“Thank you, Mr. Horrocks. Now, doctor, I understand you have the necessary professional qualifications to act as surgeon in this ship. That is so?”
Eisenbeiss still strove to retain his dignity.
“As Secretary of State I am addressed as ‘Your Excellency’,” he said.
“But as surgeon in this ship you are addressed as ‘doctor’. And that is the last time I shall overlook the omission of the word ‘sir’. Now. Your qualifications?”
“I am a surgeon — sir.”
The last word came out with a jerk as Hornblower’s eyebrows rose.
“You have been in practice recently?”
“Until a few months ago — sir. I was surgeon to the Court of Seitz-Bunau. But now I am —”
“Now you are surgeon in H.M.S. Atropos, and we can leave off the farce of your being Secretary of State.”
“Sir —”
“Silence, if you please, doctor. Mr. Horrocks!”
“Sir!”
“My compliments to Mr. Still. I’ll have these two gentlemen’s baggage swayed up. They are to make immediate selection of their necessities to the extent of one sea chest each. You will be able to help them in their choice. The remainder is to leave the ship within ten minutes by the boat in which it came. Is that quite clear, Mr. Horrocks?”
“Aye aye, sir. If you please, sir, there’s a couple of footmen with the baggage.”
“Footmen?”
“Yes, sir, in uniforms like these,” Horrocks indicated the green and gold of the Germans.
“That’s two more hands, then. Read ’em in and send ’em for’rard.”
The Navy could always use more men, and a couple of fat, well‑fed footmen would make useful hands in time to come.
“But sir —” said Eisenbeiss.
“Speak when you’re spoken to, doctor. Now Mr. Horrocks, you will take the prince and settle him into the midshipmen’s berth. I’ll introduce you. Mr. Midshipman Horrocks — er, Mr. Midshipman Prince.”
Horrocks automatically offered his hand, and the prince as automatically took it, displaying no immediate change at the contamination of a human touch. He smiled shyly, without understanding.
“And my compliments to the master’s mate, too, Mr. Horrocks. Ask him to be good enough to show the doctor where he berths for’rard.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
“Now, doctor, in half an hour I wish to see you both in the King’s uniform. You can take up your duties then. There will be a court of inquiry opened at that time, consisting of the first lieutenant, the purser, and yourself, to decide whether certain hogsheads of beef are fit for human consumption. You will be secretary of that court and I want your written report by noon. Go with Mr. Horrocks now.”
Eisenbeiss hesitated a moment under Hornblower’s sharp glance before he turned to leave the cabin, but at the curtain his indignation overcame him again.
“I shall write to the Prime Minister, sir,” he said. “He shall hear about this treatment of His Majesty’s Allies.”
“Yes, doctor. If you contravene the Mutiny Act you’ll swing at the yardarm. Now, Mr. Jones, with regard to these station and quarter bills.”
As Hornblower turned to Jones to re‑enter into the business of getting Atropos ready for sea he was conscious of feeling some contempt for himself. He could browbeat a silly German doctor effectively enough; he could flatter himself that he had dealt adequately with what might have been a difficult though petty situation. But that was nothing to be proud of, when he had to realize that with regard to his real duties he had been found wanting. He had wasted precious hours. During the last two days he had twice played with his little son; he had sat by his wife’s bedside and held his little daughter in his arms, when really he should have been on board here looking after his ship. It was no excuse that it was Jones’s duty to have attended to the matters under consideration; it had been Hornblower’s duty to see that Jones had attended to them. A naval officer should not have a wife or children — this present situation was the proof of that trite saying. Hornblower found himself setting his mouth hard as he came to that conclusion. There were still eight hours of daylight left today. He began an orderly planning of those eight hours. There were the matters that would call for his own personal activity like appealing to the superintendent of the dockyard; there were the matters he could safely leave to his subordinates. There was work that could be done on one side of the ship, leaving the other side clear; there was work that would demand the services of skilled seamen, and work that landsmen could do. There were some jobs that could not be started until other jobs were finished. If he was not careful some of his officers would have to be in two places at once, there would be confusion, delay, ridiculous disorder. But with good planning it could be done.