Ramage and the Renegades (r-1) by Dudley Pope

Author:Dudley Pope [Pope, Dudley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adv_history, adv_maritime

CHAPTER TWELVE

Ramage sat in his chair behind his desk, not because he needed the desk in front of him but because his cabin was crowded with the four privateersmen, Aitken and Southwick. Aitken had hurried in to give a quick explanation of why he was bringing the privateersmen down and a couple of minutes later had led them in, Southwick following presumably because he realized something strange was happening.

'Strange' was the appropriate word. For the moment the privateersmen were settling themselves down with the leader, the Englishman calling himself Hart, sitting in what was usually regarded as Southwick's armchair and his three companions taking up the settee. Southwick stood one side of the door and Aitken the other, both stooped because there was not enough room to stand upright under the deck beams.

This is the first time I have taken my ship to a foreign island in peacetime, Ramage reflected, and I meet a situation more perplexing than any I met in the war. Perplexing because more than a hundred and fifty innocent lives are at stake: people I have never seen; men and women passengers, officers, petty officers and seamen from five merchant ships: Dutch, French and British. What did this fellow Hart want or intend? Well, the privateersmen seemed to be waiting for him to start the proceedings.

'Well, Mr Hart, my first lieutenant tells me you command the Lynx privateer, and you claim that the merchant ships anchored here are your prizes.'

'Correct, except for the "claim". I'm not "claiming"; they are.'

Ramage nodded, as if accepting the point, but he said quietly, as though mentioning it apologetically: 'Britain and France have signed a treaty: Britain is now at peace with France, Spain and the Netherlands. Can you take prizes in time of peace?'

'We can,' Hart said bluntly. 'We have.'

Again Ramage nodded. 'The two British, two French and one Dutch ships I see at anchor here?'

'Those very ones. And probably another two or three within a week: our sister ship is still at sea.'

'Yes, it must be quite easy taking prizes now,' Ramage said. 'No one expecting trouble: guns not loaded - in fact I expect many merchant ships will have landed their guns.'

'They will, they will,' Hart said confidently.

'What do you propose doing with your prizes?'

At that moment the black spoke to Hart in rapid Spanish, demanding to know what was being discussed. Ramage was surprised at the words the man chose. He was careful to keep the tone of voice suitable for a seaman who was probably a bodyguard, but the actual words in Spanish were those an officer would use to a seaman. Clearly neither Hart nor the black had the slightest idea that Ramage spoke Spanish. The only trouble was that Ramage's Spanish and accent were Castilian, while the black spoke the crude and heavily-accented Spanish of the New World; almost as hard to understand as the Creole spoken by blacks in the French islands.

'What are you telling this man?' the black was asking.

'Just that the ships are our prizes, Tomás.

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