Chapter 12: Laid Up

November 1801

Much to Will’s surprise, Sir Algernon did not come alone to the warehouse, but in the company of two other gentlemen, a Mister Carver and a Mister Harrington, who were fellow members of the Royal Society and collectors of art and artefacts. To guess from their clothing, both men had to be even wealthier than Sir Algernon, and they watched eagerly as Will and Percy removed the inscribed chalk tablets from the crates and laid them out on wooden planks that rested on saw horses. In the light of two whale oil lanterns, the men examined the strange glyphs — a word Will had never heard before — and exchanged excited remarks. In the end, they stuck their heads together in an animated, whispered discussion. It was Sir Algernon, who then addressed the two younger men.

“These are truly remarkable pieces. If sold at auction in London, they might easily fetch £800 and more.”

Will and Percy exchanged surprised looks. Amongst themselves, they had hoped for a little over £100 for their finds.

“Sir, how can we arrange for such an auction?” Will asked cautiously.

“Not easily, my dear Mister Potter. Not wanting to sound supercilious, but you and Percival would be in over your head when dealing with an auction house. You would need somebody with established ties to the auctioneers to act as your front, which would cut into your proceeds. My friends and I have such connections, but we are buyers, not sellers.”

“May I ask what you are suggesting, Uncle?” Percy asked.

“Quite simple, my dear Percival: we make you an offer to buy these pieces from you for a fixed price of £800. It will still be cheaper for us than to buy at auction, and you will save the time, effort and costs of finding an auctioneer. We also plan to keep those artefacts together for an exposition at Mister Carver’s city house in London, allowing the learned public to view them for their illumination.”

Will looked at his friend. “That’s more than we thought, right?”

Percy nodded. “Yes, a lot more, and without the hassle to find buyers. I am content if you are.”

Will thought it over once more. He knew that he would be lost when dealing with auctioneers and art collectors. He would be self-conscious and insecure, and an easy prey for shady buyers. With Mister Montgomery, Will was confident that the man would not stoop to cheat his own nephew. Also, keeping the items together for people to see them, sounded like a good idea to Will.

“I am. We accept your generous offer, Sir,” he said therefore. “Only, you gentlemen have not seen the sculpture yet.”

“Sculpture?” Mister Harrington asked.

“Yes, a sphinx, Mister Harrington,” Percy supplied.

“A sphinx, from the Greek mythology?” Mister Carver asked eagerly.

“Yes, it is in the back, under the tarpaulin,” Will confirmed, leading the men into the back corner where he lifted the cover off the sphinx. As they knew now, it weighed over two tonnes, being cut from granite stone, over 4 feet long and easily three feet in height.

“What an exceptional piece!” Sir Algernon exclaimed. “I have never seen the likes of it.”

“We want it! Name your price, gentlemen,” Carver exclaimed. “It’ll be the centrepiece for our exhibition!”

Will and Percy looked at Sir Algernon who smiled ruefully. “I cannot put a price on this. It is too rare. Let me make a suggestion though. If you were to loan us this item for our planned exhibition, say, for £40 per year, you would draw some income and retain the ownership. After a year or two, we may have a better idea of its monetary value.”

“Colossal idea, my dear Montgomery!” Harrington agreed. “We can have a plaque affixed acknowledging your ownership. What say you, Carver?”

“A fine solution as far as I am concerned. Can you accept this, gentlemen?”

Will and Percy nodded solemnly. Will liked the idea of keeping the sphinx in his possession.

“We accept your offer, Uncle,” Percy said. “We must look after the transport then.”

“Yes, we shall have to find a sturdy ship to convey the pieces to London. Would you be amenable to organising the shipping, Mister Potter? I believe you to be the most knowledgeable of us in those matters.”

Will nodded. “I shall find a sturdy ship and see to it that its master buys insurance for the cargo.”

“Splendid! It now remains for us to provide you with bank letters over the agreed sums,” Mister Montgomery concluded. “That will take a few days, of course, but give us the chance to make all the arrangements. It is a true pleasure to conduct business with two level-headed young gentlemen such as you.”

“I fully agree. I for one must thank Mister Montgomery and Mister Potter for allowing us to have first access. I believe this concludes our business. Shall we have a late breakfast, gentlemen, to celebrate?”

Will and Percy had to decline, citing the need to return to their duties in the Dido. They walked silently for a few minutes before Percy spoke up.

“I appreciate your willingness to accept Uncle’s offer.”

Will shrugged. “‘Tis a windfall any way you look at it. We expected perhaps £150, and now look! Eight hundred, and we still get to keep that sphinx. D’Arcy will take his share, but we’ll still split £640. For me, that’s nine years’ pay.”

“Over three years’ pay for me,” Percy agreed. “Is your pay that low?”

“Don’t worry, I make extra profits. That business with the Army provisions from Malta earned me over £80 in provisions. Then there is the slop chest which turns in a profit. I made even more as purser in the Princess Royal, but sailing in a frigate is more exciting. It also helps that as a warrant officer, my expenses are much lower.”

“You mean...?”

“No silk cravats or stockings, no gold-buckled shoes, no fancy shirts and vests, no gentlemanly obligations; I have it easy.”

“Oh, I see! Yes, appropriate clothing cuts deeply into my funds. I can see that having boarders is also contributing.”

“Yes, and Abigail has a good head for numbers and a good hand for cooking. We’ve not even used the third room we have for boarders since Jenkins moved out. It’s less work for Abigail and the maids. Truth be told, we could make do without any boarders, but Belle Faversham has become such a good friend to Abby, and Balder looks after my interest in the commissioner’s office, warning me of possible pitfalls and such.”

“You are quite crafty for one so young, and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way.”

Will shrugged. “I have to be. It’s expected, too. My mentor taught me most of it, but I also learned quite a lot when I was a clerk for the commissioner.”

“So what do you plan to do with your share of the monies we get?”

“I’ve had no time yet to plan. I may look around my neighbourhood for another house to buy. I can rent it out and get my monthly returns.”

“That’s a sensible idea. You could also buy yourself into the wardroom of a bigger ship.”

“I suppose I could. Then again, who can tell what’ll happen with the Navy now? Let’s face it: I’m too junior to find a wardroom if they decide to send the old sixth-rates to the breakers.”

“Yes, that’s a worry, although Uncle should be able to find me a ship. I worry about men such as James Muir, though. He’s a great officer, but he’ll be on half pay.”

“Let’s hope then that they’ll keep Dido active. She’s small enough to be useful in peace time.”

“I hope that the Naval Lords see it this way, too,” Percy shrugged.

They were at the quay now and found a jolly boat for the short passage over to where Dido was lying at anchor. Angus Donovan, the sailing master, had the watch and told them that the captain was on shore. Both young men grinned, guessing where their captain was spending the forenoon, but they were soon busy enough with their assorted duties.

The noon meal in the wardroom was a high spirited affair. Will was the centre of attention, but also the butt of a few crude jokes, but they all concurred that the dinner at The Thistle had been great and that Will had found a gem of a woman in Abigail. Peter Murdoch expressed his great admiration for Miss Faversham, asking if she was open to a dalliance with a dashing Royal Marines officer. All Will could answer was that she had never entertained a gentleman visitor during the times she was his tenant.

“Be that as it may, we don’t know any dashing Royal Marines officer anyway,” James Muir stated with a straight face. “‘Tis a pointless question, Peter.”

“Ha! I’m not a third son like you,” Murdoch shot back.

“Maybe so, but can you really tell?” Donovan said quietly.

“Damn it! You’re right, Angus! Knowing me father, I could be fifth or more,” Murdoch laughed quite undauntedly.

It was astonishing how these men could exchange remarks that would lead to a challenge in other settings.

“Any news from London?” Muir asked, partly out of interest, but also to curb the banter before anybody took offence.

“Nothing,” Percy answered with an approving nod. “There’s rumours we’ll pay off, but I can’t see why. There’ll be a need for small frigates in peace time, at least more need than for fifth-rates.”

“Will there be a lieutenant’s exam, Sir?” Norton asked. He was an acting lieutenant, and if Dido paid off, he would be a mere midshipman again, not even getting a half pay.

“The captain asked, but the port admiral has not given an answer yet,” Percy answered. “All I can tell you is to use the free time and prepare yourself. Chances come to those who are prepared.”

“Aye-aye, Sir,” Norton answered with more than a touch of resignation.

“A bit more cheerfully next time!” Percy said with a sudden sharpness. “How can you hope to pass an examination with that attitude?”

“Aye-aye-Sir,” Norton rapped back, not very convincingly, whilst Muir rolled his eyes. From what Will understood, Norton had not had a good showing as acting lieutenant, and if he annoyed the Nº1 further, he might soon find himself back in the gunroom, peace or no peace.

Soon after, the wardroom members dispersed, looking after their responsibilities. The repairs were finished by now, and there was nothing to do but to exercise the men in the rigging and at the guns. That afternoon, it was Muir’s turn to conduct a gun drill of the main deck 9-pounder crews. Afterwards, also in an attempt to fight the boredom, Will opened his slop chest, having obtained some new wares, and the business was brisk.

Four days later, Percy returned from a shore leave with a cheque over £ 840 from his uncle for which Will carefully wrote a receipt note which they both signed. This, and the key to the vault were then handed over to Sir Algernon. After depositing the cheque at his own bank, Will wrote bank drafts over £168 and £336 for Captain D’Arcy and Percy, respectively, keeping the balance for himself. Captain D’Arcy would also receive a quarter of the prize money for LaPoule, almost £800, but he welcomed the lesser sum nonetheless. In turn, Will and the rest of the wardroom would each receive £57 of those prize monies as their share. More would come from the prizes the fleet had taken when the French capitulated, but that could take months. Still, it had been a profitable year for Dido’s officers.

That evening, after supper, he and Abigail sat together and talked about ways to invest the moneys. With all the provisions he had earned in his deals with the Maltese merchants, Will had close to £500 to spend. Abigail and he had talked to neighbours and friends, but no opportunity presented itself for the purchase of property. In the end, they decided to invest in The Funds — government bonds — which promised a 7% interest, £35 to add to their income every year. Two years before, such had been the sum total of Will’s possessions, after four years of service and frugal living.

In the week after, Christmas was drawing nearer, Will was collecting the mail at the port admiral’s office. There was a large linen envelope addressed to the captain. Will could feel the two musket balls that were included with all admiralty orders, and he immediately abandoned his other plans and returned to the ship, handing the mail over to Percy, who in turn hurried aft with it.

Not a half hour later, a runner summoned the officers to D’Arcy’s cabin. When they entered, D’Arcy was sitting at his dining table, beckoning them to sit. The boatswain, Mister Brock, entered too, and sat shyly. Wine was served, and they toasted their ship before D’Arcy told them the news.

“Gentlemen, I just received new orders. Dido will be laid up in ordinary. She is to be kept in readiness though, to be activated on short notice. Mister Donovan will be in charge of her, assisted by Misters Potter and Brock. I believe Mister Potter already knows about such things?”

Will nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

“Splendid. You’ll have to secure enough monies to pay off the hands, too.”

“Yes, Sir. I can visit the Paymaster’s Office this afternoon.”

“Have you a tally of what’s due to the men?”

“Yes, Sir, I am fairly current on that. I shall also pay out all the accounts.”

He meant the monies entrusted to him by the crew.

“Very good. Mister Donovan, we shall strike all sails and the top hamper today. Let the sailmaker inspect them. Mister Brock, you and your mates will tend to the standing rigging. Mister Montgomery, have the arsenal send a lighter to pick up the gun powder tomorrow!

“I am afraid that the rest of you gentlemen will be on half pay unless you find a berth in a seagoing ship. Have you all a place to live?”

There were nods all around.

“I shall return home, Sir,” James Muir said. His father was a Scots laird with land holdings on the Firth of Tay.

“I shall stay with my uncle, Sir,” Percy said. “He promised to employ me at the Admiralty.”

“Ah, yes. I expect to see you from time to time,” D’Arcy answered with an almost boyish grin.

“I shall move into regimental quarters, Sir,” Peter Murdoch said evenly.

“I’m quitting the Navy, Sir,” Cliff Mathews admitted. “I’ll return to Bristol, to live with my mother.”

“Splendid! I suppose you other gentlemen will berth in Dido, perhaps excepting Mister Potter.”

Angus Donovan nodded. “Yes, Sir, we’ll keep the little lady ship-shape.”

“Again, splendid! Let us plan to pay off the hands by Tuesday next. They can work on getting everything stowed away until then. I also hope that you gentlemen will be my guests at dinner tonight, to celebrate our successes.”