Mutiny
by Lady Laura

Horatio Hornblower and Archie Kennedy retired to their cabin after coming off
watch. The ship was tossed around some during a gale while they were going to Plymouth, so it was harder getting there than usual.

Mary was up waiting for them. She helped them strip off their wet jackets, and settled them in.

" How was is out there, gentlemen?" she asked.

" Terrible. Captain Sawyer heard my order to shorten the sail, and he belayed my order, demanding that the first person down from the mast would hang from the yardarm." Horatio said.

" And the division up there knocked one man off. Sawyer had us dump him in the sea, seeing he was dead." Archie sat down with a sigh.

" I'm surprised that Captain Sawyer allowed me on this voyage." Mary went to her hammock, and lay down.

" Tomorrow, we anchor in Plymouth. We pick up the second lieutenant, get supplies, and head for Jamaica." Horatio told her.

" Jamaica. I'll be able to see Pellew there, and look into their local trade. Maybe I'll buy some property. My father had a summer house there, and I'll see it again."

" Get some rest, Mary. You heard what Dr. Johnson said." Archie admonished her.

" Aye aye, leftenant Kennedy." Mary mocked him. Archie grinned, going to his own hammock.

" Captain Sawyer asked after you, Mary." Horatio said.

" What did he say?"

" He said you are a very nice lady, and a good female influence upon the crew."

" Really? I'm flattered." Mary said, batting her eyes at Horatio, who laughed.

" Go to sleep, Mary."

" I refer to what I said to Archie. Good night, Horatio." Mary fell asleep.

Horatio parked himself in his hammock beside Archie, and tried to shake off a sudden premonition that they were heading into danger.

Despite the unsettled feeling, he fell asleep quickly, exhausted after being on watch.
**********************
The next day dawned bright and sunny. Mary got up, seeing Horatio and Archie dressed, and talking. They both stopped, and looked up at her.

" Well, good morning to you, sleepyhead!" Archie teased.

" What time is it?" she asked, sitting down at the table.

" Nine." Horatio closed his book.

" Our second leftenant arrives today. I shall go up on deck now."

" I'll see you up there in a moment, Horatio." Mary said.

" All right." Horatio left. Mary had a small talk with Archie, and went through the wardroom, saying hi to Matthews and Styles.

" I'm glad to see you up and about, Ms. Driskell." Matthews said.

" Same here." Styles grinned.

" Thank you Styles, Matthews." Mary nodded to them, and walked on.

She found Horatio up on decks, directing orders. Mary joined him, teasing him a bit.

" Mary." Horatio protested, trying to shrug her off, but she persisted.

" Remember what Captain Sawyer said." he reminded her.

" He's not here, is he?" Mary kissed Horatio.

" All right." they kissed once, when another officer came in front of Mary.

" Second leftenant Bush." he saluted Horatio, who saw he was about to be clobbered by a swinging net filled with supplies.

" Watch out!" Horatio pushed Bush into Mary, stumbling aside, narrowly dodging the cargo net.

Bush looked up into Mary's face, then stood up, embarrassed. Horatio linked his arm through Mary's, and introduced himself.

" Third leftenant Horatio Hornblower. This is Mary Driskell."

" And the reason for a woman on the ship is?" Bush asked, giving Mary a accusing look, which Mary met defiantly.

" Captain Sawyer thought it would be good to have a female influence on this ship, and she speaks fluent Spanish, which is a great asset to us." Horatio defended her.

" Mr. Hobbs, lay aft here." Horatio ordered.

" Aye, sir." Hobbs was a stocky fellow, with sun-bleached blonde hair.

" Mr. Hobbs, you nearly injured one of the ship's senior officers, not to mention damaging vital supplies. DON'T use that tone of voice when replying to a order." Horatio chewed him out.

" Aye, sir." Hobbs said in the same tone.

" Perhaps if these men were better disciplined Mr. Hornblower, you wouldn't have so much trouble controlling them." Bush said, walking off.

" Who does he think he is?" Mary would have gone after Bush, to give him the telling-off of a lifetime, had Horatio not been holding her arm back.

" Captain Sawyer's coming aboard!" shouted a crewman.
*****************************
Captain Sawyer, a great Naval hero, came on board the Renown, nodding at the assembled officers on deck. He stopped when he saw Mr. Bush.

" You are?"

" Bush, sir. Second leftenant."

" You came in my absence?"

" I arrived only a few minutes before you, sir."

" Did you report to the first leftenant?"

" No, sir. I wish to present myself personally. And may I say what a honor it is to serve with a man so distinguished a record."

" As you were, sir." Sawyer said.

" Thank you, sir."

" In time, you may thank me, Mr. Bush. carry on." Sawyer left.

" You don't know Captain Sawyer." Horatio said. Bush looked at him.

" As a captain or a man." Archie interjected.

" You are?"

" Kennedy, 4th leftenant."

" I don't think I care too much for your tone, sir." Bush left, barely acknowledging Mary passing by him, smiling politely.

" I don't think I care too much for you tone, sir." Archie mocked as a midshipman named Wellard came to them.

" It is a honor to serve with a man so distinguished a record." Wellard imitated him.

" Enough." Horatio said, letting Mary slip her arm into his, intertwining her fingers in his.

" Come on, Horatio." Mary guided him away for a walk on deck. Archie and Wellard heard something down belowdecks.

" Go see what that is about, Mr. Wellard."

" Aye, sir." Wellard went below.
*********************
Styles and a man named Randal were fighting. Wellard went in the middle of it.

" What happened, Matthews?" he yelled to the bo'sun.

" A disagreement, sir!"

" You're the bo'sun! Silence them!"

" SILENCE!" Matthews bellowed, sounding like Captain Pellew. The lot quieted immediately.

" Break it up!" Wellard shouted.

" Make me, little boy." Randal taunted.

"SIR, RANDAL! YOU WILL ALWAYS CALL HIM SIR!" Archie's voice carried to them before he appeared.

" Anyone disobeying a superior officer has consequences. Tell them what the penalty is, Matthews." Horatio intervened.

" Death."

" That's right. No more of these brawls, do you understand me?" a chorus of yes followed as the crowd dispersed.

" Pellew would never have let this happen on his ship." Mary said quietly, sitting down on a bench in the wardroom.

" No, but every captain has a style in commanding. A different way, Mary. I'm growing accustomed to it. I know you are too." Horatio sat beside her

" I am, Horatio. I miss Edward, though." she admitted.

" Don't worry, we'll see him again." they kissed.

Up on deck, Captain Sawyer looked around, then said, " Mr. Hornblower."

" Sir."

" Set a course to weather the lizard and southwest."

" Weather the lizard and southwest it is, sir." he replied.

Mary had not moved from the wardroom when Horatio came in. She let him take her in a hug, knowing she was missing Pellew. They smooched, oblivious to Bush coming in.

" Captain Sawyer wants to see all the officers in his cabin." he said flatly, and walked away.

" Can I come, Horatio?"

" No, you better get some rest, Mary. You're still weak from being so sick." Horatio touched her forehead gently.

" Oh, all right." she said reluctantly. Bush was walking away when he heard Horatio mention Mary still weak from being so sick. His head reeled with having a mysterious woman aboard the ship. Nonetheless, he went to the captan's cabin.
************************
In Sawyer's cabin, he unrolled a map to show his officers where they were going.

" Santo Domingo, gentlemen."

" Rebel slaves are there." Horatio remarked to Archie. Sawyer looked at him.

" Very good Mr. Hornblower. As we know, the rebel slaves are infiltering our trade through Santo Domingo, and it's our job to clean them out."

The ship's surgeon, Dr. Clive, filled them in about the fever and ague, commonly known as malaria was in the tropics.

Sawyer continued on, chewing out Buckland for something he said, then dismissed the officers.

" Mr. Hornblower, how is Ms. Driskell?"

" Quite well, sir. I am very glad for that, considering what befell her before we came on board this ship." Horatio didn't mean to say that, but it slipped out before he could stop it.

" What was it?"

" She was wounded and sick for many days. We all feared she would die."

" Oh. As you were, Mr. Hornblower."

" Yes, sir." Horatio left, not seeing the look on Bush's face. He wondered even more about Mary now.

Horatio and Archie both went down to their cabin, seeing Mary asleep in her hammock. Bush came in to inform Archie that it was his watch, also seeing Mary sound asleep.

" You have the watch, Mr. Kennedy." he said, and left.

" Aye, sir." Archie grabbed his jacket and hat, and left. Horatio settled in for some reading in his hammock.

Mr. Bush was strolling about on the deck when he saw the silhouette of Mary standing at the railing, gazing out over the water in the night sky.

" Ms," he couldn't remember her last name. Mary jumped, and turned to him.

" Ms. Marion Driskell, sir. Mary to my friends, Ms. Driskell to you." she replied, returning the tone of voice Bush had used with Horatio earlier.

" Well Ms. Driskell, I've been wondering about you." he said, leaning on the railing a bit.

" About what, sir?" she asked sharply.

" Never mind." Bush walked away, thinking if she was going to be a bitch to him, than he'd do best to steer clear of her.

" Ms. Driskell, may I escort you below?" he turned around. She glared at him.

" No thank you, sir. I know the way." she smiled, showing him it was a joke.

" Good night, miss." he walked away.

" Good night, Mr. Bush." she flashed him that killer smile of hers.
**************************
The next day, they were fighting a small summer gale on the sea.

" She sails well." Mr. Bush remarked.

" She loves a stiff breeze, sir." Horatio spoke. Just then, water crashed over the ship, drenching the officers and Mary where they stood.

" Stiff breeze? We'll need to shorten the topsail." Bush assessed.

" Notify the captain first. Standing order, sir." Horatio warned him.

" Mr. Kennedy." Bush sent him off.

" Lovely wet day, isn't it, Horatio?" Mary grinned, taking his arm. Horatio grinned at her, her dress flapping around in the breeze.

Captain Sawyer came out.

" You want to take a reef, Mr. Bush?" he called out.

" Sir?" Bush said.

" Do so." Sawyer granted permission.

" Raise topsail!" Bush bellowed.

" Rig reef tackle!" Sawyer yelled. The men did their jobs with Wellard up in the rigging, supervising. One rope was frayed, and weak in the middle. It snapped, and tore a hole in the topsail. Wellard yelled out a order to stop raising it.

Wellard and Horatio both tried to tell Captain Sawyer that the sail would have ripped down through, but Sawyer thought otherwise.

" Get down here, both of you!" he yelled.

Horatio and Wellard came down, and were ordered to go belowdecks to await punishment. Mary and Archie went to talk to them, Bush stoically remaining at his post.

Matthews and Styles came up, saying they had to flog Wellard.

" No hard feelings Mr. Wellard. Come, let's get this over with." Matthews said, Styles following in silence. Mary and Horatio came with them.

Wellard had 12 strokes of the bo'sun's cane on his ass, Horatio was put on a 36 continuous hour watch.

" You can keep him company during those watches, Ms. Driskell." Sawyer remarked. Mary wanted to protest, but that'd earn her and Horatio another punishment. So she just stuffed her anger, and accepted the punishment.
************************
After the punishent, Mary stood next to Wellard, giving him encouraging words. She had suffered punishments like that when she was a girl, and Archie had suffered like Wellard.

First lieutenant Buckland came up to Horatio.

" 36 hour watch Mr. Hornblower?"

" Yes sir."

" And Ms. Driskell?"

" Yes."

" She didn't do anything in that situation, did she?"

" No, sir. Furthermore, I will never do such a thing again." Horatio added, knowing there was no point in denying it.

" Glad to hear it, glad to hear it. Carry on." Buckland left the quarterdeck.

Meanwhile, Wellard came up to Mr. Bush.

" Wellard, reporting for duty sir," he saluted.

" Very well, Mr. Wellard." Bush saluted him back. Wellard stood, ready for anything.

" Mr. Wellard, those sandglasses need to be run against each other." Archie announced.

" Aye, sir." Wellard set them.

" Mark off the minutes on a slate." Archie moved beside Wellard.

" Concentrate on the task at hand, it'll keep your mind off the pain." he whispered.

" Yes sir." Wellard concentrated, then saw Sawyer's face in the glass.

" Mr. Wellard, a word." he demanded. Sawyer launched into a long lecture, then turned away after Hornblower came down beside Wellard, Mary was with him.

" So you schemed to upstage the captain in front of the men!" Sawyer whirled around, glaring at Wellard.

" No, sir." Wellard started. Mary squeezed his hand, signaling for him to keep calm.

" You and Mr.Hornblower schemed to upstage me. Mr. Bush, what do you think?"

" Boy knows nothing sir."

" Indeed Mr. Bush, you're too honest. Unlike these poisonous young reptiles." Mary was silently fuming as Horatio took her hand.

" Get below Mr. Wellard." Wellard scampered down out of the captain's sight.

" Another dozen lashes, and a crew like a dove." he remarked, going belowdecks.

" Why did you not stand up for him, Mr. Bush?" Archie said, furious.

" Mr. Hornblower, remind Mr. Kennedy that he is only 4th leftenant." Bush walked away. Mary stared after him.
************************
" French frigate!" the lookout yelled.

" Mr. Kennedy, go up there to check it." Buckland ordered.

" Aye aye, sir." Archie climbed up the ratlines and took a good look.

" Two French frigates!" he chimed.

" I'll go alert the captain." Horatio dashed below.

The cane was just about to smack Wellard's ass, when Horatio burst in, persuading Sawyer to come up abovedecks.

" Prepare for action!" Sawyer bellowed. Bush and Horatio, with Mary to help, manned the gun crews.

" Mr. Wellard, keep a eye on that French frigate. If she opens her ports, sing out." Horatio commanded. Wellard obliged.

" Powder monkey, here!' Horatio took the powder from the boy, and stuffed it inside the cannon.

" Fire!" he shouted, but they looked at him like he was insane. Horatio rushed forward and yanked on the trigger for the cannon.

After a few firings, Wellard reported the frigates were turning tail. They all cheered, and went abovedecks.

They were in their cabin, talking of the frigates, when Sawyer came in.

" Mr. Hornblower, I understand you fired your stern chaser without any shot."

" Yes sir. Mr. Bush and I agreed on a plan."

" Ingenious fairy stories, Mr. Hornblower. I have unfinished business with Mr. Wellard. Come." Horatio went, leaving Mary and Archie exchanging puzzled looks.

" Are you writing to Lily, Archie?" Mary teased.

" Yes, I am. As soon as I get back, I'm going straight to her."

" You love her."

" I do. She's a bit like you, but there's something about her that I found interesting, and she's just my type." Archie stared into space.

" I better go with Horatio." Mary sighed, and left.

Wellard was lashed four times. He fainted from the pain. Styles saw he had passed out, and looked at Matthews.

" The full punishment, Dr. Clive?" Sawyer asked.

" Sir?" Clive said.

" It is quite forward Dr. Clive, he has been beaten Mr. Wellard insensible, does he continue?" Horatio spoke up.

" Punishment done." Sawyer turned away in disgust. Mary helped bring Mr. Wellard to the sick berth.

Captain Sawyer read the Articles of War to the ship. When he was done, he ordered that each man should be given rum-and the boys.
***********************
Sawyer walked out on deck that night, inable to sleep. He saw Horatio, asleep, and Mary also.

" Mr. Hornblower." Horatio startled awake to find Sawyer. He reached over to rouse Mary. She looked up to see Sawyer, and shied away a bit.

" Sleeping on watch. Your life is in my hands, unless you do something for me." Sawyer had a menacing gleam in his eyes.

" Sir?"

" Take this gun and kill me. Do it." he said sharply, annoyed at Horatio's hesitation.

" Stop that!" Dr. Clive boomed.

" Your life is in my hands, Mr. Hornblower!" Sawyer allowed Clive to take him to his cabin.

Down below, Randal told Matthews that Horatio wanted to see him on deck. He than picked a fight with Styles.

" Do you hear that Horatio, Archie?" Mary asked suddenly. She listened.

" A fight! Come on!" she flew down the stairway.

Mary got in the middle, separating Styles from Randal. She held up Randal's fists, forcing him off.

" How much to spend the night with me?" Randal said, eyeing Mary's low-cut dress. She grew red, and slapped him in the face.

He sprang up, infuriated. Mary then hooked her foot behind Randal's foot, and pushed him down. The marine on duty put Randal in irons. Styles was attended to by Clive.

Horatio, Archie, and Mary presented the case to Sawyer.

" Ms. Driskell heard the fight, and broke it up." Horatio said.

" How?" Buckland asked.

" She could not back Randal off with words, so she tripped him, held him down, and let the marine put Randal in irons."

" Very brave, Ms. Driskell." Sawyer commented.

" Thank you, sir." Mary stood beside Horatio, who intertwined his fingers in hers nervously.

" You are squeamish, Mr. Hornblower. Bringing little matters to me. Charge is dismissed."
********************
Buckland, Archie, and Horatio gathered on the quarterdeck, discussing the general chaos on board Renown.

Mary went to see Wellard, whom was letting Mr. Bush assist him with navigation tools.

" How are you, Mr. Wellard?"

" Fine, miss." Wellard seemed surprised.

" Pardon the interruption sir, but I always inquire after my friends. It's my nature." she said icily to Mr. Bush, and left.

" Stay where you are! Don't move." Sawyer's voice was becoming like fingernails on a blackboard for everyone.

" A mutinous assembly! Mr. Bush, why did you not bring this to my attention?"

" I did not see, sir. I was helping Mr. Wellard."

" You disappoint me, sir. A mutinous assembly, and you did not report it. Mr. Hornblower, you are on continuous watch for the next 36 hours, as Ms. Driskell is."

Horatio groaned inwardly. Mary took his arm sympathetically, he clutched her hand as though he were falling.

Late that night, Horatio was asleep, his arm over Mary's shoulders, also asleep.

Matthews was watching over them. He sat on the steps and woke Horatio.

" How long has it been, sir?"

" 35."

" I stood a 19 hour watch once, collapsed. The cap'n was a nice man, gave me 12 lashes, and let the matter drop." Horatio chuckled, then looked at Mary, asleep next to him.

" She's quite a woman, Mr. Hornblower."

" She is. I wonder if she'll survive Sawyer's command."

" At this rate, Sawyer will punish anyone for even breathing."

" Mind your tongue, Matthews."

" Sorry, sir."
***********************
Horatio met Buckland and Archie down in the gunpowder barrel room. They discussed how they would take down Sawyer's reign of terror when they heard a voice.

" It's Mr. Bush." he said. Archie admitted him in. Bush sat down beside Horatio, seeing Mary lying asleep on a old blanket Buckland had brought down for her.

" She's even more tired than me." Horatio saw Bush staring.

" I've heard something about her being near death. What's that about?"

" Her two sisters burned down the farmhouse we were in, and Mary was burned badly, and her cold had not gone away completely. We feared she would die." Horatio gestured to her.

" She still looks far too near death for me." Archie noted. Bush saw that she did.

Mr. Wellard was substituting for Horatio when Hobbs came down to look for him.

" Where's Mr. Hornblower?"

" Call of nature, Mr. Hobbs."

" I'll just wait for him here, then."

The mutinous leftenants discussed the act of mutiny, and how it could be sidestepped, considering the captain's frailty and his psycho mind.

They heard footsteps. Horatio and Archie stood at the door, Buckland hid out of sight.

" Mr. Bush, wake up Mary and tel her what's going on, sir!" Horatio hissed. Bush obliged. He sat by her side, took her hand in his, and rubbed it gently, his way of telling her that she should wake up and be quiet. Mary opened her eyes, and was surprised to see Bush by her side.

" Mr. Bush-"

" Shhhhh-" he put his hand over her mouth.

" Captain Sawyer knows." was all he had to say. Mary's deep brown eyes grew bigger as she took his meaning. Bush stood up, and gave her a hand up.

" It's Wellard, sir! They've turned out the marines, the captain has."

" Mr. Bush, Mr. Buckland, and Mary. Go aft, Archie and Wellard, come with me."

They ran around belowdecks, avoiding the captain, Hobbs and the marines. Horatio and Wellard hid near a open grate, and Archie hid behind a door. Sawyer whirled around towards where Archie hid. He had no choice, but to surrender himself. He went to Sawyer, who backed away, and fell into the hole.

Mary, Bush and Buckland came into the room, hearing the pistol shot. They immediately saw what happened.

" Are you all right, Horatio, Archie, Mr. Wellard?" Mary asked them.

" We're fine, but the captain isn't." Horatio gestured down in the hole.

" Mr. Wellard, remove the captain's pistols. They could be vital evidence." Horatio commanded.

" Aye, sir." Wellard went down into the hole, and took the captain's pistols.

" Mr. Bush, rig tackle to get Sawyer up and out of there."

" Aye, Mr. Buckland." Bush said.

The captain was brought into his cabin, where Dr. Clive examined him.

" Will he be fit to command?" Horatio demanded.

" It's hard to tell right now." Dr. Clive mentioned.

" We still go with the captain's orders." Buckland said.
*************************
The next day, Horatio was by a cannon mount, fast asleep. Mary was awake, and discussing what to do with the three other lieutenants.

They talked for awhile, then Buckland's gave fell upon Horatio.

" You want me to wake him, sir?" Archie said.

" He hasn't slept for days, let's give him a little longer." Buckland went aft.

" I just don't like where this is heading. If the captain still maintains command, he'll get us all killed." Mary looked at Bush.

" I agree. Dr. Clive won't pronounce him unfit for command."

" Let's go and talk to him." Archie woke Horatio, and the leftenants gathered in the captain's quarters.

" He looks comatose to me." Horatio remarked.

" He doesn't remember a thing from what happened." Dr. Clive informed him.

" Is he unfit to command?" Archie prompted.

" Yes. For the moment."

" What about when we reach Santo Domingo in two days?"

" I don't know."

They argued for some time. Dr. Clive kept prevaricating. Then, Sawyer awakened.

Mary did not know what to make of all of this. Neither did the leftenants.

" We have to whip this crew into fighting shape." Bush said.

They held drills with the cannons, timing themselves. When they were done, Horatio looked at Mary, who was timing them.

" Mr. Bush, you're still behind with 1:35. Horatio, you have 1:28." she announced.

They went abovedecks, and soaked in the cool sea air.

" Are you sick, Horatio?" Archie asked.

" No. But I have a request."

A few minutes later, Buckland, Archie, Mary and Bush looked down onto the hold belowdecks to see Horatio, who had stripped off, and was allowing his division to douse him with a hose.

" There's something you don't see everyday." Mary grinned.

Styles was holding the hose. He playfully squirted Randal and Hobbs. Wellard was there also, laughing with the rest of the men.

Then, Horatio looked up, and saw Captain Sawyer, decked out in full captain garb.

" This is my ship! Not a public bathhouse!" he boomed.

" Mr. Buckland, arrest Bush, Kennedy, and Hornblower for transpiring mutiny."

Horatio nodded to Buckland, who did as he was told.

Horatio dressed, and they were imprisoned belowdecks.

One guard stood by their cell, and Mary fomulated a plan to get them out.
************************
Meanwhile, Sawyer ran the ship aground, overwhelmed by his desire to fight.

" We can't elevate the guns enough, sir." Buckland tried to dissuade Sawyer, but it was futile.

Just then the Renown ran hard aground, Buckland was thrown off balance, and opened up a nasty gash on his forehead.

Down below, Mary quickly dressed in her most low-cut dress, and went to the guard. She managed to seduce him, and only to find out that he had not the keys she needed.

Matthews and Styles came through, breaking the lock and hauling out the three battered leftenants.

Buckland found Wellard, and ordered him to find Dr. Clive, and bring a straitjacket.

" Mr. Buckland, are you all right?" Bush asked. Buckland looked up.

" We're aground." he said.

" We need to get the ship's anchor, take a jollyboat, go and deploy the anchor, and retract it. That should get us back into deeper water." Horatio planned.

" Mr. Kennedy will man the capstan. Come, Mr. Bush."

" I'm coming, too!" Mary entered the jollyboat with Mr. Bush, who had the anchor.

A sudden blast started sinking the boat. Horatio managed to get the cable lashed into the anchor, and saw that Mr. Bush was trapped.

" Mary! Get into that boat!" Horatio jumped into the water, and began swimming rapidly to gain depth.

He released Bush, and both swam back to the surface. Mary was hauled aboard the boat, and was looking for them anxiously. She cheered with the others when Bush and Horatio surfaced.

As they were retracting the anchor, Sawyer realized he didn't fall down the hole, he was pushed. But by whom was not what he could discern.

A blow from the fort knocked the men off the windlass. They regrouped, and Horatio felt the boat lurch when the starboard cannons went off.

" Mr Buckland, order all starboard cannons to go off at once, double shot." he told Buckland.

" You." said Sawyer. Sergeant Whiting was there with 4 marines.

" Dr. Clive, is he or is he not able to command?" Horatio demanded.

" You know it's not as simple as that." Clive said as Sawyer advanced with a gun in his hand.

" Is he or is he not fit to command?" Horatio repeated.

" All right, yes!" they put Sawyer in a straitjacket, and confined him to his quarters.

Archie, Horatio, and Bush went to the windlass as the cannons went off, double-shot. Mary stepped into the windlass, took up a place, and helped wind up the anchor cable.

"Right. Let's get underway before the Dons sink us." Buckland said, the acting captain.

" Raise the sheets!" Kennedy shouted.

" Rig the tackle!" Bush barked.

" Hard-to-larboard!" Horatio yelled.

" And we got underway, sir." Horatio said to Pellew.

" You'll be on trial in a few hours, one that could possibly kill you." Pellew said, not liking the prospect.

" We're here in Jamaica, sir. We did our duty. It was for the good of the service." Horatio stoically told him.