by other witnesses. However, he did accept the prior evidence given as being true, and allowed the court to do the same. These I suspect to be lies he had engineered from those people he allowed to be called, which smacks of a conspiracy, an offence worse than mere perjury.â
âYou seem damn sure he did that, Parker.â
âI have good reason.â
âIf you say the case is weakâ¦â Hood waved a hand, as if to the say the matter was not one worth the pursuit, which elicited from his executive officer a wolfish grin.
âIt seems one of those so suborned by Barclay, andperhaps the one most likely to be perjured, is his wifeâs nephew, a certain midshipman called Toby Burns. From what I have gleaned the lad is not one to stand up to pressure. Get him in the same court as his uncle, with any form of decent prosecution, and Barclay would be doomed.â
Hood was growling again, clearly dissatisfied. âI am wondering, Parker, how it is that you seem to be in possession of information which is not, from my previous reading of the case papers, very obvious.â
âI made a few discreet enquiries, sir, and found out that which I am now passing on to you.â
âAm I to be told with whom you spoke?â
âI would decline to do that, sir. It would not aid your situation to be seen as actively engaged in undermining Admiral Hotham. Better that, in a tight situation where some of this may come to light, you can justifiably plead innocence.â
âWhere is all this leading, Parker?â
âLet us accept Ralph Barclay illegally pressed Pearce and those other fellows out of that Thameside tavern.â Hood nodded. âThen let us also accept that Admiral Hotham, in order to protect an officer who has attached himself to his flag, has allowed, indeed connived in allowing a blatant miscarriage of justice to be perpetrated, one in which he could be shown to be complicit.â
âIt would need to be proved, but for the sake of your point we will allow it.â
âIt therefore stands to reason that Pearce and hisproposed action for perjury represents a threat to both Captain Barclay and Admiral Hotham.â
âOnly if it comes to court and we both know how difficult that is.â
âIt is, however, like a sword of Damocles over both men, which is why I believe that Hotham, should he hear about Pearceâs proposed course of action, will do everything in his power to ensure it does not come to court. What concerns me is the means he will use to achieve that end.â
âWhich are?â
âRight now, Lieutenant Pearce and the fellows he wants released from the Navy, the men he insists were illegally pressed with him, are aboard the pontoons ranged against the French battery, which I believe they have named
Sans Culottes
.â
âThem and their damn silly names. Without breeches, indeed!â
It was like a signal; the rolling sound of cannon fire filled the air, then the casements of the spacious cabin rattled slightly at the displacement of atmosphere, even although it was over a mile away.
âGell has begun the action, Parker, I need to see this.â
Parker hauled himself to his feet as Hood did likewise. Hats were handed over by a steward as they made their way out on to the long maindeck of the flagship, with Hood acknowledging the knuckled forehead salutes of those who resided there. Sprightly for a man of hissixty-nine years he skipped up the companionway, which brought everyone on
Victory
âs quarterdeck to attention, the watch officers raising their hats as one.
âA telescope,â Hood demanded, and the long glass was immediately pressed into his hand, a second being provided for Parker.
HMS
St George
and
Aurore
were both wreathed in the smoke from their own cannon, the two pontoons likewise. Hood followed the course of the second salvo to see it land on the sandy shore, throwing up a great plume of earth short