Odyssey - 39. Chapter 39

December 1797

“My lord, there’s a man requesting to be allowed to come aboard,” Humphreys said, the irritation in his voice palpable.

“Who is he?” Granger asked as he looked up from his desk, almost as annoyed as Humphreys. It was dawn, and they were preparing to begin their trek across the Pacific. Granger had a headache that made it seem as if his skull was pulsing as a result of his attendance at the Viceroy’s farewell dinner yesterday. And with that as a handicap, he had to deal with managing his small squadron, including a very ungainly galleon.

“He hailed us from a boat. He appears to be a gentleman, my lord. There appears to be dunnage in the boat as well.” That meant the man most likely was planning to travel somewhere, and it would stand to reason that he was going to ask for passage. The galleon would be a better option, Granger thought, and resolved to send this man on his way.

“Very well. Allow him to come aboard, and bring him below. Have the Dons shown any signs of life?”

“None yet, my lord,” Humphreys said, grinning. “I suspect that Mr. Gatling will hurry them along.”

“One can hope,” Granger said. He knew that Gatling would do his best to get the Spaniards moving, but their dilatory behavior at sea appeared to be ingrained. Granger returned to his final reports, and had just finished dashing them off when his door opened and a young man walked in.

He was probably in his mid to late 20s, with light brown hair, hair that could almost be blond if the sun were shining on it, dazzling green eyes, and a long, angular face. And he had that nose, that nose with a firm, flat bridge; the nose Granger thought seemed so predominant on Dutchmen he’d mentally coined it as a Dutch nose. Travers had had a Dutch nose, and remembering him briefly brought an internal smile. The overall effect was quite compelling. This man was very handsome.

Granger stood to meet him, and that seemed to prompt him to speak. “My lord, I am Piet van Deventer. I am a Dutchman, although I suspect my name would have given that away, even if my accent did not.” He smiled as he said that last part, showing off his considerable charm, and magnifying his good looks. His English was so good he could almost pass for a Briton, and he had, either by design or from nature, only the slightest Dutch accent.

“Lord Granger,” he said, greeting the man. “I am somewhat surprised to find a Dutchman boarding my ship outside a Spanish port, and while that is sure to be an interesting story, as I am preparing to leave Callao, I must ask you to be concise in explaining why you are here.”

“Of course, my lord,” van Deventer said. “I have come to ask passage with you to Amboyna. Rather than explain the whole story at this time, I would merely offer this as proof of my bona fides.”

He handed Granger a sealed packet. Granger tore open the familiar seals and found several papers, but on top was a note from his grandfather, Sir Richard Lammert. He asked Granger to give van Deventer passage to Amboyna, vouching for his character. “You are either a master-forger, in which case I will strand you on a deserted island, or you are a confidant of my grandfather. In either event, you may begin our journey with us.”

“I am most grateful, my lord,” van Deventer said with a bow, and a grin. “I would only suggest that if I were that good a forger, I would find better uses than tracking down Your Lordship in Peru.”

“That is a very good point. Come on deck with me. You can tell me of your purpose in going to Amboyna while I watch how poorly the San Fernando sails,” Granger said jovially. He was surprised at how uncharacteristically pleasant he was being with this Dutchman. Maybe he was just excited to have a communiqué from his grandfather.

They came out on deck and surveyed the situation. The San Fernando showed no signs of life at all. It was already an hour past dawn, the time Granger had planned to leave. “Mr. Humphreys, this is Mr. van Deventer. He will be sailing with us. Please have his things brought aboard,” Granger ordered, and then turned to Kingsdale. “Signal San Fernando to get underway.”

Granger waited impatiently while they assembled and raised the signal, and then waited even longer for a response. Gatling had taken Kenny with him, although he wasn’t very good with signals yet. “San Fernando acknowledges,” Kingsdale said.

They saw movement on San Fernando now, as men seemed to stroll out onto her yards at a leisurely pace and began to loose her sails. He imagined he would see the same lackadaisical manner being employed below to raise her anchor. Granger chose to pace the deck lest their lack of urgency drive him mad, and motioned van Deventer to join him. They watched van Deventer’s chest swing up on to the deck as they began their walk. “And now, you can tell me why you are here,” Granger said.

“Have you heard of the Kew letters, my lord?”

“I do not believe so,” Granger said.

“After the revolution, and after you rescued the Stadtholder from the stormy Channel,” van Deventer said with a smile, “he took up residence at Kew. While there, he signed a treaty with your country, where Britain agreed to safeguard Dutch colonies pending the resolution of this war, and presumably the restoration of the house of Orange to the throne of the Netherlands. He sent out a letter to the governors of all Dutch colonies, directing them to surrender to British forces. Those are known as the Kew letters.”

“I was under the impression that the colonies refused to proclaim their loyalty to the Stadtholder,” Granger noted.

“There was hope in certain circles that would happen, but it did not. Instead, this was the proposed solution, basically giving Britain guardianship over Dutch possessions. The letters had effect in certain territories, most notably the Moluccas, where Amboyna and other territories surrendered without a fight to British forces, in accordance with the Stadtholder’s directions,” van Deventer said.

“Which explains why the expedition to capture those islands was so successful in the first place,” Granger mused.

“Indeed,” van Deventer agreed. “Despite the awkwardness of the situation, there has been relative harmony in the colonies that have been taken over. Your brother has done an admirable job of working with the Dutch Resident there, and of cooperating with the islands nearby that are still under the control of my government.”

“I suspect that my brother is cooperative where there are riches to be made,” Granger said, shooting van Deventer his most engaging smile.

“I suspect Your Lordship is correct,” van Deventer said, in his own charming way. “In any event, I am being sent to replace the current Dutch Resident at Amboyna. His health has been worsening, and he is thought to need healthier climes to recover.”

“And where might he find those healthier climes?” Granger asked.

Van Deventer seemed nervous at that. “To be honest, I will be surprised to find him alive, and even if he is, he is too unhealthy to serve in his position. So he may remain in the Moluccas, or return to the Netherlands.”

“I am wondering if you think I am naïve enough to be convinced that is the reason for you to replace him,” Granger said firmly, his playfulness gone.

“I do not think that you are naïve at all, my lord. That is one of the reasons. There are others. They largely hinge on why you are being sent there in the first place.”

“You have my full attention,” Granger said, then was ironically enough interrupted.

“My lord, San Fernando is leaving Callao,” Humphreys said. Granger trained his glass on the port to see the massive galleon lumbering out of port, making as much leeway as a cork.

“Very well,” Granger said. “Signal Santa Clarita to take position astern the San Fernando. We will lead the way. You may square away, but allow the others to catch up with us.”

“Aye aye, my lord,” Humphreys said.

“And now, Mr. van Deventer, you have my attention,” Granger said, grinning again.

“My lord, your brother has administered Amboyna much as if it were his personal fiefdom, begging Your Lordship’s pardon.”

Granger chuckled. “That does not surprise me. I am well aware of my brother’s strengths and weaknesses.”

“And while he has done that, he has ruled as per our treaty, with no disruptions to the Dutch way of life, or direct administration, of the colony. Sir Tobias Maidstone was sent to change all of that.”

“How is he planning to change that?”

“My position is not officially with the government of the Netherlands, it is with the Dutch East India Company, known in Holland as the VOC.” Granger nodded. “It is natural that the VOC would be interested and aware of events in the companies that are its rivals. And there can be no greater rival to the VOC than your Honorable East India Company. I believe you refer to them as John Company.” John Company was a powerful force in British politics, and Granger’s own father owned a substantial position in it, and served on its board.

“I think it is reasonable to study your foes to know them better,” Granger allowed.

“There are two divergent camps in John Company. One faction, of which your brother appears to be a part, is committed to living up to their part of the bargain, as it were, with the Kew letters. This group, my lord, is committed to returning Dutch colonies ultimately to Dutch control. The other group, Maidstone’s group, wants to lay the groundwork to retain these colonies. They are committed to integrating them into the company’s possessions.”

They paced together for a few lengths, while Granger digested what van Deventer had told him. Bertie had made himself rich beyond measure, probably on the backs of Dutch merchants, but at least his pillaging was a temporary thing. With Maidstone, the intention would be to eradicate the Dutch government and the Dutch influence. Hopefully Maidstone would not try to eradicate the Dutch settlers. And now van Deventer’s purpose was clear. “You are being sent to resist Maidstone’s government.”

“I think, begging Your Lordship’s pardon, that your term does not accurately represent my mission,” van Deventer objected politely. “As I mentioned, my predecessor is older and weaker, and it is thought he will not have the energy to oppose Sir Tobias’ efforts. I will of course try to handle things diplomatically, but if that fails, I am authorized to use other means.”

“I would have thought that whoever serves as governors of Dutch colonies would have an eye to integrating them into John Company’s sphere,” Granger observed.

“That they want to do that is probable, that they would, or could, is doubtful,” van Deventer replied. “Your Lordship is probably wondering at that, since we were able to displace the Portuguese, would it not be as simple to displace us.”

“That was on my mind,” Granger said with a smile. The Dutch had feasted on the waning Portuguese empire, largely absorbing its possessions in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

“The Portuguese had what amounted to mere trading posts when we took over, my lord,” van Deventer said. “We are much better entrenched. Besides, John Company has its eye on a bigger prize. They are more focused on China than the Moluccas.”

“Indeed,” Granger said. He was not aware of the situation in China, nor was he aware of John Company’s attempts to expand its trade there.

“I was originally supposed to go to Canton, my lord,” van Deventer said. “There are thirteen factories there, or hongs, as the Chinese call them. They are not really factories, but are quarters where foreigners may live and trade. The rest of China is closed to us. And it is through Canton that all of Chinese trade flows.”

“Then it would appear to be an important port,” Granger said conversationally.

“It is, my lord. But not as important to the VOC as the Moluccas. There are problems with the China trade that John Company has not figured out how to circumvent. You will note that the San Fernando carries millions of silver reals. Silver is the only currency the Chinese will allow for trade. They will permit the occasional luxury goods, but there is no great market for them, so trade must be done in hard currency. The Spanish use their silver from South America to pay the Chinese for their goods: porcelain, silks, tea, and the like. That is where much of that will go.”

“While Spain has a good source for silver, I do not think that we do, nor would I think that the Netherlands would,” Granger noted.

“And you are correct again, my lord. We are all trying to come up with a way to find a different means of trade. The most likely, and the one that John Company has been experimenting with, is opium.”

“Opium?” Granger asked.

“Opium is the drug from which we derive laudanum. It can also be smoked for its mind-altering properties. I believe one could consider it similar to being quite drunk, my lord, although I am told the effects are different.” They paced for a bit longer. “Opium is illegal in China, so there is some resistance to using it as a medium of exchange, as you might imagine.”

“Why would opium be illegal?”

“My lord, it is rumored that once people begin using opium, they find it difficult to stop. It can, I am told, take over their lives. They become ruled by the compound.”

“It sounds like an insidious thing,” Granger said. “No wonder the Chinese have made it illegal.”

“Yet your John Company would foist it on the Chinese, my lord,” van Deventer said, pointing out the hypocrisy of the situation.

Granger chose to ignore his taunt. “I am mindful that the world of commerce is more ruthless than war. How did you come to meet my grandfather?”

“It was thought that I might seek passage to the east by way of Panama. With Spain as an ally, passage on the galleon should have been no great problem, and finding a Dutch or Spanish merchant to take me to Amboyna from Manila would also prove less than difficult. I left the Netherlands on a speedy brig, which was captured in the West Indies. Our captors were operating a brig named the Amelie, of which I am told you are a financial backer, so it appears you were responsible for my predicament.” Granger thought briefly of the French officers who had escaped from Toulon with him, the officers of the massive French battleship Commerce de Marseilles. They had asked Granger to back them so they could buy a small brig, the Amelie, and become privateers.

“It is good to know that investment is paying off,” Granger said. “As a man of commerce, you must realize that blunts any sympathies I may have regarding your inconvenience.”

Van Deventer laughed. “That is most certainly true. We were taken to Antigua for disposition. I presented myself to the Governor there and explained my mission. It was my good fortune to discover that he was your grandfather, and even more fortunate that he was friends with my grandfather, who is the de-facto governor of St. Eustacius.”

“Your grandfather is Piet van Pelt?” Granger asked.

“He is, my lord,” van Deventer said with a grin. “And he had the most charitable things to say about you.”

“He is an honorable man,” Granger said sincerely.

“Your grandfather released me, and imposed upon the Amelie to take me to Oranjestad, where my grandfather found a craft to take me to Portobello, and then transit across the isthmus to Panama. Once there, I was able to secure passage to Callao. I only just arrived last night.”

“You were on the Santa Isabel?” Granger asked. She was a merchant ship that plied these waters. Granger had agreed not to hinder the passage of sea traffic as part of their deal. She had only made port last night as the sun was setting.

“I was,” my lord.

“Perhaps you will join me for dinner?” Granger asked. “I will invite some of the other officers to join us.”

“It would be my pleasure, my lord,” van Deventer said.

He summoned Humphreys over. “Mr. van Deventer is traveling with us to Amboyna. I would be obliged if you would find accommodations for him in the wardroom. I have invited him to dine with me this afternoon. I would appreciate it if you and Captain Somers would join us.”

“Of course, my lord,” Humphreys said. “Mr. van Deventer, when you are free, I will show you to your cabin.”

“With pleasure, Mr. Humphreys,” van Deventer said. “My lord, I must thank you for your generosity in conveying me to my post.”

“Your price for your passage is that you must be a charming travelling companion,” Granger said.

“I will do my best, my lord,” van Deventer said.

“Mr. Eastwyck, you have the deck,” Granger ordered. He waited for Eastwyck’s acknowledgement, and then went below to his cabin to pore over the papers his grandfather had sent him.

Granger set aside the letters and glanced at the newssheets his grandfather had put into the packet. For the most part, they dealt with the mutiny at the Nore. Parker had ordered the blockade of London, alienating virtually the entire populace. The government had responded by cutting off supplies from the shore, and as the ships became short of food and water, they slipped away from the anchorage and abandoned the mutiny. Parker had finally given the order for Sandwich, Inflexible, and the remaining ships to sail for Holland, but their crews had had enough. They’d surrendered to the government. Parker and 29 others were hanged for treason or mutiny. Granger felt no remorse for them, only relief that they were safely ensconced behind the gates of hell. Granger then turned to the letter from his grandfather.

Dear George,

Much has happened since I last wrote you. I have followed your adventures with great interest, and I continue to be impressed with your exploits, and with how honorably you have conducted yourself.

It is possible that my last letter to you did not reach you, so allow me to summarize it by noting that your conduct in the Mediterranean, at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, and in getting back to England was truly admirable.

It grieves me to think of how terrible your homecoming must have been, and how you must have had to deal with Caroline’s infidelity almost alone. My sources tell me that you handled that deftly, and earned the approval even of His Majesty with the way you forgave Caroline and agreed to raise her child as your own. And of course, that was all crowned off, if you’ll pardon the pun, by your peerage, a truly incredible achievement, one that not even I have been able to achieve.

My news from England is more recent than yours, having just received a packet with information from August. You will be pleased to know that your family is doing well. Caroline has retired to Brentwood as her time grows near, and while there is much gossip about her condition and how she became pregnant, it is not something that will destroy her. Your brother Frederick and his wife have been model citizens, and there is some talk of Frederick standing for Parliament, although I’m not sure I see the makings of a legislator in him.

The packet that brought me the information happened upon another ship with news that will interest you. There was a battle fought at Tenerife, commanded by Admiral Nelson. To all accounts, it was an abject failure, one that cost the lives of some 250 men dead and almost as many wounded. Nelson lost an arm in the battle, but was expected to recover. My impression of Nelson is that he is a charismatic leader, one who is brilliant, but sometimes lacks good judgment. I think this last battle shows that lack of judgment.

But you are off on a new mission, and it is fraught with its own perils, so let us talk of that. I am sending this letter, along with a packet of information, with Piet van Deventer. He is the grandson of Governor van Pelt of St. Eustacius, whom you have met. My understanding is that while Mr. van Deventer is a man of commerce, he is unusually honorable for one in that profession. I am fairly confident you can trust him unless your interests collide, in which case I suspect he would be honorable enough to point that out to you. But then again, you are a good judge of character, so I am sure you will sort that out on your own.

If he has not already briefed you, van Deventer will no doubt apprise you of the state of affairs in Amboyna. It appears that Sir Tobias Maidstone is attempting to ensure that John Company is able to keep control of Amboyna even after peace is signed. The way in which he was appointed, along with his supposed purpose, has infuriated His Majesty. The King sees this as a betrayal of his own word to the Stadtholder, and is most anxious that Britain adheres to the terms of the Kew letters and the agreements behind them.

I am sure you are more than able to come to the right conclusion when you arrive in Amboyna, but I think it would be in your best interest, as well as everyone else’s, for you to remove Maidstone as governor and consign him back to England on the next available ship. He is a troublesome man, and were it not for his riches, he would not be tolerated. You will be tempted to leave Bertie in place as governor there, but I would recommend against it. I think that Bertie has created too big of a firestorm in his role there to be left to it, and I have heard rumors that John Company has another project in the works for him. I am not sure what choices that will leave you with, but it seems that the two most likely candidates are so flawed they are certain to be unsuitable.

A trip to the tropics is never without risks. I am praying for the safe return of you and your crew. I have been lucky over the years in that I seem to be resistant to most tropical maladies, and I am hoping that is an inherited trait for you as well.

Lammert.

Granger read the letter again, along with the other papers his grandfather had included. So engrossed had he become that he did not even hear Winkler enter his office. “My lord, dinner is ready, and your guests are here.”

Granger looked up at him and blinked, then pulled himself out of his introspective thoughts. “Thank you, Winkler.” He walked into the main cabin and jovially greeted his guests. “I trust you are settling in adequately, Mr. van Deventer?”

“I am, my lord. I must say that my quarters aboard your ship are more comfortable than those of my last two voyages.”

“You may have found things to be even more suitable aboard the galleon,” Granger said.

“The cabin may have been more spacious, and the San Fernando may weather heavy seas more easily, but I am confident that the companionship here will more than offset those possible gains.”

“We will endeavor to prove you correct,” Granger said, then addressed the others. “Mr. van Deventer brought me a packet from my grandfather. As he came by way of Panama, he left much later than we did, and has more current news from home. You will be happy to know that the mutiny at the Nore ended with the capitulation of the mutineers. They hanged Parker and 29 others.”

“Good riddance, if you ask me, my lord,” Humphreys growled.

“I agree with you,” Granger said. “Unfortunately, that means our fleet is back, performing its duties, Mr. van Deventer. I fear your compatriots missed an ideal opportunity to foray up the Thames unmolested.”

“Perhaps the opportunity will present itself again,” van Deventer said with a smirk. “But even if it does, I am not convinced that our fleet would undertake such a venture. This is not a war anyone wants.”

“That is true for us as well,” Granger said. Fighting a war against the Netherlands was not in England’s best interest, as the two nations had been closely tied since the end of the last war. “There is other news. Admiral Nelson did indeed lead an assault on Tenerife, but was unsuccessful. He lost over 250 men, and one of his own arms, in the battle.”

“Will they cashier him, my lord?” Humphreys asked.

“I think not,” Granger said. “I think that even though the attack was a failure, it was not a debilitating defeat. It shows that we are busy, probing the enemy for weaknesses, and that we are on the offensive. I think that in this case, even though it is a defeat, it may also be a victory of sorts.”

“And knowing Admiral Nelson’s skill with the press, I suspect that is exactly how it will be played out, my lord,” Somers said with a grin. “It will be hard for them to tarnish his reputation, even if they wanted to, after his feats at the Battle of St. Vincent.”

“You are probably correct about that,” Granger said. He then went on to give them a summary of what van Deventer had told him about the factions in John Company, and on Sir Tobias Maidstone’s real role in governing Amboyna.

“What will the government do when they find out about it, my lord?” Humphreys asked.

“The government is already infuriated, or at least His Majesty is,” Granger noted.

“Gentlemen, if you will pardon me for interrupting and speaking of things on which I am sure I am unsuited to discuss, I suspect that Maidstone and his allies were expecting that kind of reaction,” van Deventer said.

“I am willing to wager that you are more suited to talk of this than any of us,” Granger noted.

“Why would they do this, then, if they knew the government would be angry, and possibly vengeful?” Somers asked.

“Because, Captain, it will be a fait accompli by the time your government can react. Ponder the long distances, and the length of time between communications with London. If I were in their shoes, I would anticipate an inquiry into the matter, probably by way of a letter. By the time a response to that letter was received, it could well be a year and a half. And then, even if the government were so vexed as to replace Maidstone, he would have another six to nine months before that replacement arrived. That gives him two years to complete his mission to convert Amboyna into a fully integrated part of John Company’s empire. You should also keep in mind that it is entirely possible that the irritation His Britannic Majesty feels over this matter may fade by then, and it is even more possible that if Maidstone succeeds, people will look the other way.”

“But Maidstone knew that we were coming to Amboyna,” Granger said.

“You will arrive and do what? He is the governor. He has control of the fort, the local troops. You are going to attack your own colony?” van Deventer asked.

“I will come up with a solution,” Granger said. “You must trust me.” He did not feel comfortable enough with van Deventer to tell him he was authorized to remove Maidstone as governor, so he left it there. But as these events played out, he could understand why the Privy Council had given him such broad powers to decide who would ultimately govern Amboyna. They finished their meal, and Granger went back up on deck to survey the progress of his little convoy. By the time the sun set, they had left Callao well behind, and the only thing in front of them was the vastness of the Pacific.

Granger lay in bed that night in an introspective mood. He thought back to how he’d reacted when he’d met van Deventer, how he’d remembered Travers not with an attack of grief, but with a fond memory. Granger had loved Travers deeply, and he missed him terribly, but the pain was fading. Granger felt disloyalty at first, as if he were betraying Travers’ memory by not letting it hurt him, but Travers would not have wanted him to grieve like that. He would have wanted Granger to be happy. He would have wanted Granger to smile at his memory. And so Granger decided that from that moment forward, he would do just that.