 you please Captain Bush. My own sickness my beloved husband the household here at Smallbridge has undergone an important transformation. Little Richard is no longer a baby but it's been put into small clothes. Breaches if you please. But if you could see him I think you would agree that your little Richard carries himself like a gentleman except that he sits down rather suddenly now and then usually in mud puddles and he still loves to dig holes in the ground around the shrubbery he exhibits both physically and morally a partiality for the soil which appears odd in the sound of such a distinguished sailor but in other ways he reminds me more and more of you each day if your first wife was still alive she could not possibly love him better than I do let us forget the words steps on ever existed when I have completed this letter I will have him a fix his mark and I dare say he will add such grubby fingerprints as will further identify his signature I fought down the longing that her words brought but I couldn't repress a surge of hope as I picked up the dispatches which have been delivered to my cabin with Barbara's letter new orders from the Admiralty in London perhaps at last I was to return to England this could mean my release their lordships desire me to advise you that the government attaches the greatest importance to maintaining the defense of Riga they instruct me to inform you that they consider the safety of your squadron as secondary to the fate of Riga and its Russian defenders Riga is the single most defensible point of Bonaparte's road to St. Petersburg and it must be protected to the last man and ship they charge you on your peril to remain in your present position and to do all in your power to prevent the enemy from continuing his march my petal I suppose that means they'll shoot me if I don't think part of it Oh nothing nothing I was just just reading between the lines look all the devil is old changing sir oh where's brown in sick order sir well nothing serious I hope no sir touch of a egg you were saying sir oh nothing nothing just give me my half please and my pistols I'm going to show again all the way to read possibly but the village at the river mouth is in ruin sir you'll be in a direct line of fire before you can reach over there it's the last outpost to protect the port besides the Russians have dug trenches from cellar to cellar it's safe enough I hope so sir all I can say is that when I see that miss over there on the land so I'm very glad to be a player I know what you mean Jenkins compared to these infernal land operations see fighting is ever be quick and clean we'll see what can be done to clear up that mess you refer to as soon as a better Jenkins for all hands we're picking our way through the ruins when for that printer for that the bullets are really ricocheting over here from the bombardment on the ramparts and they're not shooting at us we'll use this trench now this should take us to the cellar of the church thank him the old church is still standing private bits in his staff and never find another headquarters in this shambles French guns and they must have enhanced their positions well Colonel from private bits will give us all the details complete you may be sure with a mathematical forecast of the enemy's intentions I keep hearing about this Russian from clouds of it sir and other crushes are I like with bone apart he's here on class if it's left his own country in order to fight bone apart but do you trust him oh yes it's a man of principle and talented besides but I should never get used to land operations I'm afraid these correct soldiers with a correct tactic and the way they come to center ships a direct hit on the trench sir just over there well that's like approaching the church cellar anyhow yes sir there it is just ahead it's good to see you kind of out of it how goes the defense very well all things considered of course the French are making progress no matter what we do this village is to know if you would care of a prediction for the enemy's exact position it will be tomorrow sundown well if you don't mind I'm rather more interested in the enemy's exact position as it is today very good if you will climb up into the tower with I will point out the latest details this story over here will take us up into the building excellent come along with her eyes you will see that the French have approached dangerously near our effects all we can hope to do is to delay the inevitable then the trigger will be the oh come now don't sound so cheerful after all we we should be able to do a little better than that you would think so wait until you see the village is already more than half surrounded here we are in the car the gallery on which he said before is gone you will make that but if you come to this window you will observe as you can see the village is a mess of rent but why is there so little firing from your own battery sir too many of our gunners have been killed too many of our guns destroyed my young friend since our men and equipment are so scarce we must preserve them for the enemy's final assault and when you estimate that assault will come home according to my calculation they will be ready to storm the newest breach they have made in our defenses maybe day after tomorrow but the day after tomorrow you mean we've just 48 hours then well you should have told me sooner I might come at the he must be realistic as a naval officer you may not realize he was there is a dating back hundreds of years I'm sure you're right but can't we leave the school books out of it this time and concentrate on those Frenchmen over there our next move at this point is obviously to make a limited sauté against the besiegers if only to delay their assault a few hours well all the authorities would agree that that is the correct procedure and no one ever breaks the rules is a well confounded man if the French know a sauté is due when they prepare for well of course the well then what's the point it's so deep is our one logical course not a lot of them are moving like a chess game because of it can't we move out of turn for once do something they won't expect well I think you have perhaps a better suggestion kind of well I have so happened after all my men are fighting a losing battle and they know it but they are fighting bravely all the same my own life is forfeit the moment the enemy enters the town as you know I am a person a person sweating with the French call me later if I saw any chance to break the siege you don't think I do it of course of course I understand I only wish I were the way to interrupt their preparations observe they have competed their second parallel not more than 200 yards from my defense their factories they are in the middle would cut up any force attacking friendly how about their flanks are they also secure one thing is guarded by the river the other by the bay and those big guns pointed out to see the guns which make it possible any more bombing from your ships yes but the water of the bay is still our strongest position you realize that cannot water what good did it to us when the end it is always the infantry on which one was to pay in the infantry why not why not why not why not when you see come at our house if it's perhaps that's it because the infantry and the ships they can stop us from using bomb vessels there in the bay yes by daylight but can they stop an infantry attack from books at night but keeping the landing force together all must reach the shore at once no landing in ribbons are the truth allocators to particular barges well they will be done as soon as I can confer with the Russian staff where do we pick them up sir well they'll be much that point on the river which I indicated on our chart remember well of course I own both crews will man the barges well Captain Bush you look as if you had some news I have said Mr. Adams has just returned from his mission in Riga says the river barges you are a Russian border being ready to the good Captain Bush that must be the Russian general from Riga I got with them before I came aboard we surprised the French just here from the bay you understand the from the bay yes general my men will handle the barges which will carry in your troops now here is the French flank where they've set up their shore battery will you attack their general set up is that understood yes understood the storming of the earth works farther up the shore may we entrust that face to general Kredensky yes yes what I thought you spoke no English general Kredensky he does not yes it's the only but he knows oh yes that's a true Kledensky yes but you will make sure that he understands that understood well I needn't tell you the importance of preventing Riga's fall even if Napoleon's forces are turned back before Moscow we're the last block on his road to St. Petersburg we will stop them in the south we will stop them in the north the great spirit of Russia will rise up and destroy every last Frenchman on the Russia's holy soil staring words general chef stuff the old man will have a chance to put them into action very soon sir yes come in boys what is it you miss governor is not from Riga sir like I just brought him up from shore he's just he tried to catch up with the generals he's quite flustered sir anything wrong he's coming down he'll tell you himself yes something what is it governor terrible news it has just gone Moscow has fallen what much more important that we do our job well gentlemen stop the French here and you save St. Petersburg it's bad news but we must hold firm to our plan I don't want to act details have been arranged the Russians left us clueless bush seemed one it looked like the heart went right out of it sir I do suppose they'll fight now that must have fallen why shouldn't they desire hasn't surrendered Russia's a big country to member bush I'll be English lives at stake tonight too sir I'm aware of that man who was out I had more than a few misgivings myself but I planned as carefully as I knew I'm back on shore I discussed the scheme with Krasovitz and by midnight all arrangements were completed they were of course too many imponderables about the whole affair my body and brain felt unspeakably weird as I paced around the church belfry and stared out into the blackness Krasovitz was not inclined to be very helpful just then it is indeed a novel idea an attack launched in this fashion in the face of a besieging army but I could never venture to predict it's a scum at all waiting was difficult I think my imagination or was it a strange tension about the French camp a few bill backfires dotted the night everywhere else by stillness and uncertainty and it's very silent the enemy seemed to crunch waiting how was I proud of it I know it simply probably no doubt you're right I am an alerted for anything that may happen of course there is nothing we can do until dawn Commodore why do you not question yourself where you are very deep and it was strong over there in the corner sleep is out of the question Krasovitz I am tired it's strange you know the stars seem three times their proper size my knees and yes I will just sit down and rest a moment rest my eyes to I agree he had no better accommodation this store does nicely how was that that one almost hit the church you feel the whole time but this is a slightly risky approach of yours I must say Colonel sort of fence decided to break the rules at the same time we didn't have to refer to see for that no thank you careful I shall stay here how much of this kind of bad drink in a defensive fight to storm the big they made in a repartee I just said more men to defend it they may hold every short time but and I appreciate your strategy in conserving guns and men a man fighting well down there in spite of darkness and surprise congratulations thank you Commodore and I since you are generous I must admit to you my calculations were somewhat incorrect I think the French assault would come so soon well if your men could hold out until our landing force attacks do our best even after they stormed the beach as you do of course well much better than any news I went to the riverbank and picked up as far as the base shore as I could no sign of the barge is yet it was too dark to see father well keep an eye open for signal prayer from the bay that'll mean on end of starting in quite a show a mysterious I've never seen anything like it sir there are fewer flashes from the starboard section of our lines yes what does that mean sir hmm it means that most of our gunners are dead this is second line behind it yet it looks a few rules yes and the breach is still not up yet to be a thin line though they have meant to spare let the French believe they've taken it and then fall on their first wave from behind cover what about the French are storming the beach now keep our first line will only hold I see their torches are going through that I've left those mellars the car just sold your manner holding them good way it's going to be a very long mess here there's a speak of gray in the sky so it won't be long too long why don't those barges come sir look there's one French soldier down there in the square I forgot to look at all the others seems pretty silly he's fighting up here take one of my best real peppermint that's the captain's cock cats not too practical up here now we go down to the breach and organize that second line ourselves in this coming soon I only lose I prefer to die down there than we take a decision a fight against my own country I will be caught muscle then shot yes that's a good outcome is I've no desire to rot in a French prison either game a good other one thing going on to rally the men's spirits at least are you ready to wait look over there just where the river meets the bay our signals where it is it is landing boxes no more fighting the breach the French are near those troops at the bay the bay is safe the compilers and conducted by Sydney Torch