Mutiny (36 page)

_{His words were drowned in a breaking
wave of anger. Men used to the open sea were quite unfitted for pettifogging
wordplay. Some turned on the committee, preferring to believe that this was a
slip of the pen that could easily be altered later, others cursed the stupidity
that had led them this far.}

_{'Still!' Davis roared.
'Shut yer noise, y' mumpin' lubbers, 'n' listen!'}

_{The meeting, now
cold sober, turned once more to Parker. 'So. You will ask me why they do this.
It's simple, and so predictable. Have you not noticed? In Spithead they have
Admiral Howe to meet the delegates personally. The First Lord, Earl Spencer, he
sees fit to make the journey all the way from London to treat with them, and in
the end, according to Brother McCarthy, the admiral then has a rousing good
dinner with them, foremast jacks and all, there in the governor's mansion.}

_{'Now, shipmates, you don't need me
telling you, nothing like that has happened to us. No! And why? Because — now,
don't take this amiss, I should have thought of it before — the government are
deeply embarrassed by a successful mutiny. Therefore they pay it off to get it
over with, and then they can turn all their attention to us. What does this
mean? Again, it doesn't need too much thinking to see that without a pardon,
just as soon as we return to duty, they're free to hang the lot of us. Friends,
we're nothing else but political scapegoats for Spithead.'}

_{In the uneasy quiet
came a lone call. 'So what's t' do then, Mr President?'}

_{'Just to get things on
the record, is there any of you wants to trust the pardon and give himself up,
hoping that I'm wrong? No? Then please write that down, Mr Kydd. We're still
all as determined as we always were.'}

_{Parker leaned forward intently. 'Now
this is what I say. You and I both know the only reason the government listens
to us is that we hold the biggest hand of all — the keys to the kingdom, the
fleet at the Nore. And a bit of thought says that, in truth, we have 'em at our
mercy, or they wouldn't let us stay at liberty like this. So — seeing what can
be achieved at Spithead, why don't we go further, do better than them?}

_{'First, we make sure we
get a special pardon of our own.' Rumbles around the table indicated that his
point was well taken. 'Then we make our own demands, good tough ones that
finish the job that's just started. This way we save our necks, and at the same
time earn the hearty cheers of all our fellow tars from this day.'}

_{There was a stunned
silence. Parker sat down and waited. After a minimum of discussion, John Blake
of Inflexible spoke for all. 'We're in. Now, let's be started. What about them
demands?'}

_{The delegates started with a first
article that Kydd noted down as:}

 _{'Article 1. That every indulgence
granted to the fleet at Portsmouth, be granted to His Majesty's subjects
serving in the fleet at the Nore, and places adjacent.'}

_{That was never in
dispute, but matters of liberty ashore, arrears of pay and prize money and so
many others that presented themselves would not be so easily disposed of. By
the dog-watches they had only two articles settled, and it was then that a
message arrived from Admiral Buckner, addressed directly to the delegates.}

_{Parker opened it. 'Ah -
at last!' He laughed. 'Here, mates, our first official communication. And it
says, ta-tum, ta-tum, "I wish to visit Sandwich to notify His Majesty's pardon
upon the terms expressed in their lordships' direction ..." Be damned! It
means they're coming to negotiate at last. Tom, let's work a polite reply,
saying something like, "Being sensible of the honour . .." and all
that, and we'll be happy to meet him next morning, and, um, escort him in a
procession of grace through the fleet to Sandwich, and so on. That's what they
did for Black Dick Howe in Spithead — we can't do less. But we've got to work
on these demands, get 'em written fair to present to him tomorrow.'}

 
_{The meeting continued through the night,
men of stalwart beliefs but plain thinking grappling with the formulation of
intent into words, the consequences of the effect on meaning of word choice,
the sheer effort of rendering thought on to the page. In' the morning there was
a demand of eight articles ready for negotiation. The deputation went ashore at
two, after taking the precaution of a restorative nap in the forenoon. They
landed at the dockyard steps, where a curious crowd waited for the singular
sight of what rumour promised would be common seamen making terms with a vice
admiral in his own flagship.}

_{'Rare day!' Kydd
murmured to Parker, as they formed up on the quayside.}

_{Parker seemed
preoccupied, but he lifted his chin high and, with a bearing of nobility and
resolve, told Tom, 'Today we make our mark for ever upon the annals of this
fair country.' The moment was clouded a little by squabbles among befuddled
sailors in the onlookers, spurring them on with impossible suggestions.}

_{Preceded by a large
flag the deputation wended through the dockyard to the commissioner's house, a
square and forbidding mansion with smoke-blackened bricks, many white-edged
windows and a large black polished front door. The whole seemed in defiant repose,
like a casde with its drawbridge up.}

_{The deputation
quietened, and looked to their president and head of deputation. Parker
hammered the big brass knocker three times. Immediate movement behind the door
suggested that their arrival was not unexpected. It opened and a gold-laced
servant appeared.}

_{'The president and
delegates of the fleet of the Nore. We are here to be heard by Admiral
Buckner,' Parker said loudly. The servant withdrew quickly, firmly closing the
door.}

_{The door catch ratded,
and into view stepped Admiral Buckner. He was in full uniform and sword, gold
lace on blue, but appeared curiously shrunken, an old man. Kydd knew he'd been
a lieutenant at Quiberon Bay and with Rodney at his smashing victory in the
Caribbean.}

_{Hats flew off as naval discipline
reasserted itself with marks of respect due a flag officer. Parker lifted his
beaver cap, but did not remove it. 'Sir, we have come to escort you on a
procession of honour to HMS Sandwich?}

_{'Thank
you, er ... ?' His voice was dry and whispery.}

_{‘Richard
Parker, president of the delegates.'}

_{'Then, Mr Parker, shall we proceed? I
have with me a plenary letter from their lordships that gives me authority to
notify His Majesty's full pardon to you all.'}

_{Parker reached inside his waistcoat, and
withdrew papers bound with a red ribbon. 'Yes, sir, but you may wish to read
these in the boat before we sit down together.'}

_{'Wh-what
are they?' Buckner said, taking them.}

_{'Why, sir, this is the
substance of our negotiating. Be free to read them now, if you wish.'}

_{Buckner untied the
ribbon. His hands trembled as he read. 'I — I cannot! No, no, sir — this is
impossible!'}

_{Parker frowned. 'Sir, I
cannot see that these articles in any way—'}

_{'No! You do not know what you are
asking. I cannot do it - I have no authority. I cannot discuss anything, you
understand.'}

_{'You can't discuss
anything?' asked Parker, with barely concealed scorn. 'Then, sir, who can?'}

_{'Er,
it is for their lordships to—'}

_{'Then
that is where we must address these grievances.'}

_{The
old admiral stared at Parker in horror. 'Common seamen? I mean — not an
officer? It would be most improper, sir.'}

_{The papers dropped from
Buckner's fingers. He stooped hastily to pick them up again, straightening
painfully.}

_{Parker folded his arms and stared back.
'Then, sir, we are at a stand. You cannot treat with us, and the ear of the
Admiralty is stopped to us.'}

_{Murmurs arose from the
rest of the deputation. 'We'll give 'em to OF Knobbs 'imself, then.'}

_{'The King! You — you must not! Recollect
yourselves, I beg you!'}

_{Parker held up his
arms. 'Hold, you men, we're pleased to grant Admiral Buckner a period of
reflection on this matter. May we see you at nine tomorrow, sir?'}

_{Soon after dawn, the sloop Firefly approached
from the north under all sail. She went about under the lee of Sandwich, her
boat in the water before she had lost all way. It stroked swiftly to Sandwich with
five passengers.}

_{Parker lost no time in
introducing them to Kydd. 'These are delegates from the North Sea fleet, Tom,'
he said, satisfaction rich in his voice. 'This is our man from the Leopard, and
this is the delegate from Agamemnon? Kydd shook hands; the men looked hard and
capable. 'Come from Yarmouth to let us know what they think of our eight articles,'
Parker continued.}

_{'We like 'em main well,
Mr Parker,' the older delegate said, looking curiously around him. 'It's right
good in yer to set us straight about their tricksy lordships, an' I can say
we're with ye.'}

_{Later,
in the capacious cabin, Parker exulted, 'Damn me eyes, but this is rare good
news!'}

_{Kydd was scratching away at a letter but
stopped immediately.}

_{'Tom, it means that in one go we've
doubled our numbers. With the North Sea fleet, they dare not act against us
now, and we will be heard.' Parker stared raptly into space.}

_{Kydd picked up on the
relief he sensed behind the jubilation. 'Y' mean they've been foxed, the
rogues. Found a tartar athwart their hawse, did they?'}

_{Parker's worry-lines had fallen away. He
laughed sofdy. 'Yes, let's see what they think of that.'}

_{'Th' admiral will be aboard presently,'
Kydd reminded him.}

_{'Oh? Ah, yes. Well,
now, I do believe it would be a good thing were we to establish our respective
positions in a more, er, imaginative way. Sandwich will not await his personage
in the usual way, no. Instead he will wait on myself, president of the
delegates. So, Tom, we'll absent ourselves, and return after himself is on
board. We'll besides set the Parliament to debating our articles while we're
gone, keep 'em out of mischief.'}

_{'Dick — he's a flag officer!' This ran
against all the habits of respect and obedience Kydd had imbibed since his
early days in the navy. 'An' Sandwich is his own flagship we turned him out
of.'}

_{'All
the sweeter!' Parker laughed.}

 _{Admiral
Buckner, the captain of Sandwich and another officer took boat and arrived at Sandwich
at nine. They came aboard without ceremony and were told that the delegates
were in session and could not be disturbed.}

_{Buckner paced slowly
around the deck of his former flagship. After half an hour, Hulme told him
truculently that he would be handed the demands after discussions were
concluded. The three officers continued standing about the decks.}

_{At eleven, the
delegates emerged in a body from the Great Cabin. 'You said we waits fer Mr
Parker!' one whispered fiercely.}

_{'An' where's he at,
then?' Hulme said, with contempt 'Skiving off, so he's not seen t' do th' dirty
work? We does th' job ourselves.'}

_{Hulme carried the
documents in a signal pouch, and pushed forward to the front of the group. In a
previous existence an admiral in gold-laced cocked hat and silk stockings
standing with his officers on his own quarterdeck would hardly notice a common
seaman. Hulme seemed determined not to be affected. He removed his hat
elaborately with a mock bow, and took out the papers.}

_{'Admiral, this 'ere is
th' final word o' the delegates.' He looked around at his consorts grandly.
'An' I'm ter tell ye, we don't give up the charge o' this ship, or any other,
until these conditions are done.' Passing across the sheets of paper, he added,
'As our brother seamen at Spithead wuz honoured b' the personal presence o' th'
Board of Admiralty, then we got a right t' expect 'em to come t' Sheerness 'n'
see us. Which we insists on.'}

_{He backed into the
group again. Davis came forward and, in a quiet voice, said, 'Sir, we means no
disrespect t' you or y' flag, but we will be heard.'}