Mutiny (34 page)

_{'Why,
that's the president o' the delegates, Dick Parker, is he. Th' admiral we calls
'im on account he berths in th' admiral's quarters in Sandwich.'}

_{'And
the other?'}

_{'Ah, that there's Tom Kydd, mate off Achilles.
Right ol' fire-eater he, faced down t' th' first luff.an' got him turned off
'is ship an' then got in wi' Dick Parker ter be his sec'tary, he havin' an
education an' all.'}

_{Struck dumb with
astonishment, Renzi stayed until the speeches had run their course, then pushed
into the crowd. 'Tom!' he called, unable to get through the jovial mob. 'Ahoy
there, shipmate!'}

_{Finally it penetrated. Kydd looked up
from his conversation with a pretty woman. 'Nicholas!' he shouted, above the
hullabaloo. 'Make a lane there, y' lubbers!'}

_{Kydd was back in simple
seaman's rig, white duck trousers, waistcoat and short blue jacket, and was
flushed with the occasion. 'Hey, now! Nicholas, well met, m' fine frien'.}

_{'An' this is Kitty,
Kitty Malkin. She's walkin' out wi' me, lives on the hulks in as snug a home as
any I've seen. Look, let's away fr'm here 'n' talk.'}

_{Kitty flashed Renzi a shrewd look.
'Pleased t' make y'r acquaintance, sir.' She turned to Kydd and patted his arm.
'Do go wi' y'r friend, dear, I have some shoppin' to do.'}

_{Renzi fell into step
with Kydd. They found the road across the marshes relatively peaceful, and
slowly walked together. 'Such a happenin' the world's never seen.' Kydd
chuckled. 'Dare t' say that in Parliament they're rare put to think what t'
do.'}

_{'Er, yes, I'm sure that is the
case,' Renzi said. 'But do you not think that Mr Pitt - under pressure as he is
-would not in any wise tolerate a new mutiny just as the old one is at a
crisis?'}

_{Kydd's face darkened. 'That's not th'
question. It is, do we stan' with our brothers in Spithead, or do we shamefully
leave 'em t' the hazard all alone?'}

_{'Of course, dear fellow, I quite see
that — an expression of support is demanded at this time.' He allowed the
moment to cool, then continued, 'You are assisting Mr Parker .. . ?'}

_{'I am,' said Kydd, 'but
not in a big way, o' course. He's got a mort o' work t' do, bringin' all th'
ships together f'r the cause, some as are bein' fractious an' ill-disciplined.'
He looked at Renzi direcdy. 'Dick Parker is a great man, Nicholas. A real headpiece
on him. He's given himself t' the cause of his shipmates, an' that makes him a
right good hand by me.'}

_{Renzi hesitated. 'This
is open mutiny — you stand in peril of your life.'}

_{Kydd smiled. 'Not
really, Nicholas. Y’ see, we have it fr'm Spithead that there'll be a pardon
for ev'ryone after it's all settled.'}

_{'And this is declared in writing? From
Parliament -or the King? This requires an Act of Parliament at the least.'}

_{'Damn you, Nicholas,
why do ye always see the gloomy side o' things? We're goin' t' stand tall 'n'
demand that we be heard, an' won't move until we get our justice.'}

_{'For the sake of
friendship, I have to say again — it is no flogging matter, you are in mutiny.
This is a capital crime!'}

_{'We'll
have th' pardon!'}

_{'You
think you'll have the pardon!'}

_{Kydd squared up to Renzi. 'You're sayin'
as I shouldn't stand f'r what I know's right. How's that f'r y'r talk o'
principle an' moral right as y' used to tell?'}

_{Renzi could see Kydd
was incensed: there was no way to reach him. 'I do not dispute the tightness of
your cause, only the way in which you pursue it,' he replied quickly.}

_{'Tell me how else we
should, seein' as how f'r the first time we're gettin' the whole fleet to rise
at th' same time? You say we have t' drop ev'rything now, just when we're a
whisker away fr'm success?' Kydd snorted. 'Somethin' has happened t' you,
Nicholas. Y' go around wi' the blue devils all the while, an' now when y'
shipmates need y'r help an' understandin' then y' go cold 'n' condemn 'em. I
recommend y' sort out whatever ails ye an' think about things. I have t' go
-things t' do.'}

_{Renzi trudged back to
the little public house in Mile Town. It was madness, of course: the government
would not survive the crisis of a second mutiny and would not, could not, let
it succeed.}

_{A small note sent later
in the day to Sandwich inviting Kydd for a supper together was returned prompdy
with an inability scrawled on the back. The noise and laughter of Blue Town
echoed across the marsh, and Renzi needed to get away. Possibly there was a
pardon on offer — unlikely, yet not impossible. But if not, there would be grim
scenes soon.}

_{He decided to join the other shipless
exiles in the coach to Rochester, where they would wait out the inevitable in
the more agreeable surroundings of the ancient town.}

_{Kydd had regretted his manner even
before he returned to Sandwich but he didn't want to see Renzi just now. He
realised that it was due to the excitement of the hour, the exalted state of
achieving so much against the world's antagonism and the extraordinary festive
air, all being thrown down in the dust by his friend. There might have been
some truth in what Renzi said, but he was not privy to the kind of information
that Parker had relayed to Kydd from Spithead.}

_{There was
movement in the anchorage as he returned to Sandwich. A smart eighteen-pounder
frigate had unwittingly moored at the head of the Nore, just having sailed
leisurely down-river. 'San Fiorenzo' Kydd was told. He remembered that this was
the frigate assigned to take the royal couple on their honeymoon.}

_{Back aboard, Kydd
looked at the ship. 'Has she declared f'r us?' he asked.}

_{'No signs yet, mate.'
Coxall lowered his glass and gave it to Kydd.}

_{'Give 'em three good
'uns, lads,' Kydd said. Men leaped into the rigging and obeyed heartily, but
through the glass he could see no sign of yard-ropes being reeved on the
frigate, and there was no cheering. 'They'll come to it when they hears,' Kydd
said.}

_{The bulk of Inflexible under
topsails slid round the point, on her way to the Great Nore. From another
direction came a pair of boats headed for San Fiorenzo. Kydd lifted his glass
again. 'The delegates, lads. They'll put 'em straight.'}

_{There was activity on
her deck, but nothing could be made out for sure until figures went down her
side again and the boats put off. By this time Inflexible had drawn close,
slipping past on the tide. A massed roar of cheers broke out, but the frigate
remained silent. Another volley of cheers brought no response. The battleship
did not vary her course, but as she drew abreast of the frigate, a sudden puff
erupted from her fo'c'sle, and the sullen thud of a nine-pound gun echoed.}

_{'Be buggered!' The shot
had gone close under the frigate's bowsprit, snapping ropes apart and tearing
into the sea less than a hundred yards beyond. In one stroke the mutiny had
changed its character. Kydd whipped down the telescope. 'Dick's below?' he
snapped, but didn't wait for an answer and plunged down the malodorous decks to
the cabins aft. He burst in on Parker without ceremony. 'Inflexible jus' fired
on San Fi’ he shouted.}

_{'I know,' said Parker
mildly.}

_{'Y' know? Dick — do y'
know what they did? They fired on a King's ship! That's worse'n mutiny, that's
treason!'}

_{'Tom, I know the
Inflexibles are warm for the cause, they may have overstepped, but look there. San
Fiorenzo is reeving yard-ropes and cheering as well as we.'}

_{Kydd looked past Parker through the open
ornamental stern-lights at the ship, now manning yards and cheering.}

_{Parker leaned back. 'You see? They are
now free to express their loyalty to a cause that before they could not. I will
not hide it from you — when we rose, we had the advantage of surprise for
success. In this way the rising was bloodless, direct. We no longer have this luxury.
A ship may be in a tyranny, the seamen unable to throw off the trammels, but if
then a superior argument is brought to bear, they are released to stand for
their beliefs, and equally bloodless. You see?' 'But with guns?'}

_{'Just so.' Parker sighed and steepled
his fingers. 'There is no escaping the imperatives of cold reason, my friend.
You will agree that our cause is just, pure in motivation, the higher matter?'}

_'O'
course.'

_{'And for this task we must set to,
heart and hand, until it is finished?' 'Aye.'}

_{'Then we have the
choice. Either we bow to the forces who oppose us, and allow them to carry off
in despotism the very souls we are striving to serve, or we righteously show
our determination, and make it possible for them to spring free of their
shackles.'}

_{Kydd looked away,
searching for objections. 'Ye're in th' right of it, as usual, Dick,' he came
back. 'If we don't show firm, then it's t' betray y'r shipmates, an' that I'll
never do.'}

_{'It may be,'
Parker added softly, 'that we could be forced into some even more difficult
choices before we prevail.'}

_{The day had turned to bright
sunshine, and ashore families were enjoying picnics on the grassy slopes of the
old fort. Boats criss-crossed the anchorage, ship-visiting, going to parades
ashore, bringing delegates to Sandwich.}

_{Parker greeted Kydd
warmly. 'If you please, my friend, we have a Parliament committee in the Great
Cabin, and I would be happy for you to attend, in the character of a scribe or
some such.'}

_{Parker clearly relished
his role. As the delegates arrived he was punctilious as to seating and
precedence based on size of ship, and greeted each with grave politeness or
hearty welcome according to temper.}

_{Kydd sat at the other
end of the table, preparing to take minutes in the best way he could. Farnall
was there, representing Achilles, and looked down the table at him several
times, but did not speak.}

_{The rumpled,
middle-aged John Hulme reported Director quiet with Captain Bligh still aboard
and in his cabin, the mutineer captain of Proserpine complained of short stores
and Davis of Sandwich drily told the committee of one Thomas McCann. He had
apparently been sent ashore sick, complained loudly of the lazaretto beer and
returned to Sandwich; when his messmates sent him to another ship's sick
quarters he had said he was afraid of the ship's butcher — he had helped duck
the man the day before.}

_{Daily details dealt
with, Parker turned to the more congenial task of further codifying the
regulations. This was not particularly to the liking of most, who were visibly
bored, but Parker and Farnall obviously enjoyed the cut and thrust of debate,
the points of order, seconding of motions and the like. Kydd industriously
covered the exchanges, but did not bother with the explanations demanded by
baffled sailors.}

_{Parker's expression hardened. 'While Mr
Kydd prepares a fair transcript of the regulations for copying, it is my sad
duty to have to tell you that James Watt, in flagrant contravention of our
regulations for conduct, was taken in drink in the orlop. Now I don't have to
tell you that if there is a general breakdown in discipline then—'}

_{'Flog
the bugger!' Hulme was in no doubt.}

_{Parker looked pained. 'First we must
have a trial, at which—'}

_{'Fuck me, we'll be 'ere all day. I
vote we flogs 'im an' done wi' it. Who says "aye"?' 'You can't just—'
'Aye!'}

_{The forceful shout
drowned Parker, who looked around darkly. 'How will—'}

_{'I'll do it m'self, the
useless skulker! Anythin' else, mates?' There being no further business, the
meeting adjourned.}

 
_{Kydd arrived at the Chequers, weary from
his unaccustomed writing, just as the sunny afternoon was giving way to a warm
dusk. He found Parker in fine form, the centre of a crush of seamen. Kydd
smiled, letting his friend do what he did best, and settled at a distance.
'Shant o' y'r best,' he threw at the pot-boy. He was looking forward to
visiting Kitty: she would be finished with her work at sundown. The beer
arrived, dark and foaming, and he took a grateful pull.}