The sixth Aubry/Maturin — and they keep getting better and better, Brian finds the two friends prisoners of the Americans, the War of 1812 having begun. And not auspiciously for the British. The Americans with a completely volunteer navy (no press gangs for them) have been more than competently trained by their British cousins and have become more than a match for the British, who have become used to sweeping the seas of all opposition. The British have been blockading Boston and, to their humiliation, have had three excellent frigates sunk or captured. The French and an American intelligence officer, Johnson, who in the meantime has become the consort of the lovely Diana Villiers — Stephen’s heartthrob — who has been known to pass on intelligence herself, suspect Jack of intelligence gathering. Stephen, the professional spy and amateur ornithologist, is acutely aware of the damage his spying has done to the French and he narrowly evades their clutches. The pair and Diana escape with the assistance of a friendly American and sail out to the Shannon, Captain Broke. Broke is a cousin of Jack’s and a magnificent seaman. Soon the Chesapeake sails out of Boston to give chase and battle. Knowing they will be hung if caught, the trio have an avid interest in the outcome of the battle. Diana is armed with some small pistols to shoot rats and boarders if necessary. She has been moved from the master’s quarters to the forepeak, away from the action and below the waterline, as the officers cabins are broken down to clear the decks for battle. Stephen visits her before the action to fortify her spirits (she suffers dreadfully from seasickness). “ ‘Oh,’ she said, and absently took three spoonfuls of the soup. ‘Lord above, what is this?’ “ ‘Soup. Portable soup. Pray take a little more; it will rectify the humours.’ “ ‘I thought it was like-warm glue. But it goes down quite well if you don’t breathe.’ She ate on until a cockroach fell into the can from a beam above, when Stephen took the can and put it down among the other cockroaches on the deck.”
The scene becomes vivid as they shoot the bolder rats. How could one not enjoy this kind of writing? But you will have to read Fortune of War to learn the outcome of the battle.
