The shadow of the eagle

'Begging your pardon, sir, but Mr Marlowe's compliments, and he wishes me to inform you that we shall require an alteration of course to make our landfall.'

Drinkwater looked over the boy's shoulder. Marlowe and Birkbeck were exchanging a word or two on the far side of the binnacle.

'An alteration of course, eh? Well sir, to what?'

'Ten degrees to port, sir.'

'To port, eh?' He was about to say that in his day it would have been 'to larboard' but such pedantry would be laughable to the young imp. 'Very well, Mr Paine, kindly see to it.'

'Aye, aye, sir.' The lad touched his fore-cock and made to be off when Drinkwater called him back.

'And when you have attended to the matter and adjusted the yards, pray show me your reckoning of the day's work.'

Paine's face fell. His 'Aye, aye, sir' was less enthusiastic.

Laughing inwardly, Drinkwater crossed the deck and stood on the weather side of the helm while Andromeda's head was swung through ten degrees of arc and settled on her new course. There was a general tweaking of braces, but neither the motion nor the speed of the ship seemed affected and the ageing hull drove forwards through the blue seas with the white wave crests running up almost astern. It seemed quite impossible that this charming scene could ever be otherwise; that the light, straining canvas above their heads could ever turn a rain and spray-sodden grey, as hard on the horniest hands as rawhide, or that the great bulk of the hurrying ship could be laid over on her beam ends, or tossed about like a cork.

'So, gentlemen,' he said to Marlowe and Birkbeck, who had both been watching the adjusting of the main yards, 'when do you anticipate sighting our landfall?'

'Shortly after first light tomorrow, sir,' Marlowe answered.

Drinkwater looked at Birkbeck. 'Are you two in agreement?'

'Harmoniously so, sir,' Birkbeck replied with a hint of irony.

'Good. I'm decidedly glad to hear it.' Drinkwater smiled at the two men. Marlowe was a transformed figure. 'Well now, we must consider our best course of action when we arrive.'

'Indeed, sir. How far offshore will you cruise?' Marlowe asked.

Drinkwater rubbed his chin and raised an eyebrow. 'Three or four leagues; sufficiently far to be clear of danger, yet not out of sight of the land. According to my reckoning, our friends will come down on the island from the north-north-east.' He waved out on the starboard quarter, as though their sails might appear at any moment.

'D'you think Bonaparte is already there, sir?' asked Birkbeck.

'We shall send a boat in to find out. Do you prepare the launch, stock it for two days and have Frey' Drinkwater hesitated, 'no, have Ashton command it. Send in half a dozen marines under the sergeant.' Drinkwater paused as Marlowe nodded. 'But to answer your question about Boney, I consider it unlikely, though not impossible, for him to have reached the island yet. I have no knowledge of when he left Paris, nor of his port of embarkation, but he must have been despatched by the time King Louis landed, I'd have thought, and conveyed by express to the west coast; to Brest, or La Rochelle or L'Orient. A fast frigate might, I suppose, have reached the archipelago a little before us.'

'A British frigate?' asked Marlowe.

Drinkwater shrugged. 'I imagine a British frigate or perhaps a small squadron such as we were lately attached to, would accompany him. As for himself, I suppose his dignity as the elected Emperor of the French would be unsupportable in anything but a French man-o'-war.'

'Not if it was the allies' purpose to humiliate him,' put in Marlowe.

'I think a small island humiliation enough after the domination of Europe,' countered Drinkwater. 'Remember what Nelson wrote: 'In victory, let the chief characteristic be magnanimity.''

A very Christian sentiment sir,' responded Birkbeck, 'but not one which I would expect his most serene and culminated, high and God almighty majesty the Tsar of all the Russias to subscribe to where Napoleon Bonaparte is concerned.'

'Perhaps not,' said Drinkwater grinning, 'though you talk like a canting leveller, Mr Birkbeck. I thought your nimble scholar Tom Paine the republican among us.'

And they all laughed companionably, standing in the sunshine enjoying the fellowship of like minds.

PART TWO A WILD-GOOSE CHASE?

'Well, that's the end of it all, though it's throwing the game away with all the trump cards in one's hand.'

Talleyrand, Prince of Benevento

CHAPTER 10 The Rock

May 1814

Shortly before dawn Drinkwater woke with a start. Lying in the darkness he listened intently, but could discern no noise; not even the clanking of the pumps disturbed the night, silent but for the laboured creaking of the ship and above his head the faint, measured tread of one of the watch-keepers. Then his cabin was suddenly lit up, as though someone shone a powerful light in through the stern windows. The spectral illumination startled him. His heart thumped with alarm and he was on his feet in a trice, to stare out through the stern windows. An instant later he had an explanation as the ship drove through bio-luminescence and the pale green gleam again lit up the night.

He was unable to sleep after this weird though natural phenomenon, and drew on breeches, shoes and stockings. Winding his boat-cloak about himself he went on deck. The pacing footsteps revealed themselves to be those of Lieutenant Frey. They exchanged courtesies and Drinkwater asked the routine question.

'All well?'

'Aye, sir. I have a good man stationed aloft in the foretop, though I doubt we'll sight anything before daylight.'

'Tis as well to be on our guard.'

'Yes, of course.'

'The wind is holding fair,' Drinkwater observed. 'One might almost believe we had run into the trades, but our latitude is too high so we must be prepared for our run of luck to end.'

There was a brief pause, then Frey said, 'I believe you're sending the launch ashore, sir.'

'Yes, just to establish whether our friend Boney has been delivered yet.'

'And Lieutenant Ashton's to command her.'

'Yes.'

Frey fell silent. Drinkwater wondered whether he felt himself slighted by the appointment of the junior lieutenant to this task, then Frey asked, 'Will you be going ashore yourself, sir?'

'No.'

For a moment neither man said anything, then Drinkwater remarked, 'I gather there has been something of a sea change in the wardroom, Mr Frey. Things are a little more tolerable, I hope.'

'In a manner of speaking, yes, sir. Where formerly Mr Marlowe seemed to be constantly under the weather, we now have Mr Ashton acting like a spoilt brat. I am of the opinion that acquaintances should not serve together;