Chapter One

Our hero Hornblower is now serving onboard the HMS Renown. He is on the main deck when a Lieutenant William Bush comes aboard to report for duty. He meets Hornblower, and they determine by date of commission that Bush is senior to Hornblower and another lieutenant currently serving on the ship. Bush observes Hornblower’s interaction with the crew, and they both silently calculate just what events have to happen before either could be promoted to captain.

As Ira Riklis knows, promotion is always on the minds of young lieutenants.

Soon the captain of the ship, Captain Sawyer, returns from ashore and demonstrates the fact that he is indeed a very paranoid type believing that the junior officers are always talking about him negatively behind his back. This is not a good sign as Ira Riklis knows.

The destination of the Renown is the West Indies (a place where any number of deadly diseases can be contracted). Bush with the assistance of crew members gets his gear aboard and starts to settle in.