“Thank you, sir.”
“Now we come to the next matter. The attempt of the prisoners to capture the Renown. You were by this time acting as first lieutenant of the ship, Mr Bush?”
“Yes, sir.”
Step by step Bush was taken through the events of that night. He was responsible under Buckland for the arrangements made for guarding and feeding the prisoners. There were fifty women, wives of the prisoners, under guard in the midshipmen’s berth. Yes, it was difficult to supervise them as closely as the men. Yes, he had gone his rounds after pipedown. Yes, he had heard a disturbance. And so on. “And you were found lying among the dead, unconscious from your wounds?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you, Mr Bush.”
A fresh‑faced young captain at the end of the table asked a question.
“And all this time Captain Sawyer was confined to his cabin, until he was murdered?”
The president interposed.
“Captain Hibbert, Mr Buckland has already enlightened us regarding Captain Sawyer’s indisposition.”
There was annoyance in the glance that the president of the court turned upon Captain Hibbert, and light suddenly dawned upon Bush. Sawyer had a wife, children, friends, who would not desire that any attention should be called to the fact that he had died insane. The president of the court was probably acting under explicit orders to hush that part of the business up. He would welcome questions about it no more than Bush himself would, now that Sawyer was dead in his country’s cause. Buckland could not have been very closely examined about it either. His unhappy look must be due to having to describe his inglorious part in the attempt on the Renown.
“I don’t expect any of you gentlemen wish to ask Mr Bush any more questions?” asked the president of the court in such a way that questions could not possibly have been asked. “Call Lieutenant Hornblower.”
Hornblower made his bow to the court; he was wearing that impassive expression which Bush knew by now to conceal an internal turbulence. He was asked as few questions on Samaná as Bush had been.
“It has been suggested,” said the president, “that this attack on the fort, and the hoisting up of the gun to search the bay, were on your initiative?”
“I can’t think why that suggestion was made, sir. Mr Buckland bore the entire responsibility.”
“I won’t press you further about that Mr Hornblower, then. I think we all understand. Now, let us hear about your recapture of the Renown. What first attracted your attention?”
It called for steady questioning to get the story out of Hornblower. He had heard a couple of musket shots, which had worried him, and then he saw the Renown come up into the wind, which made him certain something was seriously wrong. So he had collected his prize crews together and laid the Renown on board.
“Were you not afraid of losing the prizes, Mr Hornblower?”
“Better to lose the prizes than the ship, sir. Besides —”
“Besides what, Mr Hornblower?”
“I had every sheet and halliard cut in the prizes before we left them, sir. It took them some time to reeve new ones, so it was easy to recapture them.”
“You seem to have thought of everything, Mr Hornblower,” said the president, and there was a buzz of approval through the court. “And you seem to have made a very prompt counter‑attack on the Renown. You did not wait to ascertain the extent of the danger? Yet for all you knew the attempt to take the ship might have already failed.”
“In that case no harm was done except the disabling of the rigging of the prizes, sir. But if the ship had actually fallen into the hands of the prisoners it was essential that an attack should be directed on her before any defence could be organized.”
“We understand. Thank you, Mr Hornblower.”
The inquiry was nearly over. Carberry was still too ill with his wounds to be able to give evidence; Whiting of the marines was dead. The court conferred only a moment before announcing its findings.
“It is the opinion of this court,” announced the president, “that strict inquiry should be made among the Spanish prisoners to determine who it was that murdered Captain Sawyer, and that the murderer, if still alive, should be brought to justice. And as the result of our examination of the surviving officers of HMS Renown it is our opinion that no further action is necessary.”