'Aye,sir, quartermaster o' the starb'd watch, at the helm.' The man would probablythink it impertinent of him were he to volunteer that, as quartermaster, hewould never have deigned to touch the wheel — that was the job of the helmsman.He had been in overall charge of the helm as a watch-station under theofficer-of-the-watch, and as such was probably the single most valuable witnessto what had really happened that night

Apause and a significant look between Gardiner and the clerk showed that thepoint had in fact been caught. 'As quartermaster?' The voice was now sharplyalert. 'Acting quartermaster, sir.'

'Verywell.' Gardiner stared at him for a while, the grey eyes somewhat cruel. Hismusty wig reeked of law, judgement and penalty. 'Would it be true or untrue tostate that you were in a position to understand the totality of events on thequarterdeck that night?'

Kyddpaused as he unravelled the words. The junior clerk's quill hung motionless inthe dusty air. Kydd knew that any common seaman who found himself afoul of thesystem would be lost in its coils, hopelessly enmeshed in unfathomablecomplication. Renzi, with his logic, would have known how to answer, but he hadbeen asleep below at the time and had not been called as a witness.

Lookingup, Kydd said carefully, 'Sir, the duty of a quartermaster is th' helm, an' heis bound to obey th' officer-o'-the-watch in this, an' stand by him f'r orders.That was L'tenant Rowley, sir.'

Linesdeepened between Gardiner's eyes. 'My meaning seems to have escaped you, Kydd.I will make it plainer. I asked whether or not you would claim to be in aposition to know all that happened.'

Itwas an unfair question, and Kydd suspected he was being offered the option towithdraw gracefully from the hazard of being a key witness open to hostilequestioning from all quarters. He had no idea why.

'Iwas never absent fr'm my place o' duty, sir,' he said quietly.