The Hundred Days (37 page)

‘...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 nodded; 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...

The End

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