Evening 24th May - Mucked make a visit

Thompson followed Johnson up to the weather deck, trying to keep out of the Corporal's way. He didn't say anything. It was obvious the man was furious. Thompson could understand that completely - he didn't feel any less angry himself. For those soldiers to come aboard the way they had and start accusing the Captain of being lax in the way he ran his ship, which was pretty much what they'd managed to do... He'd gladly tip the Provosts over the side, officer and all.

And now he was looking at a dozen lashes at the grating, probably, just for some stupid fight that could have happened anywhere. He hoped the soldiers involved would get the same, though he didn't hold out any hope that they would.

And now the bosun was piping for 'All hands on deck'. The whole thing had become a complete disgrace. He stood beside the Corporal, his face devoid of expression, though he was ready to hand his musket over just as soon as this ridiculous muster was over and head below to get put in irons.

It was a mess, a disorder at the least, how the Tars rushing up from all the holes and crevises of the ship. The provosts had expected no different even if they might have been ignorant to what order was actually in there. The officer nodded curtly as he exchanged looks with his men. "Search them." He snapped at his men, and some moved forward to see the faces of men. It was quickly getting clear that there were too many and some were half hidden by those infront of them.

"The sailors that were on shore yesterday.. could not be so today, am I correct?" The officer asked Bolitho, standing a bit out of the way, trusting his men to do their job. He had begun to explain again on how he believed the marine to be guilty and was about to describe one of the faces when a subordinate came to him with the complaint that they could not see all of them.

"Could we only see those that have been allowed leave yesterday?" The provost asked , feeling a fool right then. Of course he needn't see the whole crew. Not unless some of the Tars smuggled out of the ship! But if they meant to dessert they would not be there now! Even with the possibility of missing all the culprits - and it was dark at the time so that possibility was quite great even so - he looked to the captain and his lieutenants to set those Tars that were on land from those that weren't. The Shepherd would be lucky, even if he had only been there and took little part in the fighting. He would have been thought a Tar, which he was not. Only Thompson had been asked of, from the marines, for after all, he was - what the provosts were concerned - the only marine that took part.

Of course, simply bringing the crew on deck was not enough. Now the provosts were claiming they needed to sort out only the ones who had been ashore yesterday. Bolitho bit back a rather nasty retort and instead replied, "Yes you would be correct in that assumption. The men who were ashore yesterday are obviously here now. If you wish to only interrogate them, then by all means. Go right ahead."

He gave Bush a look and a nod which conveyed both his confirmation of that order and his absolute disgust with the whole affair.

Bush had thought Bolitho felt the same way he did; the look had only confirmed it. They were both hoping the provosts would wrap up this asinine affair soon, without accusing too many of the men with their trumped-up charges.

"Only those men who were ashore yesterday are to remain on deck!" Bush shouted, "Everyone else may be dismissed!"

No. Bad. No. Chase shivered as Mister Bush bawled out for the previous evening's libertymen to remain topside, while dismissing the rest of the crew. Very bad.

There was the barest of pauses, and several glances exchanged. Then Chase sucked in a deep breath and made his way forward amid the general, slower, movement toward the ladders. His mates did not immediately follow, but of course they could hardly be blamed for it.

"I were out ashore last night, sir," Chase said as he approached the quarterdeck, directing the comment to Captain Bolitho.

"Him." The officer said without a moment's thought. "He is one of them too, and he.." He pointed at the other, and then three of the other provosts pointed to several of the faces they recognised. "These were the culprits. Took part in the brawl with that marine, they did! Provoked the good honest soldiers into a brawl.. and then they threw muck at the provosts!" He hissed. Animosity was clear on his face now as if just remembering how it had happened.

"Thank you for coming forward, Chase," Bolitho said, glad that the men were being honest, just he knew they would be.

But his moment of satisfaction quickly vanished as soon as the provost officer started speaking again. It sounded as though he had a serious vendetta against the crew, whether or not they had actually been the ones to start the brawl.

"Provoked the soliders?" He repeated in disbelief, then he glanced back at Chase, "Was that the way of it? Or were you and the others attacked first?"

"Good honest soldiers". Chase wanted to laugh. Instead, he knuckled his brow and replied, " Ain't so, sir. We moved one soldier off from a table when we first got into the place, but he were senseless drunk, sir. Me an' the lads was enjoyin' our own selves when some of them other soldiers got to insultin' us."

Dyer and the others had finally joined him. Taylor said, "It got fair wild in only a minute, sir. Can't remember who started swingin' first."

"Can't remember, can you?..That's because you know you are guilty of it. " He spoke. "And let explain to your captain what brought you to an idea that you should throw dirt at our men?" His eyes narrowed coldly. "..You provoked them..disrespected that man, and now.. now you're lookin' for bloody excuses."

His temper had flared and so then he had to breathe sharply to calm himself. As he did he spoke again in a more composed manner. "..I would only ask that these men.. the marine and these sailors, are set as an example to others.. so that a brawl of the sort would not repeat itself again.

Even though Bolitho believed they were all telling the truth, he knew the provosts would doubt their statements--which was confirmed by the officer a moment later. All he needed to know was that the men were involved in the fight. Who started it would be irrelevant in his eyes. He was calling for all of the culprits to be punished, no matter how much they deserved it.

"Be that as it may, Taylor, you were all still involved," Bolitho said, "And there will have to be repercussions, regardless of who started the fight."

"We cand 'member medde 'cause it don't madder," Dyer burst out. "Anb so what if we bid? Weren't gonna be knocked inta nothin', was we?"

Chase elbowed him to shut him up. There was no sense in getting themselves into even more trouble before these outsiders.

"Aye sir," Taylor said. "We knows."

The provost looked more satisfied at the captain's words, and seeing that foolish Tar snap, and thus betray them as guilty, even more so than they'd hoped, he remained quiet.

He smiled at Dyer. "See, sir.." he murmured. "He admits to it."

Thompson took a breath, but managed to let it out quietly instead of in the huff of a sigh as he wanted to do. He felt like handing his musket and hat over to Corporal Johnson right now and joining the sailors, just to get this ridiculous farce over and done with as soon as possible.

He scanned the deck quickly, looking for de Guarde, before realising he'd actually got proper official shore-leave today and had gone with the other liberty-party, wearing his best shirt. He hoped Oxley would look after him. The thought of Oxley made him recollect that Sticks had been among their shore party... though, as he'd gone wearing Tar's clothes, the provosts wouldn't think to look for him among the Marines. Lucky for the pair of them, that.

The provost officer's smug grin was possibly even worse than anything the man had yet said.

"He admitted to being involved in the fight, not to starting it, the same as Thompson said," Bolitho snapped, frowning at the officer, "But since you are so set on having them punished, it seems I can do nothing else."

Was this over yet? Johnson tried not to roll his eyes in disgust at the provost officer's snooty demands. What did he want, the whole group stripped and flogged right now?

The corporal glanced at Bolitho appraisingly. It was a foregone conclusion that there would be floggings, of course. "Put 'em under guard, sir?" He asked, wishing he could express just what he thought of the provosts.

"Yes corporal. Place them under guard."

Hopefully that would satisfy the provost officer, because that was all Bolitho was prepared to do at the moment. He would have to deliberate further over the proper punishment for them.

Thompson finally gave vent to the sigh he'd wanted to release when this whole thing started. He gave a half-shrug and held his musket out for Johnson to take. "She'm loaded, Corp'ral," he said, which the Corporal was perfectly well aware of. Nobody went on sentry outside the Captain's cabin without a loaded musket, after all.

"Thank you, sir. I am glad to see that the wrongdoers shall be punished." He nodded to the ones that were now being put under arrest.

"Well .. this shall be all from us. We need to return to land.." He saluted the captain and smiled. "Much obliged, sir."

Johnson took Thompson's musket with a curt nod. "Get with the others," he said. He would worry about clearing the musket later. It was more important to get these stupid blackguards off the deck before they could say anything else to prolong the provosts' stay.

They were for it now, Chase thought. At least the provosts hadn't pursued the matter of muck-throwing in the face of their overall victory. That had to count for something.

"Least it was fun," Chase muttered, watching Corporal Johnson clomp down toward them.

"Aye, aye, Corp'ral," he said, dismayed to find that his voice sound rough. He headed down the ladder to join Chase and the others, before realising he really shouldn't be heading down to the irons with his crossbelts on. He looked around for someone to give them to, but couldn't see anyone in red apart from himself and the Corporal. Well, he'd sort that out when Johnson or someone found a sentry for them.

Finally the provosts were leaving.

Bolitho acknowledged the officer's salute, quite glad to be seeing them on their way. They had caused enough ruckus already--possibly even more than the men themselves had caused. And now he had the added work of deciding on punishment for the guilty parties. He did not want to make it too harsh, for he still doubted just how guilty they all were. But it would have to be firm enough, else he would appear too lax. Blast those provosts for having put him in such a position.

The officer collected his men and had him turn to the side of the boat. Having said his final words of greeting and any other formality that he needed, he and his men began to climb back down from the ship and into their boat. Clearly one of the men that remained in the boat had by then fed the fishes and soiled a part of their boat. Just splendid for others to have to smell it on the way back.

From the opened gunports, men watched the cutter where it bobbed alongside.

"Mind you don't fall!" A voice called out, as the provosts began their descent to the cutter. There was laughter along the gundeck.

Ordinarily Bush would have shouted at the men to be silent. But he was so annoyed with the provosts' behaviour that he amazingly did not reprimand them. To be honest, he would have liked to jeer the fools himself, but that he could not do, so he contented himself to allow the sailors to give it back to the provosts as they departed.