"Summon Captain Aubrey, summon Captain Aubrey." A series of shouts rang out, weak and dull at first, coming from the main deck in the direction of the stern of the flagship, and then became louder and clearer, floating Approaching the rear deck, he floated along the gangplank to the forecastle.On the starboard side of the forecastle, Captain Aubrey stood beside his thirty-two-pounder carronade, gazing at the purple galley of the King of Morocco.The battleship is gradually leaving Jiampo Fortress, and the huge gray-brown Gibraltar Rock stands tall behind the fortress.At this time, Mr. Black was explaining to him the new gun mount he had invented.It would double the rate of fire of a short gun without fear of tipping over, and with complete accuracy, virtually ending all warfare.Mr. Black, who had been a midshipman under Aubrey, had grown into a tall, stocky captain, almost as strong as his predecessor.

Only an admiral may "subpoena" a captain.Jack Aubrey had been apprehensive about the summons ever since the Caledonian came into harbor shortly after dawn.Within a few minutes of being summoned, he had to tell the commander-in-chief why his orders had not been obeyed.The frigate "Surprise" under the command of Aubrey, although small in tonnage and old, sailed very lightly. It was going to sail from Malta back to England, and then be idled, or sold, or even sent to the demolition yard.The commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, Admiral Sir Francis Ives, after learning about the itinerary of the "Surprise", ordered Aubrey to go to Zambra on the Barbary Coast to lobby the local ruler—Mr. Governor of Scala.By then the Governor had shown a tendency to conspire with the French, and he had threatened hostilities unless he was paid a large sum of money.The Commander-in-Chief's order was: If the Governor-General was really hard to persuade, then Aubrey must bring the British Consul to the warship, and at the same time tell the Governor-General that if he carried out any threat, all ships flying the Mascara flag would be killed. Seized, burned, sunk, or otherwise destroyed, all the Governor's ports will also be blocked.Aubrey must sail with the Pollux. The Pollux, a longer-serving sixty-gun ship, was also preparing to return to England, with Rear Admiral Hart on board.However, Aubrey had to undertake the mission of dealing with the governor alone, and after the mission was completed, he had to go to Gibraltar to report to the commander-in-chief.The task seemed to him to be quite straightforward, not least because he had an extremely competent political adviser, his doctor, Dr. Maturin, who had parted from the Pollux on the sea near the mouth of Zambula Bay. At that time, Captain Aubrey was very relieved.Or at least, considering that he has spent the greater part of his life in utterly unreliable peril, during which nothing but the plank stood between him and eternity, as far as was normal for him. Inside, he is still at ease.

But they were betrayed.At some point the enemy learned of the Commander-in-Chief's plan, and a French battleship and two frigates appeared upwind of the Surprise, apparently in collusion with the Mascarans.The Governor's numerous fortresses also opened fire on the Surprise.In the ensuing operation, Aubrey was neither able to hold a conference with the ruler, nor was able to pick up the consul, Mr. Elliott, on board the warship.The French eighty-gun ships attacked the Pollux at close range, blowing her up and killing her entire crew.Although the "Surprise" was able to escape with its superb navigation performance, in fact, Jack Aubrey did not complete the task assigned to him by the commander-in-chief.Of course, he can claim that during the dispatch of the naval battle, he lured a large-tonnage French frigate to the reef and crashed it. made it almost impossible for the enemy ship to re-enter Toulon; yet he had no real proof, and although in his own mind he was satisfied that, materially, the royal The Navy had won rather than lost the encounter, but he was not at all sure that the Commander-in-Chief would feel the same way.In addition, because the head wind delayed his trip from Zambra Bay to Gibraltar to report to the commander-in-chief, and because he was not sure whether the small boats he sent to Malta and Mahon port found the admiral in time, so that the admiral had the opportunity To deal with the injured French warship, so Aubrey has more reason to worry.Sir Francis had always had a fearsome reputation not only for his discipline and Tartar toughness, but also for his indifference to ruining the careers of subordinates who made mistakes.It was also known that Sir Francis, more than any other Commander-in-Chief, desired victory, victorious and certain.Such a victory would please not only the public but also the current cabinet, which is a valid source of honor.From this point of view, Jack was not sure what he would think of Operation Zambra. "Anyway, I'll find out in a few minutes," he thought, as he hurriedly followed a nervous, soft-spoken ensign cadet toward the stern, keeping an eye on his best white Tights and silk stockings, so as not to touch the buckets of pitch coming up the bow.

But he was wrong, the person who summoned him was the adjutant of the fleet, another general on the flagship.The admiral was stuck in his cabin with a recent outbreak of influenza, but he wanted to tell Jack that his wife had also bought a house not far from Ash Park Farm, and that she wanted to make Mrs. Aubrey's acquaintance.The Adjutant Admiral added that the children of both families were about the same age; and then, as the fathers were both far from home, and both loved children, they each spoke to the other at great length about their offspring.The fleet adjutant also showed Captain Aubrey the birthday letter from his daughter, which had been received two months ago.He also produced a small, ugly, rat-eaten pen holder, which his oldest child had independently made.

Meanwhile, the Commander-in-Chief himself was busy with the remaining paperwork, which he had been working on since sunrise. "This letter is in reply to Captain Lewis, and the stupid things he said about the investigation." He said: "Your Excellency, you have been determined to take advantage of this flu to get the Gloucester back in port. For Your letter has done nothing to change my mind on the matter. The most serious charge against you is that you treated Dr. Harrington savagely and roughly on the quarterdeck of the Gloucester. You Your actions are not befitting of the qualities expected of a commander of the Gloucester. You are especially to blame for your misconduct, which has left the sailors of the Royal Fleet under your command in a state of discouragement. If you use the method used in the letter to continue to seek investigation, then the investigation will definitely come before you are aware of it. I am, Your Excellency, your most obedient servant. Damn rascal, you still want to intimidate me." Yes Neither of the two clerks responded to this last sentence. They just flicked their quills quickly, one of them was copying out the previous letter, and the other was drafting the current letter.However, the other two people living in the big cabin, Mr. Arlow, the secretary of the admiral, and Mr. Pocock, the political adviser to the admiral, both responded to the admiral's words with "tsk tsk tsk".

"To Captain Bates," said Sir Francis, no sooner had the creak of a pen ceased, "your lord, in view of the great disorder aboard the HM in your command, I order you and all your officers to Not allowed to go ashore for so-called entertainment. I am, Your Excellency, blah blah blah.” A memo followed: “There is reason to believe that some women secretly boarded certain warships from This is especially true of warships coming to the Mediterranean this year. The admiral asked the corresponding captains of the warships to warn these ladies not to waste fresh water or do other things that disturbed order; From the deck-water-place, or otherwise, by fraudulent means, all women in the fleet who embark without the permission of the Admiralty or the Commander-in-Chief shall be immediately repatriated to England. The Admiral strictly instructs the officers, Watch their actions vigilantly to ensure that the waste of fresh water and the improper consumption of fresh water will not occur in the future." He turned to another clerk who was ready, "To the corresponding captains of the warships: Admiral has Noted that certain officers behaved indiscreetly at certain times while on board the quarterdeck of the Caledonia, and at certain times when receiving orders from superior officers; the Admiral also noted that they did not take off their caps, some of whom did not even touch them with their hands. The admiral's definite orders were that from now on any officer who should again forget this fundamental duty of respect and obedience would be publicly warned; and he Expect the officers of the Caledonian to set an example by taking off their caps instead of touching them." He commented to Mr Pocock that "most of the young men who come up now People are indiscreet and pompous, and I hope to revive our old traditions." Then he went on to dictate, "To the captains of the warships: The Commander-in-Chief noticed that some of the fleet officers who came ashore, in colorful Dressing like shopkeepers, and certain others in uniform with bowler hats, is in complete contravention of the recent orders of the honorable commissioners of the Admiralty. It is a salutary and necessary provision of this Article, that persons shall be arrested and reported to the Commander-in-Chief, and, whatever the verdict of the court-martial, such persons shall never be allowed under the command of Sir Francis Ives. Go ashore."

As the pens flicked, he picked up a letter and said to Mr. Pocock: "J.S. has begged me to intercede with the 'faithful bird' again. I find it strange that I think such Requests can only lead to bad results. I said I was surprised: for there can be no doubt that, with such a noble mind and such unparalleled ambitions, a knighthood is simply unworthy of him." Mr. Pocock tried to answer, but was embarrassed.This was mainly because he knew that the clerks were listening attentively, though they were busy writing; and it was also because it was well known in the fleet that Sir Francis had longed to be a Lord as a means of reconciling himself with His brothers contended for supremacy, and for this purpose he had fought with the utmost zeal for the command of the Mediterranean Fleet, as the most likely means to that end. "Perhaps . . . " began Mr. Pocock when he was interrupted by a savage screech from a trumpet near by.He went up to the sternstand and said, "By God, the king's envoys are on their way."

"God curse him and destroy him," cried the Admiral, looking angrily at the clock. "Let him go... No, we must not offend the Moors. I have no time to see Aubrey. Please tell me, M. He, please help me find some excuse, be polite, ask him to lunch, and let him bring Dr. Maturin; if he is not convenient to come to lunch, let them come tomorrow morning." It was indeed inconvenient for Aubrey to come to lunch.Despite his infinite worries, he could not have lunch with the Commander-in-Chief today; he already had another appointment, with a lady.When Jack started to explain the situation to Mr. Arlow, the adjutant of the fleet raised his eyebrows and disappeared into the nightcap. After Jack finished explaining, the adjutant's eyebrows returned to their original positions.In a naval environment, Jack's reason for turning down lunch was the only proper reason if one wanted to avoid being seen as an evil, arrogant, disaffected, rebellious, mutinous dog.Said the adjutant admiral, "I'd like to ask a lady to lunch too. I haven't seen a lady since Malta, except the sail-master's wife, even though I'm on a major-admiral's salary; for this Damn the flu, and because I must lead by example, I reckon I won't see any ladies until I drop anchor at Grand Harbor. Aubrey, it's a great pleasure to have ladies' legs under the table."

In principle Aubrey fully agreed with the Adjutant of the Fleet.On land he had a passion for women--in fact, it had nearly ruined his career before--and he was very fond of women's legs under the dinner table, too.But when it came to this particular pair of legs (an extremely beautiful pair of legs) and this particular lunch, he was far from light-hearted.In fact, all kinds of worries had filled his mind today, leaving little room for the usual joy.He had given this lady, Laura Fielding, a ride from Faretta to Gibraltar.Under normal circumstances, it was perfectly normal to drive a colleague's wife from one port to another.But this time the situation is far from normal.Mrs. Fielding, a crimson-haired Italian lady, appeared on board the warship in a midnight rain, under the protection of Stephen Maturin, without any luggage.Regarding her situation, Maturin did not provide any explanation. Maturin only said that he had granted her permission to take a flight to Gibraltar in the name of Captain Aubrey.Jack knew so well that his close friend Maturin was deeply involved in naval and political intelligence that he asked nothing, but accepted the situation as an inevitable nuisance.This time, however, it turned out to be no small nuisance.This is because gossip entangled the names of Jack and Laura, while Laura's husband was still a prisoner of war in the hands of the French.But in this case the gossip was groundless, because, while at some point Jack was more than willing to let the gossip become reality, Laura was not.Still, the rumors reached the Adriatic, and there the husband, Lieutenant Charles Fielding, who had just escaped, heard them aboard the HMS Nymph; Believe it right away.So he followed the "Surprise" to Gibraltar, and just disembarked from the "Hecla" last night.Upon hearing the news, Jack immediately sent the couple an invitation to lunch the next day; but although Laura accepted the invitation and sent a friendly text, he was not at all sure that at two Whether there will be particularly embarrassing scenes.It was half past two when he entertained the two guests at the Rhett Hotel.

Near noon, he sent the barge back to the Surprise after landing on the tattered stakes.Unnecessarily, he once again ordered the sailors to repeat the requirements of the sailors who came to help at lunch in terms of dress, cleanliness, and sophistication; this is because, although the navy usually only eats bacon and dry bread, But their way of eating is still very ostentatious. There must be a servant behind every officer and guest, and few restaurants can compare with it.Then, seeing that the promenade was almost deserted, he walked towards the Alameda Gardens, thinking of taking a seat under the dragon's blood tree; he decided not to go back to his warship now, not only because , knowing that it was destined to be decommissioned, it was very painful to see it again, and also because, although he had tried his best to keep it a secret, the news of the imminent decommissioning of the "Surprise" still spread on the ship.Sadness also pervaded the news that the Navy's familiar happy place, the "Marvel", had now become a depressing place.This close-knit group of more than 200 people is about to fall apart, and the more he thinks about it, the more regrettable and wasteful it becomes.The ship carried a contingent of privates of his own choosing, many of whom had sailed with him for many years.Many people, such as his boatman, his steward, and four of the bargemen, have been with him since he first commanded a warship, and they have long been accustomed to each other and their superior officers.Punishments were rare in this ship, and discipline was never required to be enforced, for it always came naturally; and in gunnery and seamanship he had never seen a team equal to them, and now this The invaluable one thousand troops will be scattered among twenty or so warships, and the officers will even drift ashore and lose their appointments.All this is simply because the 500-ton, 28-gun "Surprise" is too small for modern requirements as a frigate.Instead of increasing the number of troops and completely relocating to a larger warship, such as the 1,000-ton, 32-gun "Blackwater" once promised to Jack, the entire team will be divided into various groups. At the same time, the promise of warships, like many other promises, was ultimately not fulfilled.The influential Captain Irby gets the Blackwater, while Jack is not sure he will have another ship in command, while his own private affairs are in terrible disarray He was not sure of anything but half a guinea a day and a mountain of debts.With his skill in navigation and astronomy, he could not be sure how high that mountain of debt was, for Jack's debt involved several lawyers, each of whom had an opinion on the case, or rather on each case, All have different opinions.Jack's thoughts were interrupted by a cough and a timid "Captain Aubrey, sir. Hello."He raised his head and saw a tall, thin man in his thirties or forties, taking off his hat to greet him.The man was wearing a battered cadet uniform, the white armbands yellowed in the sun. "You don't remember me, sir. My name is Hou Long, and I had the honor of serving on board the 'Livery' under your command."

Of course Jack remembered.Jack had been acting captain of the "Livery" for a few months at the beginning of the war, and in the first few days of his tenure he had seen a cadet who was not very able or active, That's exactly what it's called.This person is a qualified candidate, and his rank is assistant to the navigation officer.Jack saw him only a few times, because Hou Long then fell ill and was transferred to the hospital frigate.On the warship, he dined with the cadet teacher, another older passing cadet, and the gray-haired captain's clerk, so as to distance himself from the usual din of teenage cadets.Except perhaps those three people, no one on the "Livery" felt sorry for Hou Long's departure.Jack didn't remember any weakness in Hou Long, but he didn't remember any obvious strengths either; he was one of those cadets who didn't make much progress in their professions, and had no obvious skills in sailing, gunnery, or navigation. He has no enthusiasm for dealing with others, and he is the kind of cadet that captains are willing to send away.Long before Jack had met him, a good-natured Admiralty committee had approved Hou Long's appointment as captain, but the appointment itself had never come.This often happens to a candidate who has no special talents and no guardian or family to speak for him.But after a few years, most of the unlucky cadets turned around. If their math and navigation skills were good enough, they would apply for a letter of commission as a navigation officer, otherwise they would simply leave the Navy. Many other candidates, like him, continued to hold out hope and put it off until it was impossible to change course.Thus they became permanent cadets, permanent young non-commissioned officers.If they could find a captain willing to take them on his quarter-deck, their salary would be thirty pounds a year; otherwise, as cadets were not paid half-pay, they would get nothing at all.Perhaps in the entire navy, their situation is the most unenviable.Jack pitied them extremely for this, but he hardened his heart nonetheless, and was ready to decline the request that Holon would surely make—it was impossible for a man of forty to fit into his ranks of candidates.Besides, Hou Long is obviously a bad luck man, which will bring bad luck to the warship, and the sailors of the warship are usually a bunch of extremely superstitious people. They will treat him hostilely and perhaps treat him contemptuously, which means that There will be a new wave of resentful punishment and hatred. From what Hou Long said, it can be clearly seen that he himself has found that more and more captains hold the same opinion as Jack.His last ship, the Levitan, had been decommissioned seven months ago, and he had come to Gibraltar hoping to find a vacancy left by the dead, or to find one of his former commanders, who happened to need experience Assistant Navigator.But neither of them showed up, and Hou Long is now desperate. "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid it's unlikely I'll find you a place on the quarterdeck," said Jack. "Besides, there's no point in doing it anyway, because the warship will be decommissioned in a few weeks." "Even a few weeks is fine, my lord," cried Hou Long, with a terrible lightness on his face, and then, as if grasping at a straw, he added, "If you can make me a second-class Sailor, I am also willing to be an ordinary sailor, Your Excellency." "No, no, Hou Long, this won't work." Jack shook his head and said. "Here's a five-pound note, if you'll need it, and you'll give it back to me next time you win the boat-capture prize." "You are very kind, Your Excellency." Hou Long said, drawing his hands behind his back, "but I don't..." He never spoke the second half of the sentence; his face still maintained a certain unnaturally lively expression , twitching oddly.Jack was afraid that he would burst into tears. "Anyway, I appreciate your taking the trouble to help. Goodbye, Your Excellency." Hou Long walked away, his gait looking stiff and unnatural. "Damn, damn," thought Jack, "this is bloody blackmail." Then he called out, "Mr. Hollon, Mr. Hollon, hello." He wrote a few lines in his notebook, tore off a page, He also said, "Give this to the officer on duty when you report to the 'Long Qi' before noon." A hundred yards further on, Jack met Captain Sutton of the Namur, Billy Sutton.They had been cadets together on the HMS Rize Luckin, and they have been good friends ever since. "God, Billy," Jack cried, "I never thought I'd meet you here—why didn't I see the Namur come in, and where is she now?" "The poor old fellow is blockading the port of Toulon, and Ponsonby looks after it for me. I was re-elected at the by-election, filling Rye's vacancy. Storford sent me in his pleasure-boat go back." Jack congratulated him.After the two chatted for a while about the council, the cruise ship, and the acting captain, Sutton said, "You look very depressed, Jack, like a mother cat who just lost her kitten." "Probably I'm really in a bad mood. You know, the 'Surprise' was ordered to go home, laid up, or dismantled. I've been wretched for weeks, getting ready to go home again, Got to deal with batch after batch of people who want to hitchhike. Some want to hitchhike themselves, some come to intercede for family and friends. Less than five minutes ago, I completely violated my principles and did something very stupid The thing about it: I took in a middle-aged navigator's assistant just because he looked so thin and poor. I was stupid, sentimental, and indulgent. It didn't do him any good in the end; he wouldn't appreciate me , won't be of much use to me, he'll just ruin my cadets and mess up my team. Jonah is written all over his face. Thank goodness the Caledonian is finally in Just hand in the report and I'll be off as soon as my yacht comes back from Port Mahon before anyone else gets on board. My best men were taken away, one dirty trick after another. So far I can barely resist; after all, the warship may go into combat before it reaches the English Channel, and I want it for I am honoring myself; but even so..." "That thing about Zambula Bay, that's really bad, Jack," said Sutton.He didn't listen to a word Jack said. "Yeah, it's really bad." Jack shook his head and said after a while, Jack asked again, "So you know everything?" "Of course I know all about it. The yacht you sent found the lieutenant general in Port Mahon, and he immediately sent the 'Araclite' to find the admiral in the sea near Toulon." "If only he could find the Admiral in time. With a little luck, the Admiral should be able to eat the big French frigate. Billy, you know, there's a conspiracy going on here. We'll drive the frigate straight into the trap gone." "Everybody's saying that. There's a supply ship coming back from Faretta and they say there's a big commotion there—a high-ranking civil servant smeared his neck, and five or six people shot. But it's second-hand or third-hand information." "No news of my dhow, I guess? As soon as the wind turned and blew into her teeth, I sent my second lieutenant, commanding her to Malta. So want her back soon Gibraltar, there is no hope." "I haven't heard of it. But I know that your yacht was put on board the Berwick, because the Berwick was just coming here to meet the Lord Commander. Up until yesterday morning we had Sailing together. Yesterday morning, the mid-section of the foremast was snapped by the storm. It took everything in order before Bennett dared to face the admiral, so he signaled us to go first, but now the wind is turning. That's it." Sutton glanced toward the high ridge of Gibraltar, and then added: "If he doesn't change his pace, he'll be delayed on the road." "Billy," Jack said, "you know the Admiral a lot better than I do. Is he really that rough?" "It's still very rough." Sutton said, "Have you heard, how did he deal with the cadet who robbed the privateer?" "I haven't heard of it." "Well, the squadron sent a few small boats to inspect a privateer in Gibraltar. They saw that it had all the papers, so they let it pass. There was a cadet on board the 'Cambridge', only ten Six years old, with long hair, tall and tall, he also likes to hang out with sailors. After a while, he took people back to the privateer and insisted that they give him and the sailors on the small boat to drink black Beer. I guess he totally lost his mind afterwards, he left laughing in the captain's blue coat with a silver watch in the pocket. The captain complained and the blue coat was found in the midshipman's hammock. I also participated in the court-martial." "I guess the result was a discharge from the military?" "No, no. He's not that lucky. The sentence is to strip him of his uniform on the afterdeck of the 'Cambridge', demote him from the rank of cadet in the most disgraceful manner, and forfeit him." Salary due, and verdict read on every warship in the jurisdiction—if you hadn't been in Zambra, you would have been in port for that. But it's not over yet. Fran Sir Sith wrote another letter to Scott of the 'Cambridge', I have seen that letter: 'Your Excellency, you are hereby ordered to carry out the sentence of the court-martial against Albert Tomkins. And, you must shave his head, and put a sticker on his back, marking the shameful crime he has committed. You must hire him as a regular cleaner for cleaning the toilets, until I issue a new order in the future.'” "My God," cried Jack, imagining the latrines on the eighty-gun battleship, the public latrines used by more than five hundred ordinary sailors. "What family is this poor child, and what education has he received?" "He is the son of a lawyer in Malta. That lawyer is Tomkins of the Admiralty Court." They walked a few steps in silence, and then Sutton added, "I should have told you earlier that your former Prime Minister was also on board the Berwick, the one you promoted after the war with the Turks. People. Now he comes back to find himself a warship to command, poor fellow." "It's Prince." Jack said, "It's great, so I'll see him right away—I've never had such a good first adjutant before. As for the warship..." The two men spoke at the same time. Shaking their heads, because they all know that there are more than 600 people in the navy with the rank of commander, but only half of them have gunboats, and gunboats are the only ships that these people are qualified to command. "I hope the chaplain of the Berwick is on board," said Jack. "He's a one-eyed clergyman called Martin. He's a very decent chap, and a good friend of my doctor's." He hesitated a moment. , and said, "Billy, could you do me a favor and have lunch with me this afternoon? I have a party this afternoon, and it might be a little embarrassing, with a funny guy like you blah blah blah blah. Talking would be very good for me. You know I'm no expert at small talk, and Maturin, whenever the subject is not to his liking, shuts his mouth like an oyster and makes the scene miserable. so awkward." "What kind of banquet?" Sutton asked. "Did you see Mrs. Fielding at Faretta?" "Pretty Mrs. Fielding who teaches Italian?" asked Sutton, casting a glance at Jack. "Yes, of course I do." "Well, I've given her a ride to Gibraltar, and it looks like her husband has grown suspicious of me because of some stupid rumors - false rumors, Billy, false, I'll put my reputation on it , totally false. It was the Fieldings who came to dinner today, and although she texted me back to assure me that they were happy to be there, I still feel that someone with your quick response and witty words like you You can't go wrong if you're there. God, Billy, I've seen you address Hampshire to the electorate, and you've got no stage fright—jokes, jokes, allusions, reasoning—well, literally You must be able to speak eloquently." Captain Aubrey's panic was unfounded.From the moment of her husband's arrival last night, until lunchtime to-day, Laura Fielding had searched for every means of convincing her husband of her complete devotion and unchanging attachment.With a candid smile on his face, Fielding came forward to shake hands with Jack, thanking him again for his kind help to Laura. But even so, the presence of Captain Sutton is by no means superfluous.Both Jack and Stephen liked Mrs. Fielding, and were uncomfortable in her husband's presence; neither could understand what good she saw in her husband--a heavy, dark man, He had a chunky forehead, small sunken eyes—and both resented her apparent fondness for her husband.Her fondness for her husband demeaned herself more or less in their eyes, and neither was quite as willing to make social efforts as they had been; After the story of his escape from a French prison, there was nothing more to say, but to sit there smiling, caressing his wife under the cover of the tablecloth. Now Sutton has shown his worth.As a member of Parliament, his main quality is the ability to speak.He can talk about almost any subject with a smile, with good spirits, and in a rambling manner; Members' speeches; he was, of course, also a defender of the Navy, standing up for the Navy when it was criticized in any way, inside or outside Parliament. Laura Fielding, fully aware of her husband's limitations and of her admirers' feelings, began to try to revitalize the conversation (by which time the conversation had become very dry) by the time the second course was served. up).She lashed out at the Commander-in-Chief for his handling of poor Albert Tomkins.阿尔伯特·童姆金斯，是她在法雷塔的一个熟人的儿子，要是那位女士听说了她孩子头发的事情，“那么可爱的鬈发，几乎完全用不着发钳。” 她的心都会碎的。佛朗西斯爵士真是比阿提拉还要坏，他是一头熊，是个一文不值的家伙。 “噢，行了，夫人。”萨顿说。“有时候他可能确实有点过于严格，可要是所有的候补生都把头发留得像押沙龙一样，都利用自己的空闲时间去偷窃银表，我们又会落到怎样的地步呢？首先，候补生们会几乎无法安全地爬上桅杆，其次，海军也会可悲地变得声名狼藉。不管怎么说，有时候佛朗西斯爵士还是能做出仁慈的举动和令人惊异的慷慨行为的，能怀有朱比特般的宽厚心肠。你还记得我表弟卡姆比吗，杰克？” “'贝娄风'号的卡姆比，在特拉法加尔战役之后被任命当了舰长的那个？” “说的就是他。夫人，好些年以前，佛朗西斯爵士还是卡笛兹前沿舰队总司令，那时候舰队里有很多窃窃私语和不满情绪，从英吉利海峡来的很多军舰都纪律涣散，甚至处在半兵变状态。佛朗西斯爵士命令海军陆战队，每天早上十点在每艘战列舰上举行阅兵仪式——奏国歌——检阅武器——每个人都必须到场——全体脱帽——而且他自己也总是穿着蓝色镶金边的全副军装到场。所有这些都是为了提倡纪律、增强秩序感，这一点他有效地做到了。我记得有一次，大桅楼领队忘记了脱帽，在国歌开始之后还戴着军帽，佛朗西斯爵士马上下命令把他鞭打了一顿，从此以后，在阅兵的时候，所有人的头都像我的手掌心一样，变得光秃秃了。可是夫人，有时候年轻人还是会做出些欠考虑的事情；因为就像托钵僧培根说过的那样，在年轻人的肩膀上你不能指望有老年人的头脑，我的表弟写了篇不敬的幽默故事，是关于总司令和阅兵仪式的。” “他真的这么干了，这条狗。”杰克脸上带着令人愉快的期待表情，大笑着说。 “有人又把幽默故事抄了一份，转交给了上将，于是上将邀请我表弟去共进午餐。卡姆比并不知道内情，一直等到快吃完饭的时候，送进来一把高椅子，上将吩咐他坐在上面，给在场的来宾念那个幽默故事。赴宴的全都是些舰队将官，或者上校舰长。你可以想象得出，可怜的卡姆比吓呆了。可不管怎么说，他没有办法，等上将再次严厉地叫他'大声念'的时候，他只好开始念了起来。要我重复吗，杰克？” “好啊，请吧。我是说，要是菲尔丁太太不觉得讨厌的话。” “一点也不讨厌，阁下。”劳拉说。“我也非常想听听呢。” 萨顿喝了一口葡萄酒，在椅子里直起身子，换了种布道的腔调，开始说，“早礼拜的第一课，是纪律第三章的一部分。 “1．总司令佛朗西斯爵士，造了一尊蓝色镶金边的偶像，偶像的高度大约五英尺七英寸，宽度大约二十英寸。每天十点钟，他把偶像设立在卡笛兹前沿舰队'夏洛特王后'号的后甲板上。 “2．然后，总司令佛朗西斯爵士，派人传唤舰长、军官们、牧师、水兵们、陆战队员们，前来参加偶像的供奉仪式。这尊偶像，是总司令佛朗西斯爵士设立的。 “3．然后舰长、军官们、牧师、水兵们、陆战队员们，聚集起来，前去参加偶像的供奉仪式。这尊偶像，是总司令佛朗西斯爵士设立的；他们站在总司令佛朗西斯爵士设立的偶像前面。 “4．然后舰长叫道，噢，军官们、牧师、水兵们、陆战队员们，总司令命令你们，不管什么时候，只要你听见喇叭、长笛、号角、单簧管、军鼓、笛子的声音，以及任何的音乐，你都必须脱下你的帽子，向蓝色镶金边的偶像致敬。这尊偶像，是总司令佛朗西斯爵士设立的；谁不脱帽致敬，肯定会招致总司令的不快。 “5．从此以后，在那个时间，只要人们听见喇叭、长笛、号角、单簧管、军鼓、笛子的声音，以及任何的音乐，他们都脱下帽子，向蓝色镶金边的偶像致敬。这尊偶像，是总司令佛朗西斯爵士设立的。 “6．此后的一天，有个军官走上前来，指责一个没有头脑的、受过严格训练的水兵。 “7．他对佛朗西斯爵士说，噢，总司令，万岁！ “8．噢，你，总司令，颁布了一条法令，要求每一个人，只要听见喇叭、长笛、号角、单簧管、军鼓、笛子的声音，以及任何的音乐，都必须脱下他的帽子，向蓝色镶金边的偶像致敬；谁不脱帽致敬，肯定会招致总司令的不快。 “9．有一个水兵，你提拔他做了下士，派他照管大桅楼的事务。这个人，噢，总司令，今天早晨没有尊重你，他没有脱帽，向你设立的偶像致敬。 “10．佛朗西斯爵士，在盛怒之下，命令把大桅楼领队带上来。随后，他们把这个人带到了总司令的跟前。 “11．随后，面对可怜的大桅楼领队，佛朗西斯爵士充满了愤怒，他的脸形发生了变化。 “12．接着，他命令他们架起格子板，宣读海军惩治条例，叫来掌帆长的助手们；命令掌帆长的助手们，取来掌帆长的九尾猫。 “13．随后，他命令舰上最强壮的人，绑起大桅楼领队，命令惩罚他受十二记鞭打。 “14．随后，大桅楼领队，穿着长裤、短裤、鞋子，但是没穿夹克，没穿衬衫，被绑在格子板上面，领受了十二记鞭打。 “15．随后，大桅楼领队因为总司令佛朗西斯爵士的不快而浑身疼痛。 “第一课就到这儿结束。现在，夫人，”萨顿重新转回到平常人的语调，接着说，“我来说我的结论。上将本来一直严肃地听着，像个宣判绞刑的法官。可是卡姆比读到最后一段的时候，他却和其他军官一起，爆发出一阵狂笑，还告诉我的表弟，准许他到英格兰休假三个月，命令他返回的时候到旗舰上来吃午饭。这就是我的结论，你看——佛朗西斯爵士有时候粗暴，有时候仁慈，没人知道究竟会怎样。” “没人知道究竟会怎样。”第二天早上，杰克·奥布雷在驳船上也是这么想的。清晨很早的时候，驳船就载着杰克前往旗舰了。在平常，清晨对总司令来说不是合适的时间，但是这一次，杰克求见的信号却没有遭到拒绝。这是因为，“艾方”号在黎明时分带着军事急报进了港，除了军事急报，还带来了大批信件，其中包括给“惊奇”号的满满一包。给它舰长的信件，或者更准确地说，其中和财务有关的那部分信件，让杰克很清楚地意识到，目前的核心问题是，他能否找到一艘军舰来指挥——最好是艘护卫舰，这样还有赢得捕获船赏金的机会——只有这样，他才能应付家里的局面；这样一来，佛朗西斯爵士对他的看法，现在比以往都显得更加重要了。其他的信件，索菲和孩子们寄来的那些信，他都装进了口袋，准备在等候上将接见的时候，拿出来重读。 负责驾驶驳船的邦敦，发出一声意味深长的咳嗽，随着他的目光，杰克看见“爱丁堡”号正在驶进港湾。这艘军舰是衡奈基·顿达斯指挥的，他是杰克特别要好的朋友。杰克瞥了斯蒂芬一眼，斯蒂芬却还沉浸在自己的思绪中，表情严肃、落落寡合。他口袋里也装着准备重读的信件。其中一封是他妻子戴安娜寄来的。戴安娜听到了荒谬的传闻，听说他和一个红头发的意大利女人，非常公开地发生了恋情。这传闻肯定是荒谬的，因为斯蒂芬肯定不会不知道，要是他在他们自己圈内的朋友们面前公然侮辱她，那只会引起她刻骨的怨恨。她并不自命是个道学家，但她不会容忍世上任何人公开的冒犯，不管是男人也好，女人也好，不会下崽的母牛也罢。“我要马上处理这件事。”斯蒂芬想。他了解他的妻子，她虽然非常漂亮，但也非常急躁，而且非常固执。 其他的信件都是约瑟夫·布莱恩爵士寄来的，他是海军情报部门的总管。第一封信，是用官方的语调写的，祝贺“亲爱的马图林”取得了他所谓的“辉煌的成功”，希望这次的成功会导致马耳他法国间谍的完全清除。很久以来，英国在地中海及非洲、亚洲海岸的各种行动，几乎都在采取之前，就遭遇了法国人针锋相对的反击，而且很清楚，秘密情报是从马耳他送到法兰西去的。局势非常严重，海军部甚至派了它的代理二等秘书伍瑞先生前来进行调查；不过上面提到的成功，却是马图林的独自发现。他发现了法雷塔的法国间谍头目，以及他的主要同伙或者同谋——一个英国行政机关的高级官员。此人名叫布莱，出生在海峡岛，他所处的地位，对于给敌人收集最重要的事实、计划、动向，都是非常有利的。在劳拉·菲尔丁不知情的帮助下，马图林通过漫长复杂的运作，才获得了这样的发现；但几个小时之后，他就必须离开法雷塔，因此他只好把情报转送给伍瑞先生和总司令，以便他们去采取行动。当时伍瑞正在西西里岛逗留几天，而上将则在土伦港附近的海面上。因为写信必然会暴露他的身份，对这样的做法他感到有些迟疑，他宁愿保守秘密，而不想泄露自己为约瑟夫爵士工作的这个身份——为此他曾谢绝了和伍瑞或者上将的参谋——东方秘书坡科克进行合作。伍瑞以前是财政部的人，因此是海军情报圈内的新手。马图林觉得，对缺乏经验的人来说，这件事太过于微妙了；再者，他还了解到，伍瑞并没有取得约瑟夫爵士完全的信任。这也并不奇怪，因为尽管伍瑞聪明能干，却是个衣着人时、花钱无度的人，而且喜欢赌博，在小心谨慎这方面，他做得一点也不出色。这条关于缺乏经验的反对理由，用在坡科克身上也同样合适，不过从其他方面看，他称得上是上将在本地的情报机构中一个出色的头目。可就算伍瑞和坡科克两人更加不堪，就算他们是十足的蠢货，马图林还是会写信给他们。他的发现非常重要，而且两人当中随便哪个最先到达法雷塔，只要能利用他准确、详细的情报，带上一个班的卫兵，就可以在半小时内清除法国人的组织。就算把他的真实身份泄露十遍，他肯定还是会写信的，首先是写信给伍瑞，十有八九，伍瑞回到马耳他的时间会比上将早得多。这是因为，虽然马图林有不少情报工作的经验，虽然他非常敏锐、小心谨慎、富有洞察力，在几次行动中他都死里逃生，而他的很多同事都死了，有些还是被折磨而死的，但他也绝不是全知全能的；他也会犯错误，他从来没有怀疑过伍瑞本人是个法国间谍，此人崇拜波拿巴的程度，和马图林憎恶波拿巴的程度一样深。斯蒂芬只知道，伍瑞是个有点浮华、不太可靠、过于聪明的家伙；他不知道伍瑞还是个叛徒，甚至都没有怀疑过他。 自从离开法雷塔之后，斯蒂芬一直急切地渴望了解他写信产生的结果。而且，本来在旗舰进港的时候，他就想登船拜访了，不过，考虑到海军的礼仪，考虑到一个军医对坡科克不合时宜、非同寻常的造访，肯定会激起一些议论，从而在某种程度上降低他的隐蔽性，由此损害他作为间谍的可用价值，更不用说危及他自身的安全了，他就一直等到了现在。 约瑟夫爵士寄来的另外一些信件却是私信，其中某些部分需要对词句和形象做一番破译才能读懂——在信上，约瑟夫爵士用隐晦的字眼，谈到了白厅甚至海军部里的勾心斗角，谈到了海军部委员会所遭受的暗藏不露的影响，谈到了幕后的交易，还有他的朋友和同事们被撤换或者被拒绝升迁的消息；看来约瑟夫爵士现在非常灰心丧气。不过最近的一封短信，却是用一种相当不同的调子一挥而就的，信中对身处美国的某人的作为，表露了深切的赞许。此人送来的情报表明，美国海军部里经常受人推举的一个计划，现在即将付诸实施了，为了简便的缘故，这个计划被称为幸福，它涉及美国在太平洋的行动。“你会在旗舰上听到一切的，我在信里就不说细节了，免得让你生厌，”约瑟夫写道，“可是在我看来，在这个关头，一直到风暴平息的时候为止，对于考察世界另一边的鞘翅目昆虫，可以说的话很多；对于追逐幸福，可以说的话也很多。” “这是世界上最徒劳的追逐。”斯蒂芬想道，不过他只用头脑的一角想着这件事，一个强烈的愿望却占据着头脑的其他部分，他想知道在马耳他究竟发生了什么，他还想着如何在最短的时间内，向戴安娜做出辩解，免得她做出不计后果的急躁举动，因为戴安娜是惯于这样行事的。 “小艇，嗨。”“卡勒多尼亚”号上有人喊道。 “'惊奇'号。”邦敦回答。旗舰上马上开始准备起迎接舰长的仪式。 虽然马图林大夫在海上度过了很多年，但他还是没有沾染上一丁点航海术的气味。他曾经很多次失足落水，他乘坐的小艇和皇家海军每一种等级的军舰之间的海水，他都设法掉进去过；他还掉进过马耳他港口小船和坚固的石砌码头之间的水里，掉进过瓦品老台阶和泰晤士河平底大船之间的水里，就不要提更不稳当的船只了；而现在，尽管“卡勒多尼亚”号安装了宽大的舷梯——一种扶手和拉索上覆盖着红色呢布的高级扶梯，尽管水面也完全平静，他还是差点成功地穿过最开始两级舷梯间的窄缝，直落到旗舰的船舷下面。可是邦敦和划尾桨的杜德尔早就习惯了他的古怪行为，他们及时抓住了他，他惊叫咒骂着，被放回到扶梯上，只是长袜撕破了，小腿也稍微擦破了点皮。 在后甲板上，杰克已经和“卡勒多尼亚”号的舰长聊了起来，而马图林大夫也看见舰队的军医哈林顿大夫迎面向他走了过来。他们非常热情地互致问候，两人又聊了聊目前流感的情况，接着哈林顿大夫邀请他去观察两例奇怪的伤寒症，以前还从没见过这样成对出现，完全对称的病例呢。 传来口信的时候，他们还在观察那两个浑身显出细微斑点的病人。口信是：等马图林大夫忙完之后，是否可以留出一点时间，见一见坡科克先生？ 斯蒂芬急切的眼睛一看见坡科克先生的脸，他就知道有人出了纰漏。“莫非没有抓到勒绪尔。”他把手放在坡科克的衣袖上，低声说。 “恐怕他听到了风声，知道伍瑞先生要去抓他。”坡科克说。“他消失得无影无踪了。可是抓到了他的五个同谋，都是意大利人或者马耳他人。没等我们逮捕他，布莱就自杀了，至少他们是这么说的。” “那些马耳他人或者意大利人在审讯的时候交代了吗？” “看来他们都非常乐意交代，不过没什么可交代的。他们都是些无足轻重的家伙，是些传话的人，是杀人帮手，指挥他们的人用的是化名。伍瑞先生确信他们无法告诉他任何东西，就把他们交给行刑队枪毙了。” “他有没有托你带什么口信给我？” “他让我转达最衷心的祝贺，祝贺你的成功，对你不能亲自到场表示无限地遗憾，但是，因为他身体不适，特别是因为我会向你转告他行动的过程，他恳求你原谅他目前无法写信。他对安德烈·勒绪尔的逃脱，痛惜到难以表达的程度，可是他相信，既然政府已经悬赏了五千镑，我们不久就能抓住勒绪尔。他还相信，布莱的死割断了马耳他和法国之间叛逆的通讯联系。” 在短暂的沉默之后，马图林说，“看来你好像对布莱的死有所怀疑。” “是啊。”坡科克把手握成手枪的模样，指向太阳穴，说道，“我们找到他的时候，他的脑袋已经炸开了。可布莱是个左撇子，干什么事情都用左手，手枪却掉在头的右侧。” 斯蒂芬点了点头，在情报工作比较粗野的层面上，死因不明的事情是司空见惯的。“至少我希望我可以假定，菲尔丁太太的特赦已经得到了批准——她不会受到任何牵连了？” “噢，是的。”坡科克说。“伍瑞先生马上办妥了那件事情。他说在你非凡的努力之后，这是他理应做到的。而且他叫我转告你，他准备从陆路回国。要是有机会效劳的话，他会很乐意帮忙的。今天晚上有信使出发去他那儿。” “非常感谢伍瑞先生。”斯蒂芬说。“也许我会仰仗他的好意。对了，我会把一封信托付给他，我想让我的妻子尽快收到。” 两个人都沉思了一会，接着谈起下一个话题。斯蒂芬说，“你当然见过奥布雷舰长关于赞布拉事件的正式报告？我不适于谈海军方面的事情，可我关心政治，我很想知道现在我们是怎么对付总督的。” “啊，这方面我可在行多了。”坡科克说。“处理法雷塔的法国间谍，我大概不会比伍瑞先生干得更好，可东方事务却是我的专长，而在马斯卡拉……”他把椅子挪近了一点，把他多毛丑陋的脸孔扭曲成诡诈的，甚至是无赖的模样，“领事艾略特先生和我安排了一场弑父的事变，你能想象得出的最干净利落的弑父场面，而且我觉得，现在我可以保证，我们会有更容易支配的新总督了。” “要是一个人有很多妻子、很多嫔妃、无数的后代，就比较容易促成弑父，这一点是毫无疑问的。”斯蒂芬评论道。 “正是如此。在东方的政治里，这是个自然的手段。而在西方，对于它的运用，却仍然有相当的偏见，也许你会好心地避免在上将面前提起这件事。我采用的说法是'突兀的王室更迭'。” 斯蒂芬用鼻子吸了吸气，又说，“伍瑞先生说他身体不适。这仅仅是一种说法，仅仅表示不愿意把所有事情都写出来，还是有事实上的根据？也许哈特上将在'坡勒克斯'号上殉难对他影响很深？可以想象，他们之间的感情比一个随意的观察者所能看见的要深。” “噢，至于这个么，”坡科克说，“当然他举哀服丧，做法和女婿的身份是相称的；可是我看，对一个突然继承了三四十万镑的穷人来说，他所受的影响比我们指望的深不了许多。他确实身体不适——非常不适——不过在我看来，其原因是极端的神经紧张、身心的疲惫，也许还有严酷的高温。我的同事，我这是私下和你随便说说的，我看他没有多少耐力。” “不管怎么说，我还是很高兴他有了很多钱。”斯蒂芬微笑着说。这是因为，他们两人在马耳他日复一日玩揍三十分的时候，伍瑞输给了他很大一笔钱。“你觉得上将会想要见我吗？等东风一停，我还急着要到石峰顶上去呢。” “噢，我肯定他会想要见你的。有个美洲计划，他希望和你讨论呢。事实上我正在奇怪，他怎么到现在还没叫我们进去。他今天有点古怪。” 他们相互看了看对方。“美洲计划”，显然就是约瑟夫爵士信上提到的那个计划，除此之外，斯蒂芬还非常想知道，对杰克在赞布拉海湾的所作所为，上将持有什么样的意见；坡科克则非常想知道，斯蒂芬中午到直布罗陀的石峰顶上究竟去干什么。两者的问题都不正当。但坡科克的问题要琐屑得多，于是过了一会儿他问道，“或许你在石峰顶上有个约会？” “说起来，我确实有个约会。”斯蒂芬说，“每年这个时节，除非刮起地中海强烈东风，很多鸟都会飞过海峡，鸟的数量多得惊人。当然，这些鸟大多属于猛禽类，我肯定你是知道的，它们一般总是选择在水上停留时间最短的路线，所以，你可以看见成千只蜜蕴鹫、小鹰、隼、鹞子，还有鹰在一天之内穿过海峡。可是还不止猛禽类，还有其他鸟和它们结伴。当然有无穷无尽的白鹳，但根据可靠消息，有时候还有黑鹳呢，上帝保佑它们，我从来没见过那种鸟，它们栖居在遥远的北方，住在潮湿的森林里。” “黑鹳，阁下？”坡科克面带怀疑的表情，说道，“黑天鹅我倒听说过，可是……时间不早了，也许我该给你介绍些这个美洲计划的大概。” “奥布雷舰长，阁下，”亚娄先生说，“上将现在可以见你了。” 杰克走进大舱的时候，他的第一印象是司令官喝醉了。这小个子苍白的、皮革一样的脸泛出粉色的红晕，他的驼背挺得笔直，他通常冷淡的、眼帘低垂的老眼像年轻人一样闪烁着。“奥布雷，我很高兴见到你。”他说着，一边站起身来，把手伸过铺满文件的书桌，和杰克握手。 “乖乖，还真是礼貌。”杰克想。他稍稍放松了一些脸上无所谓的表情，在上将指给他的椅子上坐了下来。 “我很高兴见到你，”佛朗西斯爵士重复道，“而且我还要祝贺你，祝贺你取得的巨大胜利。是的，如果比较双方的损失，那么在我看来，那确实是个巨大的胜利。可要是别人只读你的正式汇报，就没人会这么看。奥布雷啊，你的问题在于，”上将慈祥地看着他说，“你不会给自己吹喇叭，因此也不会给我吹喇叭。你的汇报，”——上将朝杰克前一天留下的费力写成的几张纸片点点头——“是十足的道歉，而不是报捷；是担心的认为，是遗憾的必须指出。得让亚娄重新写一稿。他以前给阿丁顿写过演讲稿，他知道怎么去最好地陈述情况。不是叫你去撒谎，也不是叫你去炫耀，或者去吹嘘自己，只是叫你不要大着嗓门喊臭鱼。等他改完了你的报告，就连陆地上的普通公众，也会清楚地知道，我们赢得了胜利，不仅是专家们，就连平常读报的奶酪贩子们，也会很清楚这一点。你愿意和我一起喝杯西勒利吗？” 杰克说他很乐意，早上天气这么热，喝杯西勒利正合适。酒瓶子拿来的时候，上将说，“不要以为对哈特的死和'坡勒克斯'号的损失我不感到痛心，不过说实话，要是有重创敌人新军舰的机会，随便哪个司令官都会愿意牺牲自己的旧军舰，哪怕新军舰的威力只有旧军舰的一半。法国人的双甲板军舰，就是那艘'玛尔'号，刚刚造好不久，这你是知道的。他们居然把它拖到了赞布拉火炮工事的下面——'热忱'号和'喷火'号看见它了，还有你弄搁浅的那艘大护卫舰，躺在暗礁上面，一直烧焦到了吃水线——但他们再也不可能把它拖走了——'玛尔'号我的屁眼，嘿，嘿？——它的龙骨断了，就算龙骨没断，也没办法拖走，因为我们的政客已经搞定了总督。”上将的管家，虽然也是个戴金耳环的水兵，看上去却比奥布雷舰长的基里克要文雅得多，他带着伦敦管家的庄重神情，拔出了木塞，而佛朗西斯爵士说，“奥布雷，为你的健康和快乐干杯。” “也为你干杯，阁下。”杰克说，一边品味起清新爽口、酒香扑鼻的葡萄酒。“天哪，真好下口。” “是吗？”上将说。“你瞧，情况就是这样。和敌人相比，我们至少胜出了半艘战列舰，当然还外加你的整艘护卫舰；况且我们还把傲慢无礼的总督教训了一顿。等亚娄重新改好你的报告，哪怕最笨的头脑都能完全清楚地看到这一点。我的急报一出现在公报上，你的报告就会显得特别精彩。这么多的信……我的上帝。”上将说着，又倒了一杯酒，朝成堆的信函挥了挥手，“有时候我真希望没人发明过写作的艺术。土巴·该隐，是不是他发明的？” “我一直也是这么认为的，阁下。” “可有时候信件还是勉强可以接受的。这封信今天早上刚到。”佛朗西斯爵士把信拿起来，迟疑了一会儿，然后说，“完全出乎我的意料。我还没对任何人提起过这件事。我想叫海军内部我看重的人先知道消息——毕竟这也是海军的事情。”他把信递了过来。 杰克读道： 还没有读完，杰克就跳了起来，他握住上将的手，叫道：“我衷心地祝贺你，阁下，我现在应该叫你勋爵了——你功勋卓著，当之无愧——这也是整个海军的荣誉。我非常高兴。”确实，他脸上露出那么真诚的愉快表情，喜气洋洋地站在那儿看着上将，连佛朗西斯爵士也受了感染，变得更加慈祥了，这样慈祥的表情在他严厉的老脸上已经多年没出现过了。“也许这是一种虚荣，”他说，“可是我承认，这消息确实让我十分高兴。你说得很对，这也是海军的荣誉。而且这荣誉也有你的一份，要是你继续念下去，你就会知道，他还提到了我们把法国人赶出玛尔伽的事情。上帝知道，这件事我没有参与——那完全是你的功劳——虽然从法律上来说，它刚好落在我的任期之内，所以你看，我宝冠上的那些小球，至少有一颗是你挣来的，哈，哈，哈！” 他们谈了皇冠和其他宝冠，讨论了草莓叶以及哪些爵位有资格佩戴草莓叶装饰的宝冠，又聊到了以母系方式继承的爵位，最后说起了和女贵族结婚的尴尬，同时把一瓶酒全喝光了。“我想起来了。”上将说，“你昨天不能上船吃午饭，是因为你和一位女士有约在先。” “是的，阁下。”杰克说，“我约了菲尔丁太太。我在法雷塔让她搭乘舰艇回来。她的丈夫乘'赫克拉'号来和她会面，所以我邀请了他们两个。” 佛朗西斯爵士看上去非常心照不宣，但他只是说，“是啊，我听说她搭乘了'惊奇'号。我很高兴结果是皆大欢喜，可是一般来说，妇女搭乘军舰不是件好事。当然，军械官的妻子必定要上军舰，这样你的候补生就可以有人照顾。或许还可以有几个委任军官的妻子，可是不要再多了。道德上的影响先不说，光是她们浪费的淡水就令人难以置信。她们要用淡水来洗小件衣物，就会想尽一切办法去达到目的，她们会腐蚀舰上的哨兵们、下士们甚至军官们——句话，腐蚀整条军舰的官兵。不管怎么说，我希望你明天能来。我想纵容自己一下，举办个小小的私人庆祝会，随后我就要离开了，回去封锁土伦港。” 杰克说比起庆祝这个喜讯，再没有什么能让他更加高兴了。上将接着说，“现在我必须转到完全不同的话题上来了。我们获得的情报表明，美国人派了一艘护卫舰，去太平洋攻击我们的捕鲸船。那艘护卫舰是'诺尔福克'号，三十二炮。它还比较轻便，我敢肯定你了解这一点，虽然它装备的偏舷大炮，比'惊奇'号要多得多，但它只有四门长炮，其余的都是大口径短炮，所以两艘军舰只要稍隔一段距离，可以说彼此还算势均力敌。问题是，像你这样资历的军官，是否愿意接受这样的任务？” 杰克控制住自己喜悦的微笑，不让微笑蔓延到整个脸上，再努力让自己的心跳变得平缓一些，回答说，“嗯，阁下，你是知道的，本来已经答应了给我指挥北美战区的'布莱克沃特'号；不过与其坐在家里无所事事，等着海军部给我找一艘同等级别的军舰，我还是很高兴能去保卫我们的捕鲸船。” “好。很好。我估计到你会这么说，我讨厌战争时期回绝战斗任务的那种人。嗯，你看，”上将从桌上捡起一张纸，“'诺尔福克'号是上月十二号从波士顿起锚的，不过它还必须护送一些商船到圣马丁、奥洛佩萨、圣萨尔瓦多、布宜诺斯艾利斯，所以希望你能在它抵达荷恩角之前拦截住它。可是假如不成功，显然你必须跟它绕过荷恩角，这就意味着要储存六个月的给养。从现在的情况来看，你将来和各地西班牙地方当局的关系，极有可能是困难的，幸好你有马图林大夫。关于进港的机会，我们要听听他的意见。但他进来之前，请你告诉我，你在'惊奇'号上是否有特别值得提拔的人。我现在想提拔人，让大家也分享一些快乐。任命是不可能的，不过委任几个军官，或者把等级提高一级，倒还有可能。” “唔，阁下，你心肠真好，非常仁慈。”杰克说，他既想公正地对待自己的下属，又非常不愿意自己的团队受到削弱，他被这两种相互矛盾的意愿撕扯着。“我的航行官和军械官都适合在战列舰上任职。我还有两三个非常有出息的年轻下士，完全有资格接受委任，到等外军舰上担任掌帆长职务。” “很好。”上将说。“今天下午就把他们的名字交给我的旗舰副官。我来看看能不能办到。” “还有，阁下，”杰克说，“虽说目前还没有任命军官的可能，请允许我提一提威廉·贺尼，他是个航行官助手。就是他驾驶游艇，把赞布拉的消息带到了马洪港。还有娄万先生，我的第二副官，他驾驶独桅快船去了马耳他。” “我是不会忘记他们的。”上将说，一边摇了摇铃。坡科克把斯蒂芬带进来之后，他又说，“早上好，大夫，大概你和坡科克先生一