“Shove off! Give way all!”

Bolitho shaded his eyes as the boat pulled swiftly around and beneath the tapering jib boom and blue-eyed figurehead.

Tempest was a well-found ship, but as Lakey had said often enough, she was a Company vessel, no matter what flag flew above her taffrail. With thirty-six guns, which included twentyeight twelve-pounders, she was more powerful than any ship he had yet commanded. But she was so heavily built of teak, and her timbers and spars matched accordingly, that she lacked the swift agility expected of a King’s ship in close combat. She had been built to protect heavy Indiamen from pirates and to strike fear into any such island or inlet which might be harbouring them.

Herrick had remarked from the start that if challenged by a real fighting ship they would have to close the range and hold on to it. Any sort of feinting and last-moment manoeuvres were not even to be considered.

On the other hand, even the most doubtful had to agree she was a fine sailer under good conditions. With just her plain sail set, and she carried over seventeen thousand square feet of it, she had been known to log fifteen knots. But Lakey, always down to earth, had said, “Trouble is, you don’t get good conditions when you needs ’em!”

Bolitho made sure his despatches and his own report were safely stowed below the thwart and turned his attention to the Hebrus.

Another castaway. Perhaps events were moving so fast in Europe that they had already been forgotten. Around the world lonely, solitary ships like his and the commodore’s patrolled, and tacked back and forth in complete ignorance of what was happening in the very countries whose decisions shaped their destinies.

“Way ’nough!” Allday swung the tiller, his eyes slitted against the sun until they were covered by the flagship’s great shadow. “Hook on, bowman!”

Bolitho stood up and took a deep breath. He always remembered a captain he had once served. He had caught his legs in his sword as he had come aboard for the first time and had sprawled headlong at the feet of his startled marines.