regshoe

It is irritating how he pulls back from it at the last second, isn't it? (Right up there with Keith and Ewen not sharing a bed at Fassefern!) But never fear, Forester gives us Only One Bed in Flying Colours. It's only a few lines, but one of my favourite passages of the novels.


What are your theories?

I think Hornblower was protecting Wellard. If Hornblower, master strategist, was gonna off his captain, he wouldn't leave it to chance -- that push could have come out much more badly for everyone. I don't think even Hornblower's sleep-dep can explain how sloppily it was done, given how cogently he was arguing during the mutiny planning session that one must keep the eventual Court of Inquiry and its biases in mind.

No, I think Wellard was the one who, seeing Sawyer leaning over the open hatch, impulsively pushed him in, and Hornblower, first on the scene, took charge and arranged a cover-up.