Tongues of Serpents Page 0,26

tuck his wings to his sides in a complaisant sort of way. "Only if we are to remain," he did not allow any disappointment to color his words, "then it seems to me that Caesar is right on this one point: we ought have better leadership, who can arrange it so we can have proper food, and everything nice - perhaps even a pavilion, with some shade and water, against all this heat. We might even build some roads as wide as in China, and put the pavilions directly in the town; just like a properly civilized country."

"We cannot hope to promote such a project, however desirable, without the support of civil authority; you cannot force the change wholesale," Laurence said; he paused and added, low, "We might make such a bargain with Bligh, I expect; he cannot be insensible of your much greater strength, and he knows he requires at least our complaisance, even if he has Rankin's aid."

"But Laurence, I do not like Bligh at all," Temeraire said. "I have quite settled it that he is a bounder: he will say anything, and do anything, and be friendly to anyone, only to be back as governor; but I do not think it is because he wishes so much to do anything pleasant or nice for anyone."

"No, he wishes only to be vindicated, I believe," Laurence answered, " - and revenged. Not without cause," he added, "but - " He stopped and shook his head. "There would be a species of tyranny in it, when they have ruled so long and without argument from the citizenry."

Temeraire brooded on further afterwards, that afternoon, while Caesar discussed enthusiastically with Rankin plans for an elaborate cattle farm, quite exploding Temeraire's hopes of napping. He was beginning to understand strongly the sentiment that beggars could not be choosers. No one would ever have chosen to be trapped here; but now he must make the best of it, for himself and for Laurence. Temeraire dismally recognized that he had solaced himself, by thinking that Iskierka was only a wretched pirate, really, and her excesses for Granby in poor taste, which Laurence would not have liked, anyway. But now here was Rankin, too, also wearing gold buttons, and he was a captain still, as Laurence ought have been. There was no thinking two ways about it: Temeraire had not taken proper care of him; he had quite mismanaged the situation.

"Demane," Temeraire said, lifting his head, and speaking in the Xhosa language, so Rankin could not sneak and overhear, nor Caesar; Demane looked up from where he was figuring sums with Roland - or rather, giving his sums to Sipho to figure for him, while he instead cleaned yet another old flintlock; he had acquired another four in the town, lately. "Demane, do you remember that fellow who was here the other day, MacArthur? Will you go into town and find out where he lives; and take him a message?"

"I cannot but feel I have - I am - mismanaging the situation," Laurence said somberly, tapping his hand restlessly upon the table until he noticed his own fidgeting, which even then required an effort to cease.

From wishing only to have the decision taken out of his own hands, Laurence now found he did not think he could be easy in his mind to watch the colony's leaders deposed and, as he increasingly thought Bligh's intention, executed without even awaiting word from England. "But if Rankin should move in his support, I cannot avoid the decision: either we must stand by or intervene. I hope," he added ruefully, "that I am not so petty as to have more sympathy for Johnston and MacArthur, and the less for Bligh, only because Rankin has ranged himself alongside him."

"You might have a worse reason," Tharkay said. "At least you cannot call the decision self-interested; his restoration would be more to your advantage."

"Not unless it is by my own doing," Laurence said, "which I cannot reconcile with a sense of justice; and I doubt even that would serve," he added, pessimism sharp in his mouth. "Even to act must rouse fresh suspicions; we are damned in either direction, when all they want of us is quiet obedience."

"If you will pardon my saying so," Tharkay said, "you will never satisfy them on that point: the last thing you or Temeraire will ever give anyone is quiet obedience. Have you considered it might be better not to try?"

Laurence would have liked to protest