King's Ransom. William Speir

get the job done for you.”

      Chisholm left the captain alone to settle in. A few minutes later, someone knocked on the cabin door.

      “Enter,” Harry called.

      The cabin door opened, and Alexander Cutter, the captain’s orderly, opened the door. “Am I disturbing you, Captain?”

      “No, Alex. Come in.”

      “Thank you, sir. I was wondering if I could help you get settled in.”

      “Thank you, Alex. If you’d stow my things, I’d be grateful.” Standing up, he took off his coat and handed it and his hat to his orderly. “And put these in a safe place for me, will you? I don’t think I’m going to need them for the next several years.”

      “Yes, sir.” Alex said, taking the coat and hat from Harry.

      Alex worked quickly, putting away the items Harry would be using most on the shelves next to the bed and leaving the rest in the chest. When he opened the two packages from Leicester, he held up the new coat and hat and let out a low whistle. Harry looked over and got a good look at his new captain’s coat for the first time. The deep crimson fabric and gold braid edging didn’t look military – it looked more like what a nobleman would wear. As Alex hung it up, Harry thought it was one of the more beautiful coats he had ever seen. He’d continue to wear the trousers, waistcoat, and shoes from his Navy uniform, but he looked forward to wearing the new symbols of his rank.

      When Alex had finished putting Harry’s things away, he asked, “Will there be anything else, sir? Perhaps some breakfast?”

      “Has the crew been fed?” Harry asked.

      “Yes, sir.”

      Harry nodded. “Then yes, please pass the word for Mr. Fletcher.” Trevor Fletcher was the captain’s cook, and even though he cooked for all the warrant officers onboard, his first duty was to the captain.

      Alex quietly left the cabin. Two minutes later, he returned with Trevor carrying a burnished silver serving tray with a porcelain tea service on it. When Harry told the men to enter, Trevor set the tray down and poured the captain a cup of tea. “Good morning, Captain,” Trevor said. “How do you take your tea?”

      “Plain, thank you, Trevor.”

      “Shall I bring you your breakfast now, sir?” Trevor asked, handing Harry the tea.

      “Yes.” As Trevor left the cabin, Harry turned to Alex and said, “After breakfast, I’d like to see Mr. Franklin, the bosun’s mate. After that, I’d like to see the master-at-arms, Mr. Harrison, and then the gunner, Mr. Robinson. For now, though, will you send in Mr. Burridge?”

      “Yes, sir,” Alex replied, leaving the captain alone with his tea.

      A minute later, someone knocked on the cabin door.

      “Enter.”

      Peter Burridge, the captain’s clerk, entered the cabin and closed the door behind him. Ordinarily, the door would remain open until the captain requested it be closed, but conversations between the captain and his clerk were typically more confidential in nature, and the door almost always remained closed. “You wished to see me, Captain?” he asked.

      “Yes, sit down, Peter. There’s something I need you to start working on for me.”

      Peter sat down and faced Harry. “What can I do for you, sir?”

      “It has to do with the division of the spoils,” Harry said, taking another drink of his tea before putting the cup down. “We need a way to put a value on the items we take so we can keep an accurate accounting of what goes to the Crown and what we keep for ourselves. I want our 30% to be gold and silver only. Putting a value on gold, silver, and jewels should be easy enough, but how do we put a value of timber, spices, fabrics, and other things like that? Ships’ stores and munitions are ours outright, but we need a way to set the value for everything else that will withstand any challenge by the Admiralty or the crown once the mission is over. I also want you to draft a way of determining how to divide the 30% among the crew and our men on Cat Island. We don’t have to follow the same share plan that the Admiralty uses for prize ships, but we need something that’s fair and consistent. How long would it take you to pull that together for me?”

      “Do you have a list, by rank, of everyone entitled to a share?” Peter asked.

      Harry handed Peter a piece of paper showing how many of each rank were assigned to Harry and the mission.

      “Thank you, sir. Is this afternoon soon enough?”

      “Yes, thank you, Peter. You may go.”

      “Yes, sir,” Peter said as he stood up to leave. He had just opened the door when Trevor appeared carrying Harry’s breakfast. Turning back to the captain, he said, “Sir, your breakfast has arrived.”

      “Thank you, Peter. Ask Trevor to bring it in.”

      Breakfast was delicious, and it pleased Harry to have such a good cook assigned to the ship. Once the dishes had been cleared away, Clifford Franklin, the bosun’s mate, arrived to meet with the captain. Franklin, the senior non-commissioned officer onboard, supervised the crew. Harry and Franklin talked at length, and Harry felt satisfied that the crew assignments were correct and his bosun’s mate understood Harry’s expectations.

      James Harrison, the master-at-arms, arrived a few minutes after Franklin left the captain’s cabin. Harry reviewed the ship’s munitions as well as the small arms and long arms onboard. A ship that would be seeing action needed to have the right tools to defeat the enemy and protect the crew.

      After Harrison left, Alex ushered in the gunner, Michael Robinson. “Are you aware that we have a mortar onboard?” Harry asked.