The politico had been detained by some further details of the great battle or rather series of battles, and these he related with a fair degree of precision; but after that the conversation languished. There had been a very, very great deal of emotion that day, and both admirals were feeling their age. Queenie and Stephen rambled along pleasantly about the island; but then she, having tried to move the Commanderin-Chief from his only too evident ill-humour, fell silent, imitated by Stephen. The only people really enjoying their meal were Jack and Isobel. Isobel was much younger than Queenie: the cousins were indeed much of an age and when they were adolescents there had been a certain degree of ambiguity about the nature of their friendship: now that ambiguity was distinctly more evident. Isobel was in fine voice and very high spirits; and it was evident to Stephen, on the other side of the table, that they were holding hands under the cloth.
She was, he reflected, something of a rake: a very pretty rake. And it was not improbable that her cross old husband was aware of it, for when her cousin had said something that moved her to an indecorous fit of laughter, Lord Barmouth straightened in his chair and called down the table, ‘Aubrey, I have just been thinking that now you have nothing to do with the Navy, you might be well advised to slip your moorings and sail off to survey the Horn and plumb the depths of Magellan: the inhabitants may prove grateful, and I am sure the young ladies would welcome such a very amusing companion.’
This was said in such a tone that Isobel stood up at once:
she and Queenie paced into the drawing-room, leaving an abashed group of men standing there, all at a moral disadvantage.
The servants were by no means unaccustomed to this, and the port very soon made its appearance; it had gone
round three times when a servant asked Stephen whether Dr Jacob might have a word with him.
Stephen excused himself and found Jacob in the hall. ‘I beg pardon for disturbing you,’ he said, ‘but the forerunner of an Algerine delegation brought me the news of Ali Bey’s deposition – he was strangled in the slave-market – and since the news of the French defeat reached Algiers earlier than Spain, the new Dey, Hassan, is sending these people to congratulate the Commander-in-Chief, to announce his accession, and to annul his predecessor’s absurd claim on the captured treasure; but he should like the galley back, as a symbol of his office, and he would be most grateful for an immediate loan of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds to consolidate his position in Algiers.’
‘What you say fills me with ease,’ said Stephen. ‘Yet since the Commander-inChief, Lord Keith, the politico and Captain Aubrey and nobody else are in there, I believe you should relate all this to them.’
‘Very well: and I have the head of the English mission with me to substantiate what I say. Shall I fetch him?’
‘Not if it would take ten minutes. This news must be eaten hot.’
‘Very
well.’
Stephen led him in. ‘My Lord,’ he said to Barmouth, ‘may I introduce my colleague Dr Jacob, a gentleman very well known to Sir Joseph Blaine?’
‘Hear, hear,’ said the politico.
‘Of course you may,’ said Barmouth. ‘How do you do, sir? Pray take a seat. May I offer you a glass of wine?’
‘My lords and gentlemen,’ said Jacob, bowing over his port. ‘I must tell you that one of our most reliable agents in Algiers, accompanied by a member of the Ministry’s special commission, Mr Blenkinsop, has just told me that tomorrow morning a delegation from the new Dey, Hassan, will arrive to congratulate His Majesty on the defeat of Bonaparte, to announce his own accession, and to kettle a point at issue the Algerine galley and its alleged cargo. He waives his predecessor’s absurd claim, and although he should like the galley back as a symbol of his office, he fully acknowledges that its commander, in firing first, deprived all persons other than the captain of His Britannic Majesty’s ship of any claim to its contents. He should however be most grateful for an immediate loan of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds to strengthen his present position – a loan very soon to be repaid.’
There was a silence: then the Commander-in-Chief said, ‘Dr Jacob, we are very grateful indeed for your good news and your early warning – at least we shall be able to receive these gentlemen in a suitable manner. Lord Keith, you are the senior officer present: may I ask your opinion?’
‘My opinion is that we should welcome this approach most heartily . .
‘Hear, hear,’ said the politico. Stephen and Jack, being parties concerned, said nothing; but Jack at all events felt a spring of delight rising in his heart.
‘. . . and,’ went on Lord Keith, ‘since I was concerned with Captain Aubrey’s orders in the first place, and since I know the little ways of the prize-court through and through, I propose taking this case before them at once, and then desiring the dockyard to give the vessel something in the way of gold leaf to make her a more presentable present. As for the Dey’s loan, I am obviously no longer in a position to speak of the colony’s finances, but I have no doubt that the Ministry would consider it a very reasonable outlay.’
‘Hear, hear,’ said the politico.
The Commander-in-Chief only no.dded; but his mobile face, recently so very sour and ill-natured now shone with an inner sun: in the course of these last few minutes his flag-officer’s third part of Jack’s share of the prize, so recently despaired of, had returned as a solid, very beautiful fact.
Lord Keith was a good friend to Jack Aubrey: very early in the morning he had surprised the swabbers at their task and within minutes there were a score of barrows alongside the Surprise: under guard they wheeled the massy little chests to the premises of Gibraltar’s three substantial goldsmiths, who reduced the whole to tested ingots of a stated weight well before the Algerine ship came in with its delegation and a present of full-grown ostriches.
Jacob was present at the various ceremonies, but Jack and Stephen were wholly taken up with other things – Jack with persuading the officers, warrant-officers, steady petty officers and seamen to have at least two-thirds of their prizemoney sent home, and with storing the ship for the first leg of his voyage; while Stephen did much the same for his department, as well as writing a very long coded report to Sir Joseph.
The ceremonies, it appeared, went off very well, particularly the state appearance of the loan on silver salvers: but in the evening, with the Algerines gone to the sound of guns, drums and trumpets, when the Keiths came down to say good-bye, accompanied by an over-excited Mona and Kevin, barely to be restrained by their nursemaid, Jack and Harding found to their grief that they had not been able to keep all their people sober.
It was none of it very gross, and even Queenie had seen a drunken sailor: yet even so Jack was relieved when the moorings were cast off and Surprise, dropping her foresail, glided free of the mole.
‘God bless,’ called Queenie; and ‘Liberate Chile, and come home as soon as ever you can,’ called her husband, while the children screeched out very shrill, fluttering handkerchiefs. And at the very end of the Mole, when the frigate turned westward along the Strait with a following breeze, stood an elegant young woman with a maidservant, and she too waving, waving, waving . . .