Lord Hornblower by by C. S. Forester

Author:by C. S. Forester [Forester, C. S.]
Format: epub
Tags: War stories, Historical fiction, Action & Adventure, Hornblower; Horatio (Fictitious character), Fiction, Napoleonic Wars; 1800-1815, Great Britain, Sea stories, Historical, War & Military, Napoleonic Wars; 1800-1815 - Fiction, Hornblower; Horatio (Fictitious character) - Fiction, Great Britain - History; Naval - 19th century - Fiction
ISBN: 9780316289436
Publisher: Boston : Little, Brown, [1989]
Published: 1974-11-15T08:00:00+00:00

The discussion lasted a few minutes. It led naturally to the vexed question of an established rate of exchange for British and French currency. But it could not dull the gnawing anxiety about Bush.

"Where the hell's that officer?" said Howard, petulantly pushing back his chair and going out of the room. He was back almost immediately.

"Mr. Livingstone, sir," he said. "Third ofCamilla ."

A middle-aged lieutenant, steady and reliable enough to outward appearance; Hornblower looked him over carefully as he came into the room.

"Make your report, please."

"We went up the river without incident, sir.Flame 's boat went aground but was refloated directly. We could see the lights of Caudebec before we were challenged from the bank — we were just rounding the bend, then. Cap'n Bush's longboat was leading, sir."

"Where was your boat?"

"Last in the line, sir. We went on without replying, as our orders said. I could see two barges anchored in midstream, an' clusters of others against the bank. I put the tiller over and ran beside the one farthest downstream, as my orders said, sir. There was a lot of musketry fire higher up, but only a few Frenchies where we were, an' we chased 'em away. On the bank where we were there were two twenty-four-pounders on travelling carriages. I had 'em spiked, and then we levered them off the bank into the river. One fell onto the barge underneath an' went through it, sir. It sank alongside my launch, deck just level with the water; just before the turn of the tide, that was. Don't know what she carried, sir, but I think she was light, judging by the height she rode out of the water when I boarded her. Her hatches were open."

"Yes?"

"Then I led my party along the bank as ordered, sir. There was a lot of shot there, just landed from the next barge. The barge was only half unloaded. So I left a party to scuttle the barge and roll the shot into the river, an' went on myself with about fifteen men, sir.Flame 's boat's crew was there, an' the party they were fighting against ran away when we came on their flank. There were guns on shore and guns still in the barges, sir. We spiked 'em all, threw the ones that had been landed into the river, and scuttled the barges. There was no powder, sir. My orders were to blow the trunnions off the guns if I could, but I couldn't."

"I understand."

Guns spiked and pitched into the slime at the bottom of a rapid tidal river would be out of action for some time, even though it would have been better to blow off their trunnions and disable them permanently. And the shot at the bottom of the river would be difficult to recover. Horablower could picture so well in his mind the fierce and bloody little struggle in the dark on the river bank.

"Just then we heard drums beating, sir, and a whole lot of soldiers came bearing down on us.

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