Chapter Three - Resolution
"You are making a mockery of this court, Commodore."
"I am merely trying to establish the truth."
"Truth!" Hammond snarled. "This is naked favouritism, Commodore. I will not accept it."
"The doctor's testimony seems to me conclusive," Pellew said. "Captain Sawyer was unfit, and we may as well halt this court-martial now. In my opinion the charges should never have been brought."
"Unfit, perhaps," Hammond's eyes narrowed. "But why? We have not yet established how the fall came to happen."
"Does it matter?" Yet he knew how dangerous this ground was. "No long voyage passes without some accidental falls."
"But seldom of a captain whose men were plotting against him."
"There has been no evidence of that!"
"Not yet," Hammond said unpleasantly, "But we have many witnesses to come."
"Captain Hammond," Pellew said, "I believed it to be your desire to protect Captain Sawyer's reputation. Do you really wish to expose the fact that the man has been going slowly mad for months? I am sure you know the truth of that as well as I."
"It is the course of events we should be concerned with, not the reason for them."
"I am concerned with the reasons! I told you, Captain, I will not accept a scapegoat hunt. It is not my wish to expose Sawyer's true state in court, but if I have to do that to prevent injustice then I will."
"Injustice! You care only for your precious protégé, Hornblower!"
"You," Pellew said, "are exhibiting what looks remarkably like personal vindictiveness arising from that business at Gibralter. I can see no other reason why you should be so concerned to bring down one of the Navy's ablest young men."
"He is a menace," Hammond snapped, "an opponent of discipline. Men like that can only undermine the service."
"A remarkable opinion to have arrived at on the basis of an acquaintance of one evening." Pellew stood up. "What you wish to do, Captain, would be a travesty of justice and I will not yield to it. If you make a battle of this, then I will fight you in court for every step. If you win, then I will denounce you in every forum in the land.
"The Navy will survive. England will survive. Our own careers may not, but that will not restrain me, captain. I would rather mount the gallows myself then give you free hand to abuse the service so.
"I will pay whatever price I must. Are you prepared to do the same?"
#
"I do not know how he came to fall," Buckland said grudgingly.
Pellew had had to handle the man with gloves of kid, it was evident that resentment of Hornblower was strong in Buckland. However his desire for self-preservation was stronger still, he would take the chance of survival above the chance for malice if not provoked. Hammond, however, was still a problem, not challenging Pellew's authority openly, but harping upon the question of the fall.
"I was not there," Buckland was saying, "But I believe Gunner Hobbs may have some information."
"He was present?" Collins asked.
"I think not. But he heard the last words of Midshipman Wellard, who I believe to have known something about the matter."
#
Hobbs was surly. "I cannot say what happened, sir."
"Was Mr Wellard present when the captain fell?"
"He was present, aye, but he said nothing of use to me before he died."
Now where did Pellew go from here? "How did Mr Wellard die, Mr Hobbs?"
"He was with the captain, when the D- Spaniards attacked, sir."
"He was shot fighting alongside the captain?"
"Yes, sir," Hobbs said slowly.
Here was the dangerous moment. "Mr Hobbs, from what I have heard of you, your loyalty to the late Captain Sawyer is beyond question. Would you agree that Mr Wellard died the death of a loyal man protecting his captain?"
"He did." Hobbs said. Pellew breathed out, having, he hoped, placed it on record that if there had been anything suspicious about the captain's fall neither Wellard nor Hobbs would keep it back. It might not be true of Wellard, but the transcripts would contain no hint of that.
"Is there anything more that you wish to add to your testimony."
"I have nothing to add, sir."
#
"It was an accident," Hornblower said firmly. "It was dark in the hold. I think the captain did not see the hatch edge. He simply overbalanced and fell."
Thankfully the question of why the captain had been in the hold was one matter that Hammond either knew nothing of or chose not to try Pellew's anger further by raising. And indeed there could have been any number of normal reasons.
"The captain fell by mischance?"
"Yes, sir, he did."
#
"No doubt you are pleased with yourself," Hammond said coldly.
"I am pleased with nothing in this wretched business," Pellew answered, "The most I would say is that something has been salvaged."
"Meaning your beloved boy's career, of course." Pellew was not about to say to this man that if Hornblower's career had been all that mattered to him he could have sat back and let Kennedy commit the sacrifice he had intended. But even if Archie's life had not been dear to him he would have fought to keep Horatio from such a wound.
"Do you believe the matter will end here?" Hammond was saying. "Do you believe that questions will not follow him, follow you? This affair will never be forgotten."
"And you," Pellew grated, "no doubt take pride in having helped to assure it would be so." The harsh truth was that Hammond was quite likely right, but that was a prospect he could bear. Better for Horatio to have his career shadowed than to swing. "I have said I was pleased with nothing in this business. But one thing I am deeply thankful for, Captain, that my conscience is clear. Not for the wealth of the Indies would I choose yours!"
No, not for any price that the world could offer would he have chosen to do other than he had. His boys were safe, for he would not let himself believe that Archie would die now. They were safe, and Hammond's malice was a trivial price.
A grim though occurred, if they had been other lives at stake, young lieutenants whom he did not know, would he have let his course be swayed? Would he have brought himself to accept Hammond's arguments for the sake of not staining his own future? He knew it had not been Commodore Pellew who conducted the hearing, it had been Edward Pellew who loved those young men as his sons and would do far more than challenge a Charlie Hammond for their sakes. In that at least Hammond's accusations had held a grain of truth Yet now the matter was concluded, Commodore Pellew did not believe that Edward had done ill. He had served Justice here, both sides of him believed, and in doing so he had done the Navy far truer service than Black Charlie and his talk of scapegoats had intended.
Briefly he closed his eyes, and made a vow that he would not forget this time. If he should ever – God prevent – find himself dealing with any such mess again, than he would do his true duty and all that lay in his power to protect some other father's sons.
"You are making a mockery of this court, Commodore."
"I am merely trying to establish the truth."
"Truth!" Hammond snarled. "This is naked favouritism, Commodore. I will not accept it."
"The doctor's testimony seems to me conclusive," Pellew said. "Captain Sawyer was unfit, and we may as well halt this court-martial now. In my opinion the charges should never have been brought."
"Unfit, perhaps," Hammond's eyes narrowed. "But why? We have not yet established how the fall came to happen."
"Does it matter?" Yet he knew how dangerous this ground was. "No long voyage passes without some accidental falls."
"But seldom of a captain whose men were plotting against him."
"There has been no evidence of that!"
"Not yet," Hammond said unpleasantly, "But we have many witnesses to come."
"Captain Hammond," Pellew said, "I believed it to be your desire to protect Captain Sawyer's reputation. Do you really wish to expose the fact that the man has been going slowly mad for months? I am sure you know the truth of that as well as I."
"It is the course of events we should be concerned with, not the reason for them."
"I am concerned with the reasons! I told you, Captain, I will not accept a scapegoat hunt. It is not my wish to expose Sawyer's true state in court, but if I have to do that to prevent injustice then I will."
"Injustice! You care only for your precious protégé, Hornblower!"
"You," Pellew said, "are exhibiting what looks remarkably like personal vindictiveness arising from that business at Gibralter. I can see no other reason why you should be so concerned to bring down one of the Navy's ablest young men."
"He is a menace," Hammond snapped, "an opponent of discipline. Men like that can only undermine the service."
"A remarkable opinion to have arrived at on the basis of an acquaintance of one evening." Pellew stood up. "What you wish to do, Captain, would be a travesty of justice and I will not yield to it. If you make a battle of this, then I will fight you in court for every step. If you win, then I will denounce you in every forum in the land.
"The Navy will survive. England will survive. Our own careers may not, but that will not restrain me, captain. I would rather mount the gallows myself then give you free hand to abuse the service so.
"I will pay whatever price I must. Are you prepared to do the same?"
#
"I do not know how he came to fall," Buckland said grudgingly.
Pellew had had to handle the man with gloves of kid, it was evident that resentment of Hornblower was strong in Buckland. However his desire for self-preservation was stronger still, he would take the chance of survival above the chance for malice if not provoked. Hammond, however, was still a problem, not challenging Pellew's authority openly, but harping upon the question of the fall.
"I was not there," Buckland was saying, "But I believe Gunner Hobbs may have some information."
"He was present?" Collins asked.
"I think not. But he heard the last words of Midshipman Wellard, who I believe to have known something about the matter."
#
Hobbs was surly. "I cannot say what happened, sir."
"Was Mr Wellard present when the captain fell?"
"He was present, aye, but he said nothing of use to me before he died."
Now where did Pellew go from here? "How did Mr Wellard die, Mr Hobbs?"
"He was with the captain, when the D- Spaniards attacked, sir."
"He was shot fighting alongside the captain?"
"Yes, sir," Hobbs said slowly.
Here was the dangerous moment. "Mr Hobbs, from what I have heard of you, your loyalty to the late Captain Sawyer is beyond question. Would you agree that Mr Wellard died the death of a loyal man protecting his captain?"
"He did." Hobbs said. Pellew breathed out, having, he hoped, placed it on record that if there had been anything suspicious about the captain's fall neither Wellard nor Hobbs would keep it back. It might not be true of Wellard, but the transcripts would contain no hint of that.
"Is there anything more that you wish to add to your testimony."
"I have nothing to add, sir."
#
"It was an accident," Hornblower said firmly. "It was dark in the hold. I think the captain did not see the hatch edge. He simply overbalanced and fell."
Thankfully the question of why the captain had been in the hold was one matter that Hammond either knew nothing of or chose not to try Pellew's anger further by raising. And indeed there could have been any number of normal reasons.
"The captain fell by mischance?"
"Yes, sir, he did."
#
"No doubt you are pleased with yourself," Hammond said coldly.
"I am pleased with nothing in this wretched business," Pellew answered, "The most I would say is that something has been salvaged."
"Meaning your beloved boy's career, of course." Pellew was not about to say to this man that if Hornblower's career had been all that mattered to him he could have sat back and let Kennedy commit the sacrifice he had intended. But even if Archie's life had not been dear to him he would have fought to keep Horatio from such a wound.
"Do you believe the matter will end here?" Hammond was saying. "Do you believe that questions will not follow him, follow you? This affair will never be forgotten."
"And you," Pellew grated, "no doubt take pride in having helped to assure it would be so." The harsh truth was that Hammond was quite likely right, but that was a prospect he could bear. Better for Horatio to have his career shadowed than to swing. "I have said I was pleased with nothing in this business. But one thing I am deeply thankful for, Captain, that my conscience is clear. Not for the wealth of the Indies would I choose yours!"
No, not for any price that the world could offer would he have chosen to do other than he had. His boys were safe, for he would not let himself believe that Archie would die now. They were safe, and Hammond's malice was a trivial price.
A grim though occurred, if they had been other lives at stake, young lieutenants whom he did not know, would he have let his course be swayed? Would he have brought himself to accept Hammond's arguments for the sake of not staining his own future? He knew it had not been Commodore Pellew who conducted the hearing, it had been Edward Pellew who loved those young men as his sons and would do far more than challenge a Charlie Hammond for their sakes. In that at least Hammond's accusations had held a grain of truth Yet now the matter was concluded, Commodore Pellew did not believe that Edward had done ill. He had served Justice here, both sides of him believed, and in doing so he had done the Navy far truer service than Black Charlie and his talk of scapegoats had intended.
Briefly he closed his eyes, and made a vow that he would not forget this time. If he should ever – God prevent – find himself dealing with any such mess again, than he would do his true duty and all that lay in his power to protect some other father's sons.