“I hope he has been told that. I hope even more that he believes it.”
Chapter Eleven
The Earl’s Other Son Series
Peking Nightmares
Seven small ships arrived in the river and came to moorings at the Bund. Each was commanded by a lieutenant, mostly young men being given early experience of captaincy.
A successful couple of years in a gunboat or destroyer might be followed by early promotion to commander and another, larger ship or might result in a post as first lieutenant in a cruiser followed by promotion to commander in a battleship. Either result placed the fortunate young man on the golden road to post captaincy and early rank as an admiral. These young gunboat captains were eager, keen, bold, determined to make their mark.
In contrast to the thrusting young gentlemen were the two older men who had been given the smaller boats, Woodcock and Woodlark, and who were to take them far upriver to isolation at Chungking, to be the sole representatives of the Navy with a thousand miles of the Yangtse and its tributaries theirs to control.
Lieutenants Coleridge and Player were in their thirties. They had been slow to reach sublieutenant from midshipman and slower still to make their next step. As lieutenants their personal reports had made it clear that they were not about to set the world afire.
‘Steady and sure’; ‘lacking initiative’; ‘reliable’; ‘obedient to command’; ‘plough horse rather than a thoroughbred’; ‘I would not breed from this officer’.
Magnus smiled as he put Player’s personal file back on his desk. His last captain – evidently a horse-racing man - had had little value for the lieutenant, but he was, as the admiral had recognised, just the right sort to be dumped in a forgotten outpost and stay there for the next decade. Neither Player nor Coleridge would do anything to upset the even tenor of life far up the Yangtse. The merchants would trade and the missionaries pray, all without interference from the Navy. They would stolidly put down pirates and brigands and stamp on the pretensions of petty warlords, all without causing any important figure to lose so much as a night’s sleep.
Bribes would be offered and accepted to turn a blind eye to cargoes of coolies being sent out to work in the mines in South Africa and California, and to their daughters going to the brothels in the Middle East and the American Barbary Coast. Deplorable, perhaps, but in a country with a massive and fast-growing population, quite unimportant – the alternative of starvation was also undesirable. No doubt the captains would as well ignore black market traders in opium, while they did not undercut the major British firms in the trade.
Neither man would tolerate gun-running nor take a penny from political agitators.
They were, in fact, reliable men who would never be moved by political conviction or pity to disobey their orders.
Magnus called them individually to his office. Both were short and squarely built, slow-moving countrymen in appearance. They reminded Magnus of lowland farmers, used to the pace of the plough and the milking parlour.
“Mr Player, I am pleased to meet you. You have thoroughly read your orders?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Is there any part of them that you do not understand, or which seems unclear in any way?”
“No, sir.”
“Good. You two will be on your own from the naval standpoint, but, obviously, there will be company in the form of the consul and the British merchants in Chungking. There will be missionaries as well, but I do not have to tell you that the Navy will not normally be too close to their sort.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Steam coal will be sent upriver to you. There may be local supplies – use them if they are good. Ammunition will be a problem as you will require a secure armoury onshore. That you will discuss with the consul, who will have instructions to assist you. The local firms – Jardine, Mathieson and Butterfield and Swires especially – will assist you with information. Remember that you must come to their protection without hesitation. You may perhaps be slower in coming to the aid of foreigners.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Finally, this will be a long posting. Your crew will be rotated, send back to Shanghai and replaced by new men, but you will not be. You will stay upriver and become the local expert. Ten years is well feasible for you.”
“Yes, sir. What about the engines, sir? Boiler clean and suchlike?”
“There is a yard in Chungking, run by the British. You will lay up there when the occasion arises.”
“Very good, sir.”
“Excellent! I am sure you will do well, Mr Player. Sail in three days. You will be fully loaded with all of the stores we can lay our hands on.”
Coleridge had even less to say for himself.
Magnus dismissed the two plodders from his mind and turned to the five youngsters, ambitious men who might be over-hasty in their urgency to make a name for themselves. He knew none of them but recognised two of the family names, thought they were probably younger sons of the peerage. He called them in to see him, to experience their first contact with their lord and master.
“Mr Naylor, you have Lapwing, which is set up to be my flagship, with my cabin and space for a paymaster lieutenant who will be my staff in effect. All very small-scale, but important if we are to be efficient.”
“Yes, sir. Paymaster Lieutenant Oakley reported aboard in Hong Kong, sir. Also an additional petty officer, sir, to assist as Yeoman of Signals, sir.”
“Good. We shall patrol as a squadron initially before boats are sent upriver to maintain order in their sections. You are aware that Woodcock and Woodlark will be detached to Chungking?”
“Yes, sir. Out of sight, sir.”
“But not out of mind. They will be performing an important role in an area that previously has seen only very occasional peace-keeping endeavours.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Have the Maxims been fitted?”
“Two to the bridge wings, sir. Four crew assigned to them. We have additional rifles and revolvers, sir, sufficient for a landing party of fifteen men.”
“Good. What is your complement?”
“Myself, sir. Sublieutenant Grahame and Midshipman Powell as officers together with Engineer Lieutenant Bowyer who is appointed to the flotilla. Seventy-three petty officers and men, sir. Barely sufficient, sir, for a boat with six four inch QF guns as well as two of three pounders and two Maxims. Four of the four inchers and both three pounders can train to either broadside, sir. The two midships four inchers are restricted to the port and starboard broadside respectively.”
“So, we could have twenty-eight men on the guns and four to the Maxims at any one time, together with the ammunitioning party.”
“Yes, sir. Busy, sir.”
“You will need to train the men thoroughly, Mr Naylor. But, you would, of course, do that in any case.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Unless any emergency arises, I do not intend to sail before Monday next. I trust you will be able to dine with Lady Eskdale and myself on Friday?”
It would be Mr Naylor’s pleasure.
Lieutenant Harrington-Plumer of Magpie, sister ship to Lapwing, came next and proved memorable only for his name, which smacked of money and privilege, even for a second or third son as he must be.
Britomart’s new captain was called Clipstone, a Northamptonshire family possessed of broad acres but no political habits, Magnus recalled.
Beauchamp of Dwarf needed no introduction, his family prominent for centuries.
Finally, the captain of the newly acquired Taku made his number, a Lieutenant Marlborough, a family connected to the Devonshires and full of influence.
All were to come to the dinner, as was only right.
Magnus greeted each kindly and explained what he expected and what they could demand of him. Then he sent them away while he sat down to think.
The Admiral had presented him with most of the politically significant and wealthy of the Hong Kong fleet. These were young men normally
to be found at the Admiral’s feet, his staff and lapdogs, much as Magnus had been in his early career. They naturally belonged in battleships, dressed in their finery and greeting the most influential of the colony. Yet here they were, commanding gunboats and distant from the Admiral’s approving eye.
Why?
The sole reason he could come up with was that he was regarded as a desirable mentor for the lesser sons of the aristocracy and the wealthy.
Twice decorated; heir to an earldom; a favourite of the Admiral; married into wealth – he had become a potentially great man, or so he must imagine.
That was dangerous – the higher the climb, the greater the depth to fall, as his brother had shown.
It was essential then that he trod on no toes. He had a son to establish. As a single man, he had cared for nothing and nobody. When first wed, he had been concerned only to protect his lady. Now, he had a responsibility that subsumed his whole life. Disgrace would hurt his son, might destroy his prospects.
He now needed to be successful.
He called for tea, to his own amusement, and sat down to consider his plans for the next few months. An hour and he had written a brief letter to Mr Sia and sent it off by messenger.
He entered the jeweller’s shop next morning.
“Nanking, Mr Sia. A great city and one which no doubt has a number of villains present, or in its environs. It has been said to me that there may be active river pirates there.”
“How shocking a thought that must be, my lord. I am not myself aware of any such at the present moment, yet you must surely be correct. Do you intend to sail your flotilla with its many guns to Nanking in the immediate future?”
“I do indeed, Mr Sia. I shall take them westwards, perhaps eventually as far as Hankow where I would think to leave two for three or four months at a time. Then a pair to stay in Nanking for a while before all come together with myself and Lapwing at Shanghai for a month or two in the yard here.”
“I do not doubt, my lord, that you will successfully come to the rescue of more than one mission station or trading concession and quite probably discover junks full of armed pirates with the captives they have taken for ransom.”
“I would be most pleased to do so, Mr Sia. I do not know if you have identified the young gentlemen who are captains of my ships?”
Mr Sia had not, unaware that he might have reason to do so. He would rectify that omission.
“All, Mr Sia, are born to families of influence in Britain. For some reason – as yet unclear to me – this flotilla has been favoured as a means of attaining early success for young men whose relatives include a number of significant gentlemen. It is important to the Admiral that they should achieve some distinction in their commands.”
“They have families who are not unknown in the City of London, you would suggest, my lord?”
“Definitely so, Mr Sia. As well, one at least has political connections and another is of a land-owning family.”
“I believe, my lord, that it is important that these young men should be aided in their progress towards early promotion. It does seem strange, my lord, that promotion must be earned rather than simply granted to the proper people.”
“You may indeed think so, Mr Sia. The Navy does not accept that the incompetent should rise in rank, unless they are of royal birth. The bulk of our officers are promoted because they show skilful in war. I might point out that the destroyers moored below the Taku Forts were taken by a young officer who had been promoted at an early age because of his abilities. They should not have been vulnerable, sir.”
Sia had heard some of the story. He begged to be given the full details and was disgusted when he heard them.
“A patriotic gentleman of China might well feel shamed at such a tale, my lord. A very few English seamen took the newest ships of the Chinese Navy and towed them away, mostly because their officers had not made them ready for war. It should not have been possible, my lord.”
“I am forced to agree, Mr Sia. Had the officers been appointed by merit, it would not have been possible.”
Sia shook his head.
“There is little merit in China, I fear, my lord. Perhaps there will be again in the future, but China is currently at a low ebb. Better to get out while one can, for the future holds small joy for the Chinaman. Young Mr Ping and Mr Jian have reached London, I understand, and have already been greeted warmly by Blantyres – which is a matter of some pleasure to us all. Captain Hawkins has also instructed people known to him and his department to be of assistance to them. Be sure, my lord, that your integrity is known to us and is much respected.”
“As so often, Mr Sia, we share a common interest and set of feelings. Despite the actions of many of my countrymen in Peking, please be assured that there are men of goodwill to China in Britain – not least in the City of London.”
“That is a consideration to be borne in mind, my lord.”
They parted harmoniously, able and willing to work together for the while, until times changed.
Woodlark and Woodcock sailed, intending to show themselves along the river and then pass the gorges before the spring melt sent the Yangtse into spate. The alternative was to delay at Hankow for months waiting for summer to reduce the flow of the river – which was not a certain event, for it might still rain heavily back in the mountains.
With luck, they would reach their permanent base in three weeks; if the weather was against them, they might not pass the gorges for six months. It was not impossible that both might sink – the passage of the narrow ravines was not a simple matter. Magnus stood on Lapwing’s little bridge and saluted as they steamed away. He would hear in a few weeks what had happened and far more ships made the passage than sank in the attempt. The two gunboats were new and should survive the voyage; trading ships and junks passed up and down successfully and frequently.
He watched them out of sight and turned away, his mind on the more important issues of maintaining peace on the great river. Trade from Hankow to Shanghai was far more significant, involving the livelihoods of millions of people and the profits, also measured in millions, of the great trading hongs.
The simplest course was to patrol the river as a flotilla, announcing the power of the Navy and passing the message that there was a fully armed presence again. There had been little law on the river during the months of the Boxer Uprising and according to the merchants there had been a resurgence of piracy. First then, to announce the return of the warships. After that, leave a pair of boats at Hankow to patrol from the mouth of the gorges to a point midway to Nanking. Two more at Nanking and the fifth in Shanghai, the three to patrol regularly. It was a straightforward plan - and made no allowance for the nature of his ships.
Britomart and Dwarf were slow but more powerfully armed than any river pirate. They would do well at Hankow. That part of the plan was good.
Magpie to Nanking? She was better armed than Britomart and Dwarf but had a smaller crew. She could do well on the river, particularly if backed up by Taku with her advantage of speed.
That left Lapwing to be based at Shanghai, where Magnus wished to be in any case. He needed to be available in the city to control the activities of the six launches until he had some idea of their reliability. He was not happy at the prospect of allowing the small craft the freedom to control the movement of junks and sampans, or to threaten dockers and longshoremen on the wharves, or not until he was certain of their honesty.
The launches’ crews were not naval – six gwailos and two dozen of Chinese. He knew nothing of their recruitment, or of who paid them and had the power to give them orders.
Lapwing’s presence would be sufficient to ensure the launches’ obedience to command. She must remain in Shanghai for the while.
Magnus visited with Blantyre that afternoon.
“The launches, sir. Can you discover who was responsible for their manning? I would like to know something of the background of the men and of how trustworthy they might be.”
> “You want to know who owns them, in fact, my lord. Good question. I’ve never needed to find out. I’ll be able to tell you when I come to dinner on Friday.”
Ellen had put much effort into the planning of the dinner party. Five single young men produced an unbalanced table, it being difficult to find each an eligible female partner. In the end she had decided that she could do no worse than to invite five of her father’s contemporaries, each of whom had an unwed daughter to bring along in their train. The young ladies were distinguished by their expectations of wealth, if not by appearance, education and intellect although, to be fair, two of the five could talk sensibly, one was more than average handsome and the other two were at least not actively silly.
Magnus thought they would do for an evening – young naval officers spent so much time at sea in all-male company that they were none too fastidious when offered the opportunity to spend an evening talking with females of their own age.
“What about breeding, Magnus?”
“I shall strictly discourage that at the dinner table, my love.”
She kept a straight face.
“I meant, sir, that your officers are, as they say, mostly sprigs of the aristocracy. The young ladies are all merchant class born.”
“Less important than it used to be. They are well brought-up, good mannered girls who could take their place in Society if the occasion arose. We have seen any number of American girls arrive in London in the past decade, distinguished far more by their millions than by their birth – they have married into the best families.”
“Then they must be invited, Magnus. I do wish I could plump upon a widow lady for Papa. The sole possibilities are the Countess, who made the arrangements at our wedding, you will remember, or the German lady who has appeared here, the Countess Schoenberg. She arrived just three months ago and has shown herself elegant of mind and person, a thirty years old widow whose husband was in the diplomatic line it seems and who gave her the habit of travelling.”
04 Peking Nightmares (The Earl’s Other Son Series, #4) Page 20
