Patrick O'Brian - H.M.S. Surprise

Banquets, receptions, a ball that he had to decline, because that was the day they buried Bowes; and it was a week before he ever saw Canning in private, He was sitting at his desk in his cabin with his injured foot in a bucket of warm oil of sesame, writing to Sophie ‘the sword of honour they have presented me with is a very handsome thing, in the Indian taste, I believe, with a most flattering inscription; indeed, if kind words were ha’pence, I should he a nabob, and oh sweetheart a married nabob. The Company, the Parsec merchants and the insurers have made up a splendid purse for the men, that I am to distribute; but in their delicacy - ‘ when Canning was announced.

‘Beg him to step below,’ he said, placing a whale’s tooth upon his letter, against the fetid Hooghly breeze. ‘Mr Canning, a good morning to you, sir: pray sit down. Forgive me for receiving you in this informal way, but Maturin will flay me if I rise up from my oil without leave.’

Civil inquiries for the foot - vastly better, I thank you -and Canning said, ‘I have just pulled round the ship, and upon my word I do not know how you ever brought her in. I absolutely counted forty-​seven great shot between what was left of your cutwater and the stump of the larboard cathead, and even more on the starboard bow. Just how did the Marengo lay?’

Few landsmen would have had more than the briefest general account, but Canning had been to sea; he owned privateers and he had fought one of them in a spirited little action. Jack told him just how the Marengo lay; and led on by Canning’s close, intelligent participation in every move, every shift of wind, he also told him how the SŽmillante and Belle Poule had lain, and how the gallant Berceau had tried to lay, drawing diagrams in oil of sesame on the table-​top.

‘Well,’ said Canning with a sigh, ‘I honour you, I am sure: it was the completest thing. I would have given my right hand to be there . . . but then I have never been a lucky man, except perhaps in trade. Lord, lord, how I wish I were a sailor, and a great way from land.’ He looked down-​spirited and old; but reviving he said, ‘It was the completest thing - the Nelson touch.’

‘Ah no, sir, no,’ cried Jack. ‘There you mistake it. Nelson would have had Marengo. There was a moment when I almost thought we might. If that noble fellow McKay in Royal George could only have brought up the rear a little faster, or if Linois had lingered but a minute to thump us again, the van would have been up, and we had him between two fires. But it was not to be. It was only a little brush, after all - another indecisive action; and I dare say he is refitting in Batavia at this moment.’

Canning shook his head, smiling. ‘It was not altogether unsuccessful, however,’ he said. ‘A fleet worth six million of money has been saved; and the country, to say nothing of the Company, would have been in a strange position if it had been lost. And that brings me to the purpose of my visit. I am come at the desire of my associates to find out, with the utmost tact and delicacy, how they may express their sense of your achievement in something more - shall I say tangible? - than addresses, mountains of pilau, and indifferent burgundy. Something perhaps more negotiable, as we say in the City. I trust I do not offend you, sir?’

‘Not in the least, sir,’ said Jack.

‘Well now, seeing that anything resembling a direct gratification is out of the question with a gentleman of your kind -,

‘Where, where do you get these wild romantic notions?’ thought Jack, looking wistfully into his face.- some members suggested a service of plate, or Suraj-​ud-​Dowlah’s gold-​mounted palanquin. But I put it to them, that a service of plate on the scale they suggested would take a year or so to reach your table, that to my personal knowledge you were already magnificently supplied with silver [Jack possessed six plates, at present in pawn], and that a palanquin, however magnificent, was of little use to a sea-​officer; and it occurred to me that freight was the answer to our problem. Am I too gross, speaking with this freedom?’

‘Oh no, no,’ cried Jack. ‘Use no ceremony, I beg.’ But he was puzzled: freight-​money, that charming unlooked-​for, unlaborious, almost unearned shower of gold, fell only on those fortunate captains of men-​of-​war who carried treasure for Government or for the owners of bullion or specie who did not choose to trust their concentrated wealth to any conveyance less sure; it amounted to two or three per cent of the value carried, and very welcome it was. Although it was far rarer than prize-​money (the sea-​officer’s only other road to a decent competence) it was surer; it had no possible legal difficulties attached, and no man had to risk his ship, his life or his career in getting it. Like every other sailor, Jack knew all about freight-​money, but none had ever come his way: he felt a glowing benevolence towards Canning. Yet still he was in a state of doubt: bullion travelled out to India, not back to England; the Company’s wealth sailed home in the form of tea and muslin, Cashmere shawls . . . He had never heard of bullion homeward-​bound.

‘You may be aware that the Lushington was carrying Borneo rubies, one of our shipments of gems,’ said Canning. ‘And we have a consignment of Tinnevelly pearls as well as two parcels of sapphires. The whole amounts to no great value, I fear, not even quarter of a million; but it takes no room, either - you would not be incommoded. May I hope to persuade you to convey it, sir?’

‘I believe you may, sir,’ said Jack, ‘and I am exceedingly obliged to you for the, hey, delicate, gentlemanlike way this offer has been made.’

‘You must not thank me, my dear Aubrey: there is not the least personal obligation I am only the mouthpiece of the Company. How I wish I could be of some direct service. If there is any way in which I can be of use, I should be most happy - would it, for example, be of any interest to you to send a message to England? If you were to put a few thousand into Bohea and mohair futures, you might well clear thirty per cent before you were home. Some cousins and I keep up an overland mail, and the courier is on the wing He goes by way of Suez’

‘Mohair futures,’ said Jack, in a wondering voice ‘I should be tolerably at sea, there, I am afraid But I tell you what it is, Canning, I should be infinitely obliged if your man would take me a private letter. You shall have it in ten minutes - how kind, how very kind’

He turned Canning over to Pullings for a thorough tour of the ship, with a particular recommendation that he should view the stringers abaft the manger, and the state of the bitts, and resumed his letter.

Sophie dear, here is the prettiest thing in the world

- John Company is stuffing the ship with treasure -you and I are to get freight, as we say - shall explain it to you later: very like prize, but the men don’t share, nor the Admiral neither, this time, since I am under Admiralty orders, is not that charming? No vast great thumping sum, but it will clear me of debt and set us up in a neat cottage with an acre or two. So you are hereby required and directed to proceed to Madeira forthwith and here is a note for Heneage Dundas who will be delighted to give you a passage in Ethalion if he is still on the packet-​run or to find one of our friends bound there if he is not. Lose not a moment: you may knit your wedding-​dress aboard. In great haste, and with far greater love, Jack.

PS Stephen is very well. We had a brush with Linois.

Old Heneage,

As you love me, give Sophie a passage to Madeira. Or if you cannot, stir up Clowes, Seymour, Rieu -any of our reliable, sober friends. And if you can ship a respectable woman as, say boatswain’s servant, you would infinitely oblige