Caribbee(30)

He paused for a moment, considering. ‘Now, sir. I can’t pretend that your presence is anything other than opportune, not to say pleasing. You’ve been in these waters before?’

‘Er, only as a youngster, sir.’

‘Yes, a midshipman’s view of things can never be accounted reliable. Well, I will tell you myself what will be your chief concerns on this station. The Leeward Islands Squadron is rightly preparing for a descent by a battle-squadron from the Atlantic, presumably commanded by one bolder than Villeneuve. Ours, however, is a very different war, Mr Kydd. I don’t have to tell you that these sugar islands are a fountain of revenue for the government, providing for all from coalition subsidies to the meanest fore-mast jack’s shilling.

‘But what we are seeing here, sir, is the imperilling of it not by fleets of men-o’-war but a piecemeal destruction by privateers. At Barbados the West Indies convoy assembles from all over the Caribbean for its voyage across the ocean and will be well escorted, but they must sail as independents from each sugar island before they reach there. I’m not able to provide escorts for all of them, so the others are ready prey for the corsairs that do infest these coasts.

‘Understand this is your prime task, Kydd. Exterminate the creatures where you can, deter and dismay by your presence otherwise. No privateer born can stand against a frigate and they know it.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Good. This leads me to the next. While we bend our every effort to ensure our sugar cargoes reach England, we’re duty-bound to prevent the French from delivering theirs. Thus their ships are fair game to us but they’ve been shamelessly making use of neutrals, particularly the Americans who see no sin in playing both sides. The law is clear, however: both the French and our own Navigation Act forbid them to carry cargoes between colonies and the motherland. At the same time, though, it allows them to trade freely with the same colonies on their own account.’

‘I’d heard there’ve been legal developments.’

‘Ha! Yes, you’re right. Our American friends are found out. Their practice has been to take up French sugar on the pretence that this is their importing, but when they arrive in a United States port they turn their ship around and head for France with new papers that show it as goods produced at home for export.’

‘How then do we—’

‘This is what they term a “broken voyage”, and until a legal ruling recently, we’ve had to accept it. Now we look to see if Customs duty has been properly paid, cargo landed in bond and so forth as evidence that it’s not a continuous voyage. Take no rubbish of words – we have it from the highest Admiralty court that the onus is now on the neutral to prove it’s not carrying contraband.’

‘I see, sir.’

‘I’ll find a lawyer fellow to cover the detail for you – Rule of 1756, Orders in Council of May this year you won’t have seen, that kind of thing.’

‘I’d be grateful for a steer, sir, I will admit.’

‘Good. Don’t want you hoist by some pettifogging legal snag.’

He beamed. ‘A light frigate! Just the medicine to rid me of the vermin. And in so doing …’

‘Sir?’

‘Well, do I need to spell it out to you, Mr Kydd? Prizes! Our rightful recompense for service on this fever-ridden station. Have you objection to being enriched at the enemy’s expense?’

‘Why, no, sir!’

‘Then I expect you to be forward in your efforts to land a few more, for both our sakes. I’ll give you five days at Port Royal dockyard and then it’s out in all weathers, m’ boy.’

‘Five days, Nicholas. What we would have done with that before – raise a Bob’s-a-dying as would have ’em know our ship’s in port!’

‘While your silver lasts, as you’ll recall.’

‘Ah, here we have the Billy Roarers in port with a prize already in tow. The vice-admiralty court will condemn the Maid without too much ceremony, I believe, and then there’ll be cobbs for every man to celebrate it.’

He smothered a sigh, staring out of the stern windows at the glittering expanse of sea to the palm-fringed shore. ‘What I would have given for a fistful of prize money before …’

‘I do seem to recollect that you seemed to have done quite well without, as saw you in a mort of pother.’

With a lazy smile Kydd was obliged to agree, then went on, ‘But I own that being a frigate captain has its compensations, the doors to society among them. Speaking of which, I do look forward to seeing Richard again.’