Ramage's Mutiny (36 page)

The Admiral's cabin was cool, and the Admiral watched impatiently as Ramage paused to unlace the canvas pouch and take out several papers.

“Edwards,” he said, “tell that steward to step lively with those rum punches. Are you sure you don't want a dash of rum in your lime juice?” he asked Ramage anxiously. “No? Well, you know best.”

Clearly the Admiral regarded the drinking of lime juice without rum as a dangerous practice, liable to bring on any one of the dozen or so foul diseases which took their toll of men serving in the West Indies.

“Carry on with your report,” he said impatiently. “The papers can wait. Now, what made you send that Spanish brig—what was her name, the
Santa Barbara?
—back into Santa Cruz with the prisoners? She'd have been a useful ship. I can always use a fast brig.”

“There were more than two hundred prisoners, sir. I had to send some of the
Calypso
's men over to the
Jocasta.
”

“Fifty men could have brought the
Jocasta
back. That would have left you with nearly two hundred men in the
Calypso.
More than enough to guard two hundred prisoners.”

Ramage had guessed he would have to face that question, and he had spent much of the time on the passage north from the rendezvous off Bonaire—where he found that Wagstaffe had not even heard of a
caldereta,
let alone experienced one—trying to think of a satisfactory answer. He had concluded that it was easier to tell the truth, which was not the same as giving a satisfactory answer, because the Admiral would also be thinking of his own share in the prize-money the brig would have fetched.

“I needed more men in the
Jocasta,
sir, so I gave Wagstaffe fifty men and put him in command of the
Calypso.
”

“Wagstaffe? Why not your First Lieutenant, that Scots fellow, Aitken?”

“I needed him on board the
Jocasta,
sir. You see—”

“No I don't. It seems to me you were very unwise in freeing two hundred prisoners. Trained seamen—just the sort of men the Spanish always need. And that brig—she's the best ship they have on the Main. You gave them the ship back and five times the number of men needed to sail her.”

Edwards said quietly: “Did you sail back direct from Santa Cruz?”

“No, sir.” Ramage was grateful for the interruption. “You see, sir,” he told the Admiral, fighting to keep the exasperation from showing in his voice, “you want me to give you my report in the exact sequence that things happened?”

“Yes, of course, it's the only way to make a report. Can't very well begin at the end, eh?”

“After you sent the
Santa Barbara
back into port,” Edwards said, “you decided you wanted four-fifths of your men in the
Jocasta,
instead of splitting them evenly between the two frigates. Why?”

“I read through the papers on board the
Jocasta
and found she was due to meet a merchant ship in La Guaira and escort her to Havana, where a convoy for Spain was forming,” Ramage said hurriedly, hoping to complete the explanation before he was interrupted again, but he was unlucky.

“You understand Spanish?” the Admiral asked.

“Yes, sir. And I knew the
Jocasta
could reach La Guaira before anyone could warn the Captain-General of the province that the frigate had been recaptured.”

“Why go to La Guaira?” the Admiral demanded.

“To cut out the merchant ship, sir; she—”

“What? Do you mean to say you thought of risking losing the
Jocasta
again for the sake of some damned merchant ship? Why, she'd be laden with hides and dyewood and coffee; not worth a thousand pounds in prize-money. Well, thank goodness you didn't go!”

“But I did, sir.”

“You didn't get the ship, though!”

“No, sir, she wasn't there.”

“There you are,” the Admiral said crossly. “Just taking a needless risk. Your orders were to cut out the
Jocasta
and bring her back here. There was no mention of cruising along the coast of the Main. Bring the
Jocasta
back here; that was the important thing. Their Lordships will be pleased; you'll get all the credit, I'll see to that.”

Ramage sensed that Edwards was watching him closely and sympathizing with him for the way the Admiral interrupted and jumped to conclusions after insisting Ramage told his story in a precise sequence.

“What happened at La Guaira?” Captain Edwards asked. Ramage described the
caldereta,
minimizing the risk to the
Jocasta,
and told how he had sailed into the empty anchorage under the Spanish flag, been boarded by the Mayor, commander of the garrison and Port Captain, and learned from them that the merchant ship had drifted out to sea after parting her anchor cables in the
caldereta.

“When I think of the
Jocasta
lying hove-to under the guns of that fort,” Admiral Davis said wrathfully, “I feel like bringing you to trial. Risking the
Jocasta
just to ask dam' silly questions about a merchant ship. I'm not saying,” he added, “that I don't want my captains to harass the enemy, but I did expect you to appreciate the Admiralty's interest in the
Jocasta;
she's not just another frigate.”

At that moment the steward came in with a tray of drinks and hurriedly handed them round. The moment he had left the cabin Edwards said: “I get the impression that you had a particular interest in this merchant ship, Ramage.”

“There were two phrases in the Captain-General's orders,” Ramage explained. “One referred to ‘a particular cargo' and the other referred to it as ‘valuable.' The Viceroy was involved, so I thought it must be important!”

“Bah!” the Admiral exclaimed. “He or his friends had an investment in it. Safeguarding his own purse. Anyway, you finally decided to obey my orders and bring the
Jocasta
back, and I'm thankful for that!”

“Well,” Ramage said cautiously, “not immediately, sir. I—”

“Don't tell me you went off and searched for this ship?”

“Yes, sir.”

“But you didn't find her! I've been waiting here day after day, waiting and worrying! What a damned waste of time—”

“I think Ramage did find her,” Edwards said mildly. “What was she carrying?”

“A quantity of pearls and emeralds consigned to the Spanish Crown,” Ramage said in a flat voice.

The Admiral sat bolt upright. “A
quantity?
”

“Yes, sir.”

“Why the devil didn't you tell me this at the beginning?” The surprise had angered the Admiral, and Ramage looked at Edwards helplessly.

“I think it was my fault, sir,” Edwards said smoothly. “I kept telling him to make his report in sequence, and—”

“Yes, the poor fellow didn't get a chance. Well, don't keep on interrupting, Edwards, you confuse Ramage. Where are all these pearls and emeralds now?”

“On board the
Jocasta,
sir.”

“Why didn't you bring them over with you?”

“
With
me, sir?” Ramage said, startled.

“Yes, with you. You can carry that dam' pouch of papers; surely you could have put a bag of gems in your pocket?”

The Admiral was obviously interested in his eighth share of the value and wanted to see them.

Ramage looked the Admiral straight in the eye. “There are nine crates of pearls, two years' output from the Pearl Island, and eleven crates of emeralds, two years' output from the mines of the province of Columbia, sir. The crates weigh more than a ton, complete with royal seals.”

For a full minute there was complete silence in the cabin. Ramage saw the Admiral trying to put a value on them, until finally he took a deep drink and then smiled happily, suddenly comfortable in the knowledge that his share of the prize-money would make him a rich man. “Orders should never be too rigid,” he said. “One must be careful not to stifle initiative. Remember that, Edwards.”