The Great Cabin

"Yes - I would not do that. They have little enough time to sit and talk - and there is the rum too, of course." Raoul took the companionway quickly, then stepped aside to allow Padstowe to follow him. The Marine at the door to the Captain's Cabin gave him a curious stare from dark eyes, but relaxed as the head and red coat of Captain Padstowe appeared.

[OOC: If you did not follow, sorry, and I will edit later. I am going for my own supper now, so please move me along if you wish.]

Padstowe followed, a little slower, but smiled at the Marine as they passed him, diverting away towards the sickbay.

"Never get between men and their rightful spirit ration - they must have that proverb even in the French army."

Raoul smiled. "We do not need it - no sensible officer would dream of doing so, at least in the Army. But I would be worried if I thought the men would mutiny if ..." He felt a sudden chill at his own careless words, but turned the pause into a chance to look around. The decks were much less busy now, with most men below, eating. He stepped around a neat coil of rope and said, almost carelessly. "Wine in moderation cannot be anything but beneficial - preferable to water in many places."

"Less likely to have you curled up in agony in most cases," Padstowe said, avoiding the rope also. He had not missed des Sablières check at his mention of mutiny. "Although with some of the rot-gut I've tasted in my time I'm not so sure... But too much or too little could have them revolt either way; keeping the men happy is a never-ending and thankless task."

"In moderation it is a blessing - in excess, it can kill more surely than the water. Although generally not so many. And there are other ways for soldiers to find happiness, not available to sailors..." Sailors watched the pair with curiosity mingled with concern, but bent to their tasks as Raoul's gaze touched them. He thought he saw one of the sailors who had helped him in Lisbon, but if it was one of them, the man did not meet his eyes, and Raoul shrugged inwardly. They were now almost at the front of the ship, and had reached the forward companionway. "We must be here," he said confidently. "There are no more steps further forward." In front the mast set like a unicorn's horn pointed now at the sky, now at the dark line of the horizon. It was beautiful, but unsettling. "Shall we go down? We may need time in hand to persuade the doctor to come back with us."

Padstowe nodded his agreement, and followed des Sablières down.

"And when I think of all the time he spent expounding the necessities of taking meals..." The captain sighed and shook his head. "I do not think I will ever begin to understand."

Below the light dimmed dramatically as ever. That was one thing he could never get used to; the darkness on ships. The need for lanterns everywhere even during the day, the dingy corners and increasingly low ceilings, space limited in every direction save on deck. He did not know how men could get used to living like this; how their legs did not have the freedom to take them where they wished to go, nor to have light or a window to look out of.

Raoul paused at the bottom of the steps. "It is of no use reminding him of that - he will merely say that the case is quite different, and he knows his own requirements perfectly well..." He hid his smile. "But then, you know him better than I do."

"Barely," Padstowe admitted, and he felt he could admit such a thing to Raoul. Then for appearance's sake. "Though it could be said in the same way he does not really know me very well either. He images what his requirements should be, and then tries to make himself fit with those... We are here?"

For Raoul had stopped before a door, and Padstowe had not visited the sickbay before assumed they must have reached their destination.

Stephen was still sitting by Crozier, sharpening a scalpel for the next day and looking at Crozier's face every thirty seconds or so. He would need to call the barber to him in the morning to shave Crozier's head, and the trephinne - would that need to be sharpened? "Bridgens, please fetch Mister Crozier's trephinne from among his instruments."

They were back on the same level as the messdeck, but at the other end of the ship, the sick bay slotting into the pointed bows, the dispensary to the left of it. The door was closed, so Raoul knocked on it, gently.

Bridgens was going to the door in any case; he trotted the last few steps and opened it. "It's the Frenchman, sir." He peered at Raoul and Padstowe, and stepped back again.

Stephen immediately stood up, looking worried. "Watch Mister Crozier, Bridgens," he said, crossing the sick-bay. "What happened? What did he say?"

"The capitaine is still free to roam the ship as he pleases," Padstowe said, a soft smile at Stephen, though the harried look already on the doctor's face worried him. "Tough for practicality's sake it has been decided that he will at all times outside of the cabin be accompanied by a Marine guard."

Raoul smiled reassuringly. "The guard is partly 'for my protection' - but also in case I try to steal the ship, perhaps. Captain Padstowe is acting as my guard, temporarily, as we come to persuade you to join us for supper, which will be served shortly."

"Oh, thank the Dear," said Stephen, visibly relieved. "So he did not believe your parole had been broken, Capitaine; no disciplinary action at all?" He looked from des Sablières to Padstowe with a smile. "Some supper? Perhaps later - I was preparing some instruments for tomorrow."

"Only for the Marine himself - I explained that he called me a Frog, and other unspecified insults... " Raoul's smile widened. "It will not give him less of a hatred for me, but will I hope serve to warn others against similar attempts at provocation." Although his own troubles were now visibly lifted from the doctor's shoulders, he still looked tired. "Give your orders, and come - supper will be best eaten in company, and then you may return, and see all is well before retiring - Mr Crozier was sleeping in his dispensary, I believe..."

"He was, so that I could..." He tugged at his earlobe guiltily. "I pray that it will serve, Capitaine; it is shameful, quite shameful that it should have happened at all."

"Not so shameful - one loud-mouthed bully and braggart does not bring shame on a nation, or even a ship, or a troop of cavalry." Raoul tried to look unconcerned. "Now - set your arrangements in order and come away." He glanced at the figure on the bed. "Mr Crozier -- his condition is the same? It will surely not deteriorate while you eat."

Stephen looked back at Crozier's cot. "It should not; I believe it only to be blunt pressure, but if there is a splinter I have missed and he is moved at all then the brain could be permanently damaged. I need to see that the trephinne is in order, and the scalpels, and I must confirm with the armourer about the arrangements for the tomorrow - besides, we ate dinner only, what, an hour ago?"

"Much longer than that," Padstowe said, his expression becoming serious. "And trephinne or no, I am afraid we must insist you come for supper."

[OOC: Going outside to clear some leaves.]

"Nearly five hours ago," Raoul enlarged on Padstowe's statement, a smile in his voice. "Remember all that has happened since then - Apparently we eat as the watch changes at six. Last night was unusual - although it seemed quite a proper time to eat, had we been on land."

Stephen looked confused. "Five hours? Really? But you went down afterwards with the apples - how long were you in your cabin? I am not hungry at all, in any case."

"I do not know - I was reading. I do know that the men are now eating their supper and that ours will be served shortly. Dear Doctor, do not make us drag you away by force: think of the risks to me!"

"And to me," Padstowe said, sighing theatrically. "It is very difficult to drag a struggling physician with only one arm, but perhaps with the assistance of the Capitaine we could manage it."

Stephen crossed his arms and looked up at his two friends, who looked back with barely concealed smiles. "Very well, very well - Bridgens, please to have the trephinne for when I return, and M'Clure, watch Mister Crozier closely! I will be back as soon as I am able."

Padstowe smiled brightly.

"Excellent! Besides, the trephinne will not run away whilst you sup and shall be waiting for you when you get back."