The King`s Commission

more due the death rate in India. Beyond Navy pay, I've not got the means to even burn good candles 'stead of rush dips. I should despise your fortunate young arse, sir.'

'Aye, sir,' Alan nodded, looking down and sniffing the brandy fumes, unable to face the man.

'But fifty years in the Fleet has taught me one thing, boy. The Navy don't let politics interfere when it comes to promotin' fools or gettin' rid of 'em. The rest of our society is trash, spendin' and gettin', schemin' and back-stabbin' but by God, sir, the Navy is one of the few institutions the Anglo-Saxon race ever produced that kept its hawse clear of most of that, 'cause if we go under someday an' put the titled gentlemen back in charge with the real sailors on the orlop, then England is gonna end up some Frog king's playground.'

'Aye, sir.'

'So I'll trust the examinin' board for now an' allow as how they know what they saw in you. You'll stay my first officer until you either improve or you prove that you're a fraud and a sham and I'll have you out of my ship before you can say 'Jack-Ketch.''

'Thank you, sir,' Alan almost gushed in sudden relief.

'Now for starters, you'll not dash about gettin' in what little hair the warrants have left tryin' to tell 'em their jobs. They never'd even have their warrants if they hadn't proved themselves already, and I'd have booted 'em back on the beach if they were frauds, too.'

'Aye, sir, I'll not. But-'

'Yes?'

'I mean, as first officer, I have to know if they're ready, or how may I present the ship to you as a going concern? I was taught to check up, sir.'

'All you have to do is ask, or order, not go below seein' to every little piddlin' detail like you did yesterday. Hell, boy, there're as many ways to run a ship as there are captains, and most of 'em work. We may look pinch-beck, but we're set up Bristol-fashion and nobody can fault our little ship, nor any man in her. So you do like I say from now on, and trust your warrants and mates. You give 'em trust, they learn to trust you. 'Course, it never hurts, once you got your course steady, to find 'em out in some little somethin', to prove you're on the hop. Stir up one division a week at Divisions or an exercise, an' they'll not let you down when it comes to the major stuff.'

'I see. sir.'

'And God help me, I'll trust you, long as you don't go off and do somethin' damn-fool lunatick with my ship. As for this mornin'. I'll say no more about it We're at sea now, and you've already proved you can handle that,' Lilycrop relented. 'My Order Book tells you when I should be called on deck, an' you'll have noted already that I want to be summoned anytime we have to reef, make sail or alter course, so you aren't totally on your own bottom, not yet anyway.'

'Aye, sir.'

'Good. Now, I'll be wantin' you to shake this crew of buggers up for me, Lewrie. We've spent three weeks in port, an' had four days outa discipline with the doxies aboard, an' that's bad for 'em. They've gone stale on quim an' drink. What's more, the ship's most likely full of shore bugs, an' I can't abide a lousy ship. Just got rid of most of the fleas, an' I don't want the cats to go through another bout of all that scratchin' an' nibblin'.'

'Aye, sir,' Alan replied, much more forcefully, now that he knew he had been given a second chance. He even ventured to take a sip of his 'cider-and' and savor the bite of the brandy. 'Smoke and scour in the day watch today, sir?'

'That's my lad,' Lilycrop nodded with a bright smile. 'An' in the mornin' watch tomorrow, start bringin' 'em to heel an' brightenin' 'em up. Sail drill. We'll need to go close-hauled to make our eastin' for New Providence, so we can practice tackin' 'til 'clear decks 'n' up spirits.''

'Gun drill in the afternoon, sir,' Alan suggested. 'So I may discover how good your gunners are.'

'Exactly! You'll find Cox is a capable shit-sack, but inclined to be a little lazy. Live firin', if you've a mind. There's a keg or two of powder from the bottom tier that's suspect I wouldn't mind expendin', though we might find some island on passage to serve for a target an' get more practical use from the firin'. I'll leave the rest up to you as to what drill, an' when. Might throw in a night fire drill after 'lights out'; we haven't done that in a month. Take one thing at a time, mind,' Lilycrop warned, wagging a finger at him. 'Don't over-finesse an' end up confusin' 'em. Nor confusin' yourself.'

'I won't, sir,' Alan swore. 'I suppose I need the practice as much as the crew does.'

'Aye, you do, an' I'm hopeful if you may admit it so chearly,' Lilycrop rejoined. 'What watches you down for?'

'Middle and the forenoon, sir, alternating the dog-watches,' Alan told him. It was an easy schedule, except for having to stay up and awake from midnight to 4 a.m. on the middle watch, for he could nap in the first or second dog-watch, perhaps snooze away a little of the afternoon after drills while supposedly overlooking ship's books, and get about five hours sleep in the evening before having to take over the deck at midnight, a watch in which almost nothing ever happened in fair weather.

'No, you're the first lieutenant. Run the drills in the forenoon an' let Caldwell or Webster the master's mate have that watch,' Lilycrop ordained easily, his eyes crinkling in seeming amusement once. 'Dinner, then drills again in the day watch. You put yourself down for the evenin' watch an' the mornin'. Those were Tuckwell's. You can sleep midnight to 4 a.m., an' caulk a bit during the dogs, everythin' bein' peaceable.'

'Aye, sir,' Alan nodded, full of outward agreement but fuming at the loss of sleep he would suffer between watch-standing and running exercises.

'That'll be all for now, young sir,' Lilycrop told him, picking up Henrietta the black cat as she meowed at his side for attention. 'Let us pray you find your feet in the next few weeks. Then we may look back on your performance this mornin' an' laugh about it together. It did have its mirthsome moments, indeed it did, hee hee!'

Once Lewrie had left his cabins, Lieutenant Lilycrop allowed himself a soft chuckle of congratulations, and lifted the cat up to his face to nuzzle whiskers with her.

'Now, did I put the fear of God into that upstart whelp, or did I not, puss? He ain't worth a tinker's damn right now, I'll tell you truly. Maybe he's got the makin's, maybe not. What do you think? Will he do, sweetlin'? I'll promise you this, by the time I get through with him, he'll be a sight better, or you an' the kitties can feed on his tripes, would you like that?'

Henrietta would, and licked her small chops with a pink tongue.

On the quarterdeck, Alan Lewrie felt as if he had already been eviscerated for his tripes. He looked at the dour little sailing master and his minions, who sidled down to the leeward side out of his way and whispered among themselves; most likely it was conventional ship's business they were discussing, but at the moment, he was sure they were re-hashing his shambles in secret glee.

God, how much worse a showing could I have made, or is such a thing possible? he scoured himself. Well, I didn't sink us, there's a hopeful thought What were they thinking of to put me here? Or is Shrike such a collection of no-hopers that they thought I'd fit right in?

Much as he disliked the deprivations of Naval life, cared not a whit for most of the drudgery, the lack of sleep and the excruciatingly demanding level of skill necessary to merely survive in the Fleet, there was in his nature a stubborn streak. The more he replayed the cobbing he had received, the angrier he got; with Lilycrop for being so amused, and then with himself for providing the older man with such a pitiful show of seamanly competence. And the worst thing was that he knew he wasn't all that bad. The Navy had beaten competence into him, dragged him kicking and screaming and complaining from former disdain into knowledge of his profession; maybe he was in way over his depth at the moment, but at least he had been given a second chance, if only because there could be no ready replacement available until they got to New Providence, or back to Antigua, and God knew when that would be. If there had been a ready escape, he might gladly have chucked the whole thing right then and there, but since there wasn't, he could try to satisfy the eccentric old man back aft. His pride was on the line, along with all the good credit he had made for his name.

How can I go back to London after the war, a failure even at this? he wondered. Railsford's right; it's a gentlemanly calling for such as me. I've no head for Trade, for Law or Parliament, not enough money to live an idle life, no one to sponsor me if I blow the gaff as a Sea Officer. Right, then, I'll take the proverbial round turn an' two half-hitches, and I'll stop that cat-loving sonofabitch from sneering. I'll go back home a half-pay lieutenant, former first officer, and hold my head up against any of those lazy bucks I knew before, damme if I won't. But laugh about