"Well, just damn my eyes!" Lewrie barked, too loudly, drawing the attention of every spectator now filling the benches in the court room. "Gone to Portugal, in this weather? They'll be lucky do they not drown… or get taken by a French man-o'-war. Humph! Couldn't happen to a worse set o' people. The wife, excepted… perhaps."

"Aye, that would have been a mortal pity," Mr. MacDougall said with a bemused nod. "It seems… '' MacDougall added, drawing Lewrie towards the far wall of the richly panelled court room, near the mystifying covered easel, "that Hugh Beauman was made aware that, should his barrister, Sir George Norman, put him, or any of his witnesses, in the box to testify, they would lay themselves open to some extremely serious charges. Then, once I presented my case in refutation of all their lies… with all your officers and men, and your Black sailors to prove them liars… well, t'would be a genuine wonder did Beauman and his people not wind up in gaol awaiting their own trials. A risk that Mister Hugh Beauman evidently would not take."

"His attorney, Sir George, might've told him?" Lewrie asked.

"No… I rather doubt that, Captain Lewrie," MacDougall said as he tapped the side of his nose sagely, and tipped Lewrie a broad wink, lowering his voice even further. "Sir George Norman is, ah… still not cognisant of the flight of his principals. Though I'm certain all shall become plain to him soon enough, haw haw! And, given the fact that it is not customary for principals to place more than a retainer fee with the solicitor who engages a barrister, with the balance due after the completion of a barrister's duties…"

"Beauman left a huge debt when he scampered?" Lewrie gawped in delight, trying to keep his own voice down. "Sir George can't touch him in Portugal! Why, there's thousands owing!"