. But the French are determined to surmount the difficulties which have arisen from your having cut them off, and their Army shows no sign of disintegrating. It is, of course, General Bonaparte's genius for administration which accounts for their still-high morale.'

^'That emissary of the Devil! ' Nelson's bright eye flashed angrily. ^' But I forgot. At Aboukir you made it plain to me that you have a sneaking admiration for . . . for this man that I can think of only as the very personification of Evil.'

Roger had the temerity to smile. ^' It is said, sir, that one should give the Devil his due. If General Mack had a one-hundredth part of Bonaparte's organizing ability the Neapolitan Army would not be in its present alarming situation.'

The Admiral's smile suddenly returned. ^' Well said, Mr. Brook. You have certainly made your point there.' After a moment he added, with a shake of the head, ^' Everything seems to have gone awry and I am bitterly disappointed. Until my return here last Wednesday I had the greatest hopes for this new war against those devilish French.'

^' It is said, sir, that you encouraged the Neapolitans to enter on it, though I could scarce believe that.'

^' Why so? We had good reason to believe that the French were planning the conquest of King Ferdinand's territories, and I told His Majesty roundly that either he must attack while the French in middle Italy were still weak or stand to lose his throne.'

^' Since the French were unlikely to be reinforced for some time, would it not have been wiser to wait until Austria was fully committed to make war again on the Republic? '

The little Admiral drew himself up and said haughtily, ^' Do you presume, Mr. Brook, to question my judgment? '

^' Sir,' Roger replied, ^'1 have on occasion questioned the judgment of Mr. Pitt and, hate Bonaparte as you may, that of the greatest soldier of our age. I had, therefore, thought that I might speak my mind to the greatest sailor of our age. But if I have presumed I pray your pardon.'

Nelson, ever susceptible to flattery, instantly relaxed. 'I see now how you have achieved your extraordinary position. It takes more courage to criticize one's superiors to their faces than to stand up to shot and shell. You consider that I acted rashly. Well, perhaps I did. But a great part of the success with which God has blessed me has been due to my attacking the enemy without counting the odds. In this case the odds favoured Naples by four to one, and by swift action I felt they stood a good chance of throwing our enemies out of a large part of Italy. Remember, the French nation has become a hydra-headed monster and, if our Christian civilization is to be saved, we must seek at all times to destroy a part of that monster with every means that becomes available. That is my doctrine and no considerations will ever deter me from practising it.'

Roger bowed. ^' It is that, sir, which has earned you the love and admiration of our whole nation. But about the present. A hundred rumours are running round the city. Would you do me the favour of telling me to the best of your knowledge how matters really stand? '

^' Willingly,' came the prompt reply. ^' It is only right that men like yourself should know the truth and what we may expect. The rumour that General Mack has been taken prisoner is unfounded. But the French have driven back the right wing of his Army and captured all its artillery and baggage. Most of its officers have shamefully deserted and it has now become a rabble. At Castellana the French are holding a strong position with thirteen thousand troops, and Mack is said to be moving against them with twenty thousand. Should he prove successful, all is far from being lost. He might then still hold the fortified line of the frontier; but, frankly, I have grave doubts of his ability to defeat the French.

'Shortly after my arrival I was received by Her Gracious Majesty, Queen Caroline, whose splendid courage is our main support in our endeavours against the enemy. I found her heartbroken at the shocking performance of the Neapolitan Army. God knows, the officers had not much honour to lose, but they lost any they had. Her Majesty told me that the Divisions of Generals San Filippo and Micheroux had turned and run thirty miles at the mere sight of the French. San Filipino, instead of running, saved his skin by going over to the enemy. The Prince of Taranto displayed such cowardice that King Ferdinand tore his epaulettes from his shoulders with his own hands. I have always found that Italians are brave men individually but when regimented as soldiers they seem to go all to pieces. To be honest, I now fear the worst.'

^' Should what remains of General Mack's Army be driven in upon the city, do you think there is any hope of holding it? ' Roger enquired.

The Admiral shook his head. ^' The three great fortresses are considered impregnable, so they may hold out. But the city has no walls, so it cannot be defended. I shall, of course, evacuate all British nationals who are resident here and the Royal Family, should they decide to retire to Sicily. You may count upon my finding a place in Vanguard for you.'

Roger, having been once bitten by this small, vital man who lived only to scourge the French, was twice shy; so he replied, ^'1 thank you for the offer, sir. However, as the Jacobite MacElfic, I am regarded as more or less a neutral here, and I feel that I could possibly prove of more use by remaining on in the city.'

^' You may well be right in that,' the Admiral agreed, and shortly afterwards they returned to the big salon.