"Yes, well, that's why I put my name at the top of the list," Aitken said. "But all the rest can and will substantiate that."

"Look," Ramage said firmly, "whoever gives evidence on my behalf will be a marked man in the Service from then on, so I want only one person."

Southwick sniffed: it was his "I don't care what you say, I'm going my way" sniff and Ramage tried to look at him sternly, but the old master simply grinned. "It'll be all or none, sir. No one is going to be left out. Or if you try to make do with just one of us, then that person'll be like the Jasons. Saw nothing, heard nothing . . ."

"But there's no need," Ramage said. "Aitken, don't you see that giving evidence on my behalf will probably mean you'll never be made post?"

Aitken shrugged his shoulders. "Sir, thanks to you by way of prize money, I'd pass for a wealthy man in the Highlands. If what you say is true, I'll find myself a bonny bride and a middling sized estate, and if I never go to sea again I've tales enough to tell a dozen grandchildren - aye, and never the same tale twice!"

"That's how everyone feels, sir," Southwick said. "You've looked after them in the smoke of battle, and they're going to look after you -" he paused searching for the right phrase, failed to find it and ended lamely, "- well, at a time like now. They see you're in more danger from our own folk than the French, and that's enough for them."

"How do they know?"

"Too late to complain sir," Southwick chuckled, "but every man on board knows the six Articles of War that Captain Shirley is citing, and even now there's a copy of the Articles of War being passed hand to hand on the lowerdeck. The men were complaining that they only ever heard the Articles read out to them on the quarterdeck, and they wanted - those that can read - a chance to study 'em."

Ramage knew he was helpless to protect his officers from the price they would pay for their loyalty. Aitken, Wagstaffe, Kenton, Martin and Orsini: he had let them down. Southwick and Bowen were different - Bowen only continued serving in the Navy as a surgeon in order to stay with Southwick and Ramage himself: Southwick, like Aitken, had plenty in the Funds from prize money and had reached the age when retirement might seem welcome.

It had all started with a lookout sighting a sail on the horizon and he had decided to investigate it. If only he had ignored it - they had seen several others that day. At least he had not sent off L'Espoir or La Robuste: he shivered at the thought of the problems that would have arisen if the Jason had raked one of them.

Anyway, Aitken had the list of witnesses, and that was that! Then he remembered: "There are two more names to add to your list."

Aitken got up and sat at the desk, reached for a quill and taking the cap off the inkwell, said: "Yes, sir?"

"Mr Sidney Yorke, who will be staying at the King's Arms, in Britonside, and Miss Yorke, at the same address."

"Ah," said Southwick, "They're with us all right, then?"

"Yes. The Emerald sails for London with the convoy tomorrow, but they're staying for the trial. What evidence they can give, I don't know, but Miss Yorke should make an impression on the court!"

"She certainly makes an impression on me!" Southwick said. "And I'd sooner have her brother on our side than against us."

Ramage said: "I've been thinking about the masters of the merchant ships. I don't think we need any as witnesses. The captain of L'Espoir - hewon't have seen what happened. The Jason's first lieutenant, gunner and the cook's mate -"

"Cook's mate, sir?" Aitken could not believe his ears.

"Who better? Cook's mates are usually the most stupid men in any ship, and he has nothing to lose. More important, he probably has little understanding. But he will know if the ship fired a broadside or not."

"Shirley's fellows will get to him before the trial and tell him what to say," Southwick declared gruffly.

"Perhaps - in fact no doubt will. But if the man gets muddled enough in court, we might get some truth out of him."

"Truth isn't going to get a look in," Southwick said.

"No," Ramage agreed, "I doubt it. So we'll be as brief as we can. Few witnesses, few questions. . .The briefer the trial, the less time the other side have to gloat."

Aitken looked worried and he shook his head. "You don't seem to consider the question of being acquitted, sir."

"I've considered it," Ramage said, his voice neutral. "I'd like to be cleared, if only for my father's sake. But over there -" he gestured vaguely to the northwest, towards Cornwall, "- lies my home, with enough land to keep me occupied for the rest of my life. And over there -" he gestured seaward, "- is the answer to the question of whether I am a widower or a married man. Those are the two most important things in my life, and what lies in between –a trial on board the Salvador del Mundo next Monday - doesn't seem of so much consequence at the moment."

"Even tho' it could result in a sentence of death," Southwick said sharply.

"Right now I haven't a devil of a lot to live for," Ramage said bitterly. "My mother and father can't live forever, and I don't fancy wandering round St Kew Hall without Sarah for the rest of my life. It's a dam' big house and there are plenty of tenants on the land, and whoever runs it should have - well, some zest, and a wife, and that's what I lack now."

"Sir," said Southwick, "I'm going to presume on the length of my service with you and unless you order me not to, I'm going to speak my mind freely. I've talked it over with Mr Aitken, and to be honest, sir, you're worrying us, so what I have to say - if you'll allow me to say it - goes for both of us."

Ramage smiled and nodded. "I've never known you to ask permission before, but go on . . ."

"Well, sir, you've done more for King and country than most men, but apart from some of your despatches being published in the London Gazette, you've had no recognition and there are a lot of senior officers jealous of you. All that's normal. It took long enough for Their Lordships to give Lord Nelson his first real chance: those dam'd Antigua merchants nearly did for his career right at the start, when he went for 'em in the last war."

Ramage said impatiently: "I am not another Lord Nelson, Mr Southwick."

"No sir, but hear me out. There are some admirals who listen to what you say - Admiral Clinton off Brest let you go to Devil's Island on what must to him have seemed a flimsy story. Lord Spencer when he was First Lord gave you opportunities, and now Lord St Vincent has not signed that court-martial order from the Board, even though he is First Lord."

"He was attending a levee at letter-signing time," Ramage said. "Four other members of the Board had their pens ready - three is a quorum."

Southwick shook his head but said: "Have it your own way, sir. You can say you haven't had recognition for what you've done -"

"But I don't," Ramage interrupted. "I've had Gazettes, I'm on the Post List: I don't need anything else."

"Very well, sir, I'm wrong in that particular. But think of this: supposing you quit now, are found guilty but are not sentenced to death; dismissed the Service, say. You go back and watch your tenants, course hares, milk the cows and make butter and cheese at St Kew, and smile at the young maids and kiss the hands of the wives of the local gentry - and then you find that Lady Sarah is alive and (because by then the war has ended) is about to be released and come home. Now you think what she'll find. A disgraced husband with no fight in him. The bottle, that'll be your mistress by then, sir, the bottle and not even bothering with a glass.

"Sorry, sir. Overstood the mark, I have, but I'm not sorry, but you haven't been yourself for many weeks, and we all know how you were waiting for news of Lady Sarah when you got to Plymouth, and instead you had this crash on your head. But right now those of us who've picked you up for dead several times in the past can't see any wound or blood, and we wonder why you've given up fighting. Don't seem like you, sir. Lady Sarah'd be ashamed."