GLOSSARY
While this was going forward, Philip flipped through the French codebook, searching out the necessary signals and folding down one corner of the relevant pages for quick reference when the time came. As he reached for his coffee, he accidentally knocked it over onto the dispatches that he had moved to his desktop, which would have to be delivered before he could chase after the convoy. Could the Badger complete the entire trip before the French convoy left [its original port], bound for its still-undeciphered destination, he wondered as he called for his steward and frantically blotted at the oiled-sailcloth envelope. "And what if the admiral decides to send someone else," he said, suddenly "a protege', perhaps?"
A knock interrupted him, and turning Philip saw a midshipman, backlit in his otherwise empty doorway. "Yes?" The midshipman walked in, and as he moved into the cabin Philip made out his features, and saw that he was carrying a log book of sorts. "Yes, Mr Wilkins?"
"The master's compliments, sir, and he is bringing the Chasseur alongside, and these are the reports like you asked."
Philip handed the dispatch envelope to his steward, Simkin, and opened the book, looking carefully at the carefully-ruled pages with their calculations of supplies acquired, used, and remaining. "Three days of water, eight of beef and pork, eight of peas," he frowned, turing the page, "nine of rum, carpenter's stores almost exhausted - how is Mr Scott recording the carpenter's stores?"
"Oh, I'm sure I don't know, sir" said the midshipman, aghast at being faced with such a questions. Then, "Is he not supposed to, sir?"
"Well, I suppose there's nothing against it..." Philip trailed off as he continued to flip through the book, bosun's stores, engineer's, gunner's. "Meticulous," he said quietly, "everything's here."
"Sir?"
Philip flushed and handed the book back to Wilkins as a long, elastic groan announced the arrival of the Chasseur against the Badger's side. "My compliments to Mr South and you may retrn this to him," he said, raising his voice against the shouts and thumps that errupted on deck as the Badgers prepared to receive their coal.
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GLOSSARY
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