 Call all hands, beat the quarters. Let's tell the battery. One broadside into it, if you please, Captain Bush. Point to some targets. Linz talks ready. Michael Redgrave as sea as foresters, indomitable man of the sea, a ratio hornblower. My fears were well enough funded then. The Navy and the public were hard masters. There was no gain saying the fact that I had surrendered and lost my ship, the Sutherland, at Rosas. The odds had been overwhelming, I had fought to the last and I was acting under the orders of Admiral Layton, but I had struck my colours and that was an act which my lords of the Admiralty at Whitehall would find it hard to forgive. I sat solitary in my small cabin on the victory and listened grimly to the signs as the captains and admirals who were to try me assembled, and still they come. Does it need the whole British Navy to try one captain? Like bulches flocking to a feast. Is the captain Canada? Is the court ready? There is only Captain Hornblower's sword to place on the table. Here it comes now. Thank you. Yes, my lord. It's the sword of 100 guineas value. It's presented to Captain Hornblower by the patriotic fund for his victory over the Spanish ship Natividad. A wonderful achievement, that, my lord. Yes. Pity that you come to this. I always regarded Hornblower as a very fine officer. Yes, my lord. That is a very improper remark to make to the President of the Court, Captain Canada. I have no feelings about Captain Hornblower. It is my duty to pronounce judgment according to the evidence. Of course, my lord. Shall I place the sword here? Yes, on that table. The hill towards me, the point towards where Hornblower will stand. Thank you. Let the court assemble and the gun be fired. Aye, my lord. And, uh, calendar, as we are alone, I am going to make an improper remark. Indeed, my lord. Yes, if the evidence today is such that I am able to instruct you to turn that sword with the hilt facing Hornblower, I shall be the happiest man in the Navy. Thank you, my lord. With due respect, my lord, I eventually would disagree. Next to Hornblower, I shall be the happiest. It's curious that, despite the fact that the next hour or two I can recall that a little detail. A few impressions remain vivid. The glitter of gold lace on the coats of the semicircle of officers in the great cabin of the victory. Endless formalities of the preliminaries. The face of the admiralty officer who had been sent to conduct my defense. My sword, lying for lonely on the table with its point winking at me with a cold glint. As witness, followed witness, I found myself wishing that I'd suffered death in the battle. I've faced this weary sifting of pointless information. One moment, please, Captain Bush. Now, on this matter of judgment where was your place during the battle? On the quarter deck. Besides the captain, sir, to receive his orders. So that everything that was visible to him was apparent to you also? Yes, sir. I see. Now, you have told us in your evidence that you were wounded and that despite your desire to remain on deck in safety. That's right, sir. He only thinks of others, sir. Now, will you describe to us briefly the general position at the time you were taken below? Well, sir, we'd already crippled two French ships and we were then engaging the other two and giving them hell, too. Had you suffered much damage and casualties? We were a wreck, sir. Missing top must shuffle away. Four and main must down about a year. The French three-decker was right on the wrong side and pumping broadsides into us. We had so many wounded below that it sounded like bedlam. Half our gun crews were dead at their guns and the deck was too slippery with blood to walk on, sir. I find out afterwards that we had 170 killed and 145 wounded. Silence! Silence, please! Now, Captain Bush, I want you to think carefully before answering this question. Remember, it is possible that this very day you might be called upon in your capacity as a British naval captain to fight just such another battle in command. If you were called upon to fight such a battle and if you found your ship and crew in the condition you have described would you surrender to the enemy? Yes, sir. Knowing that you would be called upon to answer for your action? I'd still do it, sir. Would you consider that while your ship was yet to float it might still be recaptured and made serviceable to its country? Yes, sir. If you were called upon to fight such a battle and if you were called upon to fight such a battle would you think it reprehensible to throw away the lives of the remainder when no victory could come of the gesture? I call it criminal, sir. And one more question, Captain. If you had disabled four enemy ships and inflicted upon them dreadful casualties would you consider that proof of your skill and determination? I think it might point that way, sir. And that is which most practical sailors would conquer. Bush sat down, beaming like a hurricane lamp. The prosecuting and defending officers grinned at each other across the court and the next witness was called. I was weary of the whole thing and was heartily relieved when the last witness had been heard the last speeches made and the court was adjourned. Back in my cabin I found an elegant civilian dressed in buff and blue his face seemed vaguely familiar. Calendar introduced him. I'll come for you again when the court's reached its decision. In the meantime may I present Mr. Hookam-Fear of his Majesty's Government? When I heard his name I remembered why his face seemed familiar. I'd seen it caricatured many times. He was the famous witt who wrote in the antique elegant and was deep in the secrets of the cabinet. He bowed elegantly and begged leave to ask me some questions. But truth to tell I hardly paid any attention to him now that I was out of the court I burned to be back there to get it over and to hear the worst. Seemed an age before calendar returned. What were your impressions of conditions in France, sir? That's a long story, sir. In the first place, sir. Will you excuse me, Mr. Fair? The court has assembled Captain Wombler. Thank you. I'll come immediately. Is the executioner present or do they have to send to London for him? Oh, that's not fair, Wombler. You know I'm not permitted to discuss this case with you. No, no, I'm sorry. It was unforgivable of me. I'm a little... Well, not quite myself. Well, here we are. You won't have to wait much longer. My heart was beating hard as I went in. I knew that I was pale. I jerked my head erect to meet the eyes of the judges in their blue and gold. But somehow all seemed lost to me. Only one thing was plain. The table and the small cleared space before the president were my sword lay. I saw nothing of the cabin, nothing of the judges. My eyes sawed only my sword and the message it would give me. It was towards me. The hilt. I was not guilty. Silence, please. Captain Wombler, my lord. This court is of the unanimous opinion that your gallant and unprecedented defense of his majestieship Sutherland against the force of superior is deserving of every praise the country and this court can give. Your conduct together with that of the officers and men under your command reflects not only the highest honor on you, but on the country at large. You are therefore most honorably acquitted. Look at them, look at them, Hambler. Every ship in the fleet is its yard's man. The cheering man, you're famous. Congratulations, Captain Wombler. Congratulations on behalf of his majesties' government. Not that there was any doubt about it, of course. Thank you, Mr. Fair. I should have been happy to have been able to share your confidence. And now, sir, if you're ready, I've had a post-shades horse to wait in this last six hours. My orders are to convey you immediately to London. To London? But... Will you be good enough to step into the barge? I suggest, sir, that you take off your hat to show the fleet how much you appreciate their good wishes. Pat on your arm, please, of this way. Captain Horatio Hornblower! Mr. Huckum Friar! Ah, Hornblower, welcome home. Come and be presented. Your Royal Highness, this is Captain Bornblower. Evening, Captain. Everyone's been talking about you, Captain. Yes, and so they ought to, damn it, Captain, so they ought to. Damn smart bit of work. Good as I could have done myself. Here, Cunningham, make the presentation. It was all a dream, surely. I felt the accolade and heard the formal words which dubbed me night. Rise, sir, Horatio Hornblower! It was a ribbon to be hung over my shoulder and a star to be pinned on my breast and a red cloak to be draped about me a vow to be repeated, signatures to be written. I was a knight of the most honourable order of the bath, as somebody lively proclaimed, with a ribbon and a star to wear for the rest of my life. The congratulations flowed about me like a sea. My best wishes to you, Colonel. Colonel, sir. His Royal Highness has been pleased to appoint you one of his colonels of Marines. I was still bathed. A colonel of Marines received pay to the amount of £1,200 a year and did no duty for it. It was an appointment given to successful captains to be held until they reached flag rank. I remembered that my prize money already amounted to £6,000. I'd attained financial security at last for the first time in my life. I had a title, a ribbon, and a star. Everything I'd ever dreamed of having, in fact, but what I wanted most was to go to Barbara and my son. It's born and dazed! Sir, I am overwhelmed, sir. I know how to thank the Royal Highness. Thank me by joining us at Hazard. Your arrival interrupted a damn interesting game. Bring up there, Mr. John, a chance to wine. Now, now, sit here beside Lady Jane, Captain. Well, sir, it's... The Captain won't want to pay? Well, yes, I know all about you. Welcome. You want to step away to John Walter. Well, tell him to write one of his damn leaders of my civil disraised. I work hard enough for it. God knows. Well, I don't see why you want to take the Captain away. Go very well then, damn you. Go if you want to. I didn't imagine you cared for Hazard. I know I wouldn't. Not if the Prince were using his own dice. Thanks for getting me out of it. Who is John Walter that His Royal Highness referred to? He's the editor of The Times. There'll have to be a big story about you in your knighthood. The public's got to realize that the government's naval offices are closed. Oh, so my knighthood is a political move too. And all the other honors? Everything's political, my dear fellow. But you wouldn't have got it if you hadn't earned it. And now I took the liberty of engaging a room for you at the Golden Cross. I had your baggage sent round and they're expecting you. They were. Host and chambermaid and boots all flattered and bowed and almost prostrated themselves. It was, yes, sir, a ratio and no, sir, a ratio until I could have knocked their heads off. I made a procession of lighting me up to bed and then fussed around me interminably when all I wanted was a little peace. I was left alone at last to plunge into bed and spend a sleepless night going over again all the details of that amazing day and wondering what the morrow held in store. Barbarigio Hornblower. A ratio? Welcome home. Barbara was in black. Of course, Layton had been dead for less than a year still. But black suited her. Her skin was creamy white against it. It was with a pain that I remembered the golden tan of her cheeks in the old days on the Lydia. The nurse is bringing, Richard. Meanwhile, heartiest congratulations on your success. Thank you. Thank you. I was extremely lucky, really. The lucky man is usually the man who knows how much to leave to chance. Oh, thank you, nurse. You may leave little Richard with us. And this was my son. This little bundle with the brown eyes looking up at me. This tiny light thing with her held in my arms. I was never sent toventilift yet. There was something in my eyes that made it difficult for me to see clearly. I felt her warm rush of affection for the poor, helpless baby that I held. I looked up at Barbara and it seemed to me that her eyes, too, were not quite dry. But she was smiling. You have so much now, Horatio. Wealth, position, a future, and a son. It's only the latter that I really prize Barbara. Yet it is the wealth and the position that I would like to share. Oh, and not your son? Oh, you have almost made him yours. All I want in the world is in this room at this moment. All that I want, too, Horatio. It's only Barbara. My son shall not come between us. He shall be our son. Horatio.