Horatio is a little star-struck by the presence of Foster, about whom he's heard many heroic tales. It's obvious however, that Pellew is less than pleased with Foster and his effect on his young Acting Lieutenant. He considers Foster to be reckless with the lives of those under his command; when Foster is boastingly telling the tale of the fight with the Spanish ship, Pellew bluntly asks how many men were lost. Unhappy with Horatio's obvious enthusiasm for Foster, Pellew treats him a little coldly for a while. After Foster leaves for his own ship, the Dreadnought, though, Pellew tells Hornblower that he has recommended him for the Lieutenant's exam.
'The Fire Ship' takes place some time after the events of 'The Duel.' Horatio Hornblower is now serving as "Acting Lieutenant" since the deaths of Lt. Eccleson and Lt. Chad on the Papillion. The story picks up with a contingent of Spaniards arriving on the Indefatigable with the unwelcome news that Spain, previously allied with Britain against France, is now going to become neutral. This information is imparted to Capt. Pellew by the Spanish captain, with Horatio acting as translator. Humorously, we see Pellew struggling- unsuccessfully- to conceal his bulge-eyed fury at this development, and Hornblower laboriously translating what his captain is actually saying into something more polite and diplomatic. After the Spanish leave, Pellew grimly tells Horatio that 'neutrality' is an empty term, and that Spain will quickly become allied with France. Indeed, this is already happening, as a British supply ship comes under fire from a Spanish vessel. Outclassed and outgunned, the captain of the supply ship is planning to do the sensible thing: cut and run. Unfortunately, besides supplies, he is also transporting Capt. "Dreadnought" Foster of the Royal Navy. Despite the impossible odds, Foster asserts his authority and orders the captain to turn and fight. Predictably, this ends in disaster: the ship is sunk, and the few survivors- including Foster- are left clinging to some flotsam. Fortunately for them, they are spotted by the Indy and picked up. Horatio is a little star-struck by the presence of Foster, about whom he's heard many heroic tales. It's obvious however, that Pellew is less than pleased with Foster and his effect on his young Acting Lieutenant. He considers Foster to be reckless with the lives of those under his command; when Foster is boastingly telling the tale of the fight with the Spanish ship, Pellew bluntly asks how many men were lost. Unhappy with Horatio's obvious enthusiasm for Foster, Pellew treats him a little coldly for a while. After Foster leaves for his own ship, the Dreadnought, though, Pellew tells Hornblower that he has recommended him for the Lieutenant's exam. Excited but nervous, Horatio spends his free time studying. It is difficult, however, to find a quiet spot to do so on board. Adding to his distraction is the fact that, due to the loss of the supply ship and further Spanish raiding, the food rations have been cut in half. Constantly hungry, the men manage to keep their spirits up, laughing and singing into the night. One evening, when the sailors' rowdy fun is particularly loud, Hornblower briefly gives way to his exasperation at not being able to concentrate. He is given some advice from the older and more experienced Lt. Bracegirdle, who tells him that the real test comes after the exam; books don't teach how to deal with a starving crew who know that prolonged rationing can lead to disease and death. He tells Horatio that the sailors joke and sing to keep away the fear, and that a good lieutenant will know and understand his men. Not long after this, one of Hornblower's men- Finch- collapses and it's obvious that he has scurvy. He is bedridden, and though both Matthews and Hornblower try to keep his mind active and clear, and another seaman named Bunting, to whom Finch is a father figure, shares his meager rations with him, without proper food Finch only gets worse. Horatio in particular feels an obligation to Finch, as it was he who saved Hornblower's life on the Papillion when Simpson tried to kill him. His frustration and helplessness with the situation cause him to question their present strategy, comparing it unfavorably to Foster's more aggressive course of action. The situation becomes even worse when another supply ship is destroyed by a Spanish fire ship, which is basically a vessel which the Spanish light on fire and set loose, aimed at another ship. In an age of wooden sailing ships, these could cause devastating destruction. Then, despite their best efforts, Finch succumbs to his illness, which affects Bunting badly. He becomes resentful, spreading rumours that the officers are keeping all the best food for themselves, and suggesting mutiny. The other men pretty much ignore him, and then Hornblower, when he overhears him, reprimands him sharply. He lets Bunting off with a warning, however, making allowance for his grief over Finch's death. In an effort to obtain supplies, a diplomat- Mr Tapling- arrives to be transported to Oran to bargain for grain and cattle. To that end, they are also provided with another, smaller vessel (the Caroline) on which to transport the supplies. Meanwhile, Bunting is in a downward spiral, breaking into the hold and stealing food. When caught, Capt. Pellew orders that he be made to "run the gauntlet" : pass through a line of his shipmates, being whipped by them. After this, Bunting stows away on the boat being taken to Oran, hoping to escape the ship. Hornblower leads the mission to Oran where, upon arrival, they discover Bunting and take him into custody. Soon they have much worse to worry about, as several of the Oran residents suddenly collapse and die, and they realize it's the Plague. Tapling panics, but Hornblower keeps his head and calms the men. He relays the situation to Capt. Pellew- from a distance- and suggests a plan. He and the exposed men will take the cows and grain on board the Caroline and serve out their three weeks of quarantine there. That way, if they live, the supplies will not be lost. Pellew agrees, and after loading the supplies, Horatio and his men sail off to serve their quarantine. Hornblower makes a deal with Bunting: if he will cause no further trouble, and work with the other men, Horatio will speak for him at his trial for desertion. Bunting agrees, and so is given his freedom on the ship. The weeks pass slowly as Horatio attempts to study for the lieutenant's exam while dealing with the issues of captaining a ship full of men who fear they may be struck down by deadly disease at any moment.He keeps them busy working, and raises their spirits by ordering one of the cows butchered so that the men can have fresh beef. With one week left to their quarantine, and running low on water, they put in to a remote cove and go ashore to fill their barrels. While there, they are attacked by some Spanish soldiers and Bunting seizes the opportunity to escape. Hornblower goes after him, ordering him at gunpoint to return with him to the ship. Bunting refuses and grabs the gun; it goes off and Bunting is killed. As they are returning from this ill-fated mission, they find that the Dreadnought has showed up, and some of Foster's men have been aboard the Caroline and absconded with a couple sides of beef. Horatio confronts Foster, demanding that the beef and the men who took it return to the Caroline. They are not yet out of quarantine, and Foster is risking spreading Plague. Foster refuses to comply, and Horatio angrily tells him that the responsibility for any consequences will be his. Once back on the Caroline, they bury Bunting at sea. They survive the quarantine and return to the Indefatigable with the supplies. Horatio blames himself for Bunting's death, fearing he has failed and is unfit for command. Capt. Pellew tells him that he has nothing to reproach himself for, and that accepting the death of someone under his command is part of the burden of leadership. Horatio doesn't have time to brood, because his exam is the very next day in Gibralter. Unfortunately, one of his three examiners is Capt. Foster, with whom he is now on bad terms. Unnerved, Horatio freezes during his examination, and is saved from failure only by alarms going off. A Spanish fire ship has entered the harbour and is headed directly for the Indy. Hornblower and Foster row out to the fire ship and go on board, braving the flames to try to steer it out of harm's way. They are successful, and the Indy is saved. Later, Capt. Pellew commends Horatio for his bravery, and tells him that his exam was cancelled. He also tells Horatio that he has passed a much sterner test, and that it has been an honour to serve with him. Related Posts:
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