STO'B 45

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Some minutes later the officers on the Badger’s quarterdeck moved over to the leeward side as their captain appeared, followed by his guest. In the waist, the sailmaker and his mates were sewing the dead men into their hammocks, in preparation for the funeral. The gunner’s junior mate emerged form the main hatch, bearing a bucket of roundshot for their feet, to carry them down.

Philip led Dr M’Mullen to the taffrail. “The battery commands the harbor,” he explained, “and now that they know who we are there will be no sneaking past them. And, of course, we have to get you to Gideon's Bay.” He paused, but Dr M’Mullen did not take the opportunity to observe that perhaps he didn’t need to get to Gideon’s Bay just yet, far less to observe that Philip should land seamen and marines and take the fort from behind, then burn, sink, take, or destroy all of the shipping in the harbor. Philip sighed. “Mr Horrace,” he said to the gunner, whose watch it was, “once the service is done we will up anchor and lay in a course for Gideon’s Bay.”

Simkin mounted the quarterdeck, flipping through the General Printed Instructions for the funeral service. “Here, sir,” he said.

Captain Fitton took the book from his servant and nodded, saw that the crew was assembled, and pressed his hat more firmly onto his head. He read the service - it mingled strangely with that occurring on the Chasseur, just to windward, and took off his hat as the dead mens’ mess mates lifted the hatch cover, three times, sending the bodies into the water one at a time. The Captain placed his hat back on his head and turned away to wipe a tear from his eye. He glanced over at the Chasseur and saw that they were done (only one splash followed their service). “Mr Horrace, up anchor. Mr Wilkins, signal Chasseur to follow.”

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GLOSSARY