For a moment Jack could only stare. Rather than wear the ubiquitous canvas jacket and bell-bottomed white trousers of an ordinary seaman, Ben wore the dark blue uniform of a Royal Navy Commander, with a sword at his hip and a cap at a jaunty angle adorning his head.
"Evening Mr Cattley," Ben said casually. "Evening Maxwell. Good to see you again Jack."
"Ben?" Jack tried to hide his surprise. He glanced at Ben"s arm. It was still bandaged but no longer muffled.
"Aye; it"s much better now," Ben said.
"This is Commander Benjamin Ruthven," Cattley introduced him. "One of the Royal Navy"s finest."
Ruthven"s grip was as hard as any before-the-mast seaman.
"You"ll do, Jack" Ruthven said. "Now, how many men are we taking and how good are they?"
Not used to the speed and efficiency of the Na
