"That's Lewrie, don't ye know… pile o' 'tin' in the West Indies… the 'Ram-Cat,' he's called, and God pity his poor wife… at Cape Saint Vincent and Camperdown, both, with the medals for 'em… a fight near Cape Town in early spring, took a bigger French frigate… two-hour fight in a blowin' gale, I heard… got his frigate out from the Nore during the Mutiny… oh, in all the papers, and such 'cause he stole Jamaican slaves t'crew his ship… darlin' of the Abolition crowd, and Wilberforce, so please ye! 'Black Alan' Lewrie now, haw-haw… soon t'hang, I heard, God rot 'im! Aye, and Wilberforce, too… demned 'reformers' and 'kill-joys'!"

Lewrie had heard rumours from his new allies in the Society for the Abolition of Slavery in the British Empire, the Reverend William Wilberforce and his coterie, that the Beauman family, already about as fond of him as cold, boiled mutton, had departed Jamaica for England.

Now they'd finally discovered just who it was who stole their dozen prime field hands from one of their many plantations, the one on the shore of Portland Bight (well, sort of, kind of, recruited or received, not stolen exactly!), they were come with vengeance running hot in their spleens to see him tried, convicted, stripped of all of his wealth and property, cashiered from the Royal Navy, then most publicly and satisfyingly carted to Tyburn and hung from a gibbet, to the taunts from the Mob, and the Huzzahs of the Beaumans.

Never should've shot their damned cousin in that duel, Lewrie silently rued, grimly recalling when he'd seconded his old friend Kit Cashman, who'd drilled the youngest Beauman brother, Ledyard, right in the belly, too, who'd taken five agonising days to die after they had scandalously violated the rules of honour with a back-shot, and extra, hidden pistols. Though it was satisfyin'…

Most of the bumboats and boats for hire were scurrying about from vessel to vessel, and for the moment, only two remained tied to the landing, their shabby bundled or furled sails rustling and snapping to the breeze, and frayed rope halliards chattering against their short masts, the blocks clattering and squealing.