13 The Thirteen-Gun Salute by Patrick O'Brian

Author:Patrick O'Brian [O'Brian, Patrick]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Retail
ISBN: 9780007429394
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

It was quite true: within two days of being immersed in eastern ways, climate, food, languages, faces, expressions, and forms of civility Fox was a different man, a more agreeable one.

While the Diane was refilling all her water-casks except for half a dozen in the ground-tier at Anjer, and taking in wood, stores, livestock, arrack and tobacco, together with river-water to wash the salt out of their harsh and rasping clothes at last, he took Jack and Stephen to Buitenzorg, the country residence, and presented them to the Governor, Stamford Raffles.

Fox was proud of Raffles, and understandably so; he was a singularly accomplished and amiable man, and they both found their opinion of Fox change when they saw how the Governor valued him. Raffles at once invited them to stay, lamented the numerous dinner-party to which they were necessarily condemned that afternoon, but promised that they should sup in private; and perhaps between the two meals Dr Maturin might like to see a little of his garden and his collections. ‘For if I do not mistake, sir, you are the gentleman to whom we owe Testudo aubreii. And, good Heavens, now I come to reflect, perhaps the Captain is that glorious reptile’s godfather? What a delight to have two such famous names under our roof at the same time! Olivia, my dear …’ But before Mrs Raffles could be made aware of her happiness urgent official messages came in, requiring the Governor’s attention before dinner, and the visitors were taken to their rooms.

The dinner was indeed a very grand affair, the guests seated with exact regard to precedence, for the Javanese and Malays, of whom there were several present, were even more particular about rank than the Europeans. The Sultan of Suakarta was on the Governor’s right, then came two major-generals, then Jack, the senior naval officer present, and a long way farther down Stephen sat between the captain of a recently-arrived East Indiaman and a civil servant. Fox was at the other end, on Mrs Raffles’ right. Stephen’s neighbours had been talking eagerly as they came in, and now, as they sat down, the civil servant on Stephen’s right said to him, ‘I was just telling my cousin here that he must not worry about the news from London. These things are always exaggerated by distance, do you not agree, sir?’

‘Certainly truth is hard to come by, near or far,’ said Stephen. ‘But what is the gentleman not to worry about? Is it said that London is burnt again, or the plague broken out? And surely he would have noticed these things before leaving – he would have brought the news himself.’

‘Why, sir,’ said the sailor, ‘the people here are all talking about the great losses on the Stock Exchange, the Funds falling to pieces and banks breaking right, left and centre, particularly country banks. It is all since I left Blackwall.’

‘It may seem curious to you, Doctor,’ said the civil servant, ‘that we should have had the

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