Ramage's Devil (42 page)

He suddenly shook his head, apparently startled that he should have been confiding in not only a foreigner but now, apparently, an enemy.

He said: “Shall we inspect this island first and then go to Diable and St Joseph? Once the sun gets up …”

Once the sun gets up these islands must be among the hottest, most unpleasant and unhealthy in the world, but that was not the reason Ramage shook his head. The general had obviously been speaking the truth about the
déportés,
and when the man rambled off on that brief soliloquy it was because he knew that a new war only prolonged his stay on the islands, where the sun, sea, the fevers and the swamps ensured that the jailer was as much a prisoner as the jailed.

“I accept your word,” Ramage said. “Our boats will start landing the French wounded as soon as I return on board and give the order. Then we will land the French seamen we hold as prisoners, first from
La Robuste
and then from
L'Espoir.
All this under a flag of truce, eh?”

“A flag of truce,” the general echoed. “You are being generous,” he admitted, “since I have nothing to give you in return.”

Ramage was not about to tell him that prisoners were a confounded nuisance in a ship of war. “Very well, then we are agreed.”

“Your name,” the general said. “I read it on the letter. Of course you know it is a French word, too. But I know you by reputation. I can only hope you go back to
La Manche:
my countrymen would not welcome your arrival to Martinique or Guadeloupe …”

Ramage stood up from behind his desk and smiled at Aitken and Wagstaffe. “Very well, then, each frigate is to keep a couple of cables apart by day, and one cable by night, and the rendezvous is Carlisle Bay, Barbados.”

“Thank you, sir,” Aitken said. “Being
L'Espoir
's temporary first lieutenant is going to be good experience for Kenton.”

Southwick, who was staying in the
Calypso
with Ramage, laughed and commented to Wagstaffe: “And young Orsini will learn a lot being your second and third lieutenant!”

Ramage said to Wagstaffe: “Are you happy with just Martin and Orsini? Until we get up to Trinidad the wind can chop about.”

“We'll be all right, sir. Do you think the admiral there will buy ‘em in?”

“Two frigates in good condition with no damage—except for a few nicks from pistol balls in one of them? I should think he'll be only too glad. You'll all be rich men!”

“They haven't done too badly up to now,” Southwick said. “Enough in the Funds to retire as knights of the shire!”

“And you!” Wagstaffe exclaimed. “Since you began serving with Mr Ramage, you've made enough money to buy ten taverns and ten breweries to supply them!”

“I'm not complaining,” Southwick said, and turning to Wagstaffe said seriously: “You could let young Orsini think we shall be depending on his positions.”

Wagstaffe nodded. “I'll let him
think
that, but I expect he'll come along with some workings that put us in the middle of the sugar cane in Demerara!”

As the two lieutenants left the cabin with Southwick, Ramage walked through to the coach, where a Frenchman was busy writing. “Jean-Jacques, we sail in half an hour. Judging by the way that quill is bobbing, you've now recovered enough to tell me what happened when they arrested you in Brest.”

“Yes, yes,” the Frenchman agreed. “But first you must tell me the—how do you say, ‘the butcher's bill'?”

“Yes, and it makes a sad story.
L'Espoir
had 127 officers and men on board when she anchored here last night, and 54
déportés.
The captain and two of the three lieutenants were killed in our attack, and 27 petty officers and seamen. Thirty-three more were wounded.”

“More than half of them killed or wounded,” Jean-Jacques said. “They fought hard.”

Ramage was silent. The French had fought hard, but they knew they were fighting to survive. Most men tried to stay alive. The bravery came when you risked your life just to save others or obey orders. Jean-Jacques looked up at Ramage.

“Because we
déportés
were the cause, I hardly dare ask your casualties: it is like asking a man how many of his family have just been killed.”

“Eight killed and nineteen wounded. Three of the wounded won't see another sunset but the others will be standing a watch before we land you all at Portsmouth.”

“Sarah. You said last night that she was safe and well. I prayed that she would have come to no harm under my roof.”

“Gilbert and Louis …”

“Yes, they obeyed my orders. These other two, Auguste and Albert, tell me about them. I was too excited and too exhausted to understand about a ship called the
Murex
. A British brig, Gilbert said, and Sarah shot the man in command. Tell me,” he said anxiously, “was that not … well, rather drastic?”