The appearance of el Supremo, sitting in his canopied chair on his dais, seemed for all the world to indicate that he had been sitting there, immobile, since the occasion four days ago (it seemed more like a month) when Hornblower had left him.
“So you have already done what I wished you to do, Captain?” were his opening words.
“I captured the Natividad last night,” said Hornblower.
“And the provisioning of your ship is, I understand, complete?”
“Yes.”
“Then,” said el Supremo, “you have done what I wanted. That is what I said before.”
In the face of such sublime self-assurance there was no point in arguing.
“This afternoon,” said el Supremo, “I shall proceed with my plan for the capture of the city of El Salvador and the man who calls himself Captain General of Nicaragua.”
“Yes?” said Hornblower.
“There are fewer difficulties before me now, Captain. You may not be aware that the roads between here and El Salvador are not as good as roads might be. At one place the path goes up one hundred and twenty seven steps cut in the lava between two precipices. It is difficult for a mule, to say nothing of a horse, to make the journey, and an evilly disposed person armed with a musket could cause much trouble.”
“I expect he could,” said Hornblower.
“However,” said el Supremo, “El Salvador lies less than ten miles from the sea, and there is a good road from the city to its port of La Libertad. This afternoon I shall sail with five hundred men in the two ships to La Libertad. As this town is no more than a hundred miles away I shall reach there at dawn tomorrow. Tomorrow evening I shall dine in El Salvador.”
“Ho-h’m,” said Hornblower. He was wondering how best to present in argument the difficulties he could see ahead.
“You killed very few of the crew of the Natividad, Captain?” asked el Supremo, and thereby approaching directly some of the difficulties Hornblower had in mind.
“Eleven killed,” said Hornblower. “And eighteen wounded, of whom four seem unlikely to recover.”
“So you left enough to work the ship?”
“Ample, señor, if —”
“That is what I wanted. And, Captain, human beings in addressing me do not use the expression ‘señor’. That is insufficiently honorific. I am el Supremo.”
Hornblower could only bow in reply. El Supremo’s marvellous manner was like a stone wall.
“The navigating officers are still alive?” went on el Supremo.
“Yes,” said Hornblower; and, because he could see trouble close ahead and was anxious to keep it to a minimum, he added, with a gulp, “Supremo.”
“Then,” said el Supremo, “I will take the Natividad into my service. I will kill the executive officers and replace them with men of my own. The others and the common sailors will serve me.”
There was nothing intrinsically impossible in what el Supremo suggested; Hornblower knew from experience that the Spanish navy, old fashioned as always, maintained a rigid distinction (such as was fast dying out in our own service) between the officers who worked the ship and the gentlemen who commanded it. And Hornblower had no doubt whatever as to what choice the seamen and sailing master would make if asked to choose between death by torture and serving el Supremo.
Nor could it be denied that el Supremo’s suggestion was in many ways a good one; to transport five hundred men in the Lydia alone would be difficult, to say the least, while the Lydia by herself would find it impossible to blockade completely all the thousand miles of coast — two ships would cause far more than twice as much trouble to the enemy in that way. Yet to hand over the Natividad meant starting an endless and probably unsuccessful argument with the lords of the Admiralty on the question of prize money. And he could not in honour hand over the Spanish officers to the death el Supremo had in mind for them. He had to think quickly.
“The Natividad is the prize of my King,” he said. “Perhaps he would not be pleased if I let her go.”
“He certainly would be displeased if he knew you had offended me,” said el Supremo. His eyebrows came closer together, and Hornblower heard Hernandez beside him take a quick breath. “I have noticed before, Captain Hornblower, that you have verged upon disrespect towards me, and I have been mild enough to attribute it to your foreign breeding.”