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Authors: Bruce Alexander
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the day past.”
“Must I?” He sighed.” It is all put plain in the Statement of Charges.”
“Nevertheless.”
“Ah, well, as you will. We were hit by a gale a day out oi Cape Town so that our position was direct south of the Cape of Good Hope. And-”
“If I may interrupt you at this point,” said Sir John.” I noted when Sir Robert read your Statement of Charges against Lieutenant Landon, while it was specific in most particulars, it was curiously vague as to your exact compass position at the time of this lamentable occurrence. In fact, none at all was given. Why was that?”
“Indeed you have interrupted me,” said Lieutenant Hartsell most coldly.” I will allow the interruption and answer your question if you will tell me on whose authority you ask it. You were introduced to me. Sir John Fielding, as the Magistrate of the Bow Street Court. Since these events occurred many thousands of miles from London, I cannot, for the life of me, understand what interest you should have in them.”
With that, the acting captain of the H.M.S. Ai’entiire folded his arms and waited for a reply. For his part, Sir John sat with a tolerant smile upon his face and waited also for the reply, for he knew that indeed it must come from one other than himself.
Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Redmond cleared his throat a bit senten-tiously. At last he spoke up: “Sir John is here on my invitation,” said he, “and you may accept it that he speaks upon my authority. He is an experienced investigator in criminal matters.”
“But this is a matter for a naval court.”
“And the matter is murder, which is most certainly an act criminal in nature — I’m sure you agree. So please answer the question, Lieutenant Hartsell. I am curious about it myself, now that it has been raised.”
“Very well then. A compass reading was taken at the beginning of the day, April 12, 1767, and recorded in the ship’s log. As the day went on, the storm increased in intensity until it reached full gale condition sometime in the afternoon. The waters off the Cape of Good Hope run high even in the best weather, as you know. Sir Robert, and we were fighting waves of near ninety feet. The Adventure laid along so perilously on that fateful day that we were moving horizontal port and starboard through most of the worst of it. We were taking on water. There was no opportunity to take a second reading to mark the event under such
conditions — though I allow it should have been done. There was no reading taken, in fact, until next day when the storm had abated. We had made virtually no progress on our course, for most oi the time we were simply riding out the storm.”
“Quite understandable,” said Sir John.” But tell me, Lieutenant Hartsell, was the captain on deck during all this —that is, during the worst of the gale?”
“No, he was not.” The reply came in a somewhat guarded manner.
“And where was he?”
“In his cabin —in thu cabin. Captain Markham was ill. In fact, he had been ill through most of the voyage. I acted in his stead a good bit of the time. He trusted me to do so. I held the rank of captain myself during the last two years of the French War.”
“Oh?”
“Reduced in rank in order to remain in the service,” said Sir Robert.” Only the best were kept. Lieutenant Hartsell was captain of a frigate at twenty-six. He, better than most, could wait out such a reduction. His record during the war and after has been exemplar)’.”
“I’m sure it has,” said Sir John.” But I am curious about Captain Markham’s belated appearance. When did he make it? Why did he make it?”
“I sent for him. It seemed to me we were about to lose our foremast. I wanted his judgment as to whether we should take it down. I was reluctant to make such a decision on my own. In the event, it held — though it showed splintering. We replaced it in Bombay.”
“Was that what Captain Markham counseled?”
“I had not the chance to
“Must I?” He sighed.” It is all put plain in the Statement of Charges.”
“Nevertheless.”
“Ah, well, as you will. We were hit by a gale a day out oi Cape Town so that our position was direct south of the Cape of Good Hope. And-”
“If I may interrupt you at this point,” said Sir John.” I noted when Sir Robert read your Statement of Charges against Lieutenant Landon, while it was specific in most particulars, it was curiously vague as to your exact compass position at the time of this lamentable occurrence. In fact, none at all was given. Why was that?”
“Indeed you have interrupted me,” said Lieutenant Hartsell most coldly.” I will allow the interruption and answer your question if you will tell me on whose authority you ask it. You were introduced to me. Sir John Fielding, as the Magistrate of the Bow Street Court. Since these events occurred many thousands of miles from London, I cannot, for the life of me, understand what interest you should have in them.”
With that, the acting captain of the H.M.S. Ai’entiire folded his arms and waited for a reply. For his part, Sir John sat with a tolerant smile upon his face and waited also for the reply, for he knew that indeed it must come from one other than himself.
Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Redmond cleared his throat a bit senten-tiously. At last he spoke up: “Sir John is here on my invitation,” said he, “and you may accept it that he speaks upon my authority. He is an experienced investigator in criminal matters.”
“But this is a matter for a naval court.”
“And the matter is murder, which is most certainly an act criminal in nature — I’m sure you agree. So please answer the question, Lieutenant Hartsell. I am curious about it myself, now that it has been raised.”
“Very well then. A compass reading was taken at the beginning of the day, April 12, 1767, and recorded in the ship’s log. As the day went on, the storm increased in intensity until it reached full gale condition sometime in the afternoon. The waters off the Cape of Good Hope run high even in the best weather, as you know. Sir Robert, and we were fighting waves of near ninety feet. The Adventure laid along so perilously on that fateful day that we were moving horizontal port and starboard through most of the worst of it. We were taking on water. There was no opportunity to take a second reading to mark the event under such
conditions — though I allow it should have been done. There was no reading taken, in fact, until next day when the storm had abated. We had made virtually no progress on our course, for most oi the time we were simply riding out the storm.”
“Quite understandable,” said Sir John.” But tell me, Lieutenant Hartsell, was the captain on deck during all this —that is, during the worst of the gale?”
“No, he was not.” The reply came in a somewhat guarded manner.
“And where was he?”
“In his cabin —in thu cabin. Captain Markham was ill. In fact, he had been ill through most of the voyage. I acted in his stead a good bit of the time. He trusted me to do so. I held the rank of captain myself during the last two years of the French War.”
“Oh?”
“Reduced in rank in order to remain in the service,” said Sir Robert.” Only the best were kept. Lieutenant Hartsell was captain of a frigate at twenty-six. He, better than most, could wait out such a reduction. His record during the war and after has been exemplar)’.”
“I’m sure it has,” said Sir John.” But I am curious about Captain Markham’s belated appearance. When did he make it? Why did he make it?”
“I sent for him. It seemed to me we were about to lose our foremast. I wanted his judgment as to whether we should take it down. I was reluctant to make such a decision on my own. In the event, it held — though it showed splintering. We replaced it in Bombay.”
“Was that what Captain Markham counseled?”
“I had not the chance to
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