Black Powder War Page 0,72

times over, because I know it is wretched hard to sit about watching and you haven't been trained up to it, but you are a captain, and you must be more careful of your neck. It isn't only your own but the Corps' affair if you snuff it, and mine too."

"If I may," Tharkay said quietly, interrupting when Laurence would have remonstrated further with Granby, "I will go; alone I am reasonably sure I can find a way to the eggs, without rousing any alarm, and then I can return and guide the rest of the party there."

"Tharkay," Laurence said, "this is no service you owe us; I would not order even a man under oath of arms to undertake it, without he were willing."

"But I am willing," Tharkay gave his faint half-smile, "and more likely to come back whole from it than anyone else here."

"At the cost of running thrice the risk, going and coming back and going again," Laurence said, "with a fresh chance of running into the guards every time through."

"So it is very dangerous, then," Temeraire said, overhearing to too much purpose, and pricking up his ruff further. "You are not to go, at all, Granby is quite right; and neither is anyone else."

"Oh, Hell," Laurence said, under his breath.

"It seems there is very little alternative to my going," Tharkay said.

"Not you either!" Temeraire contradicted, to Tharkay's startlement, and settled down as mulish as a dragon could look; and Granby had folded his arms and wore an expression very similar. Laurence had ordinarily very little inclination to profanity, but he was sorely tempted on this occasion. An appeal to Temeraire's reason might sway him to allow a party to make the attempt, if he could be persuaded to accept the risk as necessary for the gain, like a battle; but he would surely balk at seeing Laurence go, and Laurence had not the least intention of sending men on so deadly an enterprise if he were not going himself, Corps rules be damned.

They were left at a standstill, and then Keynes came out into the gardens. "For the sake of secrecy, it is to be hoped neither of those dragons understands English," he said. "If you have all done shouting like fishwives, Dunne begs the favor of a word, Captain; he and Hackley saw the baths, during their excursion."

"Yes, sir," Dunne said; he was sitting up on his makeshift cot, pale with fever-hot cheeks, in only breeches and a shirt hanging loose over his lacerated skin; Hackley, slighter than he, had taken the flogging worse and was still prostrated. "At least, I am almost sure; they all had the ends of their hair wet, coming out of the place, and the fair ones - the fair ones looked pink with heat." He dropped his eyes ashamedly, not looking Laurence in the face, and finished hurriedly, "And there were a dozen chimneys out of the building, sir, all of them smoking away, though it was midday and hot."

Laurence nodded. "Do you remember the way, and are you strong enough to go?"

"I do well enough, sir," Dunne said.

"He would do well enough to stay lying down," Keynes said caustically.

Laurence hesitated. "Can you draw us a map?" he asked Dunne.

"Sir," Dunne said, swallowing, "sir, please let me come. Truly I don't think I can, without seeing the place around me; we got turned about a great deal."

Despite this new advantage, Temeraire took a great deal more convincing; at last Laurence was forced to yield to Granby's demand, and let him come along, leaving young Lieutenant Ferris in command of the rest of the crew. "There; you may be easy, Temeraire," Granby said with satisfaction, putting the signal-flares in his own belt. "If there's the least danger, I will fire off a flare, and you will come and take Laurence up, eggs or no; I will see to it he is where you can reach him."

Laurence felt a strong sense of indignation; this was all a piece of considerable insubordination, but as it was visibly approved not only by Temeraire but by the entire crew, he had no recourse; and he was privately conscious the Admiralty would be wholly of like mind, except perhaps to censure him even more strongly for going along at all.

Without very good grace he turned to his acting second lieutenant. "Mr. Ferris," he said, "keep all the men aboard and ready. Temeraire, if you have not seen our signal, and a noise begins in the