 Call all hands beat the quarters by this tower battery one broadside into it. You please Captain Bush point is on target Michael Redgrave as C.S. Forester's indomitable man of the sea a ratio hornblower That's rather those miles young man. I think country bread not long at sea So it was something of a shock to me to find that I could have this feeling to is that at least on one occasion long ago The story of this Unexpected piece of self-discovery began quietly enough just off the coast of Spain less than a hundred miles from our own British port of Bordeaux Mr. Ross call up side boys and Marine Guard all honors to a captain who's an ally And pass the word the captain flu you probably want to be at the gangway That is captain welcome to speak French ask you to come below for a class of why Captain Palouse. I've only got school friends. I know I know but I can only read the stuff some of it Well, I'll try sir Monsieur le capitaine voulez vous descendre au cabin de notre capitaine Merci He prefers to read the contents of this envelope at once without delay very good Will now Here read his hornblower Yes, sir Mostly compliments addressed by his excellency the Duke of Belquite to the most gallant ship captain Sir Edward Pellue night at the bar and so on and Um, but Well, sir the real number that seems to be that spain is now neutral no longer at war with france Must and that's it. Yes must enforce her right It says sir that We have been at anchor here 24 hours and that if we the spaniards leaving us in the lurch Doesn't he know we beat his ally our faithful friend Go on yes, sir six hours from now sir if we are still within range of the shore batteries They will have orders to fire on us for all of it. I don't mind you Hornblower, sir You tell this fellow No, never mind I must let him see he's made me angry Mr. Hornblower, sir Tell mr. Chat to see him over the side with all the honors sideboys ocean pipes drummers. Yes, sir. Yes Everything we can muster Then I'll go below and do my swearing Tell mr. Echoes. I want to be underway within the hour. Yes, sir internal impedance It was almost funny I poured out complimentary farewells to the best of my ability And while I was doing it The two captains stiffly exchanged bows of every phrase hats across stomachs and so on But captain belial was as good as his word or even better The cable was hope short in less than an hour and And as we slowly got underway, I stood in the waist with mr. Wales our carpenter Looking across at the distant white town which would soon fade Two long sharp prowls had emerged from the inner bay and were pointing towards the end of fattigable They were a sort of ship. I'd never seen in my whole life At least outside my history books at school Hi, mr. Wales. What are they galley is mr. Hornblower galleys But like like ancient roman firings. Is that it? That's it and man by slaves Straight out of the ancient world and yet here beside modern cars like ours Oh, this is something to see all right How many does Spanish have in commission mr. Wales couldn't help having you for a lot A dozen I should say four men to be all and fifty oars That means 200 galleys slaves for ship Oh now a lot salute. I see we're giving it They're applying Yes, it's ironic. We've covered his salute Hornblower Our wager the next time we hear those guns from shore They'll be firing the real thing Against England nation after nation was retiring from the contest against the tyrant prone apart And in the weeks that followed It looked as if we would soon stand almost alone against the world I do not like to look at it mr. Chad. Don't like it one little bit. The current is quite strong, sir And what faint prevailing winds that are blowing in the same direction and our grain chips found it all I give my arm for two hours of a southerly wind just now. That's all we need to walk this up to the mole Well, what is it mr. Hornblower sir? Mark Hedglokat has just reported vessels approaching far off on the port beam That's done across asks for instruction, sir. Port beam, eh? Port beam, eh? Give me that glass mr. Chad Yes, I I think I can barely detect Take the glass mr. Chad Horizon's extremely hazy, but tell me if I've seen a right unless I'm very much mistaken It's our friends from cadiz from cadiz, sir. I don't quite follow the galleys man the Spanish galleys Look carefully now Can't you make out the rise and fall of those damn little all yes, sir By hidden that's exactly what they are the galleys and sir they're heading straight for us or I'm a blind man Quick now. I want you on the court to take mr. Chad. We'll arm the men read as a long post cut our call hands Apparently the galleys intention was to fall upon the merchant ships lying farthest behind in the convoy Three grain ships lay within half a mile of us and might be covered by our gunfire But the others could expect no such protection And a pair of galleys sped to all of these looking like ghosts sinister ghosts of long dead cruel fears and injustices Mr. Soames will command the cutter mr. Mason the longboat I want six part of cut an ace lord into both boats and cracking eyes, of course. Yes, sir. They're already equipped Mr. Hongar sir you were to check all personal arms But make sure each hand has pistol and cutlery goes over time Oh, I thought perhaps the jolly boat was going to sir. That's my special charge Your jolly boat attack one of those war galleys for more A full foot nut show with a crew of six don't make me laugh We could just pull to one of the grain convoy seven and reinforce her crew against attack Well, uh, yes, uh possibly a captain for lucar. What do you think of the young man's proposal? He says he and his crew might be required by one of the convoy Jackson so bring our other men girl be quick All right, all right, mr. Hornflower feel about it then make for any one of our ships that they need And put your men aboard her But I don't waste any more time with talk of jolly boats in action. Thank you, sir Jackson hunter all six of us is ready mr. Hornflower They will go all the way up at the David's in here Good, got pistols and cutlery's Aye sir and swing out the jolly boat You're aching to attack them demon ships here sir Quiet Well, we we we just might want Jackson if there is a chance came I Are you willing and the others to willing my lungs to have a crack at them, mr. So it is all six of his so well. He done about it, sir Good good then we'll well, we'll see as we pulled away from the indefatigable As for myself Had never in my life felt the sudden Violent personal hate that shook me now The long boat and the cutter both much larger than our little craft had a good start on us and made fart headway We lagged behind them. I found myself clutching the tiller and leaning forward in my eagerness to be equipped somehow with this Weird enemy Just look at them galleys or blades fly the way they come sweeping down is something The vice of their death there are there be time now to board a grand ship if you want me to I think you're right. I'm going to pull the tiller over. We'll follow the cutter for better or for worse Sir well hunter. I can see mr. Salves is the cutter giving orders sir. She's pointing at six pounds of the galleys She's going to fire. I wonder it Much too great a range for that six pounder pop gun. I'm afraid all the same. I'm glad to see she's ready Sir, look there. What is it? There's the other galley biggest life driving right in between them two merchant ships when our cutters in her biggy bar fall and fall We've got to go out there and help Pulls their lives. I tell you pull. We're gaining on the cut of mr. Omda She's fired the cutters fired straight at the galleys bar There's no good. It's just spinters. See if it's don't look good for the cutter, sir Those oars are quickening now and the galleys Galley's coming down to ramhoads It's like the creeps at that that that salamis or somewhere We just missed our own cutter sir and now we're past there should we turn about and she's going to ram the cutter They've freed the cutter right in two and mr. Somes was standing up in the stern she each when she struck Yes I can't even see him now Chilling sight One moment before left him and somes looking straight at the death which cleaved towards him through the blue water And now no trace of him or half his men A few men clung to the severed cutters stern parts But as the Spanish galleys starboard or swept by us just clearing us and our own oars She wrote them down relentlessly and passed over their bobbing heads Give way for us. Give way Use your gut, little jackson. Use it now. We're going aboard that devil ship And yelled an oath in reply and hurled our grappling hook on its long line Had caught in the florid guilt rail of the galleys quarter just before she swept out of our reach I was wild rage and horror now somehow we must avenge that cutter's crew Our own men had been slaughtered by this ghost out of the past I already loathe her for her brutal slavery, but The cutter's fate was the last straw I can't hold her sir. Do you feel that full lines cut my hands off take a turn around the cleat don't be a fool We've got to hold on to her jackson. She's passed down the cleat I swear it's like we'd are pooned away, isn't it? Look like this. They've seen us. There's a spaniard running out on her boat He's got a knife to cut our lives. Well then shoot him hunter Thunder he fell right out of flight below the rail The men the odds are heavy against us, but we've a a good chance to climb aboard. Are you for it? We're only seven Good lad. All right pull up them there You davis you'll pass and give jackson a handle of the line. Call us up in closer to our stern Fighting mad as I all of a shouting at each other shaking with fury and excitement now It was then that that word I'd read came back to me flared in my mind like Blood first is finally I knew what that word meant I was insane with it Then four or five swarthy faces appeared above the galley's gilded stern and muskets pointed down into the jolly boat I'll test those lads and fire I'm spending age with another slight ride quickly sir Carson's near conscious reload Watch out mr. Hornblower. Someone's pushed a musket battle through the window then they're off to cabin up there You got a nice eye, sir. I'm heading for that broken cabin window in the stern now bring the men out for me one at a time. Hi. Hi, sir One myself at the gratin line my legs grazed the water as the line sagged but my arms finally carried me upwards I swung up my feet kicked out what remained of the shattered window and Held myself through I came down on the cabin deck with a thud and peered about me in the dim cabin The spanier who dame through the window lay there dead I was alone You needn't jump sir. Only me. We're all alone in here, sir. Don't talk so loud. Are the others coming jackson hunter's next They're all be here sir and sip Carson. Good. Well We can't wait for them now But sir, here that commotion up above us speeds the important thing jackson. I'll come along here's the cabin board Find the officers first jackson got your cutlass ready. Hi. Hi, sir. Good. There's there two big guns up for a guess And three or four men on the pokesill. Yes, but there'll be more on the poop just above us Look behind you what more spandage from the pokesill. They got their swords out too more spandage Mr. Chad and some hands out they're coming over side Didn't follow instructions You see sir. Oh, but the admiral will be pleased all the same. Mr. Hornblower. How's that sir? And uh Now that we've lost poor mr. Somes in that accident with the cutter I'd rather think you shall need another watchkeeping officer I have it in mind to give you an order as um acting lieutenant young man acting. Let's answer Sir, I I just lost my head. I think I I bought it the galley in a kind of Fit of oh, I don't know insanity perhaps it might be well if more young officers lost their heads in that way then But sir, I mean a hobby I wouldn't like to make false pretenses, sir. For now. I'm honored for it. I've All right I'm almost ashamed of that blind rage and I said I must be honest I am never questioned the lucky things that happened to you mr. Hornblower You'll learn more moderation in good time. Unfortunately. Oh, uh, thank you, sir Yes, minister music composed and conducted by sydney torch