‘I should have waited on you as you came in,’ said Adams, ‘but I was drinking the waters at Barbarlang and never knew you were here till Tuesday, when the Governor sent to let me know, bless him.’
When three bells struck and there was a slight pause Stephen cried ‘But I have quite forgot those unhappy youths. Our boat carried them out, bearing the Governor’s or rather a secretary’s note, and they are still waiting on the – waiting outside.’
‘I shall see them presently,’ said Jack.
‘You may see them at once, for me, sir,’ said Adams, gathering up his papers. ‘I am away to the purser’s steward. If he has anything of a headpiece, he and I can fill in all these gaps.’
Five minutes later the youths were brought in, pale with waiting and apprehension. Jack received them in a detached, non-committal manner: his present happiness did not cloud his judgment as far as the ship was concerned and his first impression was scarcely favourable: these might very well be the kind of midshipman that any captain would leave behind without any rigorous search.
He quickly learnt their service history – undistinguished –
and their natural abilities – moderate. After some thought he said ‘I know nothing about you. I know none of the captains you have served under: I have no note from them and the secretary’s chit merely names you, without any recommendation. And of course there is an R against your names on the Clio’s books: you are technically deserters. I cannot take you on my quarterdeck. But if you wish I will enter you on the books, rating you able.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ they said, very faintly.
‘The notion of the lower deck don’t please you?’ said Jack. ‘Very well. I am not shorthanded and I shall not press you. Nor shall I take you up as deserters. You may go ashore in the next boat.’
We had much rather stay, sir, if you please,’ they said
‘Very well,’ said Jack. ‘Of course life on the lower deck is hard and rough, as you know very well, but the Nutmeg has a decent set of people, and if you keep quiet, do your duty and do not top it the knob – above all do not top it the knob – you will have quite a good time what is more, you will come to understand the service through and through. Many a good
man has started his career as a rating or has been turned before the mast when he was a midshipman and has ended by hoisting his flag Killick Kilhck, there Pass the word for Mr Fielding Mr Fielding, Oakes and Miller here will be entered on the ship s books, rated as able They will belong to the starboard watch and be stationed in the foretop Purser s steward will issue slops, beds, hammocks, under Mr Adams’ supervision Aye aye, sir,’ said Fielding
Thank you very much, sir, said Oakes and Miller, their distress concealed, or rather attempted to be concealed, by a decent appearance of gratitude.
On Thursday Ahmed came into Stephen’s cabin with a conscious expression and a prepared speech in his mouth; he knelt, struck his forehead on the deck, and begged leave to depart. He was languishing for his family and his village; it had always been understood that he should return to Java with the tuan; and now the ship was about to leave for an unknown world, a
worse England. As a farewell present he had brought the tuan a trilobate betel box in which he might carry his coca-leaves, and a wig, a poor thing, but the best the island could produce.
Stephen expected this, particularly as Ahmed had been seen leading out a Sumatran beauty; having given him leave to go he added a small purse of johannes, those broad Portuguese gold pieces, and wrote him a handsome testimonial in case he should wish to be employed again. They parted on excellent terms, and Stephen wore the wig, adequately powdered, to the Governor’s dinner.
The meal ran its pleasant course, and although Jack and Stephen were the only men invited, Mrs Raffles had asked no less than four Dutch ladies to keep them company, Dutch ladies moderately fluent in English who had contrived to keep their delicate complexions in the climate of Batavia, and whose bulk had not diminished either, nor their merriment. For the first time in his life Stephen found that he and Rubens were of one mind, particularly as their generous décolletés and their diaphanous gowns showed expanses of that nacreous Rubens flesh that had so puzzled him before. The nacreous flesh did in fact exist: and it excited desire. The notion of being in bed with one of these cheerful exuberant creatures quite troubled him for a moment, and he regretted Mrs Raffles’ signal, at which they all departed, while the men gathered at the end of the table.
‘Aubrey,’ said the Governor, ‘I dare say Maturin has told you how he received my suggestion of detaching the Kestrel as far as the Passage when she comes in?’
‘Yes, sir, he did,’ said Jack, smiling.
‘I am sure he was right; but he was speaking as a man primarily concerned with the political aspect, and I should like to hear the opinion of a sailor, a fighting captain.’
‘Well, sir, from the purely tactical view I should much regret having the sloop in company.
Her presence might well mean that there would be no engagement at all. The Cornélie, seeing us hull-down, in poor light, might easily over-estimate the Kestrel’s strength – she is after all ship-rigged – and sheer off, never to be seen again. But above all the sloop is not due for
several days and even then she would surely have to refit and water and take in stores; and every day means the loss of 150 or zoo miles of casting with the present breeze. As for the rest, the political or what I might even call the spiritual side, I thoroughly agree with Maturin: the more the French navy can be persuaded that they are always to be beat, the less likely they are ever to win. So with your permission, sir, I mean to slip my moorings within five minutes of taking leave of Mrs Raffles, and once I have sunk the land, to stand eastwards under all the sail she can carry.’
‘My dear,’ said the Governor in the drawing-room, ‘we must not keep Captain Aubrey for more than the ritual cup of coffee. He is fairly pawing the ground – he is all eagerness to stand eastwards and persuade the French that they are always to be beat.’
‘Before he goes,’ said Mrs Raffles, ‘he must tell me what he has done with those poor unfortunate young men. It quite used to make my heart bleed when I saw them hanging about the Chinese market, looking so wan and shabby and sad: it would have grieved their mothers past expression.’
‘I took them aboard, ma’am, bL’t not on my quarterdeck:
before the mast.’
‘Among the common sailors? Oh Captain Aubrey, how barbarous! They are gentlemen’s sons.’
‘So was I, ma’am, when I was turned before the mast. It was rough and hard and in the graveyard watch when no one could see me I wept like a girl. But it did me a power of good:
and I do assure you, ma’am, that upon the whole your common sailor is a very decent sort of man. My messmates on the lower deck were as kind as could be, except for one. Gross of course, on occasion; but I have known midshipmen’s berths, aye and wardrooms, grosser by far.’
‘It would I am sure be indiscreet to ask why you were turned before the mast,’ said the Dutch lady most at home in English.
‘Well, ma’am,’ said Jack with an engaging leer, ‘it was partly because of my devotion to the sex, but even more because I stole the captain’s tripe.’
‘Sex?’ cried the Dutch ladies. ‘Tripe?’ They whispered
among themselves, blushed, looked very grave, and fell silent. In the silence Jack said to Mrs Raffles, ‘To return to your
unfortunate young men. They seem to me to have the makings of seamen, but I mean to try them out on the lower deck for a few weeks. If my impression is right, I shall bring them aft, which will fall in well with my notion of promoting a valuable young foremast-jack. He would come aft with them, feeling neither lost nor a stranger in the midshipmen’s berth. I have seen to it that they are in the same watch; and they are messmates.’
The Nutmeg of Consolation received her Captain without ceremony, instantly hoisted in his gig, slipped her moorings, and as her little band (a tromba marina, two fiddles, an oboe, two Jew’s harps and of course the drum) played Loath to Depart she made her way out through the shipping with the last of the tide and a fair but very faint breeze. Although the Nutmegs had been kept very, very busy they had still found time to make friends ashore, and a little group of young women, J avanese, Sumatran, Maduran, Dutch and mingled, waved until handkerchiefs could no longer be seen and the ship was little more than a whiteness in the haze towards Cape Krawang.