Yongxing, overhearing, said impatiently, “Our message is of highest priority, and traveled by Jade Dragons the entire route; of course we have received word back. We cannot delay in this fashion when the Emperor has spoken. How quickly can you be ready to leave?”
Still staggered, Laurence collected himself and protested that he could not leave the Allegiance at present, but would have to wait until Riley was well enough to rise from his bed. In vain: Yongxing did not even have a chance to protest before Hammond was vociferously arguing his point. “We cannot possibly begin by offending the Emperor,” he said. “The Allegiance can certainly remain here in port until Captain Riley is recovered.”
“For God’s sake, that will only worsen the situation,” Laurence said impatiently. “Half the crew is already gone to fever; she cannot lose the other half to desertion.” But the argument was a compelling one, particularly once it had been seconded by Staunton, who had come across to the ship by prior arrangement to take breakfast with Laurence and Hammond.
“Whatever assistance Major Heretford and his men can give Captain Riley, I am happy to promise,” Staunton said. “But I do agree; they stand very much on ceremony here, and neglect of the outward forms is as good as a deliberate insult: I beg you not to delay.”
With this encouragement, and after some consultation with Franks and Beckett, who with more courage than truth pronounced themselves prepared to handle the duty alone, and a visit to Riley belowdecks, Laurence at last yielded. “After all, we are not at the docks anyway because of her draft, and we have enough fresh supplies by now that Franks can haul in the boats and keep all the men aboard,” Riley pointed out. “We will be sadly held up behind you no matter what, but I am much better, and Purbeck also; we will press on as soon as we can, and rendezvous with you at Peking.”
But this only set off a fresh series of problems: the packing was already under way when Hammond’s cautious inquiries determined that the Chinese invitation was by no means a general one. Laurence himself was from necessity accepted as an adjunct to Temeraire, Hammond as the King’s representative only grudgingly permitted to come along, but the suggestion that Temeraire’s crew should come along, riding in harness, was rejected with horror.
“I am not going anywhere without the crew along to guard Laurence,” Temeraire put in, hearing of the difficulty, and conveyed this to Yongxing directly in suspicious tones; for emphasis he settled himself on the deck with finality, his tail drawn about him, looking quite immovable. A compromise was shortly offered that Laurence should choose ten of his crew, to be conveyed by some other Chinese dragons whose dignity would be less outraged by performing the service.
“What use ten men will be in the middle of Peking, I should like to know,” Granby observed tartly, when Hammond brought this offer back to the cabin; he had not forgiven the diplomat for his refusal to investigate the attempt on Laurence’s life.
“What use you imagine a hundred men would be, in the case of any real threat from the Imperial armies, I should like to know,” Hammond answered with equal sharpness. “In any case, it is the best we can do; I had a great deal of work to gain their permission for so many.”
“Then we will have to manage.” Laurence scarcely even looked up; he was at the same time sorting through his clothing, and discarding those garments which had been too badly worn by the journey to be respectable. “The more important point, so far as safety is concerned, is to make certain the Allegiance is brought to anchor within a distance which Temeraire can reach in a single flight, without difficulty. Sir,” he said, turning to Staunton, who had come down to sit with them, at Laurence’s invitation, “may I prevail upon you to accompany Captain Riley, if your duties will allow it? Our departure will at one stroke rob him of all interpreters, and the authority of the envoys; I am concerned for any difficulties which he may encounter on the journey north.”
“I am entirely at his service and yours,” Staunton said, inclining his head; Hammond did not look entirely satisfied, but he could not object under the circumstances, and Laurence was privately glad to have found this politic way of having Staunton’s advice on hand, even if his arrival would be delayed.
Granby would naturally accompany him, and so Ferris had to remain to oversee those men of the crew who could not come; the rest of the selection was a more painful one. Laurence did not like to seem to be showing any kind of favoritism, and indeed he did not want to leave Ferris without all of the best men. He settled finally for Keynes and Willoughby, of the ground crew: he had come to rely on the surgeon’s opinion, and despite having to leave the harness behind, he felt it necessary to have at least one of the harness-men along, to direct the others in getting Temeraire rigged-out in some makeshift way if some emergency required.
Lieutenant Riggs interrupted his and Granby’s deliberations with a passionate claim to come along, and bring his four best shots also. “They don’t need us here; they have the Marines aboard, and if anything should go wrong the rifles will do you best, you must see,” he said. As a point of tactics this was quite true; but equally true, the riflemen were the rowdiest of his young officers as a group, and Laurence was dubious about taking so many of them to court after they had been nearly seven months at sea. Any insult to a Chinese lady would certainly be resented harshly, and his own attention would be too distracted to keep close watch over them.
“Let us have Mr. Dunne and Mr. Hackley,” Laurence said finally. “No; I understand your arguments, Mr. Riggs, but I want steady men for this work, men who will not go astray; I gather you take my meaning. Very good. John, we will have Blythe along also, and Martin from the topmen.”
“That leaves two,” Granby said, adding the names to the tally.
“I cannot take Baylesworth also; Ferris will need a reliable second,” Laurence said, after briefly considering the last of his lieutenants. “Let us have Therrows from the bellmen instead. And Digby for the last: he is a trifle young, but he has handled himself well, and the experience will do him good.”
“I will have them on deck in fifteen minutes, sir,” Granby said, rising.
“Yes; and send Ferris down,” Laurence said, already writing his orders. “Mr. Ferris, I rely on your good judgment,” he continued, when the acting second lieutenant had come. “There is no way to guess one-tenth part of what may arise under the circumstances. I have written you a formal set of orders, in case Mr. Granby and myself should be lost. If that be the case your first concern must be Temeraire’s safety, and following that the crew’s, and their safe return to England.”
“Yes, sir,” Ferris said, downcast, and accepted the sealed packet; he did not try to argue for his inclusion, but left the cabin with unhappily bowed shoulders.
Laurence finished repacking his sea-chest: thankfully he had at the beginning of the voyage set aside his very best coat and hat, wrapped in paper and oilskin at the bottom of his chest, with a view towards preserving them for the embassy. He shifted now into the leather coat and trousers of heavy broadcloth which he wore for flying; these had not been too badly worn, being both more resilient and less called-on during the course of the journey. Only two of his shirts were worth including, and a handful of neckcloths; the rest he laid aside in a small bundle, and left in the cabin locker.
“Boyne,” he called, putting his head out the door and spying a seaman idly splicing some rope. “Light this along to the deck, will you?” The sea-chest dispatched, he penned a few words to his mother and to Jane and took them to Riley, the small ritual only heightening the sensation which had crept upon him, as of being on the eve of battle.