When Lieutenant Hayter and Mr Loftus brought their detailed log of the ship’s progress to Rennie, as requested, the captain discovered that no accurate calculation of the Terces’ progress had been included, only an estimate, and he demanded to know the reason why. James Hayter responded:
‘It is 550 miles, sir, as you see.’ Nodding at the pages.
‘But that is our own travelled distance.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Is it also an exact figure for Terces?’
‘No, sir, it cannot in course be an wholly precise figure, since we can only know the approximate total of miles Terces has travelled, based upon our own—’
‘In short, you have guessed at this.’ Over him.
‘Well, sir, with respect, I do not see—’
‘What say you, Mr Loftus?’ Turning his eye on the sailing master.
‘I would submit, sir, it is more than a mere guess. Assuming that Terces matches us in speed, given the prevailing weather was very similar for both ships, we did not see how we could arrive at a more accurate total of distance travelled through the sea, unless we—’
‘I repeat, ye have made not an accurate record, but a damned paltry guess. Hey?’
‘Sir, with respect—’ began James, and was cut off.
‘Did I not require you to calculate, sir?’ Glaring at him.
‘And we have done so!’ James, raising his voice, then: ‘I beg your pardon, sir, I did not mean to shout. We based our calculations upon the fact that Terces has nearly the same sailing capacities as ourselves, and therefore—’
Over him: ‘She is smaller, leaner and lighter, and therefore is likely faster across the open sea. What you are saying is that we have not gained a single mile. I required Expedient to gain, even as we continued our repair, and you have failed in this specific duty. Terces is likely moving further and further ahead upon the sea, so far ahead that we are in danger of losing her altogether. And you do not mind about that, neither of you, hey? Because you do not believe in this pursuit. Well well, that will not answer, by God!’
Both James and Mr Loftus were silent. James thought but did not say that by any sane reckoning or estimation Terces had been lost to them the moment she escaped at Norway. He did not say it, but Rennie read something in his eye, and:
‘You have an opinion y’wish to express, Mr Hayter?’ With menacing calm.
‘No, sir.’
‘Come, now. Your mouth twitched a little as I spoke just now, and your eye gleamed. I am not so unobservant that I cannot see when one of my officers harbours doubt and dissent. Well well, let us hear it.’
‘I – I had rather say nothing, sir.’
‘Your request is denied, sir. Y’will not say nothing, you will express your doubts to me, right quick.’
‘I have no wish to be impertinent, nor ungentlemanlike – sir.’
‘You suggest that I am impertinent, sir? That I am ungentlemanlike!’
‘Sir, if you please—’ began Mr Loftus.
‘Be quiet, sir!’ Angrily. ‘I asked Mr Hayter a question, and by God I will have a reply. – Well?’ Glaring at James.
‘I do not know how I may reply to the captain, without causing him offence.’ James, staring straight ahead, his back straight.
‘D’y’not? D’y’not? Without offence?’
‘I heard your voice, sir, and I come at once.’ Colley Cutton, bustling in with a tray.
‘Go away, damn you.’ Rennie, a brief ferocious glance at his steward.
‘As you wish, sir.’ Bowing his head. ‘Only I fought I heard you summ’n me, very clear.’
‘I did not. Go away.’
He waited until the steward had made his exit and shut the door carefully behind him, then:
‘Well?’ To James.
‘Sir?’ Staring straight ahead.
‘I trusted you, Mr Hayter, you and Mr Loftus both, as my most able and experienced officers. I trusted you to aid me in this endeavour, and left you to carry out your duties over an entire week without interference because I had no wish to hound, nor hector, nor overbear. I was mistook in this leniency. You have failed me. I should have been more exacting and severe, and I have paid the price. The ship and the commission have paid it, and now in consequence we are—’
‘D-e-e-e-e-e-ck! Sail of ship a point off the starboard b-o-o-o-o-w!’
Rennie broke off in mid-sentence, snatched up his hat and glass and ran out of the door, and jumped up the ladder. The others followed him on deck.
Without waiting to gain Rennie’s permission, nor ask it of the officer of the watch, James jumped into the main shrouds, ran up into the top, and thence to the crosstrees, where he joined his lookout. The lookout pointed, and handed him his glass. James took the glass, hooked an arm through a stay to steady himself, and focused on the sail ahead.
The ship was a long way ahead, six leagues or more, but he could see that she was a three-masted square-rigger, under a full set of canvas. He could not make out her colours, nor the paintwork. Could she be the Terces? He lowered the glass and rested his eye a moment, then again lifted and focused. Nay, it was impossible to tell. He returned the glass to the lookout, clapped on to a backstay and slid to the deck.
‘Well?’ Rennie, eagerly and anxiously. ‘Is it Terces?’
‘She is a three-masted ship, but I cannot say more than that with certainty, sir. She is far ahead – twenty mile, I reckon.’
‘Then we must catch her, by God. – Mr Trembath.’
‘Sir?’ The officer of the deck, attending him.
‘Hands to make sail, Mr Trembath. I will like reefs shook out, and stunsails low and aloft, if y’please. We must crack on.’
‘Ay-ay, sir. Low and aloft. – Mr Tangible! Hands to make sail!’
Soon the ship bristled with activity. Topmen swarmed in the shrouds, and moved out along the footropes of the yards. Canvas dropped, bellied and filled, on yards and booms. Expedient picked up speed, heeling under a great spread of sail.
By eight bells of the afternoon watch Expedient had gained a little on the far ahead sail, but in Rennie’s view not enough.
‘We must overhaul that ship and discover whether or no she is Terces, Mr Hayter.’ Lowering his glass.
‘We cannot safely bend any further canvas, sir, when—’
‘Good God, the ship has undergone very extensive repair. Adgett and Tangible between them have made good nearly all damage to rigging, yards and upper works, and you and Mr Loftus have retrimmed her. The ship is sound, and now we must crack on!’ Turning in agitation, and pointing aloft. ‘Look ye there, as an example. Why ain’t there a stunsail on the weather fore t’gansail yard?’
‘I had noticed that myself, sir. It is yet repairing, as I understand it.’
‘Well well, but that is damned bad seamanship. It should have been replaced long since, as a matter of urgency. Look to it right quick, Mr Hayter. We must crack on!’
‘Ay-ay, sir.’ A hand to his hat.
As the sun sank gleaming low over the sea and night approached, gradually diminishing the stretching immensity to a few acres of glimpsing, darkling water around Expedient, and then merely to the restless sound of that water as the ship washed through it, Rennie grew ever more anxious and impatient. A brief relieving trip below to his quarter gallery, and he returned.
‘Have we gained?’ To the officer of the watch Mr Tindall, on the quarterdeck. ‘Can we see her light?’
‘I think we may have gained a little, sir, before hammocks down.’
‘Yes? You think so? What was our speed, at the last glass?’
Mr Tindall checked his notation. ‘Seven knots, sir.’
‘Too slow, Mr Tindall. Too damned slow.’
‘Mr Loftus has been very attentive, sir, as have I, to the trimming of the sails. I believe we have got every last half a knot out of her, sir, these many glasses.’
‘Yes yes, well well, it ain’t enough. And what of the chase’s light, I asked you. Can we see her light?’
‘I – I do not think so, sir.’
‘Do not think? I require the officer of the deck to know, Mr Tindall, one way or t’other.’
‘Yes, sir. I will just—’
‘Very well, thankee, Mr Tindall.’ James, appearing in his working rig. ‘I am going aloft myself, and I will discover the light, if it is there.’ Slinging his cased glass on his back. To Rennie, politely: ‘With your permission, sir?’
‘No need to request my permission t’do y’duty as Pursuit Officer, Mr Hayter.’ A nod, a sniff. ‘I will like to hear at once when y’see the light.’
‘Very good, sir.’ And he went forrard and jumped into the mainmast shrouds.
‘Your tea, sir.’ Colley Cutton’s voice.
‘Oh, Cutton, yes.’ Grasping the handle of the hot can, and sucking down a draught. ‘Thankee.’ Another sucking draught, and he coughed. ‘Very welcome.’
James presently returned to the deck, as usual sliding down a backstay, and made his report. ‘The ship’s light is visible, sir, far ahead. She will not escape us tonight.’
‘Very well, thankee, Mr Hayter.’ A moment, then turning to Lieutenant Tindall: ‘Y’may stand down both batteries, Mr Tindall.’
The orders given, and to their great relief the tired gun-crews were permitted at last to go below.
Rennie then required rather than invited Lieutenant Hayter to attend him at supper in the great cabin, and when James duly appeared, his face washed, his undress coat newly brushed and donned, it was clear to him that the captain had something of importance in his mind. His overly solicitous demeanour made James alert, and wary.
‘A glass of Madeira, my dear James? Or will you like claret, in preference?’
‘Claret, if you please, sir.’
‘He took the filled glass. Thank you, sir.’
‘It is a very fair wine, that, I think. I laid in six cases at Portsmouth, when we was obliged to store at a moment’s notice, and the wine merchant – not my usual fellow at Norwich, in course – chose admirable well when I told him what I wanted, at a very reasonable rate, too. Taste the wine, and see if ye don’t agree . . .’
James dutifully sipped, and did not like what he tasted.
‘Nay, dear fellow, take a good deep draught, else you will never taste anything of the grape.’
James drank off half the glass, and suppressed a desire to gasp and cough. The wine was harsh in his throat, and left an acid taste on his tongue.
‘Very fair, would not you admit?’
‘Hm . . . very . . . very distinctive, sir.’
‘Ay, that is the word – distinctive. I am glad you think so.’ He poured a glass for himself, and sucked most of it down in one gulp. ‘Ahhh . . . nothing like good wine at the end of a long day, hey?’ He refilled his glass, and pushed the bottle.
James, feeling himself duty bound to respond to Rennie’s hospitality, refilled his own glass, but left it standing on the table. Rennie took a deep breath, studied his glass a moment, pursing his lips, then:
‘I have changed my mind about catching Terces.’
‘Yes, sir?’
‘Ay. I knew she was Terces from the moment we sighted her, in course. I haven’t changed my mind about that. But I no longer wish to overhaul her.’
‘No, sir?’
‘No, I don’t. With any luck she has not seen us. We are far behind – twenty mile and hull down from her deck, just as she is hull down from ours. So long as we keep her in sight, I will like to hold station at this distance, and simply follow her.’
‘Yes, sir. And . . . if she ain’t Terces?’
‘You doubt it? You doubt my opinion?’
‘I have no wish to doubt you, sir, in course not. However . . .’
‘Well? However?’ Frowning.
‘The Atlantic is a very broad ocean, sir. Many ships cross it to America. Unless we can establish beyond doubt that the ship we presently pursue is Terces – well, we may chase her all the way to Boston, or New York, and find she is the Primrose, 400 tons, with a cargo of passengers for the New World.’
‘Primrose? You know of a ship of that name?’
‘No, sir, I merely wished—’
‘Then why use it?’ Over him. ‘Never mind, do not answer.’ An irritable sigh, and he rose and paced, then again sat down. James waited, his glass untouched. Presently Rennie sniffed in a breath, and:
‘We both know you have had grave doubts about this pursuit into the Atlantic, there is no point denying it. I have never entertained such doubts myself, and now that we have Terces in sight you must cast yours aside. That is why I asked you to attend me at supper tonight.’ A quick glance at James, who said nothing.
‘I have decided upon something else, in addition,’ Rennie continued. ‘I believe we must do more than simply discover where Terces is headed. I think we must make every effort to learn why her passenger goes to America. In little, when Terces makes landfall, and her passenger goes ashore, so must we.’
‘Will not we greatly exceed our orders in doing that, sir?’
‘Nay, I do not think so. Our written orders are exact, certainly. We are required to follow and learn Terces’ destination – and yet within that instruction there is surely another meaning, another implication. We are sea officers. We know very well that we must always use our best endeavours under any and all circumstances. Well well, I think the circumstances have changed, and accordingly it is our duty to discover as much as we are able about the Terces, her master, and her passenger – given what they have cost us in blood spilled and lives lost.’
‘With respect, sir, ain’t that reading things into our orders . . . that in truth cannot possibly be seen there, under any circumstances?’
‘You disappoint me, James. I had thought you was a man of deeper perception. In course, I will never doubt your courage. But I had thought you was a man who could see things for what they are.’
‘See things for what they are, sir . . . ?’
‘Indeed. This is all to do with the French.’
‘The French?’
‘Certainly. Anything that Mappin touches has to do with France, and what has happened in France since the year ’89. Captain Broadman and his passenger in Terces have connections with France – deep, intimate, dangerous connections, I am in no doubt, else Mappin would never have sent us on this little cruise. Would never have offered me that spurious bribe of 2,000 of money, to quicken my interest.’
‘If I may be candid, sir, it puzzled me that he would offer such a bribe to a serving sea officer. Surely he must have known you would refuse it outright.’
‘The world Mappin inhabits, my dear James, ain’t made up of honourable men. So accustomed is he to chicanery, cunning, bribery, and general viciousness of character among his professional acquaintance, that he will always assume the worst of a man rather than the best.’
‘I have no particular reason to love him myself, sir, as you know.’
‘In course, in course, just so. But that don’t mean he is not honourable in his own devious way, in the nation’s interest. He sees a war approaching, and so do I, and so do all perceiving and sensible men. That war will be fought with France, and any and all allies she may draw in. It will be a fight to the death, this time.’
‘But what has Norway to do with France, nor Denmark for that matter? Olaf Christian den Norske – in the little time I saw him – seemed to me a pleasant, open-faced, honest sort of fellow, not given to—’
‘Pleasant? Open-faced?’ Over him. ‘I am in no doubt the world is filled with pleasant-featured fellows that would cut my throat for a shilling, the moment I turned my back, good God. If he is linked with the French, and I have every reason to suspect it, then he is our enemy, just as certainly as Captain Bloody Broadman.’
‘If what you say is true, sir – then you must also believe that America will side with France, since that is evidently where Terces is going.’
‘Not all in America, not every man and woman. Nay, by no mea
ns. But there is sufficient numbers in America that hate us with a passion, and wish us ill, to be a great trouble to us, and they will side with France, and her allies. Denmark, I believe, will be her ally. It is the Danes who control Norway, and her shipping routes. Broadman and his passenger are a vital part of it all. And that is why we must remain a shadow behind the Terces, never showing ourselves, and why we must discover what they are about when they arrive in America, and whom they meet.’
‘I have no stomach for being a spy again, sir, after what happened to us in France the last commission.’
‘This can scarce be called spying, good God.’ Irritably.
‘What else, then?’
‘It is part of our duty of pursuit, as I’ve said very plain.’
‘I will not like to argue with you, sir.’ A little shrug.
‘Eh?’ A querulous look.
‘Instead, if you will permit me . . . I will make a suggestion.’ Leaning forward.
‘Well?’ A sniff, leaning back.
‘Firethorn.’
‘Fire what?’
‘I suggest we disguise ourselves as the Firethorn, sir. Or any name we choose. A large merchantman, bound for the United States of America. That we overhaul the ship ahead of us, discover whether or no she is Terces, and then sail—’
‘It is fanciful.’ Dismissively, sitting forward again. ‘What you suggest would involve an absurd and elaborate masquerade, a great deal of painting, and rearrangement of the upperworks . . . good heaven, I cannot and will not even begin to entertain it.’
A breath, and a polite grimace. ‘Very good, sir.’
‘Beside, it simply ain’t necessary.’ Impatiently. ‘The ship is Terces, I am entirely certain – as I said to you.’
‘Very good, sir.’
‘We will follow her, then follow Broadman and his passenger ashore.’
‘Very good, sir.’
‘Firethorn? Disguise?’ Again looking at James with a frown. ‘You have drank too much of my wine, James. Excellent though it is, it must be took in moderation.’ Retrieving the bottle.
‘Perhaps you are right, sir.’ James, pushing away his full glass with a show of reluctance.
The Pursuit Page 24
