'Indeed?' Ramage said politely. 'I must get myself a similar pair.'

'Yes, do, my dear fellow. I bought these in Calcutta. Anyone'll tell you where to go. "Captain Hamilton's slippers wallah" - just ask, they all know. Now, tell me what's going on in London.'

Ramage thought of his brief conversation with Todd. At the moment Hamilton was changing quickly from sanity to insanity, but it was almost uncanny how he could say some thing which was quite crazy yet make it sound perfectly normal. The carpet slippers, for instance. There was no reason why a captain on board his own ship should not wear carpet slippers with his best uniform. His explanation would sound quite sane to a landman, and with his perfectly normal behaviour in every other respect, what court martial would believe a witness relating the gunpowder story? Hamilton would only have to mention corns or bunions and the slippers would seem perfectly normal.

'London - I was asking you about London, Ramage.'

'Oh yes, indeed. Very quiet now - everyone that matters has gone off to France and Italy. A third of the peerage, I'm told.'

'Indeed? Still, they haven't been able to visit Paris and Florence for years. The ladies want to see the new fashions, I suppose. Still, what's the news from the Admiralty?'

'Changes, of course. Lord St Vincent is the new First Lord, and there is a new Board.'

'St Vincent? That was Sir John Jervis? What's he doing at the Admiralty? Pitt must be mad!'

'Mr Pitt is no longer the prime minister,' Ramage said patiently. 'Mr Addington has formed the new administration -'

'Addington? I don't believe a word of it!'

Hamilton stood up and jammed his hat on his head. He stared at Ramage and took a deep breath. 'A court martial, Ramage, I shall ask for a.court martial on you as soon as I reach England. Plenty of charges; oh, yes, plenty of charges."

'Indeed, sir?'

Oh yes. Apart from the "numskull", there will be - now, let me see. Negligently hazarding a King's ship. That will cover the way you risked the Invincible. The same charge concerning the Calypso. Cowardice, of course -'

'Cowardice?' Ramage exclaimed, hardly believing his ears. 'When?'

'You were waving a white flag - surrendering your command to the enemy, and never a shot fired! Articles Twelve and Thirteen, "In time of action keeping back", and well, you know the wording well enough.'

'Ah, indeed,' Ramage said, determined to get back to the Calypso before this poor, crazy man did something absurd, like ordering his master-at-arms to arrest him.

'Now, Ramage, let me see your orders.'

'They are sealed orders, sir. I have only general orders to take me south, and then I open sealed orders when south ot ten degrees North.'

'Give them to me: I can open them. All things are open to those with faith.'

'They are locked up on board my ship, sir.'

'Then go and unlock them, my boy,' Hamilton said in a perfectly normal voice. 'I must inspect them. One doesn't know what theymight say.'

He spoke as though the Admiralty's orders might contain obscene phrases that Ramage was too young to read.

Ramage nodded agreeably. 'Yes, indeed sir, who knows. You may remember that when I first came on board I said the war with France was over -'

'Ah yes, so you did,' Hamilton interrupted. 'And if you don't refer to it again, I shan't mention it at your trial. But it is a clear breach of one of the Articles of War, number Three to be exact, "If any officer shall give, hold or entertain intelligence with an Enemy..."'

Ramage would have agreed, in order not to provoke the man further, but the Invincible still had a couple of hundred miles to sail before she reached Spithead, during which time she could meet and sink a dozen French, Dutch or Spanish ships.

'Sir, I have something to say that I insist is heard by your first lieutenant and at least one other officer, either the second lieutenant or your master.'

'My dear Ramage, by all means. Tell the sentry to pass the word for them. Now, may I once again offer you refreshment? As I told you, the Madeira is good, but I have spirits, a poor brandy or some of those Dutch East Indies drinks, all spices and perfume: what shall it be?'

Now Hamilton's voice was that of a good host: a rational man pleased at meeting another of the King's ships after a long period at sea.

Ramage examined the bottles as Hamilton displayed them, playing for time and trying not to refuse anything until the two officers arrived. A knock on the door and a call from the sentry showed both men had been waiting close by.

As soon as they came into the cabin, Hamilton nodded to Todd and introduced the second lieutenant, smiling as though they were all about to sit down to a specially-prepared rijstafel.

'Gentlemen, Mr Ramage couldn't make up his mind what he wanted to drink, and asked me to send for you.'

Todd glanced at Ramage, knowing that his captain could not see his face. It was obvious to Ramage that quite apart from Todd, the other lieutenant too was almost at the end of his rope: they had been serving many months under this mad captain. He looked at them both and said slowly and carefully: 'I have made a statement to Captain Hamilton, and I intend repeating it before the two of you. I want you to remember word for word what I say.'

Before he had time to speak again, Hamilton said in a conversational tone: 'Yes, remember what he says, word for word, and remember the Articles of War, numbers Three, Twelve and Thirteen. I shall be bringing him to trial, of course, and we shall need all the evidence we can get.'

'Aye aye, sir,' Todd said.

'Now,' Ramage continued, 'a treaty of peace has been concluded between Britain and France. All hostilities have ceased -'

'Note well what he says,' Hamilton commented. 'A clear case of "intelligence with the enemy".'

'- between Britain on the one hand and France, Spain and the Netherlands on the other. Now, repeat that.'

Todd repeated it word for word, with Captain Hamilton beating time with his right hand.

As soon as the lieutenant finished, Ramage continued: 'Ratifications have been exchanged and all fighting anywhere in the world shall cease within five months of that date, which was -'

'It's absolute rubbish,' Hamilton interrupted, 'but humour him: I've known these cases turn violent.'

Ramage then took a folded newspaper from his pocket and gave it to the first lieutenant. 'Your captain has refused to read this. It's a copy of the Morning Post and reports the exchange of ratifications.'

It had been lucky that there was a copy on board the Calypso: Orsini had used several to pack some crockery he had brought back from London.

Todd nodded as he read and then passed it on to the other lieutenant. When he was holding it again he said respectfully to Captain Hamilton: 'There are various interesting items here, sir. The parliamentary news, for instance. You were worrying about your constituency

So Hamilton was a Member of Parliament. He must be one of those Members who occasionally visited Westminster with a sprig of heather in their hair and salt staining the leather of their boots.

'I may not still be a Member,' he said irritably. The government could have fallen and new elections been called. No letters for nearly a year . . . who knows what has happened. Still, Lord Spencer will put everything right.'

Before he could stop himself, Ramage said: 'I've just told you, the present First Lord is St Vincent: Addington became prime minister when Pitt resigned.'

Hamilton looked at him as a hostess might stare unbelievingly at a guest wiping dirty boots on her best Persian carpet. 'Addington? St Vincent? You'll soon be telling me that Jenks is Secretary of State!'

Ramage sighed and took back the newspaper, which referred to Lord Hawkesbury and Otto conducting negotiations. 'Captain Hamilton, you will not accept anything I say and refuse to look at this copy of the Morning Post, which refers to negotiations with the French conducted by Jenks. However, I must delay you no longer, sir: I shall make an entry in my log concerning our encounter, note that I informed you in front of your two most senior lieutenants that the war is over and attempted to show you a newspaper, which I am giving to your first lieutenant. I must ask you to wait while I write a letter for the Board. I will send it over as soon as it is written.'