 Call all hands. Beat the quarters. Discussive. Perhaps it's an old man's impatience and eagerness that has made me hurry on with these memoirs without regard to their order or date. But as I near the end of my chronicle, I remember much that was vital in my career that I permitted. Surely the year 1811 was one of the most fateful of those years. I was a prisoner in the hands of the French. It seems nothing would break the monotony. So, one evening... Is it that you should desire? I want to see. There's a battle out there. I must see it. Let me go on to the walls. I'm sorry. It is forbidden. I will not escape. I swear it. Let my servant and myself go on to the walls. I give you my word of honour. We'll make no attempt to escape. You come with us, if you will. But I cannot leave my post. You give your word of honour. Yes, yes, yes. You may rely on it. Oh, thank you. Thank you very much. Come on, Ron. Don't get in the way of the gunners or they'll send us down again. It's over here at the curtain wall. We shall not be blinded by the gunner-fashers here. It is the fleet, sir. You can see them. It's up by their own broadside. They're sailing down in Linerhead past the Frenchies. There's the Pluto, sir. You can see the Admiral's flag. That's the Caligula, a stern of her. Excuse me, sir. What's that little red glow out there? Over there. Right out at the entrance of the bay. It seems to be getting brighter, sir. It's a fire ship. Oh, good work. Our men are bringing in a fire ship. Just the thing for a squadron of anchor. Yes, you can see it now. It's a small bridge. And it's alongside the Turin, sir. The Turin was that ship that got away from us. She's not getting away from this, by heaven. Look at her mask. The fire's running up them already. Here goes our magazine. Oh, she'll drift down onto the French squadron. Oh, we take fairs, sir. They're stuck up on here with all that going on. Look at our ship. Look. The Sutherland on the beach. Ah, she's a fire ship. Oh, well done, ladies. They won't have the privilege of keeping even the wreck of a British ship. It's a wonderful night's work, Brown. It was indeed a wonderful night's work. From our battlement grandstand, we watched the one-sided battle rage and saw our defeat suddenly avenged. Now, Turin had completely vanished. Of the Sutherland, there were only remaining a few blackened timbers. Two French ships of the line were on the rocks to westward, and they would never sail again. Only the French three-decker was left, battered and massless. And the next Easter legale would fling her ashore and wreck her completely. As dawn crept over the horizon, we watched the five British ships stand out of the bay and line ahead. Only the Pluto appeared to be damaged. She'd lost her main topmost. It was a bitter sight to see them go and realize that I could not go with them. But my despair was cut short by the sudden appearance of General Vidal, the governor of the fortress. Fine piece of work your companions have done, but it will not make the government in Paris any more kindly disposed towards you, I fear. Listen, what is that? Ah, that must be your man. The new prisoner must have brought them news of the battle. The new prisoner, sir? Yes, I thought you would be interested. He's a man who fell overboard from your admiral's ship. Here, dupe on! Take charge of Hornblower and escort him to the prison. I will show my pace to and fro of my mind's seething. I glue my thoughts for broken into by the opening of my door. And the young officer saluted. His Excellency changed you his compliments, sir, and he would be glad if you could spare him a few minutes of your time as soon as convenient. Ah, ah, or in other words, come at once. Oh, very well, I'm ready. In the governor's office stood a colonel of Jean-Dame-Marie, a youngish man with a bullet head and carrying a cocked hat in his hand. The star of the Legion of Honor was on his breast. The high black boots and spurs gleamed in the morning sunlight. The governor's expression was sad as he had blessed me. I have the honor of presenting to you Colonel Jean-Baptiste Caillard, Grand Eagle of the Légion d'Honneur and one of his Imperial Majesty's personal aide-a-con. Colonel, this is Horatio Omblier. What is Hornblower doing with that sword at his side? The Admiral will turn it to him on the day of the battle. Colonel, he said that... I am not interested in what the Admiral said. No criminal as guilty as this man can be allowed a weapon. Further, a sword is the emblem of a gentleman of honor, which he certainly is not. Take off that sword, sir. I can hardly believe that you're addressing me, sir. May I remind you that I have yet to be tried? Take off that sword. Or shall I call in one of my gendarmes to remove it? You'll leave me no alternative. But you shall hear more of this insult. Your Excellency had the goodness to warn this man of his impending departure? Oh, yes. Monsieur, Colonel Caillard has come to take you and your first lieutenant, Mr. Bouch to Paris. Bouch? But you know what you're saying? Bouch is seriously wounded. It might easily be fatal to take him on a long journey at present. The journey will be fatal to him in any case. General Vidal was a gentleman to the last. He gave me every assistance, allowed me to take my cocks and brown with me. He even pressed upon me his purse to help me when I should reach Paris. He accompanied us to the courtyard where Bouch was lying on a stretcher. Bouch? They're going to take us to Paris, Bouch. But you mean, sir? Yes. Well, it's a place I've always wanted to see. Please. You are in charge of this man, yes? Yes, yes. What is it? I am the surgeon who... How do you say? The foot. You amputated Lieutenant Bouch's foot? Yes. It was to save his life. Please, to take these papers. There are instructions for treatment. Any surgeon in France will understand them. Yes, thank you. Here is a parcel of dressings. Thank you. The leg will not heal until the ligatures come away. Yes, yes, yes. Thank you. I understand. I do feel a bit better today, sir. Since you've got that last ligature out, I think it's healing good. I don't mind telling you. I thought we'd lost you a few nights ago. Didn't you, Brown? Yes, he looked pretty tickly, sir. Rare good job you've done, sir. Me? I don't know what I've done without you. I knew you could turn your hand to so many things. I wish to heaven I wasn't such a burden to you, sir. If only I could help myself. No? What's going on? As far as I can make out, sir, one of the horses has gone lame. Oh. They've unarnished it. Two of them are just taking it off to find a smith. Oh. Though this confounded journey wasn't long enough, it seems as though all our lives have been spent in this leathery old coffin. Well, we're off again with only three horses, sir. Getting late, the weather looks threatening. I suppose Kaya wants to reach the next post house before dark. I hope our quarters are more comfortable than ones we had last night, too. Time dragged on, and the afternoon merged into premature darkness. I began to wonder if we were going to reach a post house. Progress with three horses was slow. They were facing into a bitter wind. A wind which promised snow. We could hear Kaya cursing and urging the coachmen at intervals. And soon the wind took on a higher note. Great flakes of snow clogged the steaming windows. And presently the muffled sound of wheels and hooves told us that the fall was getting heavier. Oh, heavens, I'm cold. I can't help poor sailors on a night like this. We look like spending the night in the coach, sir. Something's wrong, sir. Listen. Into the stretcher, sir. We're going over. Oh, glass, what are they doing? Oh, you all right, Bush? I'm all right, sir. What's happened? Well, we're not over, sir, but perishing near it. We must have left the road. Oh, look, we're almost hanging over a river. A second, sir, right on the bank. The coachmen must certainly just have seen it in time. Fine coachmen, you are. Fool and son of a fool. Why didn't you drive straight into the river and save me the trouble of reporting? Come on, new men. Do you want to stay here all night? Get that coach back on the road, you headless idiot. Well, but excuse me, sir. It's heavy. If the gentlemen inside would get out, we would have a better chance. They can please themselves. Get out and help poor, spend the night in the snow. Come on, down. Come closer to me. Ah, do you see that boat on the river? Did you see it as we stopped? Yes, a rowing boat. We were to approach. Why shouldn't we escape in it, Brown? Six minutes from the time I had conceived the idea, we were in the boat and free on the black river. In the darkness and with the bustle going on around the coach, we'd slipped away unnoticed. I wrapped a bush in blankets and my cloak and propped him in the stone sheets. Come on, give me a scroll, Brown. I don't know. No, you fend off portside, I'll take starboard. All the boats spinning and punching like that, sir. I can't get a grip. They seem to be caught on a rock. The water's pouring. Look, he's here, Brown. Now, look together, all of us. She's clear. We're through. That was a near thing. It's too near for my liking, Bush. I hope there's not many more of those. Is there a bailer in the boat? Yes, sir, I saw it when we got in. Wait on it. Ah, here it is. Go bail then, I'll take the skulls. Any idea where we are, sir? Oh, it's difficult to say. Can't be the rowing, it must be the loire. If it tears, it runs into the Bay of Biscay. That's, well, 400 miles away. That'll be a useful run, sir. Hello, the keel's scraped against her. I believe we're coming to another rapid. Power and stern lift and drop, successively as we shot over what felt like a downward step in the water. The din of the rapid became tremendous. The white water boiled round and over us. Something invisible struck our port side and I heard the gunner splinter. The keel caught and I pitched forward. But then she freed herself and the boat sped on. I heard the roar diminishing. We were through another rapid. Light on the starboard bar, sir. Yes. And there's another. And another. There must be a village on the river bank. Probably nowhere. The coachman said it was six kilometers. Oh, we've come four miles already. Hey, Brian, stop bailing. Keep quiet now. A bridge flashed by over our heads. The water was so high that we had to duck the arch. It was still snowing and ice coated the floorboards. More rapids ahead, sir. Brian, stand by to fend off on the port side. All right, sir. Good God. Oh, big pardon, sir, but it's not a rapid. I think it's a fall. It is. Oh, hold on, everybody. We're going over. Blocks. Watch out for the rocks. A steep, steady wave at the foot of the fall was as solid as stone as we hit it. The boat vanished from under me and I felt myself strangling under water and scraping over the rocky bottom. It was agony, agony. I got a single gulp of air and then I was under it again. The grinding of the rocks on the river bed was louder than thunder. Another precious gulp of air which seared my lungs like fire and then I was under it again. My reeling brain guessed what was happening. I was caught in the swirl below the fall. I was being flung in a circle, now on the surface and now right down on the bed. The pain in my chest and the deadly grip of the icy water on my limbs were numbing me. I was losing the desire to fight. I only wanted to be still and die. Suddenly something touched my hand and I gripped it. It was a piece of board with nails in the end of it. A plank from the boat now shattered into fragments and whirling around with me. For the last convulsive movement I thrust hard at the bottom with the plank as I went down again. I came up, caught a breath and another and then another. I floundered and stumbled and then fell and lay gasping in only a few inches of water at the edge of the fall. Over there! Captain! Captain! I'm here. Oh, thank God, sir. Thank God. The captain's here, Mr. Bush. I heard Bush's feeble voice reply and it shocked me to my feet. If Bush were alive, he must be looked after. There's a light out there, sir. How so, expect? Well, we... we must get to it. Even if it does mean surrender. If we don't get Bush to warmth and help people, he'll die. We'll carry him up. Get your arms onto our shoulders. Bush! No, sir. Lift! Not far. How did you get out of the river? The current took us to the bank at once, sir. See, I only just kicked my blankets off when I touched a rock and they were brown, pulling me out. Thank God. Why don't you leave me and go for help, sir? Just about ready to drop. No, we'll get you up the bank. The light's nearer now. I felt as if I would give a fortune to lay down my burden and drop in the snow. It was ironical, too, that the three of us had been within yards of each other in the water. Yet, while the other two had been carried to safety, I'd been dragged under. They would never know of my bitter struggle for life. Somehow I felt an absurd sense of grievance against them. My head was reeling again. My strength was nearly gone. Well, hold it! Not much, Father, sir. This seems to be a garden. It's old chairs. We staggered a few more steps. Slipped down an unseen incliner and halted in the square of light, cast by a big, lighted window on the ground floor of the house. Who are you? We're prisoners of war. Wait. One moment, please. Shuddering and half-fainting, I held onto my burden for what seemed an age. Then the light brightened. A door opened. The voice spoke again. Come in. The warmth of the house rushed at us like a mother's caress. We half fell over the threshold and lay bush on the floor. I tried to stand up again, but my legs failed me and I pitched forward. The whole world spun about me. But my last sensation was one of warmth. No more river, no more cold, no more wind, no more pursuit.