Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World Page #3

All hands, make sail!

This is the second time he's done this to me.

There will not be a third.

I tell ya, the devil's at the wheel

of that there phantom ship.

You better hold fast.

What is it with this man?

Did I kill a relative of his in battle, perhaps?

His boy, God forbid?

He fights like you, Jack.

Bring the sun down to the horizon.

When its lower limb is touching the horizon...

Williamson, look to your sextant!

When the orb is no longer rising...

then it has reached its zenith

and that would be noon.

- Sir?

- Mr Pullings.

- Do you make noon, Mr Hollom?

- Yes, sir.

Call noon. It's your class.

- Sir, that's noon.

- Mr Nichols, make that twelve.

Six hours?

Five at most.

Just keep us out of her reach until nightfall.

She's to look like us, lads, don't forget.

Jibbo, make fast those whips.

We didn't want to make it any taller,

on account of this wind.

- Excuse me, sir, but what are they building?

- Your first command.

Quickly. She'll be on top of us.

Take the weight on the yard tackles.

Fend her off, fend her off.

Lower away on the main.

- Wouldn't want to lose you.

- Aye, sir.

There's a painter. Pass her aft.

Outside everything, mind.

Lively now.

We've not ten minutes before he's up with us.

- Mind what the captain told you.

- Pull, boys. That's it.

Now.

Killick there! Douse your light.

Mr Allen, make ready.

Hello. We caught a fish.

Take the helm, Bonden.

- Now, tell me that wasn't fun.

- Yes, sir.

Hard a larboard!

Stand the men down, Mr Pullings.

Ill take this watch.

Aye, sir.

Mr Mowett, Mr Allen, calmly now.

You know his orders.

Well done, sir.

She's a right phantom, she is. The way

she come up again, right behind us like that.

Out of nowhere. And right behind us.

Like that first time, out the fog.

With our shot bouncin' off her.

Captain's not called Lucky Jack for no reason.

Phantom or no, she's a privateer,

and Lucky Jack'll have her.

You need more than luck 'gainst a phantom.

- Is she like a pirate?

- No, they're not pirates, Lofty.

Oh, no. If they were,

we could hang them when we catch 'em.

Privateer gets a piece of paper

from the Frenchies

says they can hunt down

anything with our flag.

They go after rich merchantmen and the like.

Hey, but think on our share

of the prize money.

She'll be loaded with gold

and ambergris and all the gems of Araby.

That's all very well, Nagle.

Got to get home to spend it, but.

Never met a dead man

who bought me a drink.

And Ive never met a live one

that you bought one for, neither.

Sitting up all night, catching your death

of cold. That's the last of the coffee, too.

Thank you, Killick.

Bonden.

That's enough easting.

Set a course sou'- sou'west.

Aye, sir. Sou'- sou'west.

Sail!

Two points off starboard bow!

Three cheers for Lucky Jack!

Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

She's ours, boys!

- Foul! You got away before me.

- Set royals and courses.

- Sir.

Have the idlers placed along the rails.

Ive never seen the like.

It has to be more than 100 sea miles

and he brings us up on his tail.

That's seamanship, Mr Pullings.

My God, that's seamanship.

Told you it would work, Will.

We'll have them by nightfall.

- I think we've got him, sir.

- And the wind favours us this time.

Don't count your eggs

before they're in the pudding.

Still, if we can close this gap

and get up behind her, she may well be ours.

Touch wood. Scratch a stay.

Turn three times.

May the Lord and saints preserve us.

Turn!

Move along, man.

We'll have lost him before you rig it up!

Hold!

- 12 knots, sir.

- That's 12 knots. That's good.

I want more. Have all the spare hands

placed on the windward rail.

Mr Hollar. Rouse up the off-watch.

All hands on starboard rail!

Come up the larboard topsail sheets!

- We're crackin' on!

- We'll be crackin' up if he don't watch it!

Captain knows this ship.

He knows what she can take.

- Arh!

- Mr Hollar!

Mr Hollar, I want lifelines fore and aft!

No lounging, boy!

Lifelines, fore and aft!

Double-grape that launch!

Cape Horn, Doctor.

Close the lid.

There's enough water in the grog.

Thank you for that, Davies.

Reckon the captain will follow him

round the Horn, every stitch of canvas flying?

I reckon he'd follow him to the gates of hell.

It's a devil ship, I tell ya.

And it's leadin' us right into a trap.

She's making a run for the Horn, sir.

Ill not vouch for this mast.

Not around the Horn.

Thank you. Your comments

will be noted in the log.

Sail trimmers to their stations!

Get the sails off her, lads. She's over-pressed.

Give 'em a pull and belay!

We're closing on her, Tom.

Ill not give up now.

Come up on the wind, Barret.

Set a course sou'west by west.

Sou'west by west, sir.

Mr Calamy.

Idlers and waisters below.

We're for the Horn, boys!

Close reef topsails!

Lively, lads!

Batten down those hatches

before we're on the bottom!

Johansson, Truelove! To the mizzen!

All secure.

Down ye go, lads.

Mr Hollom, help young Warley

on the mizzen topgallant.

- Ill need more men, sir.

- Yes. Go.

Mr Hollom, sir! Help me!

Tudor, Ellers! To Mr Allen!

You men, lay aloft.

The mizzen topgallant. Light along!

Help!

Help me!

Man overboard!

Mizzen's gone! Hands to the taffrail!

He's over there, sir!

Swim for the wreckage, man!

Swim, man!

Over here!

Mr Allen, gratings and barrels,

anything that floats, overboard.

She's broaching! We're losing her!

Sir, the wreckage is acting as a sea anchor!

We must cut it loose!

It's going to sink us!

Sir, he's going to make it! He can do it!

- Come on, Will!

- Come on! Hand over hand!

For God's sake, Will, swim!

Swim for the wreckage, Will!

You can do it, Will!

- Swim! Come on!

- Come on, Will! Swim!

- He's been at it again.

- Who's that, then?

- The Jonah.

- What's that?

The deaths in actual battle

are the easiest to bear.

For my own part, those who die under my

knife, or from some subsequent infection...

I have to remind myself that it was

the enemy that killed them, not me.

That young man was a casualty of war.

As you said yourself,

you have to choose the lesser of two evils.

Weevils.

The crew will take it badly.

Warley was popular.

Have they expressed

any feelings on the matter to you?

Jack, before answering,

Im compelled to ask,

am I speaking with my old friend

or to the ship's captain?

To the captain Id say

there's little I detest more than an informer.

- Now you're talking like an Irishman.

- I am an Irishman.

Well, as a friend, then.

As a friend, I would say that I have never once

doubted your abilities as a captain.

Speak plainly, Stephen.

Perhaps we should have

turned back weeks ago.

The men... of course

they would follow Lucky Jack anywhere,

rightfully confident of victory.

But therein lies the problem.

You're not accustomed to defeat.

And chasing this larger, faster ship with

its long guns is beginning to smack of pride.

It's not a question of pride.

It is a question of duty.

Duty. Yes, Ive heard it well spoken of.

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