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Call all hands. Beat the quarters. Now, now, for the guns. Stand by this terrible battery. One broadside, Intruder, if you please, Captain Bush. Pointers on target. Limbstops ready.
Eye eyes all ready.
Fire!
Fire!
Presenting Michael Redgrave as C.S.
Forrester's indomitable man of the sea, Horatio Hornblower. THE END.
All my years at sea, both before and since that memorable time, I do not remember being so utterly weary as I was after the Natividad plunged, burning under the surface of the deep Pacific. The accumulated strain of planning and fighting the action had worn me out so that I sank almost.
Fainting into a hammock chair on the deck and slept as one drugged.
It was the sun lifting clear of the horizon and blazing into my face that finally woke me.
What is it?
Oh, good heavens. I've slept all night. Good morning, sir.
The wind's back round and I'm holding our course close hauled.
Good morning, Mr. Bush. It's a miracle we can hold the course at all. Look at that rigging.
Splices everywhere and hardly a sail without shot holes in it.
Yes, sir.
She looks a tattered old vagabond. But our makeshift mizzen master is still standing, sir.
Good.
Those decks are still furrowed and grooved with shot holes. The sills are black with powder. There's an 18-pounder shot half buried in that bit of tough oak, sir, and went.
Nevertheless, you've done wonders. I might have done more, sir.
But the men were so exhausted I had to send them as many below as I could. To tell the truth, sir, there's more dead on deck than living.
I almost feared to come to that, Mr. Bush. What is the butcher's bill?
Pretty heavy, I pray, sir. I've got it on a bit of paper here. 38 killed, 75 wounded.
Four missing.
They were in the launch when the dividad shot hit it and sunk it. All the same, sir, England go mad when they hear your victory. It isn't every day that a flicker sinks a ship of the line.
Ah, victory, Mr. Bush.
I shall remember to give you all the credit you deserve in my report. I shall go down and visit the wounded. You'd better get some rest.
Lady Barbara, I... I'd forgotten our passenger. Is she still in the orlop?
As far as I know, sir, I've been too busy to see.
Well, my steward will have looked after her. If high-born ladies use.
Their position to force themselves into fighting ships, they must be prepared to face the consequences. To tell the truth, I was a little uneasy at my neglect of Lady Barbara Wellesley. But I'd had much on my mind. Below decks in the all-up, the scene was like an inferno. It was hot and airless, and the four flickering oil lamps added their smell to the stench of bilge, powder fumes, and sick men. Here, 75 wounded men were crammed together, groaning and sobbing, blaspheming and vomiting, under the care of the incompetent lorry whom I'd appointed surgeon when our own surgeon had died.
Thank God you've come, sir. Well, I've come to make you assume your responsibilities, not to relieve you of them, Mr.
Lurie.
Now come round with me and make your report. Now then, this man. Good heavens, Lady Barbara, what are you doing here? Good morning, Captain.
I am sponging the poor man's throat.
But tending the wound, it is a man's job. The filthy work of a hospital does not fit for women.
Now, don't do that. Go away from here. Go on deck.
Please understand me. I am not attempting to be noble. But there is work to be done in the king's service. And if nobody else can do it, a Wellesley must. If one of my brothers can govern India and another can fight the Marathas, I can do my part.
Look at this man.
He has a great splinter of wood under his skin.
It ought to be extracted at once. Yes, it certainly ought. Mr.
Lorry, are you ready to extract this splinter?
Well, ma'am, I... Don't be a fool, ma'am.
If you will not do it, I will.
I will see that it's done immediately, Lady Barbara, but please go on deck.
I shall do nothing of the kind, Captain.
I am going to help.
But.
Oh, well, as you will, ma'am. Now, Laurie, where are your instruments? Wilson, Hudson, bring a stiff tot of rum and stand by to hold Williams.
Now, Williams, we are going to get that splinter out of you or you'll die.
But it's going to hurt you. THE END.
The fortnight which elapsed before we rounded Cape Marla was a grim period, though fortunately the weather held fair.
Had we met gales, I could hardly have kept my leaking, battered ship afloat.
Although some of the men became convalescent under Lady Barbara's care, gangrene, shock, and exhaustion was imposing upon me the daily task of sliding hammer-graft bundles overside into the blue Pacific.
It's the ladyship's compliment, sir. Could you spare a moment to step below? It's Mr. Galbraith, sir.
No breath, Mr. Bush. I thought he was improving. So he was, sir, in spite of all of his surgery. But the ladyship's worried about him now. I'll go immediately.
Oh, Captain, I'm so glad you've come.
I don't think he's going to last much longer. I'm sorry, Lady Barbara. I'd hoped that he would be spared. Is he conscious? He is delirious. He thinks I'm his mother. Give us your hand, Mother. Give us your hand. I'm here, Donald. Don't be afraid. It's life beyond. Poor boy. Poor, poor boy. A good boy. God grant he has found the light. Amen.
Lady Barbara, come away, if you please. Up on deck, the sun is shining.
It is not fair, Captain.
It is not fair. He was only a lad. He was not ready.
Had it not been for you, there would have been many more such scenes. Lady Barbara, if I... resented your presence on this ship.
If I showed that resentment in any way.
I humbly apologize and ask you to forgive me. There is nothing to forgive. Let us go on deck.
Why, Captain, we are in sight of land.
Yes, ma'am. We're just entering the Gulf of Panama. The land on the port bow is the Pearl Islands.
Sail, ho!
Sail.
Two points to wind up. Can you make an axe?
Aye, sir.
He looks like the Coast Guard lugger we met before.
He's running down to us, sir.
Is he a Spanish craft, Captain?
Yes, Captain Manuel Diaz, commanding. It was this same lugger that brought me the news that Spain was.
Now our ally. And your letter requesting a passage on this ship.
Oh, it seems a hundred years ago instead of but a few weeks. And now here we are almost back in Panama, which I thought never to see again.
I would prefer not to see it, ma'am, especially if the yellow fever still rages there.
Yet if I do not refit and provision, the ship will sink under my feet. She's setting a boat over, sir. Looks like the same officer we met before. It is. I recognize him.
Well, he should be pleased that we've accomplished our mission and destroyed the Natividad.
Stand by. He's coming aboard. Good morning. Good morning, Captain. I trust Your Excellency is enjoying the best of health? Thank you, yes.
I see from the damage and the wounded on your decks that your fine ship has been recently in action.
I hope that Your Excellency has had good fortune in the encounter. We sank the Natividad, if that's what you mean.
Bianca?
She's completely destroyed? She is. Oh. Then, sir, I have a letter to give you. No, no, no. That is not the one. This letter, sir.
Thank you.
You are aware of the contents of this letter, sir? I am, sir.
And I take it from your hesitation that had I not sunk the nativity, you would have given me the other letter.
May I ask the contents of that one? I have no other letter for you, sir.
Indeed.
Indeed.
And so, by this document, I am prohibited from dropping anchor or entering into any port of Spanish America, the Viceroyalty of Peru, the Viceroyalty of Mexico, or the Captain Generalcy of New Granada. Can you explain this most unfriendly behavior.
On the part of the Viceroy? I would not presume to explain my master's action, sir. Whatever I think of.
His action, it's not compatible with the dignity of a British officer to bandy words with you about it.
Indeed. My compliments to your master. I will call at no port on the Spanish man.
Please convey to His Excellency my lively sense of gratitude at the courtesy with which I have been treated, and my pleasure at this further proof of the good relations between the governments of which we have the good fortune to be subjects.
And now, sir, I have much to attend to. You have my permission to return to your ship.
I remained hove-to while the lugger filled away for Panama. Too busy with immediate problems to indulge in bitterness against the Spanish. At a pinch, I could make my stores last out until I reached Santa Elena or Gibraltar.
There was no hope of facing the.
Storms of Cape Horn with my ship leaking and jury rigged.
By the mark!
Nine!
Still nine fathoms, Mr. Bush. This place seems very suitable. Aye, sir.
Made for the job. Lucky we found this channel between the mountains.
Look, sir.
Right ahead.
It shows to a bit of beach. Yes, golden sand, too. It'll be excellent for careening.
Except for the heat. There'll be no escaping that here, sir. The mountains cut off the breeze and reflect the sun, too. Oh, it's like an oven, sir.
Can't be helped. We must make the best of it. We're lucky to have found such a place. And now, Mr. Bush, time is important.
We must work like Trojans to make ourselves secure before the Spaniards discover.
Our hiding place. Call back the cutter. We'll anchor here while you and I go ashore to explore.
My word, sir.
It's an absolute jungle. No human foot has ever trod here.
I imagine not.
But let the escort keep a sharp lookout, nevertheless.
Ah, that's the last of the vegetation.
Another sharp scramble up these rocks, and we shall have a view of the whole bay.
Ah, as I thought, Mr. Bush, these headlands make a natural fort.
Two of our 18-pounders up here, and no ship shall dare to approach through the channel.
How disturbing. But they weigh two ton a piece.
Yes, rigging tackles and swaying them up here in this heat should keep the men amused until we're ready to lay the ship over and begin the serious work.
See to it, Mr. Bush. The serious work? Aye, aye, sir.
It was work, work, work, night and day, until we were all dropping with weariness.
When all repairs to the ship were done, she had to be loaded again. The guns brought aboard and the rigging we rove and set up. But when I stood once more on the deck with a staunch ship beneath me and a broadside which could fire, I was happy again and could snap my fingers at every spaniard in the Pacific. In all these weeks of labor, I'd had no time to spare for Lady Barbara. But her smile as she crossed the deck to me showed that I was forgiven for my neglect.
Give me your hand, Captain. I congratulate you on having achieved so much in so little time.
Thank you, ma'am.
My cabin is marvelously comfortable again. You've made the ship like new.
Thank you, Lady Barbara. The men have worked well. It's heaven to me to think that we're at sea again before night.
You are a very fine sailor, sir. I doubt if there's another officer in the King's service who could have done all that you have on this voyage.
I'm glad you think so, ma'am. I've only done my duty.
England is your debtor. I shall try to help see that she acknowledges that debt.
Thank you, ma'am.
Pardon me.
They'll have that car scurrying through the bottom of the cutter in a moment.
Easy on those tackles there.
There's the man.
He was almost human for a while. Well, Mr. Garrett, let's see you at last. Yes, Mr. Bush. And homeward bound, if the rumors are true. That's right. And homeward bound. Lost that lugger.
Twice we met her and twice she's brought that news. What is it now, I wonder? She's making for us anyway.
Here comes the captain. Captain, the lugger approaching, sir. I hope it's not more trouble, Mr. Bush. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to remain civil to that young man. Here comes his boat. Good day to you, Captain, dear. Have you brought me some more amiable letters? No, only to see you, sir.
I congratulate you on the amazing difference in your ship since I was last aboard.
How were you able to effect such repairs? I know you have not been into port. British Navy, sir, takes but small heed of such trifles as a refit. Oh, to what do I owe the honor of your visit? I wondered, sir, whether you would honor me by visiting my ship.
I should be able to show you something of interest which would demonstrate our ability to continue without your assistance.
What is it you wish to tell me?
I would prefer to surprise you, sir. I assure you I intend no treachery. Also, my lager is within range and your guns could sink it with a single broadside. If you are not back safely within the hour, your offices may open fire.
Don't go, sir. I shall visit the lager, Mr. Bush. Send the cutter after me to bring me back. Aye, aye, sir.
I refused to lower my dignity by displaying undue curiosity about the surprise awaiting me.
He led the way to the foredeck. And there, in the blinding, scorching sun.
chained by the waist to a ring bolt with irons on his wrists and ankles, half naked and wholly filthy.
Capitan, I think you have already had the pleasure.
Of meeting His Excellency Don Julian Maria de Jesus de Alvarado y Montezuma, who calls himself the Almighty.
El Supremo.
The half-mad fanatic whose rebellion against the Spanish I had been sent to assist and against whom I'd been ordered to turn when the Spanish had become our allies.
A bloodthirsty despot that he was, it troubled me to see him last.
You're not this Captain Hornblower that I wear these chains now. It is a whim of mine. Do you not think they set off my.
Fear, sir? Yes, yes, they do.
We are on our way to Panama, where I shall mount the throne of the world. They speak of a gallows awaiting us on the bastion of the citadel.
That will be the framework of my throne.
Golden it will be, with diamond stars and a turquoise booth. Only El Supremo is left to govern from his golden throne.
His throne. His throne. Chains... These are chains. Why am I chained? I, the Almighty, know God. Amusing, Captain, is it not? Oh, he will sometimes struggle and shout for 24 hours without stopping. Amusing? Captain, dear, this filthy cruelty is a shame to you. It has stained your nation.
You mean you're going to hang him, mad as he is, with no chance of making his peace with God?
Mad or sin, sir. Rebels must hang him. Your Excellency must know that as well as I do.
Then for God's sake, hang him and cease torturing him.
We are very glad you have returned, Captain.
I hope the promised surprise was a pleasant one.
Oh, what a trifle, ma'am. These simple things, you know, amuse these Spaniards. I... Something is troubling you, Captain. You look pale. Pardon me, ma'am. I must go below.
Help.
Oh, God. Oh, no. Help.
Help.
Horatio Hornblower, starring Michael Redgrave, is based on the novels by C.S.
Forrester.
Music composed and conducted by Sidney Torch. Produced by Harry Allen Towers.
Thank you.
