Dead Reckoning by Parkinson C. Northcote

wish him joy on promotion. He sent for him at once and came to the point:
    â€œMr Mather, it is my, pleasure and privilege to hand you your acting commission as Master and Commander of the Seahorse, succeeding Captain Stavely, who has been invalided home. I suggest that you call on the Admiral now and go on board the Seahorse tomorrow in the forenoon, returning to this ship for a farewell dinner at which your messmates will say good-bye to you. For my part I must thank you now for all your past service under my command. I could not have had a better first lieutenant. I am totally confident of your fitness to command your own ship and I look forward to hearing of your being made post. I shall do all in my power to further your career and have no doubt that it will be not merely successful but distinguished.”
    More unnerved than Delancey had ever seen him, Mather stammered his thanks and withdrew. Interviews followed with Fitzgerald and Northmore, with Greenwell, Wayland, and Topley. A weakened team had to re-group so as to face the future. If only Greenwell had any personality, if only Wayland had any brain!
    The Admiral sailed next day for Madras, taking his squadron with him and leaving the Laura to complete her refit and proceed on her mission. The farewell dinner for Mather was followed next day by a farewell dinner on board the flagship. All seemed very quiet after the squadron had gone. Leaving Fitzgerald to find his feet as first lieutenant and leaving Northmore to have his new uniform made by a Sikh tailor in Georgetown, Delancey spent time ashore making discreet inquiries about possible enemy agents. He found that Penang had been visited last year by aslightly suspect European who had described himself as a missionary and who had presently been asked to leave. If his object had been to set up a network of native agents there was little hope of identifying his representatives in Georgetown. There were swarms of tradesmen there, Chinese, Eurasian, and Indian, and almost any one of them might serve his purpose, few of them feeling any particular allegiance towards the East India Company. One government official, the Assistant Secretary, proved particularly helpful—being fluent in Malay—but he offered little hope of finding the needle in this particular haystack. He knew of the Malay type of catamaran but had never actually seen one in Penang harbour. Nor could he see that such a craft could serve any useful purpose, whether for fishing or for trade. That Pierre Chatelard should have a system of intelligence seemed to him very possible and he promised to look out for any sign of espionage. He told Delancey what he knew about Borneo but admitted that he had never been there. He was evidently a keen antiquary and told his guests at dinner one day that the ancient capital of Kedah lay buried somewhere in the jungle, perhaps near the foot of Kedah Peak. He had heard stories about it and had been shown one or two carved stones said to come from there. The conversation centred presently on the future of Prince of Wales Island. Trade was flourishing there but the place, it was now clear, was far from deserving its reputation for health. Many had died recently of malaria and there had been too many deaths from the liver complaint. The one certain fact was that seamen fared better at sea or even in harbour if prevented from going ashore. On land there was nothing as fatal as the pestilent swamps which surrounded many a river mouth. What no one could understand was why Georgetown, surrounded by recently cleared jungle, was as unhealthy as it was proving to be.
    As the process of refitting and victualling came to an end Delancey had the opportunity to write home.
    April 25th 1806
Prince of Wales Island
    My dearest Fiona—My last letter, of immense length and full of detailed information, went with a man-of-war to Madras but the opportunity occurs to write again, entrusting the letter to a ship which should reach