As he spoke, four bells of the afternoon watch chimed overhead, and Bolitho guessed he had been waiting for the exact moment of entry.

'Very well, Mr. Quarme. I am ready.' He pulled his uniform coat from a chair back and readjusted his neckcloth. 'I have completed reading the log, you may take it with you.'

Quarme said nothing. Instead he looked at the old sword which hung on the polished bulkhead. It had almost been Allday's first action to hang it there, and as Bolitho followed Quarme's stare he thought of his father and his father before him. Even in the sunlight it looked tarnished and old. But he knew that if he had brought nothing else from Falmouth but that sword it would have been worth more to him than all the rest of his possessions.

He half expected Quarme to comment. As Herrick would have done. He shook himself angrily. It was useless to continue with these pointless comparisons.

He said coldly, 'Lead the way if you please.'

Since his first-ever command, that of the tiny sloop Sparrow, Bolitho had alwaysmade a point of meeting his officers informally on the first possible moment. Now as he followed Quarme out on to the quarterdeck and down a wide ladder to the maindeck he found himself wondering about his new subordinates. He could never rid himself of the feeling of nervousness, although time and time again he bad told himself that it was their part to be the more apprehensive.

The wardroom was directly beneath his own cabin, with the same set of wide wmdows across the stem. But the sides were lined with tiny cabins, and the corners jammed with sea-chests and the litter of personal equipment. Two of the ship's upper battery of twelve-pounders were also present, and Bolitho was briefly gratified that unlike the wardroom his own cabin would be spared the chaos and damage when the ship cleared for action.

The wardroom was crowded with standing figures, for apart from the five lieutenants and marine officers Bolitho had made sure that the midshipmen and senior warrant officers were also present. These latter were the true link be