On the Lee Shore by Philip K Allan

Author:Philip K Allan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penmore Press LLC
Published: 2018-05-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Reunion

The morning after the burial found Clay sharing a pot of coffee once more with his first lieutenant in his great cabin. With all the vagaries of a Brittany spring, the delightful weather of the previous evening had vanished. Through the sweep of glass behind the captain’s back a vast plain of choppy green sea surged about under a low sky of boiling grey cloud. They were together for their regular daily meeting, but for once the smaller concerns of boatswain’s stores and the carpenter’s ongoing complaint at the state of the frigate’s knees had been set to one side. Today they had more pressing matters to address.

‘How are the prisoners this morning?’ asked Clay as he stirred his drink.

‘Mr Corbett holds out little hope that Shane Kenny will pull through, but he believes that Morris Page will survive,’ said Taylor. ‘He is at least a little penitent. The doctor has attended to his wounded hand, although he will never regain the use of several of his fingers.’

‘Macpherson’s sword must be devilish sharp,’ said the Captain. ‘Still, it may serve to remind him of the perils of mutiny. Where is he now?’

‘I have placed him back in the custody of the Master at Arms, sir. He is down in the lock up alongside Sexton. That man shows no remorse at all, and seems quite resigned to his fate. As you instructed I have allowed the other hands involved in the mutiny to resume their duties.’

‘And how has that been?’

‘To be frank, sir, very ill,’ sighed the first lieutenant. ‘The mutiny may be over but it has left the people quite beset by division. When they rose against Captain Sheridan their actions were of course quite wrong, but at least they were of a united purpose. This time was quite different. Force was used to coerce the reluctant. Most messes were split between mutineers and loyal seamen. It has left much resentment and bitterness amongst the crew. The Master at Arms can barely keep up with all the disorder and fighting.’

‘Is it the damned mutineers who are causing the trouble?’ demanded Clay. ‘Because they should regard themselves as very lucky I have not had them all clapped in irons for what they have done.’

‘Not for the most part, no’ explained Taylor. ‘To be sure there has been a little of that, with those who mutinied naming those that did not cowards and traitors. But chiefly it is the men that stayed loyal who are at fault. They look to pay back those who forced them at gun point to spend an uncomfortable night in the hold. Then some blame the Irish, who were very prominent in the mutiny, and yet ignore all those Irish hands who did not join their compatriots. Even the volunteers who followed you aboard when you first took command are not immune from some resentment. Adam Trevan took a great deal of persuasion that when Sean O’Malley joined the mutineers it was all a ruse, and that he was loyal the whole time.

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