Preparing to sail

Crozier looked at Maturin with slight trepidation, but he covered it with a confident smile. "Come along, doctor. Let's give them room to manage the chair. After you, sir." And of course the seamen within the boat and on board the ship had been carefully instructed that they must by no means allow the doctor or any of the other guests to fall into the sea.

One of the passengers in the boat, the one wearing the red coat, looked a little unsteady. Some of the sailors were preparing a bosun's chair for him.

Even if he did come aboard with the aid of a bosun's chair, he was going to get the full honours due to an Army Captain. Which, as far as Quinn could remember, was what a Naval Lieutenant would receive as well.

And now that Brandeson had been replaced, Quinn had to follow the orders given to him by an officer. Which made a pleasant change, only having to do the duties of a Sergeant rather than having to cover for his officer and do his duties as well.

"Ought I not stay here until my patient is secure?" asked Stephen, some points about etiquette as to who boarded first depending on rank surfacing in his mind... Well, Padstowe would be about the same rank as him, he was sure, so he could been safely seen up first.

Crozier shifted awkwardly. "It would be better to give the men here in the boat more room to manoeuver with the chair. And then Captain Padstowe will not have to stand on deck waiting for us to come up the side."

"I shall be fine, doctor," Padstowe said, remembering all too well the story of Stephen's dunking only two days before. "I shall sit here a little longer."

Raoul stayed where he was while the two doctors bickered, and the Captain sat unhappily waiting to be hoisted aboard. He had not the faintest idea of whether higher or lower ranks should board first, but he was quite certain that at the bottom of the list would be a French prisoner, even one on his honour to behave himself.

The surgeon spoke sense, and sense won out over concern. Stephen nodded with an agreeable smile. "Just so, just so, you are quite right - I will see you above, Captain Padstowe, Capitaine," and reached out for the side of the ship.

"Wait, sir!" cried Billy, reaching out to stop the doctor's hands. He waited a moment until the boat had stopped rocking and then repositioned the doctor's hands on the ladder. "There y'are now sir."

[OOC: Off to Midnight Mass - sorry! Mod Stephen if you want. ]

[OOC: Have a nice time! I think I'll go to bed bed now too. Goodnight - and Merry Christmas from Padstowe, Javert, Leat, Dégreville, and the General!]

[Goodnight to both of you, from Altogether Edrington. As a matter of formality, when should Raoul board? Before or after the officers?]

[OOC: I think, in terms of formality he should come after the officers; but theoretically Stephen should come up after Padstowe, so I think we are bowing to practicalities. So if Raoul were requested to go up after Stephen and Crozier, which means Padstowe can be lifted up last.

Goodnight! xx.]

[I thought Stephen's rank was the same as a naval lieutenant, and there were about the same as an army captain? No matter - we're being sensible men for once in this.

Bon Nadal i feliç any nou from Stephen, Nollaig Shona Duit from Mícheál and Merry Christmas from me. ]

[Well, Raoul isn't going to be the first one up that ladder, straight into an honour guard of marines - Joyeux Noel, my dear]

[I'm hoping they would make exceptions when concerning sickly wounded barely-able-to-stand officers who ought to have helpful doctors and surgeons at the receiving end of the boarding process.

Merry Christmas, everyone!]

[So, Crozier goes first, followed by Stephen, followed by Vercinget... um Raoul, and then Captain Padstowe is hoisted aboard, like a barrel of bricks]

There seemed to be some disagreement as to which officer would proceed up the ladder first. Chase adjusted his grip on his tossed oar, feeling annoyed at the delay. He wanted to get back aboard before nightfall!


OOC - Hyvää Joulua!

From above the few heads that could see what was going on looked on with curiosity wondering if they would take much longer to decide. Alas, they could not miss the tide and spending too much time in wait was not benefiting neither the ship's crew nor even the people in the boat.

De Guarde looked on amused, no longer in worry that there might be the French coming to get them. "..landsmen." he muttered to himself. "Snails.. thats what they be."

Stephen came up the side in his usual elegant fashion, kicking the portholes and mumbling curses at the kind hands above and below who sought to help him.

Leat was at the top of the ladder to meet their guests and conduct them below. A large number of the men - a larger number than had any business being there - were peering over the rail watching Dr. Maturin's precarious ascent. Leat frowned.

"About your business, all of you!" the lieutenant snapped, making the men jump. "Bosun's mate, get these men back to work!"

He then peered anxiously over the edge himself, waiting for Maturin to reach the safety of the deck.

Stephen hauled himself up onto the deck without a tumble and settled his wig straight on his head again. He smiled warmly, recognising Leat. "Lieutenant, goo evening to you."

The first of the guests appeared in the entry port. The Marines flanking the entry port stiffened up, as much as was possible considering they were already standing at attention, and Cartwright noted the man was a surgeon. That meant the Army captain and the Frenchman would be shortly following him. It shouldn't take too much longer, he hoped.

"Good to see you again, doctor!" Leat smiled warmly as he grasped Stephen's hands. "I am glad to see you had no mishaps on your way across this time. Is your patient any wprse? I hope the travel has not disagreed with him..."

He gazed anxiously over the side again, seeing that Chase and a couple of other sailors were now manouvering the army captain into the bosun's chair, Barrow keeping the tiller steady whilst they readied to hoist.

The sailors were slowly returning to their work, while the appointed few had been ready to hoist a guest up, when the order fell. Some of them already knew that it would be expected of them to tell anything interesting that happened while the guests were loaded.

De Guarde waited glad that his small figure hid well behind the tall bodies of returning sailors. He had seen the doctor come up first and looked disappointed. He hadn't fallen in. Too bad. But there was another landsman looking terribly ill, and another that was French. he shifted his position a little. Later he was to return below, but now till the bosun's mate had assembled them all, he could still feed his curiosity. The best was yet to come. With what the sailors had been preparing.

And just as the thought crossed his mind it was the red coated man that was being readied. He grinned.

"No worse, sir, but I will be happier when he is safe in a cot," Stephen replied as Crozier appeared behind him. "I think the jolly boat has set him a little our of sorts - he is a landsman after all, as well as a patient; I will just go to ensure that he is safely delivered."