The Hundred Days Read Free Page B

and there is talk of frigates, even of two or three
heavy frigates.’
    ‘Aye. There is something very
odd about it all. Our intelligence people see a Muslim influence, possibly
Turkish, possibly the Barbary states, or even of all of them
combined. At this very moment there is much greater activity in Algiers, Tunis and down the Moroccan
coast, fomented by Napoleonic renegadoes with native craft and vessels up to
    the size of a sloop of war: it
is almost impossible to deal with it, our naval strength being so reduced and
so tied up. Already it is most harmful to Allied trade, particularly to ours,
and it is likely to grow worse.’
    The Admiral stirred his tea, contemplated, and
said, ‘If Napoleon Bonaparte with his three hundred thousand very well trained
men and his usual brilliant cavalry and artillery, can knock out say the
Russians or part of the Austrians, the French navy may sweep us out of the
Mediterranean again, above all as the Maltese and the Moroccans are so
ungrateful as to hate us and as there is a real possibility of a French  alliance with Tunis, Algeria and the other
piratical states, to say nothing of the Emperor of Morocco and even the Sultan
himself. For you know, Aubrey, do you not, that Bonaparte turned Turk? During
the Egyptian campaign I think it was; but Turk in any case.’
    ‘I heard of it, sir, of course; but no one has ever
asserted that he recoiled from swine’s flesh or a bottle of wine. I put it down
to one of those foolish things a man says when he wishes to be elected to
Parliament, such as “give me your votes, and I undertake to do away with the
National Debt in eighteen months.” I do not believe he is any more a Mussulman
than I am. You have to be circumcised to be a Turk.’
    ‘For my own part I have no knowledge of the
gentleman’s soul, or heart, or private parts: all I am sure of is that the
statement was made, and that at this juncture it may be of capital importance.
But we are prating away like a couple of old women...’ He was interrupted by
his secretary, who said, ‘I beg pardon, my Lord, but the courier is just come
aboard with his budget.’
    Jack had started to his feet, and now he said, ‘May
I wait upon you later, sir, when you are less engaged?’
    ‘Is there anything urgent, Mr Campbell?’ asked Lord
Keith, with a temporizing wave.
    ‘Tedious and toilsome, rather than immediate, apart
from one enclosure that I have already sent on.’
    ‘Very good, very good. Thank you, Mr Campbell.
Sit down, Aubrey. I will just run through the heads of these, then attend to
your statements of the squadron’s condition, and give you some notion of what I
should like you to do.’ A pause, during which the Admiral’s long-practised hand
ran through the dockets, already marked with Campbell’s secret mark of
importance: none rated above c3, and putting them down he said, ‘Well, Aubrey,
in the first place you must allot a force adequate for the protection of the Constantinople trade. Convoys have been
re-introduced, you know one is due within the week - and the Algerians in
particular have grown very bold, though some vessels are also to be expected
from Tripoli, Tunis and the rest, while other
corsairs push up from Sallee and pass the Straits in the dark of the moon. Then
you must prevent any unauthorized outward or inward movement to the best of
your ability. But your most important task by far is
to look into those Adriatic ports you know so well. Even the small places are
capable of building a frigate, and we have reports of actual ships of the line
on the stocks in four places whose names Campbell will give you. If any of
the two-deckers have openly declared for Napoleon you must not venture upon an
action but send to me without the loss of a moment. Where frigates, corvettes
or sloops are concerned, particularly if they are unfinished, you must
endeavour to stop the building and obtain their disarmament, all of which
requires the utmost degree of tact: I am so