Hostile Shores

“Shall we get under way, again, after the steer’s been dealt with, sir?” Lt. Westcott asked after he’d joined them.

“Hmm, no,” Lewrie decided. “We’ll stay at anchor the rest of the day and night. We’ve ten fathoms of depth, and a decent holding ground, for a change. Small arms practice, and an hour of cutlass drill after the hands have eat their fresh victuals.”

“Aye, sir,” Westcott said. “Your cook has lent ours a bottle of Worcestershire sauce for this evening’s steaks. Might you express our thanks to him, sir?”

“Of course, Mister Westcott,” Lewrie allowed, gri

“Shore liberty, sir,” Westcott puckishly said, “a noon-to-noon, with ‘All Night In’.”

“All night in what?” Mr. Caldwell whispered with glee.

“Huzzah! Whoo! Done ’im wif one blow!” sailors were cheering and hooting as the bullock’s thick skull was crushed and it sprawled dead on the deck. Its compatriot bellowed and thrashed in terror of the deed, and ship’s boys leapt and capered over the carcass in glee.

“You might also ask Yeovill for some of his vinegary pepper sauce, Mister Westcott,” Lewrie suggested as he made his way to the ladderway. “If I can spare it, that is.”

*   *   *

The next evening, as Reliant cruised along under reduced sail in deep waters South of Maldonado and Lobos Island, the Narcissus frigate came calling, free of the banks and shoals of the Plate Estuary at long last, and laden with gold and silver. Her captain, Ross Do

“Captain Do

“I will accept your offer most happily, Captain Lewrie!” Captain Do

“Come aboard, sir, come aboard!” Lewrie cried, then turned to Midshipman Sha

“Aye, sir!”

*   *   *

“A brandy before supper, sir, or would a Rhenish suit?” Lewrie offered, once Captain Do

“Rhenish would be delightful, thank you, sir,” Do

“Bound for England, I assume,” Lewrie commented.

“With but two brief breaks in passage,” Do

“I envy you,” Lewrie baldly admitted as their wine arrived, “for doing something other than pace back and forth ’cross the mouth of the Plate. You’ll be bearing the loot, I take it?”

“Aye, over one million six hundred thousand dollars’ worth!” Do

Ha ha, mine arse! Lewrie thought, appalled but striving not to show it; The fortunate turd!

“My word, how marvellous for you!” he said instead. “You could afford a whole county, or your own frigate!”

“There’s at least another million dollars’ worth of goods in the warehouses we seized, as well, but it would take an armada to haul it all away, and flog on the London markets,” Do

“You’ll be carrying the Commodore’s report to Admiralty, and a revelation of where he’s got to, as well? I wonder how that’ll go down,” Lewrie speculated.

“Well, he did send word that he was quitting the Cape, and what he was intending,” Do

“Would that not be forcing the Government’s hand?” Lewrie had to ask. “Rather … high-handedly? Ru

“The success, and the prospects of new sources of wealth, may gain him so many allies that he might be spared a court-martial. All the huzzahs and acclaim?”

“Well, as he’s told us so often, I’d think he already has more than enough allies,” Lewrie said with a smirk. “Most-like Popham has won over the local Argentines, to boot.”

“Not so one would notice, no,” Do

“Some trouble in the streets, I heard from the victualling vessel’s Midshipman?” Lewrie prompted, taking another glass of wine when Pettus offered. “Unrest?”

“It hasn’t gotten too bad … yet,” Captain Do

“And with too few troops t’keep ’em in—?” Lewrie said.

“And no city walls, or gates to seal, aye, Lewrie,” Do

“Are defences being prepared, just in case?” Lewrie asked.

“Frankly, I haven’t a clue,” Do

“But he would, wouldn’t he?” Lewrie said with an open sneer. “Commodore Popham is confidence personified. It’s a pity that his considerable charm is wasted on the Argentines.”

“Matter of fact,” Do

“I’d think a brigade of three regiments, with a regiment of cavalry added, might be barely sufficient to hold Buenos Aires, alone,” Lewrie scoffed.

“Well, there you are, then,” Do