Working Ashore

A flogging would be the punishment for such a crime. But Bolitho was no more ready to order any floggings than he was to order the men to wash the floor with their shirts. Damn these infernally idiotic provosts! They were trying to make him give in any way they could. They wanted him to order the men to be flogged, as they surely had been wanting all along.

"Being as I did not witness said assault, and thus cannot say how much of an assault it was, I cannot say what punishment would suit that crime," he snapped.

He was so annoyed with the provosts that he barely registered Deverel's exit.

A moment later, a breathless pimpled young midshipman rushed through the door. "Sirs! Beg your pardon, sir," he said, interrupting himself to salute Bolitho before turning to the provosts. "Sirs, your horses are running away down the road."

Bolitho blinked in surprise at the midshipman. The provosts had been aggravating him so badly that he was glad for any distraction, and this was an especially welcome distraction indeed.

"Best go and fetch them, then," he said to the provosts, "I would hate for you to lose your horses because you were too busy dealing with 'troublesome' sailors."

"You let your men go unpunished if you have not seen them do the crime?" The officer was not finished, but the pimpled midshipman just arrived then with the news. The men cursed, and there were men ordered to run out to see where the horses were. If the midshipman was not pulling a farce at them as these navy folk seemed to prefer doing, or whether the horses - who released them?? - were really out on a run.

The younger one left, the one who had spoken to Deverel earlier also, joined the party of men out to catch the horses. The only of the men remaining was the officer and a pair more of them, who had only been left there to supervise.

Midshipman Hollow had observed them from outside. He'd been on his way, whereto could be guessed by the direction of his walk. He had been fortunate to leave when he did. There was a lieutenant gone in first, not of his ship, then the captain he knew to be of Terpsichore did. He had grown more convinced that the name he remembered as of the ship that the young miscreant was transferred, was this ship. He had debated paying him a visit or preferably of meeting him out here.

Well, the provosts did look to be in a bloody hurry. It spiked his curiosity, but not enough to stop one, or to return to the tavern where men were ordered to clean.

Deverel was waiting for young Mr. Docker when he returned from the tavern. As he strode off with his youthful attendant hurrying to follow, he noticed another midshipman loitering outside. "You lad," Deverel said sharply. "What are you doing there? Are those your men in the tavern?"

Mister Hollow had thought to scam, but then there was a lieutenant to make a call for him and he had to turn on his heel, change his plans and scurry over to the man. He saluted smartly, politely and shook his head. "No sir, those are of his majesty's ship Terpsichore, what I heard." He said, every ounce a polite, well learned gentleman and midshipman, if but for his age. One looking at him must've been wondering how he could not have held the rank of lieutenant already, really.

"I'm of a different ship, sir. His Majesty's ship Confidence, in service under captain Adams."

Deverel regarded him with indifference. "Well then you'd best be about your business before anyone catches you loitering. Off with you." And without waiting for an answer, he strode away back toward the docks with his own young midshipman following.

"Sir." The man saluted to the departing lieutenant every ounce a respectful, submissive man. He watched him go and when Deverel disappeared from view he turned around again. The entertainment was gone. He shrugged his shoulders and spotted his party of men , he snapped at them and grudgingly, hatefully they followed.

Each carried a crate, for which they had come, silent, sullen but indeed efficient. When at port he gazed at the ships that were docked there, wondering if he could spy the one from which this party had come.

++

Some of the provosts outside were seen cursing as they ran after horses that indeed had gotten loose. How, they could only speculate but some wanted to put blame on that Tar who went to fetch the captain. He sure had time and opportunity!

Thompson hid a grin as some of the provosts ran out to catch their horses. It obviously wasn't their day today.

He glanced between the Corporal and the Captain. "With respec', sir, if anyone did assault 'em, it weren't any of us, sir." And they hadn't even mentioned being jumped when they came aboard the previous day - all they'd said they wanted had been to get hold of the men who'd been involved in the bar-room brawl, so they shouldn't be punished for any assault anyway - it hadn't been proven, either then or since, that Thompson and the sailors with him had assaulted any provost.

That was unfair and unjust, for them to be punished for something they hadn't even done, or allowed to defend themselves against the accusation of doing something.

"Thank your for informing me, Thompson," Bolitho nodded. He had assumed as much, but he appreciated Thompson telling him all the same. Thinking the provosts would claim that the Marine was lying, Bolitho made a point to add, "I appreciate your honesty."

To the remaining provosts he said, "I do not wish to order any punishment for a crime which we are unsure who the culprits may be. Since there were a great deal of men ashore, I think it will be rather difficult to determine exactly who may have assaulted you. Unless of course you wish to contact the captain of every ship in port so that you may punish any man who was ashore that evening..."

"It weren't any of you?.. That's .. can't be quite true." The provost had spoken, and there was a smile on his face which betrayed that he had been glad to catch someone at a lie, that he was bristling with joy for that very fact. "See, sir." He spoke politely, his eyes avoiding that of Thompson and he carried himself as if he were much more important that the lowly man, much more honest than the liar.

"We have heard the man, who has thrown ..." He paused and searched for a less crude a word. ".. animal excrement at us." He finally concluded. "And dirt of the street.." He added. " We have heard him shout these words.. - Terpsies to me." He looked at the man of whome spoke.

"He and his band .." He indicated the others, though truthfully he could not be certain whether it was just that man or all of them that had done it. ".. had indeed been in the process of thus assaulting my men and me. There is no doubt in that. He and them have been identified by more than one men of my own, he and they.. have suggested the name of the ship from which they must've come which enabled us to contact you as well."

"Well, I dunno who that was, sir, but it weren't any of us." Thompson was convinced of that, and that was the third... no, fourth time he'd been accused, in the Captain's presence, of lying. And he didn't know who it was who'd done that, but the men in here were those who'd been part of the bar-room brawl. And not all of the men who'd had liberty that evening had been part of that fight, which meant it was some other liberty-man who'd thrown shit at the provosts.

At least Captain Bolitho believed him, which was some small comfort.

Johnson tried very hard not to roll his eyes. "All due respect, sir," he said, addressing Bolitho, "but it'd be fair stupid for a lad to call out the name of his own ship like that. Seems it's a trick some other ship's crew'd use, like."

It made perfect sense to him. Terpsichore was not the only Navy ship in harbour, after all. He wouldn't it such sneakery past men from Confidence, either. Those filthy bastards...

"An excellent point, corporal, and one that I very much agree with." As much as Bolitho did not want to believe that his men had thrown anything at the provosts, he would not have put it entirely beyond them to do so. But what he could not believe was that any of them would have shouted their own ship's name while doing so. That would have been downright stupid.

Turning back to the provost, he said, "What proof do you have that the men who threw filth at you were truly from the ship they named? I would not put it past some other sailors to try and trick you into thinking they were from another ship, and thus pin the crime on that ship's crew."

"But sir, there is a problem here." With their explanations, the lying sots! The provost held his composure as he listened first to one and then the other speak. THe Corporal had too much faith in those men, and held them in too high an opinion, considering them actually reasonable and smart.

"..That man." He pointed towards Chase. "Has been identified by several of my own.. as being the one who shouted it. And is he not of your ship?" He looked at the captain: "...He.. and the others were identified also as the ones who had done the throwing. "Maybe not all, but why would it matter?

Chase was the one who shouted it? Bolitho really hoped that was not true.

"He is of my ship, yes. You say several of your men identified him? Are they absolutely certain he was the one who shouted the ship's name? Would they swear to that?"

This was rubbish.

"Sir," Johnson said. "This whole mess is about the lads fightin' ashore with soldiers, ain't it?"

"Yes. I am certain that they would confirm again, what they have said, and they would have spoken the truth, that I am sure of." The provost replied, composed. Perhaps this could yet lead into something. If the men were punished worse, then well..it would all be well again.

He turned briefly to the corporal and shook his head. Not only that.

Thompson let out a sigh. Well, maybe he'd been wrong, but it was still no reason for them call him a liar.

This was just a complete waste of time, but he'd already said too much. Better to keep quiet and not make things any worse than they were already.

Bolitho looked from Johnson to the provost, then back again. "I thought it was, corporal, but now I'm not so sure."

Glaring at the provost, he snapped, "So you are certain that your men are speaking the truth? Well I am certain that my men are speaking the truth. So if you are going to call them liars, then you might as well call me a liar as well for defending them!"

"Sir.. I hardly believe you a liar.. " The provost said defensively. The men could've easily lied to the captain, he would not have been surprised if they did. "Merely.. that you may have been misinformed by them.. and thus might have acted upon the evidence that you had... and the evidence itself.. was flawed.. for these men had made it so." He concluded more calmly. "But I wish no slight on your character.. for.. I am certain that you speak with the outmost contemplation.. of facts set before you."

Bolitho sighed, trying to calm himself down. They were never going to get anywhere if both of them kept on questioning the truthfulness of the other's men.

"Very well. If you are so convinced that it was my men who attacked you, then please tell me what sort of retribution you wish to gain. They are already being punished by cleaning this tavern. What more do you want?"

"..That they are punished for the assault as well. But .. as for punishment sir. I would request.. if it is not prudent. That you place them under our full authority thus.. that they would be equally punished for their disobedience, as if they had.. indeed, disobeyed you. Else.. I would like to inquire... in what punishment of the sort, do you have for men.. that commit such a crime." He had given him a fair pair of options. Either he let them 'order' the men around, or.. he tells them what the naval punishment for it is. Which would be worst to do?

So that was how it was going to be. Either leave the men to the mercy of the provosts or order them all to be flogged. Bolitho had thought that he had avoided that question when he ordered the men to go ashore for a work detail. But it seemed he had to decide all over again.

A part of him thought the flogging would be better. At least then he himself would be in charge and would see to it that the men got no more punishment than would be deserved for such a crime--if they had even committed it. But if he allowed the provosts to take charge, perhaps the men would get off better. Though somehow he doubted that.

"The naval punishment for such a crime would be a flogging," Bolitho said, his voice low and harsh, "Is that the sort of punishment you wish to inflict upon them?"

"If it learns them humility, sir.. and if it is such, as the punishment for the crime is, then yes." They had seen many men flogged in the army. Caught for different offenses at different times. The flogging he found as nothing but a natural answer to a crime. You did something wrong, you were punished for it, the manner in which was of course decided.

"This sir, or.." He began with a pause, and then suggested the second option again. Both held a justifiable end for him.