 Call all hands, split the quarters. Distribute battery. One broadside into it, please, Captain Bush. Pointes on target. Trim stops ready. Aye, aye, sir! Bad sea as foresters, indomitable man of the sea, a ratio of hornblower. He tells himself that it was at such and such a time that he changed, that he grew, that he shaped himself into what he was to be forever after. With me, that time was in the weeks following the death of Captain Sawyer, the man of war, Renan. I was only fifth lieutenant aboard our ship, and I didn't know then that I was making myself into a man who might someday be worthy of a command. Did you think my talk with the men had an effect? It may be too early to tell, sir, but what was your impression? Well, sir, your talk was really divided into two parts. First, the announcement of the captain's death, which, of course, was your idea, Mr. Hornblower. Mine, sir. Yes. You remember, here in the wardroom, I said it would cause unrest when this news got about among the men, and that's when you spoke up. You said, wouldn't it be best to get them all together and tell them immediately before wild rumors start? Oh, yes, I did say that, sir, but, of course, I felt that that was what you were about to suggest yourself. It followed so, well, so logically on your own thought that we couldn't chance unrest. You thought I was about to say it? Yes, sir. Yes, but you didn't wait for me to say it. I'm sorry, sir. You weren't by any chance, Hornblower, trying to tell me how to run this ship? No, sir. Naturally not. No, I shouldn't allow that, you know? Well, of course not, sir. I'm in command here. Yes, sir. On the other hand, Mr. Hornblower, we all know that I have not had a command before, and I hope I will not be so obstinate as not to listen to the ideas of my officers. There's another matter, rather a serious thing. I... What is it, sir? Nothing. Nothing. There was something on my mind, and momentarily I thought I'd discuss it, but never mind. I'll make the decision myself. That will be all, Mr. Hornblower. Mr. Hornblower? Yes, sir. What do you think number one will do? By what, sir? You know what? Down in the captain's desk are the captain's papers, and among those papers are the secret orders under which we sailed. What do you suppose those orders are? Well, sir, they may be just routine orders directing us to join Admiral Bickerton's squadron. Maybe. Or they might be orders to sail under tax service on some secret mission, something dangerous, possibly. What's Mr. Buckland likely to do, eh? I know what I'd do, sir. What? I'd open those orders immediately. Well, what's easy enough for you or me to say, but Buckland hasn't got a captain's commission, and those orders aren't for the eyes of a mere lieutenant. Is master of the ship, Bush? Oh, I know. By accident, that's all. He can take the ship into Antigua. There's probably some junior captain there who can take over there. Do that, and miss his chance to be master? Well, if he doesn't go to Antigua, you'll have to read the secret orders. If he does that, he could be reprimanded for his presumption. Possibly, but if he puts into Antigua and then has to beat back to Windward, the lords of the Admiral, they'll wrap his knuckles hard. Oh, whichever he does, it's chancey. Very chancey, isn't it? I know. I wouldn't want to be in Buckland shoes. I would. What? It's the chance of a command, the chance of tax service, don't you see? Oh, you're a rum-cow, Mr. Hornblere. Yes, sir, Mr. Bush. I expect I am. Talk to Buckland about those sealed orders. But a fifth lieutenant, fourth now that the captain was dead, cannot bring up such things without being asked. There was a tension and excitement within me that cried out to have the secret orders opened. I found that I couldn't contemplate the idea of putting into port without some disgust at the weakness of such a course. It was Buckland, however, that sent for me later that same day. I... I have a decision to make, Hornblere. Sir, if I... if I can help you in any way, sir? Oh, I can discuss it with you if you understand my position. That it's my decision at all that. I quite understand that, sir. Well, then, um... Hornblere, it's about the sealed orders, huh? I haven't opened them. I thought not, sir. I'm not sure whether I should. Would you like an opinion, sir? Just an opinion, of course, yes. I think you should open them, sir. It might get me into trouble. It might get you into trouble, not to. Antigua is not far away. That's quite true, sir. I could go there directly. I could have a hire official open the papers or a junior master assigned to the ship over me. Exactly, sir. What do you mean? I mean, sir, that you have some right to think of yourself. This ship is yours to command, huh? If you put into Antigua, someone else may be put in command, and you would lose a great opportunity. But if that's what the Lords of the Admiralty would want... The Admiralty, sir, would be very much impressed, I should think, if you opened the orders and carried out whatever the ship's mission successfully and with dispatch. You think, sir? I do, sir. I believe that the Lords of the Admiralty like officers who display initiative. Initiative? Yes. You think it will be all right, Hornblower? I think it is a great opportunity, sir. Mike, Joe, then, I'll do it. I've made my decision, Mr. Hornblower. I congratulate you, sir. Hello, Mr. Hornblower. Mr. Scarborough, the talent officer. Hello, Mr. Hornblower. Look! Look there! It's just a flying fish. Yes, and there's another. Such excitement over a flying fish. I never saw one before. You'll see plenty of them before this voyage is over. That depends on what we're headed for. Or, I imagine, number one, Laura's to put into Antigua. I don't think you... Look, that's Mr. Robert. Oh, I've seen him before. Yes, but he's been below with Buckland. Is this a reason for such excitement? What's the matter, Mr. Hornblower? Mr. Roberts? Mr. Roberts, sir? Oh, there you are, Hornblower. You know about this thing, don't you? Yes, sir. What thing? He's the heir of some secret. Number one was going to open the secret orders. What? He's done it. He's read them? As far as I know, yes. What did they say? They were secret orders. If Mr. Buckland had taken me into his condoms, I still could not tell you. True enough. So we're down the wiser. There's Mr. Buckland now on the bridge. We don't know. I want to know. That's my soul. Do you still expect to know what lies in store for you? We've been at war since 93. Nearly 10 years of it. Mr. Weston is today. Halifax tomorrow. Your bay orders. Helmer Lee, let go and haul. A belly full of grape or else champagne and a captured flagship. Who cares? We draw our four shilling a day. Rain or shine. Mr. Carberry. Mr. Buckland parting a word for Mr. Carberry. It was my soul. Excuse me. Now you could earn your four shilling today, Carberry. A change in course. A wedger a week's pay. It means a change in course. No takers. Listen. Officer, the watch. Sir? We're altering course two points. Steer us our way. Aye, sir. Course our way. Mr. Rabbit. Put the hands to the braces. Well, gentlemen. You heard me. We're altering our course. Pardon, sir. Could you tell us our mission, sir? Not our mission. That is still secret, Mr. Hornblower. Okay, good, sir. But I'll tell you where we're bound. Mr. Carberry knows already. Where, sir? Santo Domingo. Scottsman's Bay. Santo Domingo. Hispaniola. Haiti. That means Haiti. Santo Domingo. Haiti. Hispaniola. Three names for the same island. Haiti. That's where the natives are in rebellion. Yes, Mr. Hornblower. That's where the natives are in rebellion. Atlantic swell as we came in sight of the low mountains of Santo Domingo. Up on the quarter deck, Buckland appeared through his telescope at the land. Bush and I stood or rather slipped and slid on the rolling deck, waiting to see what Buckland might decide to do. Bush has always was a placid, calm, patient. I was filled with the tension that had been with me for so many days. So I do have to confess that some of it was just plain, old and new seasickness. Feeling the role of the ship, Mr. Hornblower? I am. Well, it wouldn't be a little seasick. Oh, she does role, Mr. Bush. I feel all right. Well, you always do. What's Buckland doing up there? Can't he make up his mind? Well, he has to see how the land lies. How much more does he want to see? There are the Spanish colors flying on the fort up there. Everybody on shore knows by now that a ship of the line is piling about. Well, we had to pull in here. Yes, but you'd think we went at war with the Spanish the way we've come in so openly. Those dons in there won't have to be very clever to guess that we're not here on a yachting trip. Now, they've all the time they need to be ready to receive us. Well, what else could Buckland have done? Well, he could have come in in the dark with a sea breeze. He could. But if the dons couldn't see us in the dark, we couldn't see them either. Well, nothing. I mean, come in with landing parties ready. Then at dawn, put them ashore. Storm the place before the dons knew there was any danger. You know something, Mr. Hornbligh? What's that? You seem to want danger. Well, perhaps. I'm not sure. Well, maybe you just want a command. I don't know what you mean by that, sir. Nothing offensive. I was just thinking about you, that's all. Ever since the captain died, you've been putting yourself in Buckland's place. Thinking what you do if you found yourself in command. Well, it's natural, isn't it, sir? For you, perhaps? Well, I'd have thought that... Hello. Hello. What are you putting about? So we are. What now? Out to sea while Buckland thinks out what he's seen. I suppose it's a mess, sir. Well, you'll feel better when we get out of this swell. Better in one way, perhaps. But I wouldn't mind to see sickness of people going into action and not running away to think about it. What a farreater. Farreater, me? Oh, quite the opposite, sir. I wish... No. I wish for too much, I suppose. You wish for action. You're going to get it, you know? I imagine so. We'll pull in to attack that fort. Then we'll see how you behave yourself, Mr. Hornbligh. Mr. Buscher! Mr. Buckland's golf limits are pleased to run your guns out. Courage! Mr. Buscher! Mr. Buckland's golf limits, and will you try a ranging shot at those shore patches when you're gun-drafting? Very well. Do you understand, Mr. Hornbligh? Yes, sir. They probably have batteries on both sides of the harbour. Yes, sir. Oh, Mr. Busch. Yes? Look over there. No, no, no. Over in the direction of that point of land. I see the point. Oh, do you see the smoke? That... That heating shot. I guess, eh? The fort's open to fatherness. They're firing on this side too, sir. So they are. They'll be caught in a crossfire in a minute. That's what you wanted, Mr. Hornbligh. Action, eh? Yes, sir. Sir. Yes? I might just reach the battery on this side now, sir. And this is the time to fire. See to it, Mr. Hornbligh. All right, man. First division, ready? Fire! Uh, I don't think so, sir. They're answering us now. Pour it into them. All right, division captains. Once again. First division. Fire! Did you get a hit? Yes! Mr. Buscher, what a fire. What? That was hot shot. Look, the deck's smoldering. Fire buckets here! Fire buckets! Yes, sir. Mr. Buckland, sir. How'd you put out this fire? If you could spare some more men from top deck, sir. We can't. There's a fire there too. I'll do my best here, sir. You men! Look, sir, for those fire buckets! It's even worse on top deck. What do you think, Mr. Busch? We'll never get these fires out, sir, as long as we're in range of their guns. We can't spare enough men. There's a chance they may hit us again with their blasted hot shots. I know. I know. I've had to give orders. We're going to put about and run her out to sea. I'm sorry, sir. What, sir? Oh, no, no, no, no, no. We run aground. Keep at this fire. And you, Mr. Hornblower, keep firing. I'll go topside and see if we can get her off. First of all, sir! We're in for it now. Yes, you can feel the ship's trailing. When's Highwater? Highwater will not for over an hour, I'd judge. We'll never get her off till then. By then, it'll be too late. It seems so. You men, are you ready? Rest and return. Ah! Mr. Bush, what is it? Do you notice any movement while I fire a gun, sir? No, only the jar. Well, it's the jar, I mean. The whole deck lifts under it. Oh, it does. Oh, I could fire all my guns at once. And that might break the suction, sir. By Jove, it might. It might indeed. All in stock's growing. All right? I'll just set out to sea to get the shipboard fires under control. And finally, the last of them was out. We've failed in our mission. So far? So far? There's nothing more to do, but continue on to Antigua. I wouldn't want to be in poor old Buckland's shoes. Not in your own apparently. Oh, I'm sorry for Buckland. You wouldn't want to be in his shoes? I would. You're incorrigible, aren't you, Mr. Hornblur? What do you mean? You said before you'd like to be in Buckland's place. That was before he opened the sealed orders. You'd open them in a minute, you said. Well, he did it. And look what it's got him. It's got him the opportunity of a lifetime. You, you mean? I? Certainly. You save the ship, you know. Everybody knows this. If you hadn't had that idea about firing all your guns at once, we'd have stayed there on the shores, and, well, by now we'd all be dead, or prisoners of the dons. Thank you, Hornblur. All the dons, yes. But just because you feel good about having done well yourself, you shouldn't be blinded to the fact that poor Buckland is going to get his knuckles wrapped. But, sir, don't you see there's no necessity for that? We turned tail, we retreated, we were a fire. We were apparently limping back to some home port. The dons must be relaxed. They don't expect us back. Nor will we go back. Yes, but we should. Under cover of darkness this time. Oh, what an opportunity for Buckland. Hornblur, the better I get to know you, the more I stand amazed. Michael Redgrave is based on the novels by C. S. Forrester. Music composed and conducted by Sidney Torch. A Harry Allen Towers.